Ally Beifong

29: Hidden Memories

"I've never seen mom so stressed before, and to be honest, it's scaring me a little bit. Last night, it was like I was her, a mom holding their crying kid. But I didn't mind staying with mom, as long as I knew she was okay, that was enough for me."

The next morning, Ally and Lin didn't show up for breakfast, Lin was off doing police duties, and Ally was tagging along. 

"What in SPIRITS do you think you're doing right now?!" Lin yelled at two guards leaning up against the wall of a house. "Get back to doing your job!" She winced and grabbed her head, she had been nursing a headache all morning. 

"Mom," Ally grabbed her mom's arm to steady her. "Please, I think you should lie down." 

"Are you alright?" Aiwei asked he walked up behind Lin. 

"My daughter is in danger and these buffoons aren't taking their job seriously," Lin snapped. 

"Oh, it's alright," Aiwei put his hand on Lin's shoulder. "Zaofu is one of the, if not the safest cities in the world." Lin threw his hand off. 

"I'm going to check every nook and cranny of this place," she said roughly. "I will make sure my kid is safe." She turned to walk away, but Aiwei stopped her. 

"Lin, you don't have to do work while you're here," he said gently. "Please, you need to relax."

"I'm fine!" Lin snarled, but she winced again as pain shot through her head. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she grabbed the back of her neck. 

"Mom," Ally's eyes were glassy from fear. 

"Lin, you're under a dangerous amount of stress," Aiwei told her. "If you don't deal with your feelings, there will be consequences on your health and job."

"I don't want to talk about my feelings," Lin replied. 

"You won't have to," Aiwei handed her a card for an acupuncturist. 

"Hmm," Lin murmured. The acupuncturist was named Guo. 

"Mom, please," Ally begged. "I need you to get better, I don't want you to get sick." Lin agreed to go to see Guo. She went without her armor, in just a simple white tank top. Guo had her lay down on a table, while he prepared the needles. 

"How many of those are going into me?" Lin asked. 

"I will place several in your acupoints, and this will help you," Guo explained. "Don't worry, it'll just help correct imbalances in your chi. Tell me if you feel pain or pressure anywhere on your body."

"I don't feel anything," Lin answered. 

"Your chi is very blocked," Guo told her. He placed more needles into her skin as he explained what to expect. "This process may tap into old or hidden memories. These old memories can be painful or difficult." 

"Sure," Lin scoffed, not believing him.

 But he was right, she went deep into her past and saw a memory from a long time ago, it was Su. Lin saw her hanging with bad people and told her off, but Su snapped back and left. Lin started sweating, her lips moving as if she was talking. Ally stayed close as Lin started to quiver slightly, she went into another memory. She was speeding down the street in her car, responding to a robbery. She caught the people responsible and learned it was Su. Lin woke up and sat up, flinging the needles out of her body while sweat soaked through her clothes. Ally was using under the table, trying not to be impaled by several needles. She stood up and watched her mom walk out. 

"Thank you!" She thanked Guo, and ran after her mother, supporting her. She was dizzy and weak, and leaving in the middle could make her sick. Ally took her back to their room and soaked a cloth to put on the back of Lin's neck, but the police chief waved it away. She put her hand on her head and sat down as Korra came in, telling Lin to apologize.