"Dad?" A slightly hesitant voice came from Hiroshi's office door, "Are you busy?" Actually, he was extremely busy, but never so busy that he couldn't spare a few minutes for his only child.
"No, Asami. Come on in." He smiled and waved her in, which made her eyes light up. She came barreling into the room, stopping only inches from his chair, "Did you and your friend, Bolin, have fun with Chief Beifong today?"`
"I am Melon Lord!" Asami laughed wickedly, stretching out her arms and pretending that there were claws coming from her fingers. And, well, he wasn't quiet sure what to think about it. "You're supposed to be scared of a Melon Lord, Dad." His daughter pouted.
"I'm sorry, honey. What's a Melon Lord?"
"It's an evil spirit who can-
"It's a story," The woman who'd taken the kids to the park walked into his office to interrupt, "nothing more."
"The Evil Melon Lord can take over your body if you eat a melon seed." Asami's friend finished the explanation, donning an evil grin himself and laughing, "I am Melon Lord!" This was all the encouragement the little girl needed to go for another round of the game. Followed closely by Bolin, she ran around her father, around the Police Chief, and out the door.
"Sorry." she apologized, shaking her head with an irritated snort, "My mother told Bolin the story and he told her before I could stop him."
"It's alright. That's what grandmother's are for. But, may I ask...'the Evil Melon Lord'?"
"I don't even know. It's a story my mother made up from a prank she pulled when she was a kid, I think."
"Hiroshi?" He heard a hazy voice call his name as he slowly became aware of his surroundings, "Hiroshi?" the voice asked again. It wasn't Beifong calling him, he wasn't in his office at the Sato Estate. That much was certain, but as for the rest...he was really confused.
"Baatar." A woman came in. "An ambulance is on the way." In Hiroshi's state, he couldn't make out who it was easily, but he had a good guess.
"Lin Beifong?" No! It couldn't be! He wanted to get up, he knew he had to get away and he had to get away quick. But he was pushed back down.
"No, that's my sister." She said as she came to his side, "I'm Suyin."
She'd been responsible. She ditched the kids after supper, and headed not to a seedy tavern, where she'd be sure to find the drinks and brawl that she so desperately wanted right now. No, she headed to her own home, were she could brood by herself and take her anger out on whatever inanimate piece of furniture that happened to get in her way. She'd called Captain Lee and told him that she'd be taking a personal day tomorrow. And now, it was time for her to be irresponsible. Lin took her decanter of baijiu off the shelf and poured herself a glass.
"Su, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Lin shouted as she surprised her thirteen-year-old sister and dragged her away from the two delinquents that she'd decided to take up drinking with. Luckily, she'd gotten to the alley they'd hid in before they could take more than a swig each, otherwise, something might have happened that Lin really didn't want to think about.
"Having fun!" Su answered with a shout of her own, trying to pull her arm away, but the grip of her sister was too strong, "Until you came along! Let me go!"
"Not a chance! Those losers aren't having their way with my little sister!" Especially by using alcohol to get what they want.
"Half sister." At Su's seething correction, Lin screeched to a halt. She glared at the girl, who looked away for a split second before taking a breath and straightening up. Now the two Beifong's were staring each other down in a contest of dominance.
"Full, half, I don't give a damn." The eldest declared, shoving the youngest forward, "You're my sister and you're not going to pull a stupid stunt like this again! Do you understand me?!"
"You're not my mom, Lin!"
"That's the way you wanna play, fine! You can explain to Mom, then! I'm taking you to her office right now!"
"Fine! She's probably so busy that she won't even notice me come in."
She tried to kill the memory with a single gulp, unfortunately, it only took the alcohol out of the glass, not the memory out of her mind. Truth be told, she knew it wouldn't do anything to sooth her mind, and she had no idea why she was going to spend the whole night trying anyway.
"The doctor said you were in shock." How he wished he'd listened to his better judgment and asked for privacy when a knock came to the door. Now the last person he wanted to see at the moment came into the guest room where they'd taken him to rest, "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better, thank you." His confusion was far gone, and now it was time to explain, he could feel it. This person knew the Beifongs somehow, well enough to know their ridiculous little family story, and that didn't bode well for him, "I have no idea what happened."
"She thinks that stress is a main cause."
"Ah, yes. Well, I suppose I have been under a little stress."
"I understand, which is why I hate to pester you," but she couldn't resist, "but I have to know. Why didn't you tell me you knew my sister?"
"Your...sister. Lin Beifong is your...sister?"
"Well, I told you earlier, but you were confused." And, he still was. Suyin was Beifong's sister. If that was true then he was on the run for multiple crimes including the kidnapping and/or assault of this woman's family, "I never knew she had a sister."
"What?" It was Su's turn to experience shock, which quickly faded into disappointment, "She never mentioned me." There seemed to be some issues between the sisters, perfect. Maybe he could still come out of this as free man.
"I take it that the two of you were never close." He guessed, mentally praying to the spirits that he was right.
"Oh, once we were. She was like a father to me," she smiled and shrugged at his confused look. Yes, he'd heard her right. When Su thought of father figure, she thought of her big sister first. Strange? Maybe, but she had never called her family normal, "convincing mom to punish me when I was bad, or trying to, and threatening my boyfriends."
"Sounds like she really stepped up."
"She did her best, but she was too young and I wasn't the perfect kid. Mistakes were made."
Su tunneled her way to Police Headquarters as fast as her bending would allow. Lin had warned her, she'd been warning her to get away from the wrong people for years, but damned if Su had listened. Now the people that her 'friends' worked for were going to make her an only child, and they'd known about it all along! Luckily she'd overhead them talking about it or Lin would be a goner. But that wasn't going to happen. Lin would be fine, and then, Su was going to go straight. These weren't harmless crimes anymore, and as bad as she was, she never wanted to hurt anyone.
"Lin!" She caught up with Captain Beifong as she and her team were leaving, probably responding to an anonymous tip that would lead them straight into the Terra Triad's trap, "You can't go out tonight!"
"This area is restricted." The captain glared without breaking her stride,"Leave before you get yourself arrested."
"Lin, listen to me!" She grabbed her sister's arm and spun her around, "It's dangerous." who was she kidding? That would probably make Lin get to the ambush five minutes faster, "For me. It's dangerous. I need your help."
"You got yourself into trouble again?," Lin guessed, Su nodded, "Then you can get yourself out.", she deadpanned without mercy, "I have work to do."
"I can't!" She shouted. Tears, real tears, were starting to leak from her eyes, "I need you!"
"Get outta here, Su!" Lin pushed her aside and started back on her way.
"We're family, Lin! Don't turn your back on me! Please!", she could feel the sigh and pout, but by the time Lin turned her face was neutral, "You were right, okay?!" Funny thing was, even with Lin's life on the line it was still hard for her to admit, "My friends weren't my friends! Now they're gonna kill me if you don't come with me right now! Please, big sister, help me!" She felt Lin evaluate her, searching her for truth or deception. But there wasn't deception, at least not the kind the officer was looking for. This was really a life or death situation, just not the life or death that Lin thought.
"Tai Yang, you'll take over."
"Yes, Captain."
"Thank you, Lin! You won't regret this! Come with me!" Su lead her sister to the sandpits to tunnel beneath the city. They eventually came up for air at a factory. Who's factory, she didn't know. All she knew was that this wasn't Triad territory, "I think they're in there." She pointed to the door on the right and her big sister took point, kicking the door open...and falling unconscious as a board made contact with the back of her head.
"So how do you know Lin?" The matriarch asked, not even trying to disguise the fact that she was changing the subject.
"She worked the case when my wife was murdered." Hiroshi admitted.
"I'm so sorry."
"It was a long time ago, but I still miss her...and my daughter. She was taken from me too, recently. Both by firebenders." He wiped a tear away, "That's why I came here, for a fresh start, away from everything I knew. I noticed the similarities between you and Lin, but I thought it was just coincidence, and I thought if I could..." he choked himself up for good measure, "but then I heard the Melon Lord...Lin told that to my daughter... it just reminded me of the life I wanted to leave behind.
"I am so sorry for your loses." She gave her condolences again, putting an arm on his shoulder, "No parent should ever have to bury a child."
"It really wasn't right. She should be with me now. If she'd only listened..."
"Hiroshi, I have to ask. How was my sister when you saw her last? We've heard rumors of a terrorist chi-blocker, but you know how rumors grow more outlandish the further away from the source they get. I have to know, is Lin alright?"
"She's fine. There was a terrorist, but he didn't last long against your sister and the avatar. When I left his group of criminals were all but wiped out."
And another drink...
"Leaves from the vine." she sang out of tune, "Falling so slow, like fragile, tiny shells drifting in the foam..."
"Captain." Lin woke up in the hospital with a horrible headache.
"Su!", she shot up, "Where's my sister?! Is she okay?!"
"Calm down Captain. She brought you here, she's fine. But your team...I'm sorry Lin, they were ambushed. Your lieutenant sent Officer Ren back to get help, but we were too late. Officers Taro and Osamu were pronounced dead at the scene."
"What? No..." Her officers...her friends. How the hell did this happen, "The tip."
"Our informant was a triple agent." And she hadn't been there with them...she would find the people who did this and she would make them regret it.
It'd taken less than a day to track them down. She'd only found the bodies of Jei and Daiki. Kaoru was beaten within an inch of his life, interrogated for information. Tai Yang lost his right eye, Qiu lost his right hand. Half her team was dead, three quarters of the rest were severally injured. And it'd been all her fault for not being there when they needed her the most.
"SUYIN!" Lin roared, storming up to one of Su's old hiding spot on the Beifong Estate, "SUYIN! COME OUT NOW!"
"Lin." Su came out of the earth hut with a tear stained face, her lip quivered, "I swear I had nothing to do with-"
"Liar!" she cut her off, "You're under arrest for the murder of four officers!"
"I just wanted to save you! I didn't know they were going to hurt your team!"
"They killed them!" Lin's temper spent, she shot her cables out at Su. In her defense, Su extended her blade and cut the cable. Another one came down and knocked her to the ground by the right shoulder. A smack to the ground and dirt flew into Lin's eyes. Su used the distraction to get up.
The battle quickly escalated into something neither sister wanted. They each were giving their all, no hesitation, no mercy. They weren't siblings anymore... they were enemies. Su started wearing out first. When a pointed boulder came flying at her head she barely got her right arm up to guard her face in time. The rock broke into four pieces, three of them grazing her cheek . She screamed and fell, Lin seemed shocked, but only shocked for a second, then her attack continued.
"Lin!" A rock wall came out of nowhere, curving inwards to form a dome and imprisoning Lin. Their mother propelled herself onto the roof and dug her fingers in to hold the stone together while the eldest daughter tried to break through, "Su! Run!"
Her breathing became ragged as rage built up within her. Then she picked up the nearest object, the decanter, and shattered it against the wall, "Little... soldier boys come marching home...brave soldier boys come marching home."