Day 5! touch. i really enjoyed writing this one, Lin is about 21, kya is 24. Thank you to those of you who have reviewed :) means a lot. Anyway, read, review and enjoy.

Touch was something very important to Lin. She could remember the touch her mother used on her chest to check on her when she was asleep. It was gentle and soothing and always made her feel wanted and loved. She remembers the touch Katara used to check to see if she had a fever. She remembers the feel of Sokka's stubble rubbing against her cheek when she was little. But when she turned twelve, she said goodbye to all that. She thought she was too old, and soon regretted the decision but she wouldn't let anyone know that. Well, excluding Kya.

Lin let out a grunt as a blast of water hit her from behind and knocked her flat on her face. "Oh spirits. Lin, are you okay?"

"Other than being wet and covered in mud, fine. Kinda glad I took off my shirt. " She pushed herself off the ground and reset her stance. "Alright, let's try that again, hit me."

"Are you sure this is the best way to improve your seismic sense?"

"Yes I'm sure. I've gotten slack. I can barely see with it anymore."

Kya let out a sigh but did what was asked of her. Summoning water from the stream that surrounded the training grounds, she watched as Lin walked in circles, trying to sense the impending attack, but it was too late as another burst of water hit her square in the chest and knocked her into a tree trunk. "Spirits! No more! I can't keep doing this Lin. I'm a healer, we're not meant to cause injury."

Lin propped herself against the tree and took off her blindfold. "What is wrong with me!? I can't sense anything. It's like I've lost touch with the earth."

Kya plopped down next to her girlfriend. "I don't think you've lost touch with the earth. I think you just don't know how to feel."

"Are you calling me cold?"

"No." Picking up the discarded blindfold, Kya put it on and turned Lin around until she had her back towards her. Lin felt a surge of warmth travel through her body at her girlfriend's hands on her back. "The first thing I did when we started dating, was make sure I knew everything about you. It was hard because you were so closed off. When I first went to kiss you, you stuck your hand out for a handshake instead. But now, I know your body like the back of my hand." Her fingertips landed on a scar on Lin's right shoulder blade. "From when Bumi thought he could sneak up on you with a sword. Mum was not happy. This one is from last year, you gave up your armour for one of your firebending colleagues because you were out numbered and a punk got lucky with a knife. And this one is from Izumi because you were a proud ten-year-old earthbending prodigy, who thought she could take on a woman more than eight years older than her. Your mother was not happy with you, mainly because you lost."

Kya dropped her hands and leaned her head against Lin's back. "Those are the first things I learnt from you, what were the first things you learnt from the earth?"

"My mother's heartbeat. I remember my first earthbending lesson, my mother was determined to get me to use seismic sense before actually earthbending. For the first couple of weeks I couldn't feel anything. It wasn't until my mother sat me down and told me to concentrate on her heartbeat that I finally felt everything. I could touch the earth and feel the heart beat of every living creature in a four-kilometre radius. It was amazing."

"Alright, so all you need is a new heart beat." She turned Lin around again and took her hand into her own and placed it firmly against her chest. Lin allowed for her eyes to flutter close. She felt the strong, firm heartbeat pulse against her hand, causing vibrations to travel through her girlfriend's body. "Wow. I can see you. Even in seismic sense you're beautiful."

"Thank you. So can we stop this 'trial by fire' nonsense now?"

She was answered by a kiss and a body firmly pressing hers into the ground. "I love you."

"You're still wet, but I love you too."