A/N: I am so sorry. My laptop got eaten by trojans.

Everything is gone, this story... all wiped off the face of cyberspace.

So, I'll be rewriting these next chapters.. Forgive me.

Thank you Scribbles I, for your patience and saving my hide.

Healed and Hunted

Shave and a Haircut

Chapter Twenty One

Dorm Room

Toph

She was going to punch Kat in the face. Or anywhere, really, assuming Toph could reach her. All she needed to do was knock the pencil out of her sister's hand. Kat was tapping it without mercy, and it was annoying Toph to no end.

"Kat, if you hit the table one more time..." Toph began. The threat only worked for a few seconds.

Her sister sighed, "I'm sorry, Toph. Just distracted."

"I get it. But shut the hell up." The blind girl sighed. She went back to reading, her fingers flying over the page to reach where she had been. The next tap made her jump out of the chair.

"I swear, Katara, I will snap you in half. What is the matter?"

Toph heard her sigh. "Did I tell you he asked me to go to his uncle's house for the weekend?"

"No," Toph answered.

"Well he did," Kat said. She sounded conflicted.

Toph really didn't want to talk. She wanted to finish this stupid book, but she asked anyways. "Are you going?"

There were a few more taps of the pencil before Kat answered, "I think so."

"Then what's the problem?" Toph shut her book, giving up. Forget it, she thought, perhaps there was a opportunity to tease Kat.

Kat moved beside her, sitting on the bed, "I don't know. I know Sokka... I know he's fine. But I should put it off, right? For another month, at least. Just so I can-"

"Have time to talk yourself completely out of it?" Toph looked in her general direction. She could feel Kat looking at her, so she tried to soften her face.

"Nn... well, maybe. But, Sokka's..." Kat sighed. Then she added, "Toph, is it wrong of me to want to go?"

Toph rubbed her eyebrows and put her head down a little bit, "You like him more than you admit. Stop fighting it."

It was quiet again. Toph could still feel herself being stared at. So she waited.

"Hit a nerve, did I?" she teased.

Kat laughed a little. "Shut up. I'm going to go now."

Toph listened to her move to the door, and as Kat began to leave Toph shouted, "Secret rendezvous with the boyfriend?"

Hospital Wing

Aang

He was flipping through a magazine, watching Lee very carefully over the pages. He knew the man was trying his best to stay still and look busy, doing whatever it took not to make eye contact with the Ava. But Aang was a little more interested in conversing than not.

"So, she says you're from Russia," Aang said.

The scarred man looked up to him. "She says you aren't from here either."

Here being America. Aang smiled, wondering what Kat had tried to hide. It was no secret, really, how old Aang was. But she was always protective of him, even if he didn't need it. Even if it made things awkward and uncomfortable for herself.

"No, not really. I was born in the year 1602, in England," he answered, letting the magazine fall in his lap. Lee seemed rather interested.

"So... how are you even alive?" he asked, sitting up.

Aang shrugged. "I ran away from home. I was scared. I ended up over a very stormy ocean, falling and drowning. I fell into the water and froze myself. The next thing I know, I'm waking up to a different world. Kat found me encased in the ice."

Lee crinkled his eyebrow. "How did you manage to get to the middle of the ocean, and survive for so long?"

"In times of panic, the Avatar state takes over. It is all of the Avatars." Aang paused when he saw the look on Lee's face. "Avas. They went by a different name in my time."

"Oh," was all Lee said.

"It's when the souls of the Avas before me join with mine. It's a power like nothing you've ever seen before. It protected me until Kat found me." Aang watched his reaction. He expected disbelief, but he saw none.

"So, you've been with her ever since?" Lee seemed to be very focused on something. Kat, Aang thought. It was a good thing to see.

The Ava nodded, "She and Sokka are the only family I've ever had."

The men sat in silence. Aang could see several things running through Lee's mind, though he couldn't be sure of what. Some moments, Lee was scowling, others smiling.

"Lot on your minds?" Kat asked, making them both jump.

Aang was reassured by the smile on Lee's face. No matter how he appeared, or how he wanted to act, Lee wasn't aware of how much the Ava could tell. He smiled at Toph like that.

"Hey," Lee said.

Aang rose to his feet. "Well, your turn. See you later, Kat."

His sister barely noticed. She waved a hand blankly as he walked past her. Aang had to hide his smile, lest she see and change her attitude. The Ava had never seen her like this before, not even with Jet. Not when they had both been taken in by the psychotic youth. This was different. This was more than child-love.

"I owe Kyoshi ten dollars," he muttered to himself.

Aang now understood the monks' opposition to gambling. He was pretty deep in debt, he realized. He owed Kyoshi twenty three dollars, Sokka forty, and Toph somewhere close to two hundred. He had to quit all this betting. It was bad for his soul.

School Gardens, South Wing

Kat

They were sitting on the soil. It was damp, but she didn't mind. Really, she was trying her best not to think at all. She was leaning against his side, though she probably shouldn't have been, trying to stay very still.

"So, you're coming?" he asked lightly. He seemed to want to keep the silence as well. It was night out, and they were, technically, sneaking around. The curfew had passed hours ago, anyways.

She gave a quick nod. "Yes. You can hardly walk on your own. There's no way you'd make it down there on your own."

"I think I could manage," he said, sighing. He looked down to the bandages on his torso, disappointed in his slow healing.

"I doubt it. Besides. It could be fun."

Kat hoped so. She prayed this was the right thing to do, and that it wouldn't come back to bite her. What she expected to go wrong, she couldn't be sure. But if her life before was any indication, something would.

"You're nervous," he noticed.

"Where is this going?" she asked suddenly. The question had been on her mind since he'd been injured. She had no answer of her own. She could see she confused him. So she lifted their hands. "This."

"I thought it was a game," he answered.

She tensed. A game. He thought it was a game. And she had never felt so stupid. Here she was, letting herself feel all of this, and he was playing some ridiculous game with her as the prize. She was ready to go visit his family- a serious relationship move- and he was probably still thinking of it in levels and scores. God she was an idiot. She felt like crying.

"At least, at first. And then... I don't know. It stopped being a game. It started being... important. To me," he said. He gripped her hand tightly, as if he could read her mind.

Perhaps she had been more transparent than she had intended. The relief made her sigh shakily. It was that feeling of freedom, of Oh! I am not going to cry! It was a wonderful feeling, nearly like flying. He forced her face up.

"I know you asked about me, before... To learn what kind of a person I was. You called it right, I was not someone to be proud of. Not someone you deserved."

"It didn't really bother me," she said. And it was true. If it had bothered her, she would have never agreed to let things get this far. She wasn't here to fix him.

"It started to bother me. I wanted to be...want to be more for you. And I don't know what that means, or how to behave," he said. She kept trying to break eye contact. But she couldn't.

A breeze ran through her hair, and sent a shiver down her spine. Kat looked up to the moon, remembering her old friends. Everyone who had passed away, all of her friends who were now watching. She could imagine a few of them yelling at her- get a move on!

"Say something, please." His voice was tight. He coughed to clear his throat, to make it seem like he was his usual self.

So she looked back to him. "I never asked you to change."

"You shouldn't have to."

For the first time since they met, Kat thought she was seeing the real him. Not the one he fronted, or even the one she sometimes glimpsed when he was laughing. The one he hid away, deeper than his secrets.

"You deserve more than I was."

Kat disagreed. She didn't have the heart to tell him. How could she, when she had told him most everything yet he did not see? How many people were willing to overlook her sins? She couldn't breathe.

"My uncle's going to love you."

And the weight on her chest seem to let up, momentarily.

"I apologize in advance... He's a little... odd."

LoTus

e

a

Lee

It was honestly worse than he thought. After somehow surviving the meeting with her brother- her injured, barely standing brother- that had somehow made him grateful she only had the one sibling, the drive had been rather uneventful. But that wasn't the bad part.

The bad part was his uncle, yelling in Russian and pushing Kat to the side. Then, in English, telling her she could bring the bags in and he would take it from there. After that, Kat bowed and did as requested, not bothering to explain that she was his girlfriend.

And then, his uncle tried to shove money into Kat's hand.

"No thank you, that's not necessary," Kat said, curtseying.

Lee rubbed his face. "Uncle, this is Kat. Kat, this is my uncle, Mushi."

"Cat?" his uncle asked in Russian.

"No, my name is Katara. I go by Kat for short." Kat offered a hand to shake. His uncle took it without understanding.

But Lee wondered, "You...speak Russian?"

She laughed, and he kept staring at her. "I only know three or four words."

"Cat being one of them," he stated.

"I can say cat in... eight languages. English, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Italian... German, French and Sign." She counted them off on her fingers. Then she looked back up, "Well. When you travel the world introducing yourself as Kat, you learn."

"Lee, who is this?" his uncle asked, realizing that she was more than a taxi driver. Lee sighed, and explained to his aging uncle about why Kat was here. It was quicker in his native tongue, and more private.

Meanwhile, Kat took to investigating the place. Lee was grateful Jun was nowhere to be seen. The barkeep would have made things unnecessarily awkward. And he wasn't ready for that. Saying things in English felt like it would be final. He couldn't bring himself to think about it.

"So many teas," Kat murmured, looking at the chalk-board menu resting on the counter. Her fingers traced the green surface carefully. Lee watched her face slowly turn into a smile as she read. He noticed the little way his heart skipped.

"Tell me nephew, is this the girl you-"

"Uncle!" Lee interrupted, trying his best not to sound defensive. Try as he might, he knew the look on Mushi's face. A smug, knowing smile. But the old man lifted a finger to his lips and laughed.

"Would you like something to drink? Go ahead and pick something off the menu," his uncle said to Kat. Lee had never noticed the heavy accent his uncle spoke with.

"Are you sure?" Kat asked, looking more excited than Lee cared to understand. To Lee, it was all leaf juice. Some tasted worse than others, but they were all equally disgusting.

"It's the least I could do. You saved my nephew's life."

Kat looked to Lee. "That was actually my brother."

"That is not what my nephew said. But, in any case, I would feel like a better host if you would pick something." Lee's uncle motioned to the menu, and Kat nodded.

She studied it for a moment longer.

"Here, this one." Lee couldn't see where she pointed, but his uncle seemed...impressed.

"Good choice. One of my favorites," Mushi said off-handedly.

Kat shrugged. "My mother made this when we were little. I think of it when I remember her."

The sadness in her voice made the air seem thick. Lee moved to a chair, content to doze while his uncle made tea. It felt like moments later Kat was telling him to move up to his room.

The walk was foggy, and he was certain he'd almost pulled them both down the stairs, but he was nearly awake by the time she set him on his bed. Her eyes were impossibly blue in the dark, lit only by the city lights from his window.

"Sleep well, Lee. I'll see you in the morning."

He reached for her. "Stay here."

Her eyes widened, and she took a step back. Kat shook her head rapidly, when Lee realized what he had said. At least, what it had seemed.

"No, Kat, that's not-" he raised his hands, trying to explain himself.

But she understood, "No, I know. It's just...no."

"I..." But he couldn't bring himself to say why he wanted her to stay.

"Goodnight, Lee. I'm in the next room. I'll leave the door unlocked," she shrugged. She ran out quickly and let the door click behind her.

The darkness set in, and he tried his best to keep his breathing normal. Lee closed his eyes, refusing to feel the same hopelessness that he had been fighting since he'd been injured. When she was around, he could breathe. When she was next to him, he wasn't once again stuck in the earth, moments away from being crushed.

He managed a light, restless sleep on his own. But he only held out for a few hours.

Lee pulled himself out of bed, grunting. Her door was cracked open so he let himself in. Her back was to the door. He hair had fallen all over her back, and he could see her breathing evenly. She seemed calm, and just seeing her peace helped him relax. He watched her for a few more minutes before deciding just to go back to his room and not bother her.

"If you're going to watch me pretend to sleep, at least come and talk to me," she said, and he nearly jumped.

He moved back into her room and sat on her bed. She moved to accommodate him, and rolled to look at him. Her eyes seemed fully alert, as if she had been awake the entire night. Lee wondered if being in a new place had caused her unrest.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, laying down very carefully. His arms went above his head, and he was sure not to touch her. Until, of course, she moved against him. She was very warm, though the hands she wrapped around his torso were so cold he hissed.

"Guess I got used to your snoring and mumbling. Too quiet," she said.

He snorted indignantly, "I do not snore."

"And you? No one to answer your odd, half-nonsensical questions?" Kat wondered. Lee let his hand slide down her arm, very slowly so as not to offend. He stopped when their hands met.

"What are you talking about?" Lee asked, not having much else to say. He was surprised at how closely she was getting. He swallowed as he thought about it.

"The other night, you asked me for a pickle. Then, when I told you I'd get you one, you said you couldn't have it because of your piercings." She was muttering in his ear and God he couldn't concentrate.

"I love pickles," he commented absently.

She gave a single laugh. "So you said."

They sat and talked for a very long time, until he fell asleep with his face on her hair. When he woke up, she was not with him. And he had never felt so horribly, inescapably alone.

It was then he realized that he could no longer deny everything.

There were too many things adding up to let it avoid his notice. He wanted to fight it- he had fought for so long- but he really didn't see the point anymore. So he might, ya know, like her. It was more than that, but the word made him uncomfortable. It was an idea he had avoided his entire life. This girl was supposed to have been the ultimate challenge, and Lee was the one who fell first.

It wasn't right, or to the plan, but it had happened.

He was staring up at the ceiling, contemplating his options. He could quit while he was ahead- but that was not actually an option. And where, he wondered, did that leave him?

In love with a very beautiful girl, whose laughter wafted up from the tea shop downstairs.

Now he just had to figure out the right way to say so.

The Living Room

Sokka

Kyoshi hadn't left him alone since he'd made it home. She had even suggested her services as a footstool. Sokka mostly wanted to be rest, to slink off up to his and Suki's room and try and forget things.

But he was too wired.

Kat was out there, with a boy. For the weekend.

He knew it was wrong to worry, but it was his little sister for crying out loud. She was twenty-four. She was grown. But he could still hear her crying, still feel her holding him close.

Sokka could look at her, and know she was strong on her own, but he remembered watching her break. Each fracture in his sister made her more independent, but one could only take so much.

But her eyes- when she said good bye this time- were so...sparkly.

Suki was looking at him from the kitchen.

Aang and Toph were out somewhere, trying to pick... cake or something else for their wedding. Sokka was being a bad brother when it came to that, but he was too busy brooding on his real sister to care.

"Your face is going to get stuck. Smile, or I'll send your daughter back in." Suki sighed, bringing him a drink. The doctor had forbade alcohol, but the two of them weren't too fond of the doctor anyways. He took it gratefully.

"Why do you think she really went?" he asked before swallowing. He consumed as much as he could fit in his mouth.

Suki sat next to him and patted his knee. "Because she's a big girl. You focus on getting better."

"I'm serious here." He had no answers of his own. She was still fourteen and innocent when he tried.

Suki blinked. "They're dating, Sokka. She isn't the kind to do things halfway."

This, he knew. She was fifteen and Jet was pinned, upside down, to a tree branch. She was eighteen, and she suggests staying put so that Kyoshi can have a home. She was twenty-three and a girl died, she went to ask for forgiveness.

"Is it going to be something...serious?" he wondered. The reality of Aang and Toph's marriage suddenly hit him. They were his family. They were getting married. Married! Those same kids he dragged through the woods, running from the government.

"Just smile and nod." She sighed.

They were together in silence for a few minutes.

Sokka groaned and laid across Suki's lap, and she stroked his hair gently. They stared at each other until Sokka nodded off.

His sister could take care of herself. If not, he would just have to be there for her.

LoTus

e

a

Kat

"Is there any way I can help?" she asked, already tying her hair back in a thick braid. Lee's uncle turned to her, looking put off to ask for help, but grateful all the same.

"Know anything about waiting tables?" he asked, putting down the tray in his hand. He went around the counter and grabbed an apron. She was wearing a dress, and she tied it around very carefully.

"Not a thing," she laughed. She took up the tray and began passing out tea. She flowed around the tables as gracefully as she was able. The people piled in, and the rush seemed to go on and on.

She tried to socialize with the customers, so she laughed as much as she could. She looked up at the stairs just in time to see Lee falling down the last step.

He looked to her, and a grin broke out on his face.

"Afternoon, sleepy head," she said, making her way over to him. He was still not wearing a shirt. Kat noticed a few people- namely young women- staring his way. She fought the jealousy that welled in her throat.

"Morning, beautiful." He leaned down to her height and kissed her lips. He pulled back, before she could do anything about it.

Kat looked down at his shoeless feet and began to tease,"No shoes, no shirt-"

"And I still get service." He took a cup of coffee off of her hands, and sipped it.

"Go back to bed. You're supposed to be resting," she ordered, waggling a finger. He grabbed her finger and kissed it, laughing.

"I have things to do today. Think you can survive for an hour without me?" He glanced up at his uncle, who had made himself busy with a tea pot, pretending he was not listening. The grin on his uncle's face, however, suggested otherwise.

"It may take all my strength." Kat smiled and shrugged, giving him a quick, careful hug. But she went back to work. She looked back to him, now fully clothed and leaving, and waved with her fingers. He winked and went out the door.

Kat rolled her eyes and joined the tandem of work again. It felt nice to be moving around, instead of stagnant like she normally was. Lee's uncle kept her busy, and he seemed grateful for her help.

Finally, around four, the crowd waned. Things grew quiet, and Kat took a moment to rest. A cup clicked on the counter beside her.

"Thank you for your help today," Lee's uncle said.

Kat took the drink. "Not a problem. It was fun. Is it always busy like that?"

The old man laughed, "Only when Lee's here."

That brought her up short. There had been a lot of young women today. She had thought, maybe, that she had been imagining it. After Lee had came down, a few of the women had even been hostile... but she thought that had just been her fault as a bad waitress.

"You seem surprised," he said, breaking her from her stupor.

Kat shrugged, "I guess I'm not surprised. It's like that at school, too."

The two of them stared for just a moment. Kat could see the love for his nephew in the old man's eyes. It was heartwarming.

"You seem at peace with that," he said.

Kat shrugged. "What else can I do?"

The door opened then, and Lee walked through. Kat barely held her gasp back, hiding behind two hands. His hair had been cut, and the piercings on his face had all been removed, leaving holes behind in their wake. He looked up at her once, and then back down.

His skin seemed to redden ever so slightly. He closed the door and took a few steps toward her.

Lee presented her the flowers in his hand- lilies- and kissed her cheek. He was trying to act calm, but Kat could see he was uncomfortable. She thought he used his hair as a shield, and that now his scar was exposed for all the world to see.

Kat took the flowers in both hands and held them close to her face, enjoying the gentle smell they gave off.

"Uncle, Kat's going to take a break now," Lee said.

He dragged her up the stairs, onto the roof of the building. She smiled at him when he shut the door. She kept her flowers tucked in her arm as she leaned to kiss him.

"What's all this about?" She gripped his hair, and ran a finger over the holes in his skin.

Lee blinked. "Time for a change."

"Oh. Do you want me to heal these?" Kat offered. His brow came down in confusion, but she waved a hand to call the water out of the air. "That way there won't be any scars. If, you know, you want this to be permanent."

He nodded, and she set the water to his skin. The holes mended quickly, muscle knitting back together willingly. He watched her eyes as she worked.

"Thank you," he said when she was finished.

They moved over to different spot and sat down. He leaned against the cement rising and patted the seat next to him. Kat bent down and smiled.

She examined his face carefully, learning everything that had been hidden by the hair and metal before. His eyes were beautiful. His skin was very fair, but she doubted he burned easily. The scar was old, she could see, but it was still sharp and intense. Her scrutiny seemed to bother him.

"You're eyes... are wonderful," she said, bringing one had to the right side of his face.

Lee laughed, "It was just a haircut."

"You look good like this, Lee. I like being able to see you." She wanted more than words. Kat wondered when the last time his hair had been so short. When his face was last open like this.

"Thanks." He turned the scarred half of his face away from her, looking to the sun.

Without thinking, she reached for his left eye, wanting to investigate the scar further. Before her hand could get close enough, Lee snapped her wrist downward with a harsh "Don't." She jumped, startled by the speed and ferocity of the action. But she understood.

Kat pulled back with a very quiet, "I'm sorry."

"It's not... I just don't let..." he tried to apologize, but she shook her head.

"I shouldn't have. It was stupid of me." She moved away from him.

Lee looked angry, and she pulled her knees into her chest, making herself as small as possible. She was an idiot. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Just because he got a haircut didn't mean he was ready to explain the scar. Idiot.

"Kat, I'm sorry. It's just it's not something I'm... comfortable with." Lee didn't look at her.

"I know. I wasn't thinking." The sun was burning in the distance. It was something else to concentrate on while she waited for the awkwardness to die down. Lee seized her hand without saying anything else.

"Do you like the flowers?" he asked, trying his best to restore the sporadic mood they had ruined.

Kat put her head on his shoulder. "My favorite, you know."

"You don't say," he laughed. They shared a kiss or two, each apologizing in their own way. Neither of them was eager to move, or even to talk. Had anyone come up, they would have not believed there had been any problems between the couple.

It was dark when they went in, not having spoken another word to each other but having said enough.