Chapter 20: Home

***

Yuze put her palm on the top of the tea and used her bending to lessen the heat. Then she took the tea in one swig as if it was alcohol. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she stood up.

"Where are you going?" Yahui asked watching the firebender as she brushed her coat.

"I'll see Beifong and demand an answer," Yuze replied, then she turned around and started walking.

Rui raised his hand, "But what about the spar?"

"Let's put it off for now and continue tomorrow," Yuze called out and her form disappeared from their eyes as she rounded the corner.

The six people were left standing there looking at each other. Luhan spoke his eyes darting to each person around him, "So... what are we going to do now?"

Chao put his hand in the pocket of his pants. Then started walking away. "I don't know about you guys, but I also want to hear the Chief's answer."

Their eyes once again met, having a silent conversation then Jiayi shrugged on cue, and the five of them followed.

******

"Aren't you supposed to be in hospital right now?" Jin asked while keeping his hand occupied by bending a piece of metal into different shapes. He's currently in the living room of an apartment that is owned by the woman sitting on a sofa across from him.

Lin adjusted the shoulder ice pack she was wearing. After that, she propped her feet on the coffee table and leaned her back on the sofa, "I got discharged."

Jin arched his eyebrows, "Or you threaten the whole hospital to discharge you?"

The Chief— the former Chief of Police shrugged her good shoulder. Then she raised an eyebrow, "Your turn. Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be at Saikhan's proclamation?"

Jin shrugged his shoulders as he threw the metal into his other hand. Lin shook her head as she leaned back against the headrest of her sofa. "I really couldn't fathom the rivalry between you two."

"Even I couldn't understand it myself," Jin let out a sigh, "But I think it happened while we were in the academy. We took the same major which is communication."

"Ah, yeah. Why did you even choose that one? Operation is much better. "

"Here we go again," Jin rolled his eyes, "Of course, you would find ops much more interesting, the Beifong's blood is in your veins but I would disagree with that one. You Operations might be more experienced in punching and kicking asses but we could do that too even if it's not as fancy as you but still," the Lieutenant stated, defending the honor of his major, "Besides, people always prefer talking to us, thus making us much better than you all."

"Why, so defensive? I'm just stating a fact here," Lin closed her eyes, a small corner of her lips curling upwards.

"That's not the fact!" Jin exclaimed, getting close to whining, making the woman snicker softly. The Lieutenant sighed, shaking his hand, "Anyways, just like what I said, Saikhan and I's feud might have started when we were in the same class. In some strange way, we were always being paired when it was time for competition and I always won over him. Then when we were thrown into the fields, the two of us were assigned under the same Supervising Officer. Saikhan always ranting out that our SO was favoring me but I don't think the same, I mean Mr. Tan was always scolding and shouting at me..."

'Exactly. Your SO is focused on you,' Lin deadpanned on her mind.

Being reprimanded by your instructor might be a bad thing to others, but for officers, it's the other way around. Officers view it as your Supervising Officer wanting you to get better as they expect greater things or they see some potential in you that they want to mold you into your best.

But it seems like her old friend doesn't know that.

Well, Lin will keep her mouth shut on that fact. It's a relief that even the almost-perfect man like Jin has a thing he doesn't know.

"But the last straw was when there was a woman that Saikhan really liked, but the woman declined his affection as he was not me," Jin huffed, his brows meeting in one line, "As if it's my fault. I didn't even do anything!"

"Exactly!" Lin exclaimed, "I remembered how every girl in the academy was head over heels for you and your fangirls have practically heart eyes when you walk," then she paused for a second, "Even now, I would see every now and then a woman fainting just by you standing in the front."

"But not you," the Lieutenant muttered under his breath but the former Chief caught it.

"But not me," Lin smirked.

There was a pause for a moment before Jin spoke once again, "Actually the reason I am here is to give you this."

The woman in the room opened her eyes and saw the Lieutenant holding a manila envelope. Her eyes widened and slowly sat up, eyes still locked on the envelope, "Is that..."

The officer nodded his head, "Yes, it's the DNA result."

The former Police Chief reached for the envelope and took out the paper inside. She scanned the result, her eyes getting misty as it confirmed that Yuze was really her daughter.

"Does anyone know about this from the hospital?"

"Only one but don't worry he can be trusted. I also already informed him not to disclose it to anyone."

Jin watched his old friend get emotional. His eyes softened as he was there, had witnessed what his friend had become, had gone through after losing her daughter, "So what now?" at the questioning gaze of his friend, he clarified, "What you are going to do now that it was confirmed that Yuze is your daughter."

The former Police Chief sighed, as she sat up properly, setting her feet to the ground, "I don't know—" she paused then she looked at the man sitting across her, "I think your visiting hour is now over."

Jin looked at his former boss in confusion but a knock on the door answered his question.

"Beifong, I'm coming— wait, there's someone with her inside," they heard Yuze's voice at the other side of the door.

"Really? Who?" another familiar voice said, which they recognized as Rui's.

The Lieutenant turned to his friend with a questioning gaze which Lin replied with a shrug of her shoulder, "Beats me."

"Hang on, I'm trying to distinguish—" she paused then they heard the sound of a key frantically being inserted at the door, "What are you doing there Lieutenant Jin!"

"Wait, what? Lieutenant Jin is inside!?" a voice of Choi shouted in surprise.

"And how sure you are?" they heard Rui's voice.

"How did you get a key to Chief's apartment?" they heard Yahui ask, confusion evident in her voice.

"She could sense the electricity in a human's heart— all over a person's body actually," a voice that the Lieutenant wasn't familiar with but Lin recognized as Zhen, one of Yuze's three students.

"Yes! Do you know Sifu could even shut down a person's nervous system by sending a concentrated electric pulse to a human's body? Gosh, I remember the that happened to me, I'm so terri—"

"Luhan, don't just tell all of Yuze's techniques to everyone!" another voice Jin wasn't familiar with but Lin knew it was Jiayi.

"Shhh, I'm concentrating here."

"Why do you even have so many keys?"

Jin sighed as he stood up, "I'll be on my way. There is still so much work left on my desk."

Lin nodded, "Thank you for being a good friend."

The Lieutenant smiled and then nodded before he went to the door.

"Just s few keys were left—"

The door opened revealing seven people standing there looking like a deer caught in headlight, with the three officer's jaw dropping at the sight of their Lieutenant. Everyone's eyes went past the officer into the woman sitting on a sofa, arching an eyebrow on their way.

"Hello," Lieutenant Jin greeted as he nodded, "Excuse me," and he walked between them.

The seven's eyes followed the Lieutenant's back until they couldn't see him anymore before their eyes slowly went back to the woman still sitting on the sofa but no longer looking at them but instead leaning back against the sofa, and they could see Lin's eyes were closed.

Yuze was the one who recovered first, a smirk forming on her face. She straightened herself then walked through the door of the apartment, "Well, well, well. Why does the Lieutenant was in here?"

"He just has some questions," Lin answered vaguely, then she opened her eyes, "What are you all doing here?"

The firebender stared at her for a moment, before she moved to sit at one of the sofas. The others followed her example, and some ended up sitting on the floor.

"Cause we just heard this news that you handed your resignation paper and we're not sure if it's true or not so we went here to confirm—"

"Oh, it's true," the former Chief of the Police said so casually.

"WHY!?"

Lin winced as she put a finger to her ear after the collective scream from seven different people, "Cause it's the right thing."

Rui frowned at this, "What do you mean, Chief?"

"Please, don't call me that. I'm not the Chief anymore."

Yahui shook her head in disagreement, "Maybe you're not the Chief anymore in the eyes of the law," she smiled at the older woman, "But to us, you still are."

"And besides," Choi propped his feet to his other leg, "After all of that time of reminding us you are the Chief, you will tell us to not call you that anymore. No. I still have trauma about that, ya know."

Lin's eyes softened for a second before it hardened again. She may not be the Chief anymore but she still has a reputation to protect. She shrugged her shoulder, "Suit yourself."

Jiayi leaned closer, "So why did you resign, Miss Beifong?"

The former Chief darted at the faces of everyone in the room. She sighed before she recalled and told them what happened last night.

After Lin finished there was silence in the room. All of them have solemn and grim expressions on their faces.

"Those bastards," Choi said through his gritted teeth breaking the silence.

"But still doesn't explain why you resigned," Rui said, still a little bit baffled at what the older woman revealed to them.

Yuze who was in deep thought, eyes widened. She snapped her fingers, gaining the attention of every single person in the room. She leaned forward and pointed a finger at Lin as she looked dead in her eyes, "So that's why you resign? You want to rescue your officers and take down Amon without the law hindering your way."

The officers and teenagers turned to the earthbender for confirmation. Lin nodded, "Yes. That's right."

"Huh," Yuze put her hand down. She tilted her head, "That's ironic knowing you're personality of going strictly by the book," then she shrugged her shoulder, "But on a way, why it doesn't surprise me?"

Lin narrowed her eyes, "What does that mean?"

Yuze looked at her innocently, "I mean you are a Beifong."

The earthbender eyes narrowed further, 'Don't look at me like that, kid. You're a Beifong too.'

The officers fell silent after Yuze's comment, being an officer had you restrained from commenting like that to your superior, especially if that superior is Lin Beifong. The teenagers on the other hand don't seem fazed at all. They already know Yuze and so does her attitude acting like that to people— even to higher officials. They were still amazed at how their teacher kept getting away from it.

The earthbender opened her mouth to retort a word but it turned into wince. Yuze noticed it and frowned.

"Did you got injure from last night?" the firebender asked. Lin opened her mouth but the younger woman didn't let her speak, "Oh, don't lie to me, I could see all of the signs of having an injury. If you are injured, why are you in here and not in the hospital? Did you ditched the doctors or threatened them?" the older woman tried to answer but Yuze didn't let her again, "Never mind, I shouldn't be surprised anymore. Anyways, we need to heal that injury as soon as possible."

Yuze looked at Choi who did a double take before he raised his hands, "Oh, no. Sorry, I don't have any knowledge of healing."

Yahui arched an eyebrow, "Didn't the academy teach you about it though?"

"Yes, but I was only taught the basic ones, I didn't take the advanced class."

The metalbender shook her head in disbelief, "You really are a useless old man."

"Woiii, I'm not!" the waterbender responded, "And how many times do I have to tell you don't call me that? We're only a few years apart!"

"Yeah, yeah but still—"

And the two began to bicker once again. Yuze ignored them and diverted her attention to her student who in turn shook her head, "I'm sorry, Sifu, but I'm still in basic."

The firebender sighed before returning her gaze to her boss, "No choice, Chyou's the one who will check that injury. But because she's in her second trimester, we will be the ones who have to go to her, though your injury would have to wait until the next day."

Zhen stood up, "Speaking of Chyou," he looked to his friends, "I think we need to go, Chyou and Jun might expecting us by now at the diner."

Rui glanced at the wall clock and also stood up, "I think we also need to go, our shift will begin in an hour."

Yahui and Choi checked the time and just like what the younger officer said, their shift was indeed nearing.

All of the visitors stood up but one.

They turned to the firebender who was casually laughing at the sofa as if she was at home. Yuze saw their look and waved her hand, "Oh, no, you go and I'll stay here. I think I'll do an overnight too," at their puzzled look, she gestured to the older woman— who arched an eyebrow— with her head, "She needed her assistant right now that her body was not on condition to do household chores."

Though the six were still confused, they nodded. They bid their goodbye to the former Police Chief.

Once the other had left, the room was covered in silence. The firebender stretched and put her hands behind her back then she closed her eyes.

"You know you didn't have to assist me," the firebender heard the older woman stated.

"Of course, I do, that's my job as your assistant," Yuze replied.

"But I'm not even the Chief anymore—"

"Oh, cut that," Yuze's eyes opened, "What part of the contract says I'm working for Chief Lin Beifong? None right? It was literally said that I'll work for Lin Beifong, no Chief," then she sat up. Her elbow resting on her knees as she leaned forward, "I'm working for you, not for the Police Department, Beifong. So even if you resign as Chief, even if you become vigilante, I'll be still your assistant. And you have to deal with it," then a smirk formed on her face, "The contract will last for a year after all."

The earthbender was silent for a moment after the younger woman's declaration before she shrugged her shoulders, "If that's what you want."

Yuze flashed a grin at the older woman before she stood up to explore her boss's apartment, leaving Lin with her thoughts.

Her daughter will stay with her tonight. Lin doesn't know what she would feel. The thought of having a time with her daughter makes her heart bubbling with excitement but there is also a hint of nervousness on it. On the other hand, she could feel the dread flowing throughout her body as her daughter is Yuze.

"Oh, what scandalous thing you have here, Beifong? I didn't know you were the type of person who likes steamy romance~"

Yep, that's what she is talking about.

"Returned that to the shelf!"

******

Lin was awoken in the middle of the night when she felt her throat dry and needed a drink to quench her thirst.

She came out of her bedroom and on her way to her kitchen but was stopped at the sight of Yuze sitting on a sofa, with the lamp at the side table turned on for her to be able to see properly the words from the book she is holding— which she has probably taken from her bookshelf.

"Why are you still up?"

The younger woman being fully immersed in the book, didn't feel Lin's presence jump on her seat. Once she saw the earthbender her hand went to her chest to calm her racing heart, "Spirits, you startled me."

The former Chief of Police raised an eyebrow, an amusement showing in her eyes. She took a reroute and went closer to where her daughter was, "So, why are you still awake?"

"I couldn't sleep," Yuze's gaze went back to the book, "Might be because my body and my mind were having a hard time to adopt on a foreign place."

Lin knew some of it was a lie— call it a mother's intuition if you will— but she decided to not press on it further. Just then her gaze went down to her arm and realized her daughter was not wearing her coat, revealing the bandages covering all of her right arm.

"What happened to your arm?" Lin asked out of curiosity and concern.

Yuze knowing what she is pertaining to, didn't bother to look at it, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Is it hurt?"

The younger woman lifted her head, a stern expression on her face, "I said I don't want to talk about it," Yuze must have seen something in Lin's eyes as she averted her gaze. She decided to ask in a slightly mocking tone as she knew her question would not be answered, "What about your twin scar? Where did it come from?"

A silence engulfed the entire room.

'Thought so,' Yuze went back to reading.

"Su did this."

The firebender froze not expecting the older woman to really answer her question. She lifted her head to look at her boss but found the woman gazing at the wall with a faraway look as if she was having a flashback before Lin closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Once the earthbender opened her eyes again, her gaze was now on the younger woman, "You should go to sleep."

Though Yuze was still recovering from the shock, she managed to retort, "No way," then jokingly added, "I'll sleep if you will sing to me thou—"

"Okay."

Yuze's jaw dropped as she looked at her boss, "Who the fuck are you and what did you do to my boss?"

Lin looked at the younger woman with a straight face before she shrugged her shoulder, "Okay. I changed my mi—"

Yuze hadn't closed the book so fast before, "Oh, no, no," then she stood up to move to the larger sofa where she would sleep, "I will not let this opportunity pass!"

The earthbender shook her head, amused at her daughter's antics. She watched the younger woman settle herself on the sofa while she on the other hand moved to sit at the armrest on Yuze's feet.

Once Lin knew Yuze was comfortable she began to sing.

"When I think—"

"Oh, gosh, I love your voice!"

Lin glared. Yuze shut up.

The earthbender sighed before she began once again.

~When I think of home, I think of a place,Where there's love overflowing~

Yuze blinked, her eyes widening in awe as she heard for the first time the singing voice of the woman before her.

'Su's not kidding when she said her sister has a great voice.'

~Wind that makes the tall trees bend into leaningSuddenly the snowflakes that fall have a meaningSprinklin' the scene, makes it all clean~

Lin looked down and smiled as she saw the astonishment on her daughter's face.

~Suddenly my world's gone and changed its faceBut I still know where I'm goingI have had my mind spun around in spaceAnd yet I've watched it growing~

Yuze felt her eyelids getting heavier but she blinked her eyes wide open, wanting to continue listening to Lin's voice. The latter might have noticed it as she stood up and squatted beside her head.

~Living here, in this brand new worldMight be a fantasyBut it taught me to loveSo it's real, real to me~

Yuze felt the back of the other woman's hand caressing her cheeks and she couldn't explain the feeling but it was comforting and though she fought it, she found herself slowly surrendering.

~And I've learnedThat we must look inside our hearts to findA world full of loveLike yours, like mine, like...~

Lin watched as her daughter succumbed to sleep but not before muttering, "You have a great voice."

The earthbender brushed aside a couple of white strands covering her daughter's face.

"Home," she muttered as she gazed with affection at her daughter's softened features.

There are a few instances in which she sang in front of others (mainly the Department's Fundraising that happens once a year), even in front of her close ones. But she could make an exception for her daughter.

Whenever Yuze would cry in the middle of the night, she would sing lullabies to soothe her. Whenever she puts her daughter to sleep, she hums. Every single time her daughter was in her arms, she would sing a song. And even when her daughter has been taken to her, she would still sing in her daughter's bedroom.

Lin pushed that thought aside, reassuring herself that her daughter had her back. Her daughter was in front of her.

The earthbender caress softly her daughter's face, "Thank you for coming back home, bǎo bèi."

Then she leaned down to kiss the younger woman's forehead. She gazed at her daughter's face for a moment before she decided to retreat to her own room, her thirst being forgotten.

******

A man in a suit with batons behind him stood behind his superior who was watching the busy street of the city below. This man was called the Lieutenant of the infamous group of non-benders with the mission to wipe the world clean of benders, the Equalists. This man was also the second-in-command of the leader of the Equalists, Amon.

"Everything is in progress, nearing done. Our fellow Equalists were also getting ready for the invasion," the Lieutenant reported.

The room was silenced for a few moments when Amon suddenly spoke about a completely different topic, "There was a woman, a firebender to be exact. She was a talented and gifted bender, that the Firelord appointed her as the Captain of the Royal's guards."

Though the Lieutenant doesn't know where his superior's story is going, he remains silent and continues listening.

"Then a problem arose in the Firelord's jurisdiction, a group of terrorists had entered the Fire Nation and hostage people. The United Forces was sent to aid the Fire Nation in dealing with the terrorists and the Firelord sent her Captain and a few of her guards to assist the United Forces."

Amon walked closer to the window. His eyes focused on the children happily playing tag, still naive at the reality of the world.

"But the rescue operation went south and everyone that was in the building that day has been perish. Not a soul has survived the accident but one."

The Lieutenant realising who is it, answered, "The Captain."

Amon nodded, "Yes."

The Lieutenant was in deep thought, "How did she survive? And what was the cause—" his eyes widened when it dawned on him, "It's the Captain."

"Yes," Amon nodded his head, "After the accident, the Captain suddenly disappeared, never to be seen again," then he turned his head ever slightly to look at his second-in-command, "Until the day we attacked the Arena."

The Lieutenant's eyes widened in shock, "She was there on that day?"

Amon nodded then he turned his body to his right, "This woman is more dangerous than the Avatar herself, knowing what she could do," he looked at his Lieutenant dead in the eyes.

"Who is she?" the Lieutenant asked.

The leader of the Equalists stared at the picture stuck on a bulletin board. He snapped his arm and a dart fell from his sleeve to his waiting hand. Amon swung his hand, and with so much precision, it stuck to the subject in the picture.

The Lieutenant followed where it had stuck and saw that it was a picture of the former Police Chief and a familiar woman beside her, which he recognized as the Chief's assistant. Both of them were sitting on a bench, talking while eating pork buns by the looks of it. The younger woman was laughing and the ever-stoic Chief had a small smile on her face. He would admit the image of the two together was so sweet.

Until the Lieutenant realized the dart pierced the assistant's head.

Amon stepped forward, his narrowed eyes could be seen at the holes in his mask, "That woman must be taken down."

***