My Fire Was Fate With You

The next morning Kya woke up to Lin’s head resting on her chest. Her heart swelled with love as she gazed at her fiancée’s mess of gray hair.

“Morning,” she said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Lin looked back up at her with a smile. “Morning.”

The two got out of bed and got dressed. Lin threw on her tank top and brushed her hair out in the bathroom. She hummed as she gently untangled the gray hair.

Kya slid up behind her, fully dressed. “Here, do you want me to heal those?” she asked, gesturing at the hickies lining her collarbones.

“Yeah, just heal the visible ones,” she replied with a wink.

Kya bent some water between her hands and lovingly placed the glowing water on her lover’s pale skin. She met her gaze in the mirror and smiled. 

“I’m so glad you proposed,” Lin said. “I just need to work on making something for you.”

“Baby, you don’t have to do that,” Kya protested.

“No, but I want to,” she replied.

Kya’s entire body warmed at the intensity of her love. She pulled the water away from her body and leaned in. She gently pressed a soft kiss to her lips, smiling at the tenderness she felt in the kiss.

“Who would think the great Lin Beifong would be soft over a simple waterbender?” she asked, wrapping her arms around her waist.

“Well, you’re not just a simple waterbender to me. You are my everything. You’re my pillar. You’re my stupidly beautiful, kind, gentle fiancée who deserves everything I can give you and more. You’re Kya,” she replied.

Kya felt her eyes water at the proclamation of love. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Lin replied, placing a hand on the side of her face.

Kya leaned her face into her hand. “I just have one request,” she said as she pressed a soft kiss to her palm.

“Anything,” she replied.

Kya took a deep breath, feeling her nerves rise. “Can...can I take your name?” she asked, feeling her face turn red. “I know you’ve never felt like a true Beifong, which is absolute bullshit, and you feel like you have to carry that weight alone. I-” 

She took another deep breath to prevent her heart from racing any faster. “I don’t want you to carry that weight alone. You’re going to be my wife. You’re not going to be alone anymore. You don’t have to be alone.”

Lin let the tears gathering in her eyes spill over. “Of course you can take my name,” she said, gently lacing their hands together. “I like the sound of Kya Beifong.”

Kya smiled, letting their love warm her. “I have to go,” she said sadly.

“Duty calls,” Lin replied sadly.

“At least we have each other.”

“I wouldn’t trade that for anything,” she replied, pressing one last kiss to her soft, brown lips. She smiled as she walked out of the apartment. 

Lin touched the necklace hanging around her neck as she walked to the station. She was floating on a high of happiness as she walked down the streets of the city she loved with the promise of marriage with the woman she loved. 

“Hey,” Saikhan said with a nod.

“Hey,” she replied with a smile. 

“Oh shit. You smiled. Who are you and what have you done with Chief Beifong?” he asked, voice filled with concern.

“Come to my office in five and find out,” she replied. 

Saikhan raised an eyebrow but let it slide. Typically, Lin only called him into her office if it was work or something personal. He’s pretty damn confident it’s not work, so something happened. 

Lin placed her bag down and bent her armor off. At Saikhan’s knock, she bent the door open. 

“What’s up?” he asked, confused as to why she had her armor off. “Did so-”

His voice cut off as he noticed the necklace hanging around her neck. “Spirits, did... did she propose? ” he asked, voice filled with disbelief.

At her smile, he stepped forward. “Can I take a closer look?” he asked.

He gently tilted the charm up to see the carving better in the light. “She did a beautiful job. The studded chain adds to it,” he said.

“Yeah, she did a great job. I’m just so happy .”

“You deserve it. You deserve happiness,” he said with a smile. 

Lin smiled and stepped back to bend her armor back on. “I actually have a favor to ask,” she said, voice slightly wavering.

“What’s up?”

“Will you be a witness at our wedding?” she asked. “We’re just going to do a simple courthouse wedding. I just want something small first.”

“Of course I’ll be there. You’re my best friend,” he said, wrapping her into a hug.

To both of their surprises, she hugged him back. “Thank you for everything.”

“Of course. Do you need anything else Chief?” he asked, offering her a mock salute.

“That’ll be all Captain,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“Shit.” Kya was inwardly cursing everything. These fucking dark spirits were annoying. All she wanted was for the world to be safe so she could marry a certain sexy earthbender, but of course the shithead Unalaq had to ruin it. SHe had no idea how Korra was related to that douche, but she knew from first hand experience that family wasn’t everything. 

Kya felt her heart stop as she saw Bumi being taken down by a spirit. “Bumi!” she cried out. 

Her panic only increased as Oogi flew closer to the ground, weighed down by the spirits. Before long, they were thrown from the saddle as Oogi crashed into the ground. Shit, this is gonna hurt, she thought before her vision went black.

Surprise, it did hurt! Kya groaned as she opened her eyes, surprised to see she was inside of a tent. She looked down and realized she was chained right next to Tenzin. Nearby, Korra woke up with a groan and became talking with her father.

She let out a low growl when she saw that bastard Unalaq come in. He began rambling about how he would become all powerful. She looked up and made eye contact with Eska and Desna. They seemed cold at first, but when their father mentioned throwing his humanity away they shared a brief glance that conveyed their worries. She gave them a soft reassuring nod, showing she was on their side. 

Tenzin let out a sad sigh. “I’ve failed in every way. We’ve lost Jinora forever.”

Kya looked up at her brother. “There’s still a chance. They didn’t get Bumi,” she pointed out.

At her words, he let out a groan and hung his head. “Spirits help us.”

To everyone’s surprise but Kya’s, Bumi was actually able to rescue everybody. Kya threw her arms around her older brother after he freed her. She knew people, herself included, had underestimated him and made herself a promise to never do so again. She looked up as the group began discussing plans about what to do next. 

As they walked towards Oogi, she hung behind to walk next to Bumi. “I have some news for you,” she said softly. 

He raised an eyebrow. “What happened? Did someone die, get married, or get pregnant?”

“Well...one of those is partially correct,” she said, twirling a piece of hair between her fingers. “I proposed to Lin last night and she accepted. Soon, I’ll be Kya Beifong.” 

Bumi picked her up in a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you Ky! You deserve this happiness. Please don’t doubt that you’re worth it” he said, pressing a loving kiss to her forehead. 

She smiled at him. “That’s the plan,” she said as they hurried to hop on the saddle. 

“What was that about?” Tenzin asked.

“Just an update on my love life,” she said with a smirk. 

Mako looked at her in surprise. “Did you…” He subtly wrapped his scarf around his neck, mimicking a necklace to ask his question.

“Yeah, I did,” she said with a laugh. 

“Okay, what the fuck is going on?” Korra asked. “I feel like I’m missing out on something.”

“Just...getting closer with a certain lady back home,” she said.

Asami gasped. “Is that the one that we helped you dress up on a date for?”

“Yes actually! Things have been hectic, but as soon as we do another date like that, I’ll come to you two for fashion advice,” she said with a smile.

Korra turned to Tenzin, face hardening with resolve. “Once we're inside, you go find Jinora. Mako and Bolin will take care of Unalaq, while I close the portal so Vaatu can't escape.”

Bolin’s face paled. “Wait a second. Worst-case scenario: so we're fighting Unalaq, you close the portals and let's just say something happens to you. Are we going to be trapped in there for eternity?” he asked, voice slightly wavering.

“If everything goes as planned, we'll all walk out together after Harmonic Convergence. If not …” She shook her head, as if dispelling the negative thoughts from her mind. “Let's go.”

Everyone hopped off Oogi and ran towards the portal. Kya felt her anxiety turn into adrenaline, concern for her family fueling her stride. A massive group of spirits and that massive shithead glared at them, ready for a fight. 

“Tenzin, go find Jinora!” Korra cried out before turning and heading into the Avatar state.

“C'mon!” Tenzin called. 

She followed her brothers as they ran to find Jinora. Hopefully, they would find her niece before it was too late. 

Kya felt panic surge within her. Why was she tied to these two men she hadn’t seen before? 

“Who are you two?” she asked. She moved to untie herself and get away. Get away, get away, get away.

“Kya, we're your brothers. You must remember, before the fog infects you,” the bald one said, holding her hand to stop her.

She felt panic rise within her at that word. Family. The last time she felt that way, she was left behind. A daughter who couldn’t fit in. A daughter who was a disgrace and ran off to avoid her feelings. She was a second priority. There’s a reason she had a vision to lose everything then.

 “No, you're just a vision. I have no family. You can't tie me down,” she screamed at both the man and herself before losing herself in the fog.

She ran off, heart beating fast. Her vision became spotted and her throat became hoarse from screaming. It felt like no one ever loved her. She was alone, but better to be alone than tied down.

At that thought, the image of a betrothal necklace came to her. A map of pale skin she memorized. Green eyes that sparkled like the emeralds around her neck. Two scars that showed the pain she fought through. Kya knew this woman meant something, but…

But what if that’s why she was afraid to be alone? Visions of yelling came back to mind. Slamming of an apartment door, tears at the Air Temple Island, therapy sessions with a faceless woman she couldn’t remember.  

What if this woman...broke her? She had opened up, what if she got hurt? She couldn’t be tied down. Get away, get away, get away.

The next thing she knew, there was a guiding hand on her shoulder. She stumbled out of the dense fog, dragged along by the bald man from before. The other man was there along with a young girl.

She shook her head, clearing her mind of the confusion. She let out a soft groan before thankfully recognizing everyone near her. 

“Huh? What happened?” Bumi asked.

She let out a soft laugh. “I think our brother saved us.”

“Dad,” Jinora cried out, reaching for her father.

Tenzin swept her into a tight hug “You'll be okay sweetie. I'm here.”

While her brother talked with her niece, Bumi placed a hand on her shoulder. “How did you deal with it? I got sent back to the shit I’ve seen while serving.”

“My...abandonment fears came in. Bum, I forgot Lin. I knew her and I recognized this woman meant something but I-” 

A tear rolled down her face. “I forgot her name. I didn’t know she was my betrothed. Shit, I hate myself for it.”

Bumi wiped the tear off of her face. “It’s not your fault Ky. You remember her now and that’s what matters.”

She nodded, letting out a shaky breath. The two siblings quickly joined in on the family hug, needing love right now. Kya smiled and let herself soak in the love from her brothers and niece. 

They quickly ran to the Tree of Time, her heart freezing at the sight she saw. She had to help her kids, consequences be damned. Seeing her kid’s unresponsive bodies threw her into healer mode. She didn’t know when she began to think of Korra, Bolin, and Mako as her kids, but that’s a problem for a future Kya.  First priority: her kids. Second priority: kick Korra’s pathetic excuse of an uncle in the nuts and murder him for fucking with her wedding plans.

She quickly placed them in the spirit water before fully focusing on healing. Korra woke up and the poor girl was broken. She was in so much pain but she pushed through even though her aura was screaming in pain. It made Kya’s heart break.

Kya walked up to Tenzin. “She needs you now, more than ever,” she said gently. 

She watched her brother go after Korra. Somehow, she knew everything would be okay.