Archive of Our Own

It was a leap into the dark, but what could she do?

Lin had ignored it for too long, for too many years, and she felt it all slip through her fingers as soon as that ship sailed for the South Pole, taking not only Korra to recover, but also her last chance at happiness.

She wasn't naive; she knew that Kya would eventually have to return to the South Pole to be with her mother and also to help with the Avatar's recovery, but that didn't change the fact that she felt she was losing perhaps the last chance she had to confess a feeling she had never dared to admit, not even to herself, let alone to the person to whom that feeling was directed.

Throughout the time Kya was there, in Republic City, Lin was so afraid to get close to her again. They exchanged letters occasionally, sometimes monthly; sometimes Lin forced herself not to reply because it might seem like she was too anxious in her response.

How foolish she had been at that point, but it only got worse when Kya was right there, within her reach, and Lin simply ignored her, not on purpose, after all, the world was about to crumble following everything she'd been through with the others in the last month, reconnecting with her sister and seeing almost everyone she loved die, seeing Kya die from the injuries inflicted by Ming-Hua and the fall off the cliff, that definitely affected her. But the fear of rejection, of Kya possibly not reciprocating that silly feeling she'd had since the waterbender secretly visited her after her breakup with Tenzin, simply to check on her or do random things in the city right under her brother's nose, besides spending sleepless nights talking about everything and nothing important at the same time.

Lin was cowardly in that respect, she knew it. She had her fears, and that got the better of her, because a large part of her, besides feeling all those things, also didn't feel worthy or deserving of being someone Kya, who had a free spirit, who loved life and enjoyed all possible experiences, could fall in love with. And how could she? Lin had only ever had Tenzin as a serious boyfriend her whole life; she dated one or two guys after that. She simply closed herself off completely, and it didn't help that her interest in Kya grew, she who, besides being her ex-boyfriend's sister, was a woman.

Lin didn't have much of a problem with that, but she still felt confused. Not as confused as when she started having feelings for Kya; at the time, she thought it was a deeper affection, gratitude, or a higher level of friendship. She only understood this part of herself when she began to observe and appreciate not only Kya's smile and manner, but also her delicate features, her curves, the way her hips swayed when she walked, and her breasts. Ah, Lin had many dreams where she fantasized about touching those breasts, that waist, kissing those lips.

Well, Lin knew she had an interest that went beyond friendship, and knowing that Kya had always been an openly lesbian woman, this was never a taboo or something she hadn't addressed to understand what was happening. But knowing that in addition to her interest in men, she had now discovered this interest in women was what confused her a little. After all, she always thought that someone could have an inclination towards one or the other, never both at the same time.

Well, she actually knew. Kya had already told her this at some point in her adolescence while recounting various stories about Avatar Kyoshi and her interest in both men and women, but Lin had never really listened to it until she found herself in this reality.

Lin simply wanted to go after her on that ship, or simply ask her to stay, but she couldn't do either of those things. She had a duty to the city and to her position.

Once again, her job was being called into question when it came to her happiness; it was as if one couldn't coexist with the other. Either she gave up love, the happiness of sharing her life with someone, or she remained as firm as a rock in the position she never truly wanted in the first place, but had been conditioned to aspire to.

She spent the night awake thinking about what to do, reflecting on her life, but she couldn't reach any conclusion or think of anything that truly made sense for her to pursue. So she decided to choose the option she could manage at that moment.

Kya,

I hope you arrived home safely.

This letter will probably only reach you when you're already settled back at the South Pole, so it might be a little ridiculous for me to ask this, considering it's only been a day since you left. Still, I thought I should ask. How are you? And how is Korra? I hope the trip was smooth and that she's getting some rest. After everything that's happened, I imagine you all need some time to breathe.

Around here, there isn't exactly the same possibility of rest.

The city is still a mess. The police station seems to have decided to crumble along with the rest of Republic City, although, thankfully, the walls are still standing. We have accumulated reports, investigations that need to be resumed, teams being reorganized, and an absurd number of people showing up to ask when things will finally return to normal since there are indications that hidden members of the Red Lotus are still at large in all nations, including here.

I'm trying to get everything in order as far as I'm concerned; your siblings are also committed to it in their own way. Tenzin was really serious about what he said at Jinora's ceremony, so I believe that soon more airbenders will be out in the world to ensure safety and help those most in need while Korra recovers fully.

So, basically, things aren't much different from usual.

I should also admit something.

I've been thinking about this since yesterday.

I'm sorry I didn't talk to you properly while you were here.

I know you were busy with this whole new bending thing and then with Korra, your family, and everything that was happening, and I also had a lot to deal with, especially while I was away. But that doesn't change the fact that you were here. In Republic City. And I had several opportunities to just stop for a few minutes and talk to you, and I didn't.

I could have invited you for a drink after one of those endless days. We could have sat somewhere, complained about the city, talked about our lives, or simply spent hours talking about things that meant absolutely nothing, like we used to do.

I would have liked that.
In fact, I think I would have liked it a lot.

It's strange to realize that now, after you're gone.

Maybe I got so caught up in everything that was happening that I forgot to pay attention to the things that were right in front of me.

Anyway, I don't want to turn this letter into an endless apology. You probably have more important things to do than read a Beifong complaining about herself for a few pages.

I just wanted you to know that I wish I could have made better use of the time we had.

I hope you're well.

Give Katara my regards. And Korra's too, when she's well enough to receive some.

Take care, Kya.

With affection,

Lin.

 

Fifteen days had passed, fifteen days since she had sent the letter, which had surely arrived by now, and fifteen days in which she had spent her time checking her mail twice a day, searching for a reply that never came.

Perhaps this was the answer she needed, or deserved; after all, she was the one who had made the mistake. Lin could at least have taken the time or sent a message to the island inviting her for even just lunch or tea, but Lin was so nervous about what to say, how to behave, what she couldn't do to avoid showing her feelings, that she opted for total and complete silence.

In fact, she received a message from the island one day, but chose to ignore it, and only later discovered that it was actually Kya herself inviting her to dinner, but Lin was so absorbed in her work that she ignored it.

She deserved to be ignored now, just as she did. But why did it hurt so much?

It hurt a little less than the pain she felt seeing Kya in that cave between life and death, and certainly less than she thought it would hurt to spend the entire trip back by her bedside, waiting and praying that she would be alright.

But Lin was cowardly even in that, because the moment Kya was better and more conscious, she abandoned her post and walked away, so she probably doesn't know that Lin was watching over her. That was the closest she had allowed herself to be with her in years, and how she regretted it.

Kya,

 

I don't know if this letter is necessary, but I thought it best to write it.

It's been a few days since I wrote the first one, and I imagine you're very busy. I know things must be quite complicated over there, especially with Korra's recovery and everything that's happened in the last few weeks.

Still, I wanted to say that I understand if you don't feel like talking to me; I think maybe I deserve that in some way.

Maybe I was inconvenient writing so soon after you left. Maybe I chose a bad time. Or maybe you simply don't want to maintain this kind of contact, and that's okay.

I just wanted to know if you're alright. Maybe it's ridiculous to admit this after so many years where we managed to go months without exchanging a word, but I got used to knowing you were out there. To knowing that, at some point, a letter from you would arrive, even if it was just to tell me something completely banal or complain about some absurd situation that had happened to you.

Now that you're gone, I realize how much I waited for these things.

And maybe that's why I'm writing again so soon. Because I miss you, and I don't know what to do about it.

I don't know if I should have said this. I don't even know if I should be writing this letter. I just know I can't stop thinking that maybe I ruined something between us by spending so much time avoiding saying what I really wanted to say.

I wish I'd had more time with you.

I wish I could have sat next to you, listened to your stories, complained about work, had a drink, and pretended there wasn't a war going on outside. I wish I'd had the chance to find out if we could still talk like we used to.

Maybe I realized too late how important your presence had become to me.

I guess that doesn't matter anymore because I must have messed up this even more in my life.

I should stop here.

I just hope to hear some news about Korra soon. I imagine you're all worried and I hope she's recovering well.

If it's more convenient for you, I can also exchange letters with a member of the White Lotus who is providing security for you or Korra. I can receive the information through them. I understand if you prefer that.

I hope you're well, Kya.

Take care.

With affection,

Lin

Kya only noticed the letter among the mail two days after it arrived, when she was already in her room. She recognized the handwriting even before looking at the name on the envelope, and for a few seconds she just held it between her fingers, feeling an unexpected anxiety tighten her chest.

After so much silence, she finally had some of Lin's words in her hands.

She sat on the edge of the bed and carefully opened the letter.

Kya didn't really know what to expect to find there, but everything was so typical of Lin that it was as if things were returning to normal between them, but they weren't, Kya thought, and she hoped that during her time in RC she could resume her relationship with Lin, something similar to when they were younger and Kya could travel more and visit her more often.

She hoped that at least she would see Lin, but the other woman chose to simply ignore her presence there in the city. Kya had enjoyed corresponding with Lin over the years; it was a part of their relationship she still believed she could maintain. But even that had become rarefied, so Kya began to prepare her heart to understand that she was someone who had been a part of Lin's life, but that the Chief of Police now had other priorities and that perhaps there was no place for her in Lin's life.

Spirits, as she believed that perhaps those silly feelings she had harbored for Lin since childhood could somehow be reciprocated, she felt Lin's gaze on her during her last visits to the city, and also sensed the subtle flirtation in the letters. But today, she perhaps thought she was projecting it based on her feelings, and that Lin was only being kind to her. She had never been able to have a serious relationship with any woman because unconsciously she always sought something of Lin in them, and when their feelings grew and Kya couldn't reciprocate, she always ended those relationships.

She now realized how stupid she was; she had naively thought that at some point she might be reciprocated by Lin, but who was she trying to fool, and how would they deal with it even if they both liked each other romantically? They lived days away from each other, at least by airship, and a week by ship. It would never work, and she now knew that Lin would never, ever give up what she had always fought to have for her. Her relationship with Tenzin was a story in itself.

What she didn't expect was Lin's apology, in addition to all that crossed-out part that Kya could barely read, but it was too crossed out for her to understand what was written there.

Kya read those lines a second time, then a third and fourth time. When she got to the part where Lin said she wished she had invited her for a drink, that they had talked like in the old days, that she had made better use of the time they spent together, her eyes filled with tears because that was all she wanted too, and what she had tried to do, but Lin simply chose to ignore her.

She tried to smile, but the smile quickly faded because her sadness at that moment was greater than knowing that this was Lin's wish, if it really was, it could also be her trying to make Kya feel better or less rejected by the cake she brought.

"Oh, Lin..." she sighed.

Kya ran her fingers over the ink, stopping her fingers again on the parts that had been scratched so forcefully. Even still straining to read, she couldn't understand all the words, but that was enough to make her even more emotional and also anxious because she wanted to know what was there, she wanted everything Lin could convey to her, even knowing that they were words Lin probably regretted writing.

She folded the letter and pressed it against her chest, remaining like that for a few minutes.

In the following days, Kya thought several times about replying; she even picked up paper and pen more than once. All she wanted was to say that she had missed her too. She wanted to talk about Korra, about Katara, about what it had been like to return home. She wanted to ask about the police station, about her brothers, about Republic City, to say that as soon as she got better or Korra got better, she could return to the city so they could have that time together, even though she knew it wouldn't happen.

Kya really tried to reply, but every time she started writing, something made her stop. She didn't know how to answer that letter without saying more than she was prepared to say, or confessing between the lines.

And perhaps that was precisely the problem, because all she wanted was to get it off her heart, maybe confess to Lin once and for all, and see what would happen, but she didn't know how Lin would react. What if she rejected her outright, what if…

No, Kya didn't even know what Lin's words meant, nor what those words would mean if put on paper.

So, for the first time since receiving the letter, Kya made a decision that seemed easier than facing it all.

She would remain silent.

At least for now, until she was sure she was in the right frame of mind to respond without putting her heart at risk.

...

Kya's silence began to weigh more heavily than any response could have. In the first few days, Lin still found excuses for all that silence, imagining that the letter might have gotten lost or something like that, or simply that Kya might be busy enough with Korra that she wouldn't have time to respond. Perhaps the Avatar's recovery demanded all her attention.

After weeks passed, and the excuses began to lose their power, Lin even hoped that Kya would at least send news through her siblings, and of course, if something was wrong, she would know by then, but she knew nothing, and she just wanted to know if she was at least okay, if she was recovering well. Anything. It didn't even have to be for her. She herself had written that, if it was more convenient, she could exchange letters with some member of the White Lotus, but Lin didn't do that either.

But nothing came, and Lin wasn't in a position to demand anything. Kya didn't owe her an answer, she didn't owe her anything. She didn't even owe her the consideration of continuing a correspondence that, over the years, had become increasingly rare due to Lin's own fault.

So perhaps that was the end, the end of something that, on second thought, perhaps had never truly existed. It was almost ironic. Another person she let slip away. Another person who would end up drifting away from her life because of her.

Kya owed her nothing, but Lin couldn't help but think that, in the only moment she finally had an opportunity to get closer, she had done exactly the opposite, as she always did.

She had ignored Kya when she was right there within her reach, and what did she want now, that apologizing and trying to be vulnerable when she could have been before would solve anything? No, now it was too late, and perhaps it was better that way, perhaps Kya had finally understood that there was no space for her. There never was.

Four months had passed.

By this point, Lin no longer expected any response.

She had stopped checking the mail looking for Kya's handwriting. She had stopped imagining what she would say when she finally received a letter from her. She had even stopped thinking about the possibility of seeing her again.

Or at least that's what she tried to convince herself of. If there was one thing Lin Beifong knew how to do, it was to move on, and when she didn't know how, she worked until she had no time to think.

That's exactly what she was doing that afternoon when the door to her office opened unceremoniously.

"Lin."

She didn't even need to look up to know who it was.

"Tenzin." Lin replied without initially taking his eyes off the documents he was finalizing.

He entered with that half-smile that immediately made Lin lose what little patience she still had that day.

"You seem happy," she said, putting the now-signed stack aside, crossing her arms, and staring at him, already impatient.

"I am, even more so now because you're here." “Well, I’m not in the mood for any nonsense today, Tenzin, so if it’s not something really important, just leave because unlike some people, I still have a full-time job that never stops demanding things from me.” she huffed.

Tenzin chuckled softly and closed the door behind him.

“I came precisely to invite you out for a bit, Lin.”

Lin finally looked up to finally meet his gaze.

"If this is some kind of joke, I'm not in the mood."

"Raiko and I are going to Zaofu. We need to talk to Su about the possibility of her leading the forces in the Earth Kingdom now that the queen is dead, until Prince Wu is crowned and things are less chaotic."

For a few seconds, Lin just stared at him and then let out a short, almost incredulous laugh.

"Are you innocent or idiots?" She said disdainfully. "Su will send you back before you even finish explaining to her what you want."

Tenzin sighed. "That would be plan B."

Lin narrowed his eyes. "And what's plan A?"

He hesitated. "You."

Lin was silent for a second and then almost laughed.

"You really are idiots if you even considered that."

"I knew you'd say that and that you'd never accept."

She glanced back at the papers on the table, but a small, involuntary smile played on her face.

"It's good to know you still know me at least a little."

Tenzin smiled.

"Some things never change…" he sighed, knowing it was pointless to insist, but still needing to ask. "So, is that a no to accompanying us?"

"Definitely a no. Someone needs to keep the city running while you two embark on a doomed mission."

"Well, I needed to try… I won't take up any more of your time. Take care, Lin…"

He turned to leave, but Lin called him back.

"Tenzin."

He looked back.

She tried to think about what she really wanted to ask and chose to make the question sound casual.

"How are Korra and Katara?"

His smile faded slightly.

"They're getting better. Slowly, but they are. And as for my mother, well… she's doing as well as can be expected, you know her."

Lin nodded and considered whether to ask the next question, but decided to risk it, keeping her voice indifferent.

"And Kya, well, she was still quite injured when she returned with Korra, has she recovered well?"

Tenzin raised an eyebrow, but then his expression returned to normal.

"She's fine," he replied after a moment. "The last time I spoke to my mother, she was fully recovered from her injuries. She's been helping Korra a lot, by the way."

Lin tried not to show anything.

"That's good."

"Actually, Kya is thinking of going back to traveling as soon as Korra is better."

The information hit Lin with a force she hadn't expected.

But Tenzin continued, oblivious.

"Mom has been insisting on it quite a bit. She says Kya has been very withdrawn lately. Maybe resuming that old nomadic habit for a while will help clear her head, according to her." He frowned. "Although, knowing my sister, it could also just be an excuse to wander around and escape responsibilities, as always."

Lin looked up immediately, overcome with anger.

"Maybe she simply learned from her brother that running away is easier than dealing with what really matters."

Tenzin's smile vanished.

He watched her for a few seconds, clearly noticing the blow.

"Lin..."

"I need to work, Tenzin."

"I just..."

He remained still for a moment, but eventually nodded.

"See you soon," he said, earning a bored nod from her.

When the door closed, the information hit her all at once. At least she was happy and relieved to know Kya was alright, but the information that she would be traveling again made her hesitate and question why she needed this. But she remembered it wasn't her business anymore, actually it wasn't, because if she still had her friend back, she would have told her in a letter, but it was never answered. Kya chose not to share anything more with Lin.

Maybe she really needed this time away. Maybe she would find another place, other people, other stories to tell, maybe she would find someone.

Lin closed her eyes for a moment.

It was strange to think that she would never again know these things from Kya. She wouldn't hear her stories directly. She wouldn't receive letters telling her about some distant city, some place she'd discovered, some absurd thing that had happened during a trip, someone who had interested her and always made Lin jealous, but even that she would miss. She would no longer have that small window into her life that the letters had kept open for so many years.

Kya's silence spoke louder than any answer could.

She didn't want to talk to Lin anymore, and this time, Lin had no right to blame her.

She looked back at the papers on the table and pulled the next report closer.

That was what she knew how to do. Work, that's what she had always known how to do. Still, Lin found herself thinking about her and how she hoped Kya would be happy, even if that happiness had no place for her.

Some things changed after Kuvira.

Perhaps not for an outside observer. Republic City was still standing in its own way, though it could hardly be called intact, and reconstruction consumed every available hour, leaving the police with more work than personnel to carry it out. Lin remained the Chief of Police, bearing all the responsibilities her position demanded.

But something within her had changed. Seeing the city nearly destroyed, seeing loved people fighting for their lives, seeing her family gathered amidst the chaos, not knowing for a few moments who would survive and who wouldn't, knowing that they had all almost died.

All of this had placed some truths before her in a way Lin could no longer ignore, nor could she; life was too short to keep postponing everything.

And, perhaps for the first time, Lin began to understand that some things couldn't be resolved simply by working harder, or simply by ignoring or lamenting that they hadn't happened.

The previous night, after Varrick's wedding, she had observed everyone gathered there, happy and content. The people who, despite all the circumstances, were still there.

And it was precisely in the midst of that happiness that Lin felt the absence of someone with an almost painful intensity.

She missed Kya, and she was tired of losing people, tired of waiting. Tired of thinking that maybe tomorrow there would be time.

The reunion with Toph had also stirred something inside her. It wasn't easy. It probably never would be between them. But Lin had finally realized that she didn't want to spend more years trying to decide if it was worth crossing a swamp to visit her own mother. If she needed to venture into that place from time to time, then she would do it. Some relationships simply couldn't be postponed because she never knew if there might be a tomorrow.

The next morning, Lin packed a bag. She didn't tell anyone where she was going, no one except her second-in-command and her sister.

At the police station, she called Saikhan to her office and left enough instructions for him to take command while she was away.

"How long?" he asked, not wanting details. "A few days," she replied, and when he seemed to ask where, she reprimanded him, saying that any information beyond that was confidential.

Saikhan knew her too well to insist.

"Any chance I need to worry?"

"I hope not," she replied with a sigh.

He sighed in his own way and nodded.

"When do you plan to return?"

"As soon as you can, if you need to contact me, you can contact the metal clan in Zaofu, and I will receive your message wherever I am." That was all he would get from her.

The only reason Saikhan knew she would be away was because he needed to contact her if any urgent situation arose. The destination, on the other hand, would remain confidential.

With one exception. Before leaving the party the previous night, Lin had sought out Su and pulled her aside.

"When are you going back to Zaofu?"

"In the morning," her sister replied, without questioning why Lin wanted to know.

Lin hesitated for only a moment.

"Can I get a ride?"

Su raised an eyebrow.

"To Zaofu?"

"Further," Lin said somewhat awkwardly.

Her sister's gaze immediately became more curious.

"Where to?"

"I need to go to the Southern Water Tribe."

Su was silent for a few seconds, but didn't ask anything else.

"Alright then, I think I can do better. You disembark in Zaofu with us and I'll give orders to the captain to take you to the South."

Lin looked at her gratefully.

"Thank you."

...

Everyone boarded that very morning.

The Zaofu airship was considerably more modern than those Lin was used to, those she had access to in the police force, even though those were relatively modern, and the journey went by faster than she had imagined. Two days later, after a stop in Zaofu for her family to disembark, Lin finally arrived at the Southern Water Tribe.

The airship dropped her off directly at the port.

Lin stood there for a few seconds, observing the place as soon as she disembarked. She knew that place and had so many good memories of it, but everything seemed so distant from her childhood memories of when they spent holidays there. Even knowing it, she saw that many things had changed.

Lin had been there a few years before, when she lost her bending, although on that occasion she hadn't actually reached the city. Everyone had stayed at Korra's compound.

This time, however, it was different. She was there for one reason only.

Lin adjusted her coat, grabbed her suitcase, and walked to the small snowmobile rental shop where she rented one for two days. That would be enough for now; if Kya didn't want to talk to her, at least she knew her stay there was short-lived. And if it was the other way around, hope filled her chest at the thought; if it was the other way around, she could just renew the rental and that would be it.

The man behind the counter looked at her as if trying to decide if the woman really knew what she was getting herself into, but Lin simply handed over the payment without engaging in any further conversation.

Some time later, she walked through the snow towards Katara's house. And now that she was really there, for the first time since leaving Republic City, Lin felt fear.

Not of finding Kya, but of not finding her. Or of finding her and simply being rejected.

She had come in the dark, without telling anyone, she didn't know if Kya was there, she hadn't confirmed with Tenzin or Bumi for fear they would ask questions she wasn't ready to answer, and at that moment she didn't know if she was traveling again. She didn't even know if she would be well received.

All she had was a hope she had spent the last three years trying to kill.

When she finally stopped in front of Katara's house, Lin took a deep breath and, gathering all the courage she had, she knocked on the door, being greeted a minute later by Katara who appeared on the other side, who for a moment seemed as surprised as Lin, but the next second her face broke into a huge smile.

"Lin, my dear, what a surprise!"

Before Lin could say anything, Katara pulled her into a hug. Lin froze for a second, completely taken by surprise, but soon relaxed within that warm embrace.

"It's good to see you, badger-mole."

"It's good to see you too, Aunt Katara." "She said, blushing at the sound of her childhood nickname.

When they finally entered, Katara insisted on making tea, which Lin readily agreed to.

She followed Katara to the table and sat down, keeping the older woman company while holding the teacup in her hands as the steam rose before her face.

She managed to relax a little and ward off the cold as they chatted about small things, about Republic City and Kuvira, how everyone was doing, about her and Su, and how Toph was."

But even though the conversation was stimulating, Lin was distracted, and she knew why. There was a question that seemed too big to ask, and Katara noticed. She'd always had this knack since they were young, beating around the bush before saying or asking something important, but Katara simply didn't press her. She just listened and waited for Lin to say what she had to say in her own time, and Lin loved her even more for it.

After a few minutes, Lin finally took a deep breath, gathering her courage.

"Katara?"

"Yes, Lin?"

"Is Kya in town?" she finally asked. "Tenzin told me she's back traveling, so I thought… Well…"

Katara's smile slowly widened; there was too much knowledge in that smile. Much more than Lin expected to find.

Lin felt her heart race.

"Yes," Katara replied. And then the smile widened a little more.

"Actually, she arrived last night on the last ship. She returned from her last trip."

For a moment, Lin didn't know what to say. Katara observed her expression with a tenderness that made Lin even more uncomfortable.

"Maybe you'll be a good incentive for her to stay a little longer here, maybe."

Lin frowned slightly.

"She intends to leave again?" she asked, her heart racing.

"Ahhh yes, she never stays long, she'll probably leave again soon." Katara's smile remained, but there was something different in her eyes now; she felt the sadness in Katara's words, and her entire body language spoke volumes.

"My daughter never stays in the same place for long."

Lin's heart tightened.

For a few seconds, she remained silent, her fingers encircling the almost forgotten cup in her hands. Kya was there. So close that, after three years of imagining she might never see her again, the information seemed almost impossible to process.

She took a deep breath.

"She is... where is she now?" she tried not to sound desperate.

Katara tilted her head slightly.

"Would you like to see her?"

Lin looked away for a moment.

"I would."

The words came out low, but firm.

Katara smiled.

"When Kya is here, she usually goes to the temple every day at sunset. She likes to stay there for a while to meditate, to connect with another element that isn't ours."

Lin immediately knew she needed to go.

"Which temple?"

"The same one where Korra regained her bending."

Lin stood still for a second, then placed the cup on the table and stood up.

"Thank you for the tea, Aunt Katara, but I need to go now."

Katara followed her movements with that same tranquil gaze that seemed to see much more than Lin would like.

When she reached the door, however, Katara's voice made her stop.

"Lin."

She looked over her shoulder. Katara smiled at her in a maternal way, a look full of genuine affection that always made Lin feel at home.

"I'm glad you finally realized."

Lin didn't answer or ask what she meant; in fact, she didn't need to.

There was something in that look that said Katara perhaps knew much more than she should. Perhaps she had known for years.

Perhaps she had realized things that Lin hadn't even been able to admit to herself. But she didn't have time to understand that now; she needed to find Kya.

Minutes later, the snowmobile cut through the snow towards the temple.

Lin drove faster than she probably should have, the icy wind hitting her face and making her eyes water. She didn't know if it was because of the cold or the emotion of going after the personification of her happiness; it didn't matter.

When she finally arrived, she jumped off the snowmobile before even turning it off completely and ran as fast as she could, careful not to slip on the ice, and climbed the steps almost without feeling the effort, her heart beating so hard it felt like it wanted to burst out of her chest, and then she was forced to stop.

At the top of the stairs, actually on the side of the temple, near the rocks, leaning against one of them, Kya had just stood up.

She had probably heard the snowmobile, and then their eyes met and a million sensations and feelings passed between them.

And they both stood motionless, nothing else in the world existed for them now, it was just Kya and Lin.

Kya's eyes widened slowly, recovering from the shock, now truly understanding the reality unfolding before her, and Lin felt her own eyes fill with tears seeing that the other woman's eyes were beginning to well up as well.

It wasn't logic, it was love.

Lin took a step and Kya did the same. And then everything that they had both tried to contain for so long simply ceased to fit inside them.

Kya lunged towards her at the same instant Lin advanced.

They met halfway, their arms intertwining. Lin pressed Kya against her as if needing to be sure she was truly there, inhaling her scent and feeling her warmth even through all that skin; she was truly there.

Lin pulled them apart slightly and cupped Kya's face in her hands, almost in adoration. There was no doubt that everything she had spent years hiding and repressing was reciprocated. Lin pressed their foreheads together and felt Kya tremble in her arms.

Without waiting another second, she joined their lips in a kiss, reveling in finally being able to give in to this desire that had consumed her for so long, almost a lifetime.

The kiss carried a lifetime of silence, years of unspoken things, all the times one of them wanted to get closer and retreated, all the missed opportunities and that painful certainty that perhaps they would never have each other again.

When they finally pulled apart just enough to breathe, their foreheads remained pressed together.

Kya's eyes were still wet. Lin's too.

"I love you!" Lin finally confessed. “I’ve waited my whole life for you to say this…” Kya said, giving in and now pulling Lin into a more urgent kiss, pausing for a moment to breathe. “I love you too!” she confessed, capturing Lin’s lips again because she simply could now do it.

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