Lin: 9
Kya: 15
Tenzin: 9 1/2
Bumi: 17
This is NOT a romantic one, more like sister bond
Lin just got her scars, she hasn't told anyone how she really got them
They have bending
TW: abuse
Kya looked everywhere for Lin after Tenzin had run to her crying, telling her that his friend had run out of her class and he didn't see her since then. The brunette had told her brother to get back to class as she missed her own, looking for Lin. She had always considered the girl like her little sister, she was worried about her. It wasn't like Lin to just run away, and disappear for so long.
Kya had no idea where she might have gone, it looked like she had looked everywhere, but there was still no sign of her. She walked into the bathroom, exhausted, and pinched the bridge of her nose while her other hand untied her ponytail. She didn't have the strength to go back to class, not while she was so worried about Lin.
"Where are you, Linny?" she whispered to herself, leaning on the sink and staring at her tired face in the mirror. She looked bad, like she hadn't slept in days. Of course, it only reflected reality since she hadn't. She had been too busy wondering about herself, what she really wanted, which was definitely not having to train on fighting 24/7 with her mother, she despised violence. She just wanted to be a healer, to help people, to save them, not to hurt them. But Katara wouldn't understand that, she was convinced that her daughter needed to know how to fight if she wanted to succeed in life.
But right now, all Kya wanted was to find Lin, and make sure the little girl was okay. She sighed and stood up, ready to leave, when she heard a weak muffled sob, coming from behind one of the cabins. She couldn't see the person who was there from where she was, but she walked closer and tears filled her own eyes when she realized it was Lin sitting in the corner of the bathroom, curled up on herself while crying.
"Linny?" she asked softly, kneeling next to the little girl to take her in a tight hug. The child didn't react and even turned away, crying louder. "Lin, what's happening? I was worried about you," she said as gently as she could, pulling away from the hug to lay her hand on the girl's shoulder. Lin finally turned towards her, and she let Kya take her in a hug. The Waterbender wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders while stroking her back softly.
"Linny, what's going on?" she asked again softly, after a moment of comforting the girl in her arms. The little Earthbender melted in her embrace and curled up in her arms, making Kya sigh. She knew she might be the only one to have ever seen Lin so vulnerable, she always tried to look so tough, just like her mother. "The other girls, they—" the small girl said, burying her face in her elder's chest. Kya winced and stroked her hair softly, waiting for her to continue.
Lin looked up to see the Waterbender smiling confidently, and she was inspired by that girl she saw as a big sister. "They say I'm— I'm ugly because of the scars," she said, wiping her tears away. Kya straightened, astonished. She couldn't believe it, how would anyone be so cruel to a nine years old girl? "Who said that?" she asked, threatening. She would never let anyone insult the girl and get away unharmed. She took a deep breath, realizing that Lin needed to be comforted, and not by force and violence.
"All of them," the girl sobbed into Kya's tunic. The older girl bit her lip and stroked her back softly. "Linny, you can't listen to them. They're stupid, alright? You are beautiful, and you will always be, no matter what they say," she said softly. She pressed a protective kiss on top of Lin's head and stroked the fresh scars on her cheek. Even she didn't know the truth about how she got them, every time she tried to make the young Earthbender say it, she refused.
Lin nodded at her wise words, and smiled weakly. Kya pulled away and looked at her. "Do you want to tell me the truth?" she asked softly. Lin looked sad, and shook her head. "He said I couldn't," she answered sadly. The Waterbender stroked the scars, worried. "Who, Linny? who told you that?" she asked gently, scared to scare the girl off. Lin asked for another hug, curling up in Kya's arms. It was so hard for the healer to realize how much this nine years old little girl was suffering. "Dad," the little Earthbender said as her voice broke. Kya pulled away without even realizing it as the dots connected and she understood.
Toph had lost custody after a fight with Kanto, Lin's father, but her friends knew she wasn't guilty of what the man had accused her of. Toph often asked Kya, Bumi, Katara and Aang to check if Lin was okay, if she wasn't hurt. Kya had always thought that she said this because Lin was one to get in a lot of fights, but there was something else that made more sense. "Lin, take off your sweatshirt," she said in a serious tone. The little girl obeyed, shaking, and Kya felt bad when she realized that she scared her young friend. But for now, it didn't matter. All that mattered were the bruises on Lin's back and arms. "Oh spirits, Lin, I'm sorry, I should've been more careful," she whispered, pulling her into a tight hug. tears ran down her cheeks as she realized her huge mistake, and all she could think about was stopping Lin from coming home that night.
*****
When classes finished, Kya almost jumped on her older brother, after making Tenzin promise he wouldn't take his eyes off of Lin. she turned to Bumi, taking him a little away. "Dude, have you seen Kant's car?" she asked hurriedly. The older shook his head and frowned as he looked at Lin, laughing with their little brother. "No, I think she's walking home today, why?" Kya pursed her lip, she couldn't even understand how Kanto could be so horrible that he let his own daughter walk home every night. They lived so far away! "We're taking her," she said firmly. bumi almost laughed, before he realized that his sister was being extremely serious. "Are you suggesting we kidnap a child?" he asked, only half kidding about it. Kya rolled her eyes and bit her lip nervously while playing with a strand of her long brown hair. "Yes, exactly. Look, I need to talk to Mom, she'll understand. Please don't ask anything." Her elder frowned but didn't say anything and nodded in agreement. "Alright, go get them."
Lin looked at Kya with admiration as the older girl was walking towards them, she was so proud to be friends with her. "Hey you two, Bumi's driving us home, are you coming?" the Waterbender asked with a smile. Lin might have been young, but she knew something about fake smiles, and she knew Kya's was one of those. But she followed the Waterbender without protesting, and so did Tenzin. She would much rather go home with the three siblings than to her father's house, where she was almost sure she would've to suffer his anger.
"Get them busy while I talk to Mom," Kya said when Bumi parked his car as she hurried to get to her house. "Will you tell me what's going on?" the elder asked, getting out as well. the Waterbender shrugged as an answer and walked away.
Kya joined her mother in the living room a few minutes later, and was greeted by a smiling Katara. her daughter bit her lip as she realized she was about to ruin her good mood. "Hey darling, how was school?" the older Waterbender asked, walking to her daughter to get a hug. Kya ignored her and walked to the sink, getting a glass of water. "I know how Lin got the scars," she said. Without looking at Katara, she could guess her mother's smile had faded and a shadow had replaced it. "What? Kanto told me she wouldn't tell anyone what happened," she stated, surprised. Her daughter groaned and buried her head in her hands.
"Of course he did! he's the one who hurt her!" Katara straightened up and looked at the young brunette, frozen in surprised. "What!? Kya, you can't just say that about people without proof!" the older Waterbender protested. Kya rolled her eyes, of course her mother wasn't going to believe her! What was the word of a fifteen year-old next to an adult's? "Mom, you have to believe me! I never saw her that scared, she told me he forbade her to say anything about the scars!" Katara rubbed her temples, thinking intensely. Tears formed in her eyes as she realized that her daughter was probably right, and she stormed out of the kitchen.
She joined her sons and the young Earthbender, who were playing together. Bumi looked at her like she was crazy, and face palmed when he saw Kya following their mother. "Care to explain, any of you?" he asked as his sister walked past him. she gestured towards their mother, who had kneeled next to Lin. "Just listen, I'll explain later." Katara stroked a strand of Lin's hair and put it behind her ear, looking at the child softly. "Hey Lin, Kya told me what happened, and I was thinking... Would you like to live with us for a moment? You could stay in Tenzin's room," she suggested softly. The little girl looked excited, and she looked at Kya. "Can I stay in Kya's room instead?" she asked. Katara looked at her daughter, who smiled and nodded. "Alright, then. It's settled. Do you want to stay outside with Bumi and Tenzin while we get you a bed ready?" Kya's eyes filled with tears when she realized how relieved the girl seemed to be, no child should have to go through that, and especially not a good kid such as Lin. but at least, now, she would be safe.
*****
Thirty years later
Kya laid her hand on Lin's shoulder as the younger woman wiped her tears away. "Will you be okay?" the Waterbender asked softly. Her friend and roommate nodded and smiled sadly as she took her hand and pressed a kiss on it. "I will. It just reminds me of some difficult times," she explained, wincing as she thought about her father, who's funeral they were at. Kya sighed and rested her head on her friend's shoulder. "I know. But you always got better, right?"
"Yeah. because I had you by my side," Lin said softly, half chuckling. They walked back to their car, holding hands like they always did. "I'll always be by your side," Kya whispered. the Earthbender stopped walking. "Always," she whispered back as she took her friend's second hand and smiled softly. They stayed there for another minute, resting forehead against forehead, at peace.
aaaaaand here you go
hope you enjoyed it! (I fucking wrote this instead of studying and now its 11pm and I have a hundred things to do💀)
Sorry for being so inactive I've been working on something bigger tbh... I might publish it when it's over but I wrote it in my first language so 💀