Beta-read by Scribbles I, who never ceases to amaze me with her patience.

Healed and Hunted

A Fresh Start

Chapter Ten

Living Room

Sokka

His daughter didn't understand a lot of things. Like how the world could be so cruel to Inheritors, or why Kat accepted what had happened. But the thing she would regret most in later years was the damage she doing to Katara. Kat was near tears at the door, trying her hardest to smile.

"C-c'mon. We should get going," she said, her voice tightening a little. She coughed and Sokka wanted to demand that his daughter come down and apologize. But it would be hollow and pointless.

"All packed?" he asked. She nodded when he asked, and said nothing else. Aang and Toph were already out in the car.

"Just go already, no one wants you here!" a small voice yelled from above. Kat held her sides and tried not to look at Sokka.

"I'm going to go wait in the car." Kat made her escape with that, shutting the door behind her. The wood was not thick enough to hide her sob.

"Kyoshi, get down here," Sokka commanded. A door opened, slammed shut. Heavy steps down the stairs.

"You will apologize," the father growled. His daughter had never been so horrible.

Kyoshi looked up with fire in her eyes. "No. She wants go to back so much, fine. I don't want her here."

Suki looked up from the kitchen, reminding him that they were on a time limit. There was no time to argue with the girl. But, deciding he needed the last word, Sokka spat, "She doesn't want to go. But she has to. And you hurt her, Kyoshi. She may not come back here."

This was true enough, he supposed. And it would be painful enough to get the girl thinking. It was harsh. She was only six. Sokka knew that, and he still didn't care. She needed to know what she had done. Sokka only saw the full extent when he got in the car and found Kat sitting in the front, eyes red and still crying, her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out.

"Kat, I'm-"

She cut him off, "Don't. Not now."

Her voice was even, and if he couldn't see her, he would have thought she was fine. He noticed that Aang wasn't worried. She was keeping secrets, and he was content to let her.

Parking Lot

Lee

He couldn't be sure, but something seemed different about her. She looked tired and downtrodden. Lee observed from his spot against the bus. She moved slowly, and her eyes never left the ground. She let her hair fall all about her face and shoulders.

Lee squinted at her when she put her arms around the man next to her. They looked similar. Same skin tone, same blue eyes and dark hair. The man ran a hand down Kat's hair, saying something into her ear. Lee tried not to feel curious. It wasn't his business. Yet, when she turned around and he saw her face, he wanted very much to know what was said. Kat was crying.

When she came up to the bus, Lee said nothing. He knew he would only be shooting himself in the foot by asking. If she wanted to talk about it, she would. At the very least, he would remain silent until they were on the bus.

He sat in his seat, and place a single bud in his ear. The music was turned low, he could barely hear it over all the open windows. The bud was more of a buffer for Kat, so she didn't think he was too eager to hear.

Nearly thirty minutes into the trip, she looked to him, and Lee removed his bud.

"Thank you, for not saying anything. I... appreciate it." Kat looked back out to the road for a moment.

Lee nodded. "Is everything alright?"

The girl thought for a moment. "Fine."

And Lee knew she was lying. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. They weren't friends. Not even close. No matter how much he wanted to know, the girl wouldn't tell him anything. Not until things were smoothed between them.

"Fair enough. Kat, this is a little lame, but, I'd like to start things over, if that's alright." Lee said, feeling stupid. But, in order to win the hunt, he had to play along. Had to change the rules of engagement.

"What do you mean?" Kat asked, almost sounding happy. Lee was sure she was glad of the subject change.

"I'd like to start over. Reintroduce myself."

Kat looked at him with half a smile, "Alright. It was getting a little tiresome, arguing all the time."

"Okay. I'm Lee," he offered his hand. She took it with a laugh. "I love the rain. Like my food salty. Hate tea. Hate it."

The blue eyed girl smiled. "What country are you from? I've never been there, wherever it is. I can't figure out your accent."

Lee laughed, "I'm from Russia, originally. But I've lived in the States since I was thirteen."

Kat put a thoughtful hand under her chin. "Russia, huh? That's fun."

"And you, where are you from?" Lee asked carefully. He had given her her answers. Now it was her turn. That was fair, right? That fit her rules. Probably.

"My brother and I are from Alaska." She shrugged.

Lee had little knowledge of the state. He knew it was all ice, a desert. Cold. He'd never been there, as she had never been to his home.

"Small, tiny little place. Next stop was four hours out," Kat laughed.

Wanting to keep the conversation moving, Lee asked, "Why'd you leave?"

For a moment, Lee imagined her putting up a large fight when the government found out about her. He could see her defending herself and her home against all of the enemies. And yet, here she was.

"We left when I was thirteen. There was no reason to stay." Her voice was devoid of emotion.

And Lee knew better than to ask. That would take more than idle chit chat. If he remembered to ask later in the game, it would be bonus. By the time she was close enough to admit that, he would further things by asking.

It was now just a matter of getting there.

Cafetorium

Kat

The dinner after they got back was good. Not nearly so good as Suki's cooking, but good enough. Kat finished her meal quickly, having little energy to do anything else. Her siblings were tired, too, but they had gone to sleep hours before she had.

"You got all the paint out," Aang said cheerfully. He had already been outside before the scene this morning. Toph was glaring in Aang's direction, eyes a little off. Kat nearly laughed at her attempts at scowling.

"Yeah, took a while. Was this close to cutting it off," she measured an inch with her fingers. Aang smiled at this and they kept eating in silence. Kat put her head down to rest.

"He's still looking, you know. Still staring." Aang used his eyebrows and head to point. Kat looked. Lee was, indeed, staring. Kat sighed and wanted nothing to do with him.

"So, what are we doing about him?" Toph asked finding more food on her fork. Aang slipped his meat onto her plate. Toph had never known about this.

"Waiting, watching. Carefully observing," Kat said calmly. She looked over and Lee's entire table was now staring, minus Lee. Lee was staring at his own table, strange looks on his face.

"His group's not so friendly." Aang commented, noticing the decidedly hostile glare of table six. Kat kept looking, staring down the group. A few looked away. A few kept staring.

"I don't think they're friends. I think they follow him. He's older than all of them. He's our age. Maybe older." Kat answered.

Her observations were met with grunts from her family.

Kat smiled when Toph reached for Aang. Their fingers intertwined, fitting perfectly together. Toph's hands were different from hers. Toph had calloused hands, finely layered from years of convincing the earth to move for her. Kat had thin fingers, meant for sewing or something. Weak little fingers meant to do nothing so harsh as getting a stubborn element to obey.

"Kat, he's a Fire-bug, right?" Toph asked, smiling to herself.

Kat simply nodded, and then remembered, "Yeah, he's a Fire-bug."

"Ask him to teach Aang."

Aang tapped his fork, and they grew quiet again. When the bell rang, Kat said she'd think about it. Really, though, she didn't want Lee anywhere near Aang. This seed of doubt had been in her stomach since this morning. Something wasn't right about him.

The Library

Aang

He was sick of reading books on how to move fire. It was alive. You had to take care of it, feed it and make sure it didn't get too big. He had seen the results of that. Kat's hands were still really pink on the bottoms. It was easy enough in theory. He'd practiced before and knew it to be a different story entirely. Fire may be alive, but it was more than that. It had its own mind, and none of these books told him how to control it. Breathe in, breathe out. It took more than breathing.

He would not have access to better books until next year, and by then, he feared it would be too late. It had taken him three months to move a rock. Three months. And he was still learning.

"Hey, Aang." Kat sat across from him, putting a few of her own books on the table. She had a few fire books of her own. Aang noticed little tabs sticking out.

"You know they won't make any difference," he wondered if there was an order to the colors in the book.

With the tone of long suffering, "Not with that attitude. I secured a low level training spot."

Aang sighed, "And what, pray tell, did that require of you?"

"Don't worry. The instructor is a nice old man. I'm just going to be there, that's all." Her voice was kind, trying to belay his suspicion. Instead, he became even more unsure of her methods. She had done crazy things in the past.

"Am I going to be shooting at you?" He wondered.

Her face fell. "No, of course not."

"Liar."

"It's alright, Aang. You need to learn this," Kat gave him a half-hearted shrug. And Aang knew she was afraid. How could she not be? She caught him staring at her hands and quickly added, "Aang, I'm really fine. It's better than the alternative."

"Which is?" Aang asked.

Kat looked around, "Waiting for next year. Aang, I would hate to break this country. Could you imagine? Them trying to take you away. We'd stir up trouble, just like we always did."

Aang laughed at the thought. He wondered how easy it would be to incite rebellion. The country was unstable enough. This country, that had not existed when he fell into the ice, had been at war for nearly its entire existence. He could tell it was tired. What would happen if he sounded the call for battle? How many Inheritors would answer?

"Ah, aren't we a little old for that?" the bald man laughed. She shook her head vehemently, laughing. Her hair moved around her shoulders as if it had nothing better to do. Aang remembered how things had been so different so long ago. He loved her, still, but things were not the same.

"Well, just don't tempt me. I'll do it," Kat threatened while moving her books to where Aang could read them. There were no special points in these books. He'd read it all before.

"I know. I'm trying, alright? When is this training session supposed to begin?" he asked, closing the pages wearily. If he heard another word about breathing he was going to scream. It wasn't that simple.

"During mysterious power outages some time next week," Kat wasn't looking at anything in particular. She seemed to be staring at something else entirely. Aang nodded his understanding. The hard part would be getting there in time. How long could the power stay out?

As if reading his mind Kat said, "The power box will go missing in a few days. They will suspect students. Won't be able to prove anything. No cameras. Surrounded by water."

"You enjoy planning these things, don't you?" More of a statement than question.

Kat's voice deadpanned, "It passes the time."

He wanted to laugh, but she was serious. He knew she was ready to leave this place. He wondered what lengths she would go to, what line she would cross to achieve her goals. She was ambitious. Loyal, kind-hearted. But ambitious. A dangerous combination, really. She would do unspeakable things, as she had before, if she believed the result worth it. Kat was a good person, and Aang would never think badly of her, but he knew who she was.

She was a wild card. If Aang asked it, she would sound the charge herself. She would lead the armies, the country. The world. All he had to do was ask, and she would die trying. And it was nearly too much to think about.

"I'll come get you once the power's out." Kat rose and left her books. Aang picked them to turn them in when he realized what they were. The higher forms of Air bending. He didn't know where she'd gotten them, or what he was supposed to do with them. They weren't library books. They seemed old, too. No stamps or names alluding to their origin.

He put them in his own bag, deciding to read them later, in his room. They clearly didn't belong in this place. Like so many things, he mused, this was just somewhere they ended up.

Dorm Room 43A

Toph

She hadn't been able to find Kat all day. She had decided to head back to their room, hoping to find her friend there. She opened the door with practiced ease, stepped inside and bit back curses. Something sharp was right at the edge of the carpet. She was sure her bare feet were bleeding. She bent down carefully, not sure how large the offending item was.

Her fingers found something smooth with sharp edges. She kept running her fingertips down it until she found the heaviest point. Soft tips that bent with the slightest pressure. Toph squished the soft part. A floral scent washed through the air.

The door opened behind her, and Toph could smell Kat.

"Oh, Aang gave you a rose?" the girl asked. The item in her hand made sense, now. A rose had thorns, right? They were certainly sharp enough to pierce the skin of her foot.

"I stepped on it. I couldn't tell what it was," Toph said. A few more moments might have made the information click together, but she had her answer. There was no reason to continue pondering.

"He left a note. Want me to read it?" Toph knew Kat would be extending her hand, but she had no sense of where. Besides, Toph hadn't felt a note. Perhaps the flower had been located elsewhere.

"Dear K-" Katara began. Toph's head turned sharply.

"What is it?" the blind girl wanted to know. She waited moments for an answer.

Kat was muttering something, "Did you foot get hurt? Want me to look at it?"

At the mention of it, a pulse set in. Her foot throbbed and she counted the steps to her bed. Without needing further instructions, Kat set to healing Toph's foot. Toph marveled at the feel of healing water moving through her body. It was strange, and sometimes it hurt. Sometimes it felt like bath water. Other times, when Kat was being very careful, it simply felt nice. There was no describing it, really. And Toph was good at describing things. She had to be.

"Better?" Kat asked, distracting Toph from her considerations. Toph nodded in reply.

They were quiet for a few moments.

"So, who sent it?" Toph wondered. If it had been from Aang, Kat would have read it. But she didn't. Toph had a few guesses who had actually sent the rose.

Kat answered her grudgingly, "It doesn't matter. I'm going to go fix it. I'm sorry your foot got hurt."

"It's alright. Go easy on the guy. He's trying to be sweet."

Kat snorted, "Yeah, sure. Sweet."

Dorm Room 692B

Lee

He jumped when someone knocked on his door. He opened it to find a very pretty, very angry girl. He smiled at her, trying to discern her reason for coming. And then he remembered.

"You got my rose."

Kat's eyes bore into his, "No, I didn't."

Lee was confused. She seemed to know what he was taking about. He looked down at her hands and saw said rose clenched carefully in a fist.

She poked his chest, "My roommate did."

"Well, I assume she read the note." This wasn't so bad. Not a total loss.

Kat poked him again. It hurt this time, "No! She didn't. She's blind. She stepped on this-" she threw the rose at him. It bounced off his chest and into his room, "-and cut her foot."

"What was she doing without shoes?" Lee wondered. That was the only way she could have stepped on it and hurt herself.

"She's blind. She sees through her feet." Kat seemed tired of explaining this.

That didn't make much sense to him. So, he simply explained himself, "You looked like you needed a smile, is all."

"I don't believe it. You're full of crap. I know when people are lying. Next time, give it a little more thought." She growled. She turned to leave, and Lee was almost willing to let her.

But he couldn't be set back now. He had only gotten on new ground yesterday. He had to fix this. But, Lee swore, if he figured her out, he would give himself a nice pat on the back.

"Look, Kat, I didn't know about your roommate." He said complacently.

She looked at him, stared but he did not back down. It was true, he supposed. He could have guessed, but other things had been on his mind at the time. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, and she suddenly looked old. But the look vanished as she held out a hand.

"I'm Kat. I, too, love the rain. I like my food spicy. Half of my tea is sugar. There's a special tea that reminds me of my mother."

And Lee knew this war had been won.

A/N: Ah, sorry it took so long. Got busy. Still busy, but I found some downtime. Please forgive me!