Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The plot is the property of the authors. The authors are in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 7: Leilani
"Líng Hún?" said Leilani, some feet from the Red Spirit.
He wouldn't look at her. "Hi," he whispered, voice somewhat raspy from disuse--he hadn't spoken since Sokka and Katara had joined them nearly two weeks ago.
"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.
"Nothing."
"Then why leave?"
He shrugged one shoulder and said nothing.
Sighing, the healer sat down beside him, offering him a shoulder to lean on — so to speak — in silence.
"...We should go back. Before the others worry." He stood up, and offered her a hand.
Nodding, Leilani accepted the hand and followed him back to the scientist and the siblings.
The Spirit settled himself on the edge of the campsite and resumed staring at the ground.
"So...what do we do now?" Sokka asked. "We should probably move on before those guards recover and chase after us."
"That's probably a good idea," Leilani replied, "but how far can we get before they catch up? I'm not very fast." This was true; often she lagged behind the others.
"I'm not sure," Katara admitted. "But Sokka's right. We should try to put some distance between us and what's left of that caravan."
Teo said nothing, staring at the ground and wishing that his wheelchair hadn't been destroyed when he'd been captured originally.
"We'll probably need to get you a new wheelchair somehow," Sokka told Teo thoughtfully.
"I can build a replacement with the right tools," Teo replied. "But now's not really the time to do it."
Katara nodded. "Right. We need to move."
The Red Spirit stood, walked over, picked Teo up again, and nodded to the others to lead the way.
While the scientist did his best to think light thoughts, Leilani shouldered the Red Spirit's pack in addition to her own and followed behind the siblings.
It was late when they finally stopped--much later than when they usually made camp for the night.
"Ok," Sokka finally said, about an hour after sundown. "We should be far enough away now."
Leilani nodded as she gently put down the packs, then slowly sank to the ground. "Good," she whispered, clinging to one of them like a rock. The extra weight and travel had taken its toll on the young healer.
The Red Spirit set Teo down as gently as he could, then rubbed at his shoulders. The young scientist may not have been very heavy, but he was an eighteen-year-old and carrying him for several hours hurt.
"Sorry," whispered Teo, reaching into his shirt and pulling out the scrolls he'd grabbed.
The younger man shook his head, said nothing, and walked over to make sure Leilani was all right.
"I'll set up camp," Katara said.
Leilani had curled up around the pack she was clinging to, but at Katara's words she straightened and forced herself to rise. When she looked up, she was startled to see the Red Spirit. "Oh!"
He gently pushed her back down, indicating she should rest for a while.
"But Líng Hún, I should help set up…"
He shook his head.
"Don't worry, 'Lani, Sokka and I can handle it," Katara said.
"If you're sure," the healer replied uncertainly.
"'Course I am," the younger woman said, smiling. "Sokka, why don't you find firewood and something for dinner while I set up the tent?"
Sighing, Leilani allowed the Red Spirit to push her down, not entirely comfortable with idling while others were doing the work.
Teo, on the other hand, was busy sketching something in the dirt with a stick.
The Red Spirit wandered over to see what he was doing.
As he watched, a shape took form; within moments it was clear that the crippled scientist was designing a wheelchair.
The younger man tilted his head and studied the drawing. After a moment, he scratched characters in the dirt: "Would you like me to find something for an axle?"
Teo looked over at the writing and turned a bright, megawatt grin onto the Red Spirit. "Would you? That'd be great!"
The Spirit seemed startled by the grin, but nodded, bowed, and disappeared off into the surrounding woods.
About a half hour later, he returned with a long, mostly-straight stick. He sat down next to Teo, pulled out a knife and started working on straightening and smoothing it further.
"...Hey, I recognize that knife!" Sokka said, suddenly.
Teo, completely focused on his design, jerked to one side and dragged a line through the sketch. "Sokka!"
"...I do, too!" Katara said, taking a closer look at the short, straight blade. "Where'd you get that?"
The Red Spirit slowly lowered it, watching the siblings, as silent as always.
"I gave it to him," Leilani said softly.
All present turned to her. "Where did you get Zuko's knife?" Sokka asked, after a long moment.
"I found it after he vanished," the healer lied quickly. "I took it with me when Shing… helped me escape."
"...Then he really is dead," Katara said, almost sadly. "He never went anywhere without that knife."
Leilani merely closed her eyes.
"Well, obviously he's dead," Sokka said, rolling his eyes. "It's been five years. And he wouldn't've let his sister get away with everything she's done these last few years. Even if it was only because he'd want the throne for himself."
"He isn't like that!" Leilani snapped hotly.
"Wasn't," Sokka reminded her. "Azula probably killed him."
"I'm not so sure," Katara said, thoughtfully. "If he was still in favor, she wouldn't've risked it."
Teo ignored the speculation — he'd only met Azula, never Zuko, so what the prince may or may not have been like wasn't his concern — and continued work on his design. Leilani, however, opened her mouth to snap once more, but hesitated, then glanced at the Red Spirit.
The Red Spirit scratched in the dirt. "Are you so sure?"
Katara nodded. "Azula's calmer, and far too pragmatic to risk killing the heir to the throne when he's in favor."
"Then what do you think happened to him?" Sokka asked, derisively.
"To be honest? I think he probably killed himself. Why else would they cover it up?"
"It's the royal family," muttered Leilani. "They cover everything up."
"Also, if Azula killed him, they'd cover it up 'cause she's the only heir left," Sokka pointed out. "Besides, why would he kill himself?"
She shrugged. "He was a very troubled young man," Katara said quietly. "And...I don't know. When we were in the crystal catacombs, back in Ba Sing Se...I got the impression that he wasn't far from the breaking point. Between Iroh and Azula pressuring him like that...maybe it just all caught up with him a few weeks later."
Unnoticed, Leilani reached out and touched the Red Spirit's hand gently.
He didn't respond to either Katara or Leilani, just stared at the ground.
Sokka, however, snorted. "He may have been disturbed, but I don't think he killed himself. Doesn't seem to fit."
"I got it!" Teo cried suddenly, without warning.
"You know what happened to the Vanished Prince?" Sokka asked.
Katara hit him. "You finished your design?"
"I honestly couldn't care less about Zuko," Teo told Sokka. "Never met him, so what does it matter? Yes, I finished the design."
"Can I see?" Katara asked, before Sokka could respond.
"Sure!" Teo grinned at her enthusiastically.
She peered over Teo's shoulder. "Do we have everything we need to build it here?"
"Everything but the wheels," he admitted. "Those just don't occur naturally."
Sokka frowned, considering, then turned to the Spirit. "Hey, Líng Hún? Interested in some theft?"
The Red Spirit studied him for a moment, then nodded. The two young men went a little ways away to plot.
"...I should be more upset that my brother is plotting grand larceny with a masked stranger," Katara said thoughtfully.
"He's going to use it as an opportunity to find out who Líng Hún really is," replied Leilani tiredly. "And in any case, they're helping your friend here."
She nodded. "Yeah, I know."
A few minutes later, Sokka called over to Teo. "Anything else you need while we're out?"
"Just rope."
"Be careful!" Leilani called.
"Don't worry, we will!" Sokka called, waving back, then he and the Red Spirit headed out.
The healer just shook her head sadly and closed her eyes. "You mean you will…"
"What do you mean?" Katara asked, frowning.
"Nothing," Leilani said heavily. She couldn't tell Katara the truth. She couldn't tell Katara how much she knew and understood of the Red Spirit's character, couldn't say that she knew who he was under the mask. She couldn't tell Katara that the Red Spirit wouldn't care if he got hurt, and would ignore any injuries he received. She couldn't tell Katara that the Red Spirit would try to keep her from healing him when he got back.
Katara frowned. "Are you sure...? You seem upset."
"I'm fine," the older woman said softly, lying.
"All right, if you're sure..." the younger waterbender said, frowning worriedly.
Leilani forced a smile for Katara and barely contained a blush. "Positive."
"Ok," she said, smiling back.
A little less than an hour later, the Red Spirit returned, supporting Sokka, dragging a bag of supplies, and limping slightly.
"Sokka!" Katara cried.
Leilani was on her feet in an instant and approached the two men. "What happened?" she asked as she helped lay Sokka down.
He hesitated a moment, then whispered in her ear. "He hit his head. I don't know how bad." Then he straightened and limped over to Teo to give him the supplies.
"...Hey, I thought he couldn't talk," Sokka said, slurring his words slightly.
"He talks to me," said Leilani simply, running her fingers gently over Sokka's head as Teo thanked the Red Spirit for the needed equipment.
He sat down, heavily, ignoring the blood on his leg, and scratched in the dirt. "Can I help?"
"Mmkay. Pretty fairies dance nice," Sokka mumbled back.
Leilani shook her head, called some water to her, and got to work on Sokka's head. This sort of healing was very difficult, since she had to fix something that was wrong inside from the outside.
"Thanks," Teo grinned at the Red Spirit.
The Spirit nodded, erased his marks, and replaced them. "What would you like me to do?"
Katara watched Leilani work. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked, anxiously.
While Teo and the Spirit worked together on the wheelchair, the two waterbenders worked together to heal Sokka. When she was done, though, Leilani moved from the older man to sit just behind the Red Spirit and heal his wounded leg.
He glanced over at her. "I'm fine," he scratched into the dirt, then turned back to what he'd been working on with Teo.
Unfortunately for him, his companion couldn't read; she continued what she was doing.
Katara, however, could. She snorted. "You most certainly are not fine, you're bleeding."
Leilani kept her head down, her hair successfully obscuring the expression on her face.
He sighed, and focused on helping Teo rather than trying to argue the point.
When the older woman finished, she dragged herself to her feet and moved back to the pack she'd initially curled up around when they'd made camp.
He glanced over at her, and walked over. "Are you all right?" he whispered, taking care not to let the others hear, though Sokka tried very hard.
"Jus' tired," she replied, clinging to the pack like a lifeline.
"...Shouldn't've wasted your strength on me," he hissed.
She glared up at him. "I came with you for one reason," she hissed back, her expression a combination of hurt and anger. "If you're not going to let me do my duty by you, then you should just leave me here!"
"That's not what I--" He broke off, as Sokka got too close. He stood up and stalked away.
"What's wrong?" the older man asked, frowning after the Red Spirit.
Leilani made an irritated noise. "Nothing!" She buried her face in the pack and proceeded to pretend nobody else existed.
The Red Spirit, irritated, scratched a few lines into the dirt, quickly. "Please tell her that I didn't mean it the way she interpreted, only that she should save her power for true emergencies, rather than tiring herself on a minor injury."
Sokka, as was his habit, read the writing out loud.
"Then maybe he could deign to notice that I tended to the major injury first!"
He erased his marks and scratched some new ones. "And you could have let mine to heal on its own, rather than wasting your energy on it." Sokka read this aloud, as well.
"Then he should have done something other than ignore it like he always does! I'm done with this!"
"...Are you leaving?"
"And can you stop using me as messenger?" Sokka added, irritated. The Red Spirit smacked him upside the head. "Ow!"
"I can't read, Sokka," said Leilani, not looking at them. "And I'm not leaving. I'm done arguing."
The Red Spirit watched her for a moment, then shrugged and walked away.
Teo glanced up at Katara. "…are they related?"
"I have no idea," Katara admitted. "I've never seen his face, and he never talks."
"They act like it." He shrugged and finished tying the frame for his chair together.
"Yeah, they really do," Katara said, laughing a little.
"So, what are we doing, anyway?" Teo asked her.
The Spirit scratched a few quick marks into the earth. The older boy glanced at it. "Oh. Good luck with that. Want me to show you how to disable the machines?"
The Spirit stared at him for a moment, then nodded.
Teo cheerfully abandoned the wheelchair to take the scrolls from his jacket. "I tried to work a few weaknesses into everything that I designed," he explained as he unrolled one of them.
"Great! That's brilliant! You'd've been totally killed if Azula had found out, but it's brilliant!" Sokka said, settling himself next to the Spirit and the inventor.
"Well, she didn't find out," Teo remarked. "And I had to do what I could to help…"
Sokka nodded. "Right. So, what can you tell us?"
While Teo showed the design flaws to his captive audience, Leilani uncurled from her pack and slipped away from the camp, heading for the stream a quarter-mile away.
After a long moment, Katara followed her. "Hey, are you ok?"
"No," the islander replied after a brief pause.
"Want to talk about it?"
"It's stupid," Leilani muttered, staring at the water.
"Still. It might help to talk about it."
At last, the older woman admitted, "I… I'm mad at him, I'm homesick, I'm confused, I'm scared…"
The younger woman hugged Leilani. "I don't blame you."
"It's weakness," Leilani whispered, grateful for the darkness.
"No, it's not," Katara said, firmly. "It's being human."
"I've got to stay strong, though…"
"Why?"
"For him."
"You can't only think about him. You have to think about yourself, too," Katara pointed out, gently.
"Not when he blames himself…"
"Blames himself?" the younger woman asked, frowning.
Leilani bit her lip. "I said too much."
"Ok. Ok, you don't have to say any more." Katara hugged her again. "But it's ok to be scared and angry and homesick."
The older woman took in a sharp breath. "But what about confused…?"
"That's ok, too. Believe me."
"I'm… not so sure…"
"What are you confused about?" Katara asked.
Leilani hesitated. "I… I shouldn't say… it's wrong…"
"...Ok, if you're sure..."
She looked up into Katara's eyes, uncertain.
The younger woman smiled encouragingly. "It'll all work out. You'll see."
Leilani leaned in, but stopped, then turned away. "I… I guess you're right…"
Katara hugged her again, briefly. "You'll see."
Hesitantly, the older woman hugged back. "Okay." Awkwardly, she disengaged before she could do something she'd truly regret, grateful that the darkness hid her burning cheeks. "…we should probably get back."
Katara nodded. "If you're sure you're ready."
"I am." And I shouldn't be alone with you again… Leilani quickly led the way back.
The younger woman followed.
Once they were at the campsite, Leilani finally took her bedroll out of her pack and spread it out, her mind going quickly. She'd have to be careful now…
Katara settled down into an argument with her brother about something trivial; lulled by their voices (however oddly), the island woman fell asleep.
The Red Spirit stared moodily into the darkness. As per usual, he was the last to sleep and the first to rise the next morning.