Ever since Kya and I started our new relationship, something I still can't belive I mananged. She's started to become more clingy and intimate. At first it was nice haveing her next to me, always having her body pressed to mine. But her presence started making me nervous and it wasn't just becuase of how she made me feel. We decided to keep our relationship hidden for now. The only person knowing was my mother but only because during one of my training sessons with her she was right next to me and was constantly trying to help guide my hands when I tried to bend.
Which of course blew my focus straight out the window and drove mother crazy. So I decided next time I got the chance I'd try to tell her to ease off just a bit.
"Lin you okay? You've got that expression on your face again."
"What expression?"
"The one that tells me that's somethings on your mind but you have no idea how to procceed."
It's times like these that I really hate that she knows me so well.
"Well Kya I..."
"Want me to back off a bit. Look I know that I've been a bit much since we started but that's just my nature. I just worry about you, and yes I know that your tough but that doesn't mean I'll stop worrying about you. After all you're very impormant to me."
My heart skipped a few beats but I had to stay strong. "And I love that about you but could you at least ease off while I'm training? I haven't been able to properly bend since I lost my sight and I haven't improved with my seismic sense at all."
"Really? What do you think could be causing it?"
"I don't know. Your're the docotor you tell me."
"Well I have noticed that your aura is different. I'll ask mom about and see if we can find an answer."
"Okay you do that while I get some training in." I started up but she quickly grabbed my arm.
"Lin I think you're forgetting something."
What could I be forgetting?... Oh yeah that.
I'd forgotton what we'd agreed to do when we left each other. I pulled her close and gave her a quick kiss before leaving to resume my training.
Finding mother wasn't hard I just followed the angry gurnts and strong vibrations.
"Alright lets get back to work."
"Finally I thought you'd spend the entire day fawning over her. It's nice that you two finally got together but I came here to help you train, not to listen to you two get emotional."
I entered my stance ready to begin whatever training she had but was suprised when she quickly knocked me onto my ass.
"What the hell?!"
"We're not getting anywhere with the usual training so I thougt we'd try a different approach. So from this point on we're going to have to retrain you from scratch. You're first lesson will be to focus on on feeling the earth around you. I want you to stand still and foucs only on the ground and any vibartions you feel."
"For how long?"
"Untill I get back."
"Back from where?"
"I got something I need to take care of in the city. So untill I get back you're going to stay there and listen. Kind of like a boulder."
That's it!? Just stand here. Usually she'd at least hurl some rocks at me or bury me up to my head and have me bend my way out.
"Fine."
"Good I'll be back as soon as I can." as soon as she left I begain listening to what was going on around me. At first all that came to me was a massive boredom but the more I stood there not moving the more the world started to become clearer. I heard the wind and waves, the chittering lemurs flying about and the massive groans coming from the bisons.
I know the body adapts by shapening the other senses when one is lost but I didn't think it be this strong.
With every passing second my other senses started to improve as well. I kicked off my shoes and pressed my bare feet to the earth so I could feel even more. Then it hit me, the strong scent of herbs and medicine that was comming from Katara's chambers. I could even hear voices but I couldn't hear much more then that. Curious I decided to focus my senses and try and pinpoint the voices and where they were comming from.
At first nothing happaned which made me a bit agitated but I kept going just in case. Gathering myself I took a deep breath and focused only on my hearing.
"... I... Tenzin... talk..." words kept fading in and out but at least I was able to hear something. I was close to something and for a moment I thought about walking closer to make it easier but then I remembered mother's words and stayed still. I foucsed as hard as I could on the voices and as I did so I started to feel something strange, I couldn't describe exactly what it felt like but as it got stronger their voices got clearer.
"Come on Pema, we've been over this a dozen times now."
"Yes and every time you say that you two were just friends. And yet I've seen how you look at her."
"Pema she's my oldest friend, like a second sister to me. I'm concerned for her that's all there is to it."
"And yet I've seen you staring at her when you thought no one was looking. Look Tenzin every since she got here you've been a different person."
"I ... you're right, I did have feelings for her long ago but I realized she didn't feel the same and I tried to bury them. I want you to know that I love you Pema but a part of me will always have feelings for her."
"Well as long as you only see her as a sister then I guss I can deal with it."
After listening to their little conversation my stomach was on the verge of churning. That was a conversation that I really didn't need to hear. But as I was about to go back to standing around I heard another voice comming from the opposite side of the island. Unlike the previous time I tried to focus this time the conversation came in perfectly.
"What are you saying mom?"
"I'm saying that Lin may be suffering from some emotional/ spirtural crisis. It's not unheard for benders to be unable to bend after going through a massive change or traumatic event in their lives. It's possible that if she's able to come to turms with what happaned and move past it then she'll be able to bend again."
As they spoke the sensation from earlier got stronger and somehow it felt like I was actually in the room with them. I was close to something and I wanted to see how far I could take this, so I focused on their room and voices.
Then it happaned, something inside me clicked into place and suddenly I could see the room. It was rather like a dream Katara, Kya, every single thing in the room was visible clear as day.
I had no ida what was going on but I didn't care. I could see and I was going to hold on to this sensation for as long as I could.
"Any ideas mom?"
"Well you two could try having a heart to heart and get to the bottom of things."
"Yeah we kind of had one of those. It ended pretty well." my heart swelled as I was able to see her smile for the first time in days.
"That's good to hear, but untill she kind find some way to move past this she'll probably never be able to bend."
At this I grew worried, Katara was the best doctor I knew and if she said something bothersome she was probably right.
My heart deflated and the sensation started to vanish. I tried to stay focused but my sight quickly faded and I was left blind once more.
No!
I quickly tried to foucs again but the only thing I saw was empty darkness.
Left confused and angry I colasped to the ground in frustration. It's hard to say just how long I was there. Time seemed to fly by as agatation turned into anger and regret. Eventually I heard footsteps coming my way.
"Hey Lin I was talking with mom and think we might have a solution."
"I know."
"What?"
"Kya this is going to sound strange but somehow I was standing here listening to the things goin on around me and somehow I was able to hear people's conversations from across the islands. First I heard Pema and Tenzin but then I heard you talking with Katara. And somehow I was able to see again."
"What!? You could see?"
"Yeah but it only lasted for a little while before disappearing again. I tried to do it again but got nothing."
"Lin that's amazing! I mean it's kind of creepy to know that my girlfriend has the ability to see what I'm doing from across the island but that fact that you could is awesome. Dad once said that everything's connected and that if you know how to listen you can see everything."
"And you think that's what I did?" if that was the case then maybe I wouldn't be blind forever.
"Well it's hard to say. Dad is an airbender and the avatar so sometimes he says things that are pretty vague. Honestly sometimes I just tend to tune him out but he did say that he learned this from a guru so they're probably something to it."