Who the F*** is Kanto?

Chapter 13 - Next on Her List

Day 14

"Mom?" Lin let herself into the house, even though, she technically no longer lived there. She didn't like thinking about it like that. Su was, for better or worse, moved out too, so their mother now had the entire house to herself. "Are you here? Mom?"

"Your sensing's not that bad!" Lin heard from her mother's room while walking up the stairs.

"Mom?" She peeked into the bedroom and found Toph lying down on the bed with her back to the door. "You okay?"

"Never been better." That led to a still and silent moment that Toph murdered without remorse. "You have a reason for coming here, or?"

"Yeah, I..." Lin looked around the room, trying to figure out if her mother wanted to talk or not, but it was hard with the woman's face turned away from her. "Forget it... It's..."

Toph shifted slightly then, moving from the middle of the bed to one side, freeing room for Lin to lie down next to her. It used to be the only way they could have an honest conversation in this house. Lin, Toph and Su all lying on the bed next to each other, staring at the celling.

Lin carefully made her way to the bed and laid down onto her back, expecting her mother to shoo her away any second. But she didn't.

"Yeah, so... Mom..." Lin took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for all the shit I said back there. I... You didn't deserve it."

Nothing. Not a word from Toph.

"What? You aren't gonna say you forgive me?" Nothing. "It's been a hard day for me, alright? I may have been a bit upset when I said what I said. I understa—"

"I shouldn't've smacked you," Toph finally spoke. "Next time I do that, you smack me right back."

"I'm not going to hit you, Mom..."

No one should ever have to say that.

"Could've been worse," Lin continued, "one of the officers could've seen it all play out."

"Yeah."

"I checked before coming, Kun's in the hospital, he'll be okay."

"I called too."

And that was it. That was all Lin could think to say.

Yet she didn't feel like leaving. She wanted to stay with her Mom now, however childish it sounded. She'd just found out something big about herself and she needed this familiar setting to cope. So she stayed in complete silence. Toph didn't seem to mind either.

Lin wasn't sure how long had passed before her mom broke the silence.

"I've been thinking, Linny..." Toph turned so she was facing her daughter. "And if you want to keep talking to Kanto, that's okay with me."

"What?"

"I mean, I won't make a scene about it ever again. And he'd rather cut off his arm, than see you hurt, so there's no real danger involved. If it'll make you happy, go for it."

"You're serious?"

"Yeah."

"Why would I want that?"

"Why?! This from the girl who whined for her daddy for years..."

"I was a kid, I don't need a father now."

"Well, you have one now. Whatever you end up doing about it, just keep me well out of it... And maybe don't advertise it at work."

"Even if I wanted to spend time with him, the fact remains, he killed that guy who attacked me and Jun. Butchered him in cold blood... Did you know that?"