Yuze grinned as she slid open the door and opened her mouth, "I'm home—"
"... are you thinking?! Going in the arena without my permission?!"
"That's because you will not let me go in there!"
"Oh, you knew I was not going to say yes, so that's why you decided to go behind my back? Korra, your parents had trusted you into me, while you are in here, you'll obey my rules and do what I say."
"I'm not a child anymore, I can make my own decision now. I don't need to answer to you! And besides, joining the pro-bending did good to me. You witness it, Tenzin. I can finally do the be-a-leaf thing, and for that reason, I'll continue joining Mako and Bolin in pro-bending even if you said—"
"You've got my permission."
"That I've got your permission — wait, what?" Korra looked into the Airbending Master with eyes widened and mouth slightly gaped.
Tenzin shook his head and stepped closer to Korra. He gave her a smile as he put his hand in her shoulder, "I give you my permission to join the pro-bending tournament. I realized that maybe my way of teaching doesn't work with you and yes, you're right. I always tell you that the air is the symbol of freedom when I, myself don't give it to you. For that, I give you my permission to join Mako and Bolin."
Korra just looked at her airbending master in disbelief until a wide smile broke out on her lips then she jumped towards Tenzin to hug him, "Spirits! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Tenzin laughed as he patted the girl's hair. Then the sound of someone sniffing reached their ears. They turned their head at the entrance simultaneously.
"Look at you two, getting all mushy and sappy," Yuze smiled while wiping her fake tears away, "And what did I just hear? You finally learned how to move like an airbender, Korra?"
Korra beam up, "Yes, Sifu. I did it while on pro-bending."
Yuze smiled fondly at her student, "I'm so proud of you, Korra," but she raised her eyebrow, "Though I'm disappointed that you got caught by Tenzin. I know you could do better than that."
Korra's mouth opened a few times, shocked that her former teacher knew about her taking a stroll in the city, but also grateful she didn't tell the airbender. Tenzin on the other hand was getting red as his blood rose.
"You knew about her escapades all this time and you didn't bother to tell me?!" Tenzin exclaimed in disbelief.
Yuze looked at him innocently, "Know what? I don't know anything."
"Don't act innocently, Yuze, you just said a few seconds ago about it!"
Yuze feigned a yawn, "Oh spirits, I'm tired. Sorry, Tenzin, let's talk about it tomorrow! Bye!"
"Yuze!" Tenzin shouted as he watched the young firebender dashed in the corridors, disappearing in his sight in just a second.
The sound of a stifled laugh diverts Tenzin's attention to Korra. The Avatar immediately stopped and cleared her throat as she saw the older man's glare.
"And you young lady! Go to your room and sleep! Your punishment will start at dawn!"
Korra gaped, "But I thought —"
"I've given you permission to join the pro-bending but I said nothing about you getting out of it without a lesson," Tenzin raised an eyebrow as he turned his back with an air blowing his cape for theatrics sake.
The son of Aang let out a smirk as he listened to the young Avatar spurt curses silently.
The lightning struck and its light flashed through the night sky. Rain was pouring heavily and the wind blew. Some of the people were already sleeping soundly despite the storm while some were still awake and stayed alert just in case the rain caused a flood and came to the houses of individuals.
But a certain woman was neither sleeping nor staying awake because of worries. She's looking through the window, her robe wrapped to her body, warming her. Her eyes looked at the sky as it flashed another lightning. Though she was watching all of it, her mind was elsewhere.
Lin shook her head as her mind drifted back again to her dreams that had awoken her in the middle of the night shouting. Her hand reached for the necklace around her neck.
Hernecklace.
"You took him away from me, I took yours. It's a fair fight, Beifong."
The voice of that woman echoes through her mind and her hand immediately tightens around the necklace.
The anger once again bubbles throughout her blood. She wants to scream. She wants to lash out and destroy everything. She wants to kill the person behind it.
But then she couldn't do it. She's tired.
Everyone knew about Lin Beifong the Chief of Police. But only a few knew her as justLin.
Those who knew her saw through her how that incident took her life.
She might be breathing, but inside she feels likedeath.
"No, it's not fair," she whispered as she gripped to the necklace.
Everything had been taken to her. Her mother. Her sister. The love of her life.
Then her daughter came through her life. It felt like all of the burden of the world lifted from her shoulders. Those soft emerald eyes have saved her from drowning. Her giggles became her light.
Her daughter is her salvation.
She is her heart.
She is hereverything.
And when she was taken away from her, it also cost her everything.
There's nothing left for her.
Lin laughed as she taught how funny it was for her to be still alive. She even wonders how she is still sane from everything that happened to her.
Lin was convinced that she did something awful in her past life and this is the spirit's way of punishment.
The woman felt something hot fall down on her cheeks. Then there was another and another until she couldn't control it anymore.
She thought her eyes were already dry and that she was now incapable of crying, but it seemed like she was wrong.
Her knees became weak and her body fell to the ground.
Her body curled as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Mourning the baby she had lost 20 years ago for the millionth time.
All of the people residing in the Air Temple Island were now asleep peacefully even with the storm outside but one.
A certain firebender was tossing her head left and right. Her brows were furrowed.
"How could you!"
A sweat slid from her temple.
"Why did you do this to us, captain?"
"It's an accident. I didn't mean it," Yuze murmured while her eyes were closed.
"You're not a savior, you're a murderer!"
"No."
"Yes, you are! You killed us!"
"I'm sorry."
"Monster!"
"I'm sorry."
"Monster!"
"Monster!"
"MONSTER!'
Yuze's eyes snapped open just a scream came out of her mouth that echoed throughout the island, waking its occupants.
Korra ran fast towards the room where the scream came, suddenly Tenzin was running alongside her.
"What happened?" Korra asked, worried that something happened to her former master.
"I don't know," Tenzin replied, his face was serious, but inside he was also worried for the younger woman.
When they reached the room, Tenzin opened the door creating a sound. Their eyes went to the bed but Yuze was not there.
The airbender felt Korra tapping his shoulder. He looked at her but the teenager was facing somewhere. He followed the line where she was looking and saw Yuze curled in the corner of the room.
One look and they know what is happening in the firebender.
They approach Yuze slowly but also make sure they are creating a sound to not spook the said woman.
"Yuze? It's me, Tenzin," the airbender reached for the young woman's arms but immediately retracted when he felt her skin like fire, "Yuze, you're not there. You're here at the Air Temple Island."
"I'm a monster."
"Yuze, remember you're here in the Air Temple Island. You're not there anymore."
Korra watched her firebending master behind Tenzin. And her body became alert when she noticed something.
"Tenzin, her body is smoking."
Tenzin became alert too, "Spirits," he turned to Korra, "We need to take her to the sea before it becomes worse. Korra you know the drill."
Korra nodded as she ran outside, stopping temporarily when she bumped into Tenzin's kids in the front of the room at the woman with concern, and though Pema looked irritated she saw a little concern in her eyes.
"Is she okay?" Ikki asked, her eyes becoming teary at the thought of her new favorite person being hurt. Yuze and her had been closed throughout the firebender's stay on the island. Being a middle child in a family is not was the first one who really saw her.
Korra let out an assuring smile, "She's gonna be okay, don't worry Ikki."
"But the scream—"
Korra put her hand on the young girl's head and smiled, "She's gonna be okay."
Ikki nodded though still a little unsure.
Korra smiled and continued running. The middle child of Tenzin's kid watched as her father talked to her favorite person, "Be okay, jiě jie."
Korra came back with two buckets full of water. She gave the other one to Tenzin who took it and poured it into Yuze's blanket. Korra on the other hand, wielded the water in the other bucket to the older woman's head to calm her down while Tenzin was wrapping Yuze in a wet blanket.
The Airbending Master lifted the Firebending Master in his arms. At first, Yuze fights out of it, but Tenzin's gentle words combine with Korra's waterbending they succeed in calming the firebender. However, it still did not bring the young woman into the present and stopped her body from producing heat.
Tenzin came out of the room carrying Yuze, with Korra following at the latter's head.
Tenzin's family was left standing in the middle of the corridor, watching as the three of them disappeared from their sight, wishing for the young master to get well.
"What happened to you?"
Lin ignored the man as she continued filling the attendance log book, "Nothing."
When she finished she picked up her bag, turned around, and was about to walk when a hand from her wrist stopped her. Lin looked down at the hand holding her and then at the one owning the said hand.
"What happened?" Jin's eyes swept to Lin's face.
The Chief saw her other men watching them making her pull her hand back. She straightened her body and glared, "It's none of your business, Lieutenant Jin. If you excuse me."
She turned around once again and started walking.
Jin let out a tsked and walked quickly and once he reached her, he once again took her wrist but this time he pulled her making Lin whirled around facing him.
"Lin, did you remember her again?"
For a second, Lin's barrier let down and Jin saw past it, but as fast as it went, it also immediately gone. Wearing the Chief's mask once again.
Lin pulled her hand back, more forceful this time. She walked close to Jin and looked him straight in his eyes, "I will repeat it once again, Lieutenant Jin, It's none of your business. And it's Chief Beifong to you."
With that, she stepped back and walked with a long stride. Jin looked at his boss, his friend, with concern and something else alongside it.
That's when he noticed everyone looking at him. He wore his lieutenant face and barked, "Back to work!"
"Lin, did you remember her again?"
"There's not a day gone passed that I didn't remember her," Lin whispered as she walked towards her office.
She composed herself and opened the door, expecting a certain Firebender inside her office without her permission again, but when she looked there was no one inside.
Lin furrowed but then shrugged. Sure that the young woman will come by later that day.
But the day passed by and the night came, but no Yuze appeared.