Chapter Text
9 years old
Kya had started her waterbending lessons in the winter. As her fledgling skill slowly improved, the winter came and went, and the first few warm days broke through the ground in Republic City. Today, Lin would begin her first formal earthbending lesson, and Kya and Katara sat at the sidelines to watch.
Kya was excited for her friend. Ever since they had discovered their bending together, they had dreamed of becoming seasoned benders like their parents. Lin had been upset when Kya got to start her training first, but now she would have a chance to catch up, and Kya wanted to be there to see her as she took that first step.
Kya watched intently as Lin took a wide-based fighting stance next to her mother.
“An earthbender has to be tough and firm, like the earth,” Toph said sternly. “Your stance is the first step. Keep your center of gravity low. To move an immovable entity like the earth, you have to be immovable yourself.”
The master earthbender walked around her pupil, pushing to test for weaknesses. She smiled briefly. “Good.”
From her place at the edge of the grass, Kya smiled too. Of course Lin would get it right away. There was nothing that didn’t come to her easily, nothing that didn’t bend to her will. Kya felt a flash of pride for her friend.
“Do you feel the earth beneath you?”
Lin nodded.
“Not just with your feet, but with your bending. Feel it intrinsically.”
Lin nodded again, completely focused.
“Now, I want you to focus on a small part of that ground, visualize it separating from the rest. Now pull it towards you. Like this.” Toph demonstrated the basic form and pulled a chunk out of the ground in front of her. “Now you try.”
Lin closed her eyes, centering herself. Kya held her breath. In one swift and sure motion, Lin slid one leg, planted the other, and punched up, taking a small chunk out of the earth. A moment later, she released control, letting the chunk fall down with a triumphant grin.
Kya’s mother chucked beside her. “Lin is already proving to be a far better student than your father was.” She turned to see her daughter frozen and wide-eyed. “Um, sweetie, are you ok?”
Kya could not hold back her admiration, her eyes and voice overflowing with it. “Mom, she’s so strong and beautiful. I bet dad thought you were strong and beautiful too when you did your bending. Do you think I could marry her like Dad married you?”
Katara’s eyes widened imperceptibly before she gathered Kya gently in her arms. “Oh baby, you’re a little young to get married, but when you’re old enough, you can marry whoever you want.”
Satisfied with the answer, Kya refocused her attention on the lesson going on in front of her. Katara’s attention remained on her daughter as she puzzled out her strange declaration. In the end, no matter what Kya had meant, Katara’s words were true. She would love and protect her daughter to the ends of the earth. With that thought, she held her daughter closer to her chest.
14 years old
Kya sat at the edge of the classroom, staring distractedly out the window. If you asked her, the fact that she wasn’t paying attention to the history lesson was not her fault. Uncle Sokka had told her this story so many times. Her parents had been there during the seige of the Northern Water Tribe. The way Uncle Sokka told the story, her dad had gotten kidnapped while trying to do “Avatar spirit stuff” and they had to “rescue his sorry ass, water tribe style.” The way her teacher told it, Avatar Aang had bravely taken on the entire fleet of Fire Navy ships, saving the Northern Water Tribe single-handedly. Kya supposed that the truth could be found somewhere in the middle.
As she sat lost in her thoughts, she noticed a group of students in their gym uniforms heading outside the school to the training grounds, just in view of her window. She scanned the group quickly and smiled when her eyes landed on Lin. A pleasant surprise. She wondered if she could do something to get her best friend’s attention. Sneaking a glance to the front of the room, she noted that her teacher was turned firmly towards the board and droning on, with no danger of seeing her if she was quiet. She slowly uncapped her waterskin, bent a tendril of water towards her, and slipped it quietly out the open window.
Just as she was doing so, the gym class started in on their warm-ups. Lin bent into a stretch, her strong arms flexing. Her posture steady and solid as the motion pushed her back muscles into definition. Kya felt like someone had waterbent all the moisture out of her mouth. A shiver ran through her. In her moment of weakness, she lost control of the bubble of water she had been bending and it crashed directly into Lin at full force, soaking her hair and shirt.
The young earthbender was shocked into a fighting stance, looking around wildly before she met eyes with Kya across the courtyard. She glared and threw up her arms as if to say what the hell?
Kya played it off with a grin and a small wave. Lin, having been familiar with her antics for their whole lives, just rolled her eyes and flipped her off.
Kya turned back to the board and the lecture as quickly as she could without seeming suspicious. Her cheeks burned. Her mind played back the image of Lin’s powerful body on a loop.
What the hell.
From that moment on, it felt like she had been possessed by a spirit. Lin would quirk an eyebrow at her or touch her casually in conversation, and her stomach would flip. When they would spar and she got distracted, Lin would knock her onto her back, leaving Kya to stare helplessly at the flushed, sweaty girl above her. Too close. Too much.
It was a while before she finally came to terms with what these newfound feelings meant for her. That none of the boys she knew made her gut twist pleasantly the way Lin did. It was a little longer before she would knock on her parents’ door after dinner to seek their help and advice, more nervous than she had ever been in her life.
“Mom, dad, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
And everything would be okay.