As always R&R is encouraged! :)

Couple of Notes:

- This is a small chapter, sorry! :o Probably will edit or throw it away in the morning, not sure yet.

- The nickname 'Vira is more of a Suyin thing. Also my friend Vira would kill me if I said her full real name (which is what I'm basing that part on, she really hates her full name.) It's also part of an arc in the story, stay tuned.

- I'm working on my thesis right now for college, so I try to write when I can, but it's also challenging to work it into my schedule for my 100 page research thesis due in April. I write fanfic more as a stress relief from the trial and tribulations of being a full time engineering student.

- This chapter is intended for a slightly older than K audience, you can skip the chapter if mentions of abuse / scars / wounds are a trigger or a bother. It's not gory or anything, but it's mentioned and kind of a central theme to this and the next chapter (which because of length I decided to split into two parts). Fair warning. Kuvira has some demons she needs to work out, and who better to do that with than LIN! (sorrynotsorry)

Kuvira sat swinging her legs. The chair was just a tad bit too high to reach the floor, and the chair served as a way to let out some of her nervous energy. Su had left late Wednesday to return to Zaofu, leaving the two alone. Lin had been taking her to work until she could enroll the young bender in school, so she had a lot of time to fidget and think while waiting for her mentor to finish her paperwork and take the two home. She'd all but exhausted her artistic prowess the past two days, but luckily it was Friday and she could look forward to the weekend, which the Chief had finally agreed to take off begrudgingly at the harsh directive of her sister.

How Lin could work here on a daily basis, she had no idea. It was just so loud. All the time. Between the chairs moving to the yelling criminals proclaiming their innocence, the precinct never stopped moving.

"If you don't stop staring kid I swear to the spirits I'm going to make you as blind as my mother!"

She was across from the older bender, lost in her own thoughts. The child still didn't look away after the empty threat and Lin tried to block her out to continue with her work.

Seeing the scars that the Chief wore on her face somehow was comforting to Kuvira. Having seen her now a few times in her standard white tank top and cropped sweatpants without all the armor, she knew that the Chief had way more scars scattered along her body, but she never seemed to let the marks on her face bother her. In fact, they made her look tougher to many and she wouldn't be surprised if the Chief wore them with pride. How the Chief received the scars, the child had yet to work up the courage to ask, so she sat wondering, dreaming up scenarios where the earthbender saved the city from a deadly criminal who only managed to lay a scratch on her face. Maybe one day she could do that, not have to hide under her bandages.

When she thought about it, Lin had already seen hers and hadn't asked either. Maybe Su had told her, but she doubted it.

It had only been a few weeks since her parents disappeared, and yet it felt lifetimes away. She was in a much better place now, finally able to know where her next meal was coming and possessing the knowledge that the Chief probably wouldn't hurt her. Hopefully, she could never be sure anymore. Her parents were supposed to do so much but had failed in just about every way possible. The only redeeming quality to them was they hadn't outright killed her while still under their control.

Flashback

The matriarch ignored the fact that Kuvira was covered in dirt while she sat the girl on her kitchen table. What was more important now was rummaging through the cabinets for a first aid kit. The drawer's contents banged and clicked as Su tried to shift things around, looking for more to help the girl. Satisfied with finally finding some dressings and disinfectant, she turned to finding food for the young girl. Her ribs protruded through her shirt and her face was scarily thin, showing the definition in cheek bones. That was the real reason this whole situation was troubling her. She didn't care too much that the girl had been caught stealing, or even that she'd been lying about her parents being dead: it was a part of the art of survival on the streets.

The most disturbing issue was Kuvira's injuries and the clear signs of neglect that the young child exhibited. They weren't typical for your run of the mill street-rat. The few exposed cuts were more precise and consistent instead of the jagged and random scrapes that usually came with fighting, indicating that their creator had more sinister thoughts in mind. It was the reason she didn't send the girl straight to an orphanage or juvenile prison for her 'crimes': this girl had already been through hell, and she didn't need more to deal with.

The matriarch found some bread in one of the cabinets and offered it to the girl, who took it quickly while muttering a quick 'thanks' before starting to pull off small pieces to feed herself. The older woman didn't need to know that the last time Kuvira ate anything at all was two days prior.

The room fell silent once again, with Su inevitably thinking of what now to do with the girl. She didn't think to ask before absentmindedly starting to peel back the makeshift bandages on the young girl's shoulder as she ate. Her face could not hide her anger and sadness seeing the damage. There's no way in hell she did this to herself. Kuvira flinched at the sudden contact, feeling her own heartbeat start to pound in her ears, although the adrenaline seemed to temporarily numb the area Su had disturbed. "You don't like to be touched, do you?"

The younger earthbender swallowed, and shook her head 'no'. The older woman softened and tried to hide her worry as she stood back studying the child before continuing to treat the wounds, "What are all these cuts from?"

Kuvira refused to make eye contact, thinking of every time her father decided this was the best method to deal with her 'afflictions.' Suyin began unpacking the dressings and waited for an answer, while Kuvira drifted off into her own world, chewing her bread far more than necessary to avoid speaking. Her eyes became glassy when muttered, "Punishment."

"Is that why you ran away?" A dab of alcohol caused her to wince and recoil at the pain searing through her nerves.

"My parents are dead." Kuvira continued in her head, or at least, I wish they were.

The matriarch shook her head, still worried, but smiling. "I can tell when you're lying to me."

"How?" The young earthbender was genuinely confused, usually people couldn't tell. She always remained cool and collected when telling people her parents were dead, it was better than the alternative. They had abandoned her. It wasn't that they could no longer care for her, it was that their lives were better off without her as their human punching bag. So much better off, that they just decided to disappear.

Su narrowed her eyes and leaned in to whisper to the child as if she was telling her a secret, "Your heartbeat changes when you lie."

Feeling very self-conscious, Kuvira let out a quiet, "oh."

The two remained silent for a while, until Su started again. "So, your parents…" She continued to wipe away the dried blood on the child.

"They… they hurt me a lot. So did a lot of other people. Finally, they told me I was dead to them... So I ran away. I came back a few hours later, and they were gone."

"I'm sorry." Su reached to pull the girl into a hug, which Kuvira didn't mind and returned cautiously. The woman continued to look over the different scars and clean open wounds on her body. She noticed Kuvira getting uncomfortable with her looking at all the damage.

Su tried to disarm the girl with a smile as she continued to bandage the wounds. "You can wear these for as long as you want, if you keep the wounds clean. That way no one will see them. It'll be our little secret."

/Flashback

But Lin had already seen them after walking in on the young bender who had just started to undress her still healing wounds in the bathroom.

The two arrived back at the apartment only a short while earlier, both sweaty and dirty from training. The Chief had started taking her through the basic forms of earthbending, since it seemed she had never been formally taught, but quickly the two started working on metalbending after realizing that earthbending was not enough of a challenge for the young one. They called it quits a few hours later, and the two parted when arriving home to clean up.

Although the older woman had grown used to the extra heartbeat and sounds that came from the child, she was still not entirely used to sharing her apartment. Frequently, the elder bender forgot to knock on the door leading to the bathroom. Lin pressed down on the handle to enter the small room without thinking, and the child stood there for the first time without her bandages. As she registered the sight in front of her, the Chief turned her head with one eyebrow cocked, silently asking 'what are those'. A wave of chills overcame Kuvira, but fortunately for her, the Chief turned to leave before receiving an answer.

The young metalbender tried to decide why the Chief hadn't pressed her for more information. Maybe she didn't care or she'd forgotten.

Kuvira hadn't learned yet that the Chief never forgets.

To Be Continued... HMB

R&R please! :)