Hey guys! Thank you everyone who reviewed! It made me happy. :) Here's Chapter 2
Tenzin awoke near the break of dawn. No one could tell though because the snow was still falling thick and showed no signs of stopping. Besides being on the hard ground all night, that was the deepest sleep he had in a while. He was about to get up when he felt a warm, light weight pressing against his side. He looked down and saw a surprising view. Lin Beifong was curled in the crook of his arm with her head and an arm on his chest and a leg thrown over one of his own. It took everything he had to not sit up abruptly startled. He willed himself to calm down for he was sure he would wake her with his pounding heartbeat. She shifted slightly but didn't wake. Tenzin decided to leave it be. He knew she would wake up on her own very shortly. Being the Chief of Police, she was used to getting up early for work. He settled back down and thought about his past relationship with Lin. He didn't mean to hurt her, really he didn't. He had loved her after all… I still love her, Tenzin thought.
All these thoughts combined and gave Tenzin butterflies to think that he was holding her, yet again, in his arms. She shifted again but still didn't wake. She looked a bit cold. He used the arm that was already around her to pull her even closer to his warm body. His breath caught as he breathed in her scent; relishing the minutes that ticked past when he could hold her in peace. He could feel every inch of her athletic figure nestled against his body while her face was burrowed in his chest. He buried his nose in her hair and thanked the spirits no one was up yet that would catch them. He also felt partially guilty. He was a fifty-one year old man with a wife and children. Tenzin felt as if he was cheating on his wife by holding Lin so close and by his own free will. He quickly dismissed the thought; reasoning that she would freeze if she didn't have anything to keep her warm. Or anyone, thought Tenzin, who immediately was embarrassed by his own thought.
He heard a groan from a couple yards away. Korra and Bolin were heaped together like a litter of polar bear dogs. It was Korra that groaned as she pulled herself way from the hard ground and stood up. A shot of fear flashed through Tenzin. Korra would never let him live this down. He quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. Korra stretched and yawned. I can't believe it's still snowing, she thought groggily to herself. She glanced backwards into the cave and saw Tenzin and Lin clinging tightly to each other. She did a double take and was shocked to say the least. She shook Bolin and said quietly," Wake up, Bolin! Look!" "Wha—," he said sleepily as he sat up. "Look at Lin and Tenzin," whispered Korra. Oh dear, Oh dear, thought Tenzin, who was starting to panic. "Whoa!" Bolin exclaimed none too quietly. "Ssshhh!" said Korra, frantically. Lin lifted her head and saw herself nestled next to Tenzin's body. She gasped and slapped Tenzin's face before hopping up quickly, away from him. Korra and Bolin burst out into laughter. She glared at Tenzin and threw his shawl promptly back at him. "Lin, I—," he began over the sound of the ongoing laughter. Lin silenced him with a stare. She bent down to pick up her uniform, only to realize it was unbearably cold. She sighed and only put on her boots. She shoved the other pieces into the part that was supposed to go around her torso and secured them.
Korra and Bolin had managed to stifle their laughter with smaller giggles. "So, Mr. Heartbreaker," said Korra, smugly," what was that all about?" Tenzin hated it when she called him that. He and Lin glanced at each other and turned away. "Wow, Lin," said Bolin teasingly," I don't think I've ever seen you blush before." Lin's face was rosy as she glared at the ground. She earthbended a pillar of rock under Bolin's foot that caused him to fall backwards. "Enough," said Tenzin quietly as he dusted himself off. "We'd better be on our way. The EarthKingdom officials must know we're not there by now. They've probably sent people looking already. We have quite a way to travel back to the shore." "But shouldn't we just go over the mountains to Omashu?" asked Korra. "The shore is closer and maybe Mako and the others went to get help. We also had transportation arranged there to take us to the city," said Tenzin. "The snow is also very deep. Since the trek is longer, I don't know how far we can go without exhausting ourselves trying to bend the snow out of the way," agreed Lin.
"You four aren't going anywhere," said a sinister voice at the mouth of the cave. They glance up to see thirty or more chi blockers blocking the entrance of the cave. It seems that they had been pushing on through the blinding snow, scouring the area to find them. The four took their stances and started firing blows. Tenzin started to blast them, one by one, out into the snow. Lin sent a giant slab of earth hurdling towards the group hitting at least five of them. Bolin sent columns of rock into two chi blockers chests while Korra bended the snow into the cave, effectively knocking over a dozen. Unfortunately, that only caused the rest of them to run towards them to escape the avalanche of snow.
"Retreat into the cave," ordered Tenzin. The four turned back to flee when Lin stopped to pick up the bundles of twigs lying on the ground. "Look out!" shouted Tenzin. Two chi blockers were headed strait towards her. She sent a jab of earth into one of them while Tenzin had sent a well-aimed shot of air at the chi-blockers chest, sending him flying. Lin picked up the bundles of sticks and her armor. She and Tenzin ran to catch up with Bolin and Korra.
"Are you okay?" asked Korra as she ran. "Yes," she answered," Bolin, help me make an earth wall to block the cave's entrance." The team slowed while Lin and Bolin sent a huge thick wall straight to the roof and enclosing them in darkness. "That should keep them for a while," said Bolin as he dusted off his hands. From the other side of the wall, the four of them could hear bombs being detonated as the chi blockers try to break through the solid wall. Lin put her armor and the sticks on the ground. "Thank you," she said to Tenzin softly. "You're welcome," he said back in a warm voice. There was no way he would let her be left behind. Every since she sacrificed her bending for his family, he vowed he would never let something like that to happen again.
"It's so dark in here," said Korra. "Here," said Lin as she felt for the bundle of sticks and walked over to hand them to her. After all that fighting and running, Korra's adrenaline was still pumping and easily sparked a flame. All she needed to do now was control the flame so the torched would burn longer. She held it up and said," Which way now?" Lin felt the vibrations in the earth. "We'll have to be careful. Some badgermoles are near and are shifting the tunnels. Also, watch out for the wolfbats." Bolin shot her a panicked look as he started to follow the group deeper underground.
They started heading into the gloominess of The Secret Tunnel. Korra had blasted Lin's armor with a flame to warm it up so she wouldn't have to carry it. It was still a little warm when she bent it onto her body, which felt nice after such a cold night. She also pinned her hair back up into its normal style. Tenzin watched as she put her hair up. Her hands moved expertly through her hair, knowing exactly where to pin it. He remembered when he used to do that for her. She would be having breakfast before work and he would sneak up behind her, plant a kiss on her neck, and ran his fingers through her sleek locks while tucking her hair under with a few clips. He almost chuckled to remember it was she who used to help him trim his beard and keep the back of his head shaved. It wasn't hard but he does miss that closeness they had shared. She caught him staring and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. He quickly glanced away and cleared his throat. A rare gentle smile came to her lips when she saw him turning red in the dim light of Korra's torch. She knew exactly what he was thinking of. She missed the way his hands would gently comb through her hair as he began tucking and pulling everything up. He would brush his fingers against her neck ever so softly. He had always been such a gentle person.
"Where to now?" asked Korra as they reached a fork in the tunnel. The maze was so expansive going deep below the mountain; so Lin decided they should go left. It felt like straighter tunnels and possibly a shorter way out. After they had gone some distance, the first torch started to go out. "Great, where are we now?" asked Bolin, who had, for the duration of the trek, been constantly looking over his shoulder and became very paranoid. "Bolin, we are deep inside the earth," stated Lin," There is nowhere you should feel safer than surrounded by your own element." "Well maybe I would feel better if I had some food," he grumbled. They had all gotten hungry. The last time they ate was yesterday at breakfast. Now, they had assumed it was almost night time.
Korra lit the second torch as Lin put her heel to the ground. After a few seconds she said, "The system of tunnels are so large and keep changing, I don't know where we are." Bolin let out a girlish high-pitched squeal and fell backwards on the ground. "Be quiet!" hushed Tenzin. "We don't need a cave-in." "Why can't we just go back? Or we could bend a new tunnel to lead us out," suggested Bolin hopefully. There were three earthbenders present after all. "We could try," Lin granted. She took her stance and bended forty feet or so of new tunnel. "All right!" shouted Bolin. Korra, Lin, and Tenzin shot him a fearful look.
The earth started to rumble. "Run!" shouted Korra as they raced down the tunnel pre-made by badgermoles. The gang tried hard to deflect the oncoming rumble but there was so much. Lin turned her head to the three people following her. She saw a large boulder that came crashing down and almost bashed Tenzin from behind in the head. Lin was there in an instant to deflect. Unluckily, as she turned to start running again, a bowling-ball sized boulder fell from the ceiling and caught the back of her ankle. She stumbled forward and fell with a hiss of pain. Tenzin, who was running behind her, scooped her up as if she weighed nothing. He's stronger than I thought, thought Lin to herself as Tenzin effortlessly ran with her in his arms. He didn't have to run far though, the cave in seemed to have stopped. "Nice going, Bolin!" said Korra, half angrily at him. She waved her torch (which she amazingly kept alive) at him. He shrugged apologetically. Tenzin laid Lin down against the cave of the wall. "Thanks, again," said Lin quietly so Bolin and Korra wouldn't hear her. "You saved my life plenty of times," pointed out Tenzin, gently. Her breath caught as she met his gaze. His eyes were filled with warmth, concern, and something else. Love? She asked herself. She wanted to believe it but she knew he was only concerned for her well-being. The damn darkness must be playing tricks on her. In the dimmed light, Tenzin thought he saw a glint in her eyes. That looks like how she used to look at me back when we were together, he thought. He dismissed the thought and sadly knew it was only a trick of the light.
"Oh my gosh, Lin, are you okay?" asked Korra, worried. "It hurts," she admitted. "Do you have any water for healing?" asked Tenzin. Korra shook her head as Bolin said," I am so sorry. You know, just got a little excited is all," he said unsurely. "I'll be fine," said Lin as she tried to stand up. She uttered a short, sharp cry as she stumbled onto her knees. Her friends helped her turn around to sit down. "I think it's broken," said Lin sarcastically stating the obvious, after the pain subsided. "Oh no, oh no, oh no," said Bolin as he started to panic. "How are we gonna get out of here?" Korra responded," I don't know. But I'm pretty tired right now." "Right, we should rest for now," said Tenzin. Korra and Bolin didn't argue and laid down. "I am so hungry," Bolin rumbled as he and Korra drifted into sleep.
Korra's torch went out quickly on the cold dirt floor. The cave was flooded into darkness. It didn't take long for the teenagers fell asleep so Tenzin sat down in front of Lin and started taking off her uniform. "You know I can just bend the metal off myself right?" she asked him. "You shouldn't be stressing yourself. Your ankle is probably shattered. One can be too careful," he argued as she fell silent, allowing him to start undoing her bindings. She winced in pain as he gently pulled off her boot that contained her broken ankle. As smoothly as he could, Tenzin wrapped her ankle to keep it straight with strips of cloth cut from his robes, hoping it wouldn't cause her much distress during the night. He pulled off the other boot and leaned her forward. He undid the small clasps that hold the uniform together. Unbeknownst to each other, they were both smiling at the fact he still remembered how to undo her uniform. All those late nights at the office when Lin had to work late and Tenzin's innocent visit would become more than just a hello. And those times when she would come home, exhausted from the days work, and he greeted her with a gentle kiss while he freed her from her metal bindings. Lin's uniform fell away from her body and Tenzin set it in a pile off to the side. He eagerly set about unpinning her hair in the darkness. It was just like he remembered; soft and thick. She sighed as he ran his fingers through her hair.
She shifted a little bit and offered an almost silent hiss of pain. "How's your ankle?" he asked anxiously. "It hurts, but it's nothing I can't handle," she said. He hated to see her hurt. Even after they broke up, he had always tried his best to keep her safe. The airbender had always thought he had failed her. Like when she got those scars on her face. They weren't dating anymore so she never told him why.
Without thinking about it he gathered her in his arms. She stiffened as he held his breath, hoping she wouldn't pull away. "Let go," she said quietly. "It's too cold in this cave to sleep away from everyone," pointed out Tenzin. Lin was starting to hate this tunnel. Old feelings and wounds were being opened and salt was shoved in them. She missed him; she never realized how bad it hurt. She thought for a moment. The cavern was warmer than the entrance had been but it was still a bit nippy. She had always hated it when Tenzin was right. Tenzin breathed a sigh of relief as Lin relaxed in his arms and shifted closer to him. They were both in a little bit of shock that they allowed themselves to find peace in each other's arms.
After a few moments of silence, Tenzin's soft voice broke through the darkness. "Can I ask you a question?" "Hmm," came the soft reply. "How did you get your scars?" he asked quietly. The sound of Bolin and Korra's snores played gently for a minute before Lin answered. "After we broke up," she began, her voice almost a whisper," I got called on a case downtown. A bunch of wanted gang members were spotted. I was so hurt and angry, I wasn't as careful as I should've been. One of the men launched two knives at my face. I was barely paying attention to the defensive. All I wanted was to attack. I dodged just in time, but still managed to get hit." She fell silent at the memory. Many emotions flowed through her that day: love, happiness, and excitement turned to hurt, confusion, betrayal, angriness, and loneliness… Lin couldn't even believe she was spilling her guts to Tenzin, the man that left her and started a new family, the guy who she was huddled to in the darkness of everchanging tunnels. Maybe she hadn't let her feelings for him go, even after sixteen years of watching him build a new life and family. He ran a tender hand along her cheek. "I caused this?" "No, I let my emotions get the best of me. I wasn't being careful enough," she said in a hushed tone. "But maybe if we ended it later…" he said trailing off. It didn't matter when they had ended it, she still would've been upset either way. Tenzin fell silent with guilt. "Never mind about that. It's all in the past now," she added, her voice full of regret. She began to pull away, but Tenzin held fast. "Just for tonight?" he asked, softly. Lin thought for a moment and laid her head back down. Just for tonight she thought.
Korra looked up and met the Avatar Aang's crystal blue eyes. "Aang!" exclaimed Korra. "Where am I? Where are we? Why are we here?" she asked. Aang chuckled. "We are in the forest just outside the cave you are in. You're dreaming by the way," he replied. "But… there's no snow. And it's daytime," she pointed out. He smiled again and said, "I am here because without proper knowledge of how the cave works, you, Tenzin, Lin, and Bolin might never see daylight again." "You're here to help us get out?" He nodded and said, with a mischievous glint in his eyes," I bet you would like to hear about how my friends and I got out of the cave." Korra's smile widened as she immediately sat down, ready for a story…
I know, this chapter is short. FYI, this story is pre-written and kind of a short story in general so I'm gonna update every few days or something. Or unless I get some new ideas to incorporate. I'll be gone for three days but I'll update when i get back. Reviews are much appreciated!