The Undying Fire: Truth and Lies

by Boogum

Book 2. The scarred boy is found alone and half dead. All he has on him is a knife, a Pai Sho tile, and a bit of parchment with a riddle on it. He thinks he might have been searching for someone, and the wound on his shoulder and the fear prickling his heart tells him he was running from something. The problem is that he doesn't remember. He doesn't remember anything.

8. Jigsaw

He dropped into a crouch and moved cautiously along the tiles, careful not to lose his footing. The sun was hot on his back and under his palms, but he was so close now. So close. Opposite him was the ledge where Zhuā, the head chef's monkey-cat, had got stuck. All he had to do was make it across the rooftop so he could tuck the distressed animal inside his tunic and begin the climb back down the wall. It never occurred to him to be afraid, to even consider that something could go wrong, but then someone called out to him from below and he turned to see the much smaller figure of a girl with dark hair staring up at him.

"What are you doing up there, Dum-Dum?" she demanded, shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun with her hand. "Do you want to get yourself hurt?"

He opened his mouth to respond. One of the tiles shifted under his feet and his stomach lurched as he felt himself plummeting backwards, losing his hold on the sun-warmed roof. A cry of surprise escaped his lips and he grasped wildly at the air, trying to find purchase on something—anything to stop his fall—but it was too late. Down and down he went, half-deafened by the roaring noise in his ears, and only dimly aware of the girl screaming something that might have been his name.

Then came the sickening crunch of a body hitting the ground, of bones cracking as shockwaves of agony juddered through his nervous system. The pain was blinding, disorientating. He felt like he had been crushed and squeezed and broken, and there was blood trickling down his chin from where he had bit his lip, and he was just so scared. So, so scared. But then something flickered to life inside him. Something warm and gentle and soothing. Instinctively, he reached out for the heat, letting it wrap around him like a cocoon and—

Lee opened his eyes with a choked gasp, still trapped in the nightmare of falling from rooftops and crushed bones. Warmth was tingling in his fingers, through his veins, but it faded a second later as he realised that he was not bruised and broken, but curled up in his corner of the tent with his blanket tangled around his legs. He let out a breath and tried to calm his racing heart, ignoring the way his head throbbed in dull stabs of pain. Headaches were a constant companion to him now that his memories were returning more often, and he knew in his heart that what he had just dreamt had been real. Once, he had climbed a high roof to rescue a monkey-cat; he had also fallen and broken several bones from the impact. It was amazing that he had not been paralysed.

Frowning, he rubbed a hand over his face, only to have his fingers brush against wood. That's right, he was still wearing the mask. He would have taken it off—for his skin felt clammy with sweat and he longed to breathe without the stifling cover of the mask—but Katara was asleep in her pallet not far from him and there was Aang flat on his stomach next to her with Momo curled up like a fuzzy ball on his back. Lee couldn't take the risk. There were was no saying if she would suddenly wake up.

Besides, if he were to be completely honest, he just didn't feel comfortable at the thought of not wearing his disguise around people while he still had no idea about his true identity. It made him feel naked, somehow. Vulnerable. As if he were walking into a wall of armed soldiers with no armour or weapons, just waiting for the steel tips of blades to strike.

He sighed and sat up, glancing at the door where he could see flickers of light peeking through the crack in the cloth. Dawn. Typical. He always seemed to wake up at this time, as if his body was attuned to the rising of the sun.

"You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun."

He winced and clutched his head, his vision blurring and flashing with white dots as the pain intensified with the recollection of almost forgotten words. He hated reliving the really fragmented memories. His mind would try to paint a picture for him of his past, but all he would see were swirls of colour that might have been faces, like staring at an image through an unfocussed telescope. Scraps of words would flitter through his thoughts, but the effort to piece together those scattered jigsaw pieces would always be too much. Then the agony would hit and he'd be left reeling, his body trembling as his mind felt like a pincushion being stabbed over and over with needles of pain. Thankfully, his mind had shut down on that particular memory quickly enough, like a band snapping back to shield his thoughts.

Aang made a sleepy noise and rolled over onto his side, dislodging Momo in the process. Momo chittered indignantly before swooping through the tent door, clearly unimpressed. Lee couldn't help but smile at the lemur's antics and got to his feet, grabbing his sheathed dao blades. He stepped over Katara and Aang's sleeping forms as he followed Momo outside, pausing on the threshold to survey the campsite. There was Momo making a new nest for himself on top of Appa's head, and then Lee caught sight of Sokka sitting on a log near the remnants of their camp fire, eyes closed and with his chin almost resting on his chest. So much for keeping watch.

"Sokka!" Lee said sharply.

Sokka sat up with a jerk, making a grab for his boomerang as he stared around blearily for any sign of an intruder. Then his gaze rested on Lee and he visibly relaxed, even managing a small grin. "Oh, it's you," he said, placing his weapon back in its holster. "What's up?"

Lee frowned. "You were supposed to be keeping watch."

"I have been keeping watch! I've been as vigilant as a cuckoo-bat."

"There's drool on your chin."

Sokka had the grace to blush and wiped away the specks of drool. "Alright," he said, shoulders slumping, "so I might have fallen asleep. But we're safe, the camp's safe. No harm done, right?"

Lee just sighed and headed towards the trees, shaking his head in mild exasperation. Sometimes, he wondered how any of these kids had survived for so long. Sure, they knew how to hold their own in a fight, but the way they set up their campsites was just asking for an ambush. They hadn't even bothered to have someone keep guard while they slept until he had come along and insisted they do so (because whatever Aang might think, Appa was not a good guard bison). Not that it made much difference when Sokka was falling asleep on the job.

"Hey," Sokka called, standing up from the log. "Where are you going?"

"Wash," Lee said shortly, not bothering to look back. "I won't be long."

He made his way to the river where Katara and Aang had practised waterbending the previous day. The area was sheltered by trees and bushes, but he still paused to make sure he was truly alone before removing his mask. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he felt the cool, morning air brush against his exposed skin. That was better.

Stripping off the rest of his clothes, Lee waded into the river and dived when he was deep enough, running his hands through his ever-growing hair and scrubbing at his body to get rid of the grime that coated his skin. The distraction could not last for long, and he soon found himself cradling a handful of water in his palm. The liquid was cool to touch and slid through his fingers like the finest of silk. He knew that it would never burn through flesh to leave a scar like the one seared onto his face. It would never consume and destroy, turning all to ash. Water was not like fire, just like the people of the Water Tribes were not like those from the Fire Nation.

Not like him.

"Lee, you didn't just save Aang's life. You healed him with bending. Don't you see? You're a waterbender."

He closed his eyes, letting his hand drop back to his side with a splash. Katara had been so certain that this would be the case, yet none of his memories had ever hinted that he might be able to bend water, let alone any element. Even now, standing waist-deep in a river, he felt no connection with the liquid surrounding him.

"Keep trying, but don't try to force it … Let the energy flow between you and the water; it will reach out to you."

Lee let out a deep breath and placed his palm flat over the water, letting his body relax as he reached for the energy inside him. Almost immediately he came up against the wall that he had sensed the first time he had tried to bend. There were no cracks, no weaknesses, just a solid barrier that tried to force him back, almost like a warning.

This will hurt you, it whispered. You don't want to go past this point.

Yet even as he hesitated, he could sense the warmth and energy trapped on the other side like a flood of power waiting to be unleashed. It was so close, so tempting. Another deep breath and then he was pushing at the barrier with his consciousness, chipping away at the layers even as tendrils of pain pierced through his mind, trying to turn him back.

Stop! a small voice cried—his own. You don't want to do this. You have to stop.

But he didn't. He kept on pushing until he could feel the warmth slipping through the cracks he had created. Until he could feel his fingers tingling with heat and power, just like when he had woken from his dream. Something was there beneath his skin, wanting to be released. He could feel it building within him, like a ball of radiant energy that just kept growing and growing. It was exhilarating, terrifying, but it was also painful. His head throbbed from the effort of trying to keep the pathways open, and he could feel the needles digging into his mind becoming sharper and thicker, like shards of glass splintering into his thoughts.

Stop! the small voice pleaded.

And this time he had no choice. He collapsed to his knees with a gasp, slipping under the surface of the river so that he found himself choking on a mouthful of water. Panic froze his limbs, his thoughts. This feeling of watery suffocation was too familiar. Instinct kicked in and he planted his feet on the rocky bottom, forcing his body to stand so that he could breathe again, even as he coughed and spat out the water that had got into his throat. He was trembling all over and his head was still pulsing in a disorientating tattoo, but he somehow managed to stumble back to the shallows. Then he just sat there on the shore, breathing deeply and trying to stop the dizzy turning in his head.

"Lee!" a voice called from the direction of the campsite. "Hey, Lee!"

It was Sokka.

Lee cursed. He scrambled to his belongings and slipped the mask over his face, then made a grab for his clothes. He had just finished securing his undergarments around his hips when Sokka emerged from the trees. There was an awkward moment as the two of them stood there staring at each other.

Sokka let out a snort of laughter. "You really do wear that mask all the time."

Lee said nothing and bent to pick up his pants, brushing the dirt off the cotton and, in general, just acting as if the other boy didn't exist. Sokka was not so easily dismissed and continued to watch him through those bright blue eyes of his that marked him as Water Tribe—eyes that right now glinted with a hint of suspicion, as if an unpleasant idea had just occurred to him.

"Why are you so worried about us seeing your face, anyway?" Sokka asked. "With the way you carry on, you'd think that you really were trying to hide something. I mean, you don't even take it off to eat."

"I'm not hiding anything!" Lee snapped with a bit more anger than was necessary. "I just don't feel comfortable without the mask on, alright?"

Sokka held his hands up in an appeasing gesture. "Alright, alright. I was just making an observation. Sheesh."

Lee rolled his eyes and tugged on his pants, ignoring the way the cloth stuck to and chafed against his damp skin. "What do you want, anyway?" he demanded, now slipping into his tunic and doing up the ties. "I told you I was just going to wash up."

The unspoken accusation lingered between them and it had Sokka backing away and waving his arms in the universal gesture of denial. "You think that I was, that I would—" He flailed a bit more and finally seemed to find his voice. "I like girls! You know, breasts and long legs and, well, girls. Not boys." He appraised Lee from head to foot. "Besides, if I did paddle that way, I wouldn't bother with a pasty-skinned guy like you who just likes to hide behind a mask all the time."

"I'm wounded," Lee said dryly, then bent to put on his boots. "So what did you want?"

Sokka's expression cracked into a grin. "Well, since we've still got some time before Katara and Aang wake up, I was wondering if you wanted to have a little sparring match. Your swords against my weapons."

Lee observed him shrewdly from behind the slits of his mask. He thought he had an idea of what this was about. They both fought like non-benders, were perhaps around the same age, and both instinctively took charge whenever it came to deciding what the group should do next. It was no wonder that Sokka was feeling threatened or that he felt the need to test his strength against Lee's. This wasn't about a friendly sparring match. This was about determining the alpha male.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Lee said bluntly, picking up his sheathed dao blades and slinging the strap over his shoulder. "Broadswords aren't toys. You could get hurt."

Sokka raised his chin. "Hey, maybe you'll be the one who gets hurt. Water Tribe weapons aren't toys either, you know." He puffed out his chest. "And I am the best warrior from my village."

Lee raised his eyebrow, not that Sokka could see his expression. "You really want to fight me that much?"

"Why are you so determined not to fight me?" Sokka countered, and his mouth curved into a sly grin. "You aren't scared you'll lose, are you?"

Again, Lee observed him with a measuring gaze, weighing up whether the challenge was worth accepting. Then he just sighed. "Fine," he muttered, removing his twin blades from the scabbard and holding the hilts in a deceptively loose grasp, "but don't think I'm going to go easy on you."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Sokka said, pulling out his battle club and taking up a fighting stance.

Blue eyes locked with shadowed gold as the boys circled around each other. Sokka suddenly charged with a yell, raising his club high. Quick as a flash, Lee side-stepped the attack and swung round in an arc of steel, knocking the club out of his hands and sticking the tip of one blade to his throat.

Sokka gave a nervous laugh and took a step backwards, holding his hands out in a warding gesture. "Best of three?" he suggested, reaching for his jawbone dagger.

Lee inclined his head in agreement, but underneath the mask a smug smile tugged at his lips. There was no way he was going to lose to someone so haphazard and—

Sokka lunged, bone dagger slashing out in a swift swipe. Lee's eyes widened and he brought the dual dao swords up like a shield, catching the dagger on the flat of his blades. He inhaled sharply and was about to shove Sokka back when he felt a foot slip around his ankle, getting ready to yank him off balance.

No you don't.

Shifting his stance, Lee instead hooked his foot around Sokka's and pulled back hard, making him wobble. An elbow to the chest did the rest, sending Sokka tumbling to the ground in a graceless heap of flushed cheeks and bruised limbs. Sokka didn't stay put for long and rolled to the side to avoid being immobilised, then leapt back to his feet to charge for another attack. Lee rolled his eyes as he got his swords ready. Didn't this idiot know that head-on attacks weren't going to work on him?

Just as predicted, Sokka made a few obvious thrusts with his dagger, all of which were easily dodged, and then performed a wild lunge that might have ended the match had he been a little faster. As it was, Lee deflected the move with his swords before moving in on the offensive, slashing in a whirlwind of steel. There was no way that Sokka could win. The dual dao swords had the longer reach and it was becoming increasingly obvious that Lee was by far the better fighter.

Inevitably, Sokka found himself flat on his back again. In one fluid motion, Lee had his knee pressed into his stomach to keep him down, then held one blade close enough to slit his throat if needed. "You lose," he said calmly.

Sokka made an odd noise that sounded like "meep". Lee smiled beneath the cover of his mask. No matter his indifference towards being perceived as the leader of the group, he couldn't deny that it was satisfying to have won this little battle of strength. He wasn't the type to brag, however, and simply stood up and joined his swords together so that they were of one blade. Then he reached down to help Sokka back to his feet.

"Thanks," Sokka said, accepting the proffered hand, though his voice was edged with disappointment. Clearly, he had not expected to lose quite so badly.

Lee just nodded and was about to sheath his swords when Sokka held out his hand.

"Wait. How about one more match?"

A half-suppressed sigh. "Look, I really don't think—"

"Aw, c'mon." Sokka's mouth curved into another sly grin. "I still have one more weapon to try."

Lee shrugged. Well, if the Water Tribe boy loved the taste of defeat so much, who was he to deny him? "Very well," he said, readying his swords. "Give me your best shot."

Blue eyes alit with glee. "Oh, I will. Let's see how you dodge this!"

Sokka reached behind him and removed his boomerang from its holster, throwing it as hard as he could. Lee ducked the whistling flash of metal and then just stared at Sokka with a frown. That was it? That was the grand attack? Sokka hadn't even been able to land a hit and now he had no weapon to defend himself.

That was when Lee realised that Sokka was still grinning, and when he heard the strange whistling noise get louder. His head gave a sudden throb. Why did this feel so familiar? And why did every instinct tell him to duck?

Too late. Something smacked into the back of his head, making his skull throb in quite a different manner as pain assailed his nerves from the impact. He couldn't even bring himself to keep hold of his swords and let them clatter harmlessly to the ground. Sokka laughed and said something about his "trusty boomerang", but Lee wasn't really listening. He just groaned and ran a tentative hand over the damaged area on his head, feeling a lump already forming where the weapon had struck. A hiss escaped his lips when his fingers brushed too hard against the spot. Yep, that was going to be one hell of a bruise.

Apparently, someone else wasn't too pleased with Sokka's boomerang trick. Katara stood on the outskirts of the trees with her mouth agape and her eyes wide. Then she narrowed her gaze on Sokka. "Are you insane?" she demanded, planting her hands on her hips. "Why did you attack him?"

Sokka rubbed the back of his neck. "We were just sparring," he said, though he looked a bit sheepish. "It was just a friendly match. Nothing serious."

"You hit him on the head with your boomerang!"

"Yeah, so?"

"He has amnesia! You don't hit an amnesiac on the head, you blubber-headed dolt! It might make things worse and—"

"Katara," Lee said, cutting her tirade short, "I'm okay. Really," he added when she continued to look at him doubtfully.

Sokka flashed a grin. "See, he's fine. Now stop your—"

"Stop my what? You could have really hurt him, Sokka! Honestly, what maggot got into both of your heads to make you think that it would be a good idea to spar with each other? Can't you see that it's dangerous?"

"Seemed a good way to pass the time," her brother said with a shrug.

Lee just winced and touched the pulsing lump on his head, thinking that it hadn't turned out to be such a great time for him. Combined with his usual headache, his skull felt like it was being split in two, not that he would say as much aloud. That would be showing weakness and he'd already displayed enough of that after his little breakdown in Omashu. Unfortunately, hawk-eyes Katara did not miss his subtle shift in expression.

"You are hurt!" she exclaimed as if he had committed some dangerous crime. "Let me see!"

He held his hands up in a defensive gesture, trying to ward her off. "Really, it's just a bruise. It'll go away on its own, so there's no need for you to—"

"Oh, hush," she scolded, swatting away his hands and then placed her own on the nape of his neck, pulling him closer to her level. "Now hold still."

Lee did. Mostly because her palms were smooth and soft on his skin, and she was much, much too close, and he really didn't know what to make of so much girl all up in his space. In fact, it was quite discomforting, filling him with an odd urge to shove her away. It was almost as if some primal part of his mind had been switched on by her touching him. He felt twitchy and edgy, as if he were afraid that she was going to attack him any second. Then her fingers slid through his hair, searching for any signs of damage, and he experienced quite different sensations. It was soothing, somehow. Familiar.

There was a woman stroking his hair with soft fingers. He could feel her heart beating against his cheek, and he let out a little sigh as he snuggled more against her. She smelt like flowers and spices. She smelt like home.

"Sleep, dear one," she murmured, still keeping up the rhythmic stroking. "I'll watch over you."

He gasped as pain lanced through his mind like lightning. Katara pulled her hands back in alarm.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," he muttered, conscious of the way his heart pounded in a fluttery rush in his chest. "I just—I just remembered something, that's all."

His mother. He had remembered his mother, even though he couldn't see her face or had any real idea of what she looked like beyond dark hair and amber eyes. But he knew it was her. The truth tingled in every fibre of his body, every beat of his heart. His mother had held him, comforted him, and it was then that he realised she was the same woman who had once told him that he was someone who kept fighting even when it was hard. She had been proud of him. Somehow, that just distressed him even more.

"It really hurts you, doesn't it?"

He glanced down at Katara, who was still watching him in concern. "What do you mean?"

"Remembering your past," she said. "I can see that it pains you."

Lee said nothing. Yes, it hurt, but it wasn't just the physical pain that bothered him. Every memory left his heart aching in feelings that he could not comprehend, like the sluggish nerve responses to a limb that has been numb for too long and is then forced to move again. It was too much for him to handle at once. Too much joy, too much loss. It left him confused and drained, for none of those people in his memories were with him now. What had gone wrong? Was it his fault? Their fault?

"You don't have to keep it all bottled in, you know," she said quietly. "I know this must be hard for you and—"

"I don't want to talk about it," he said, averting his gaze.

"But—"

"Just leave him, Katara," Sokka advised, leaning against a tree and picking at his teeth with his finger. "A man needs his space. We don't do the weepy, heart-to-heart thing. Isn't that right, Lee?"

Lee nodded, grateful for the interruption.

"Fine," Katara huffed, "but you can at least let me heal that bruise on your head."

He knew better than to argue this time and allowed her to place glowing palms on the lump so she could use her element to manipulate his chi into healing his injury faster. Soon, the nasty throbbing was just a dull pulse and then gone altogether. Katara smiled and stepped back, guiding the water swirling around her arm into the pouch tied to her waist.

"Thanks," he said, running his fingers over the healed patch of skin.

Her smile widened. "Any time."

Lee nodded in acknowledgement and turned to collect his swords. A hand latched around his arm. He glanced down at Katara in surprise, wondering what she wanted now.

"I am here if you ever want to talk, you know," she said in a low voice so that only he could hear. "I realise we barely know each other, but I do want to help you, if you'll let me."

He gently disengaged her hand from his sleeve. "Thanks, but I don't think you can help me with this."

Katara frowned and looked as if she wanted to say more, but he didn't wait for her response. He gathered up his dropped dao blades and sheathed them in the scabbard strapped to his back, then headed towards the campsite without a further word. He knew that she had meant well, but he was not the sharing type and had no desire to lay his fears before some girl he had only known for a few days. Besides, he doubted she would be quite so forthcoming with her offers if she knew that he was from the Fire Nation. No, it was best that he just keep his distance and focus on finding the truth about the path of the ancient ways. Then he could leave the Avatar and Water Tribe siblings to their own mission and just get on with his life.

He didn't like to dwell on why this made him feel strangely empty.

oOo

After a breakfast of leftovers and berries, the group packed up their belongings and piled on top of Appa. It was not long before a small argument arose about where they should head next. All agreed that they needed to find an earthbending teacher for Aang as well as information about the path of the ancient ways for Lee, but deciding on a specific location, let alone direction, proved much more difficult.

"You can't just keep flying around aimlessly and expect an earthbender to drop down from the sky onto Appa's saddle," Lee said bluntly. "You need a plan."

"We do have a plan," Sokka retorted. "We keep heading southwest until we reach the next town. Then we stop and investigate. If that place can't help us, we move onto the next one. Problem solved."

"And what if that place is being occupied by the Fire Nation?" Lee countered. "You just can't go wandering into towns with the intent of finding a master for the Avatar and expect there not to be repercussions. People are looking for you and they're bound to take more notice if you start asking suspicious questions."

"Then what do you suggest we do, oh-wise-one?" Sokka responded in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Guys, please," Aang protested mildly from his perch on Appa's head, "you don't need to argue."

"You're right, Aang," Sokka agreed, "and that's why we're going to keep heading southwest." He stared at Lee challengingly, daring the masked warrior to state otherwise.

Lee folded his arms. "Look, all I'm saying is that we need to be cautious. You guys aren't exactly subtle about the fact that you're travelling with the Avatar, and that's just asking for trouble. Besides, you'd probably do better focussing on the towns in the South. There aren't many major settlements in the Southwest aside from Omashu, and you already know you're not going to find anything there."

Sokka raised his eyebrows. "Well-travelled, are you?"

Lee shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know, but I do know that you'd have better luck in a place like Gaoling if you're looking for an earthbender master. It's the home of the Earth Rumble tournaments, after all."

The Water Tribe siblings stared at him blankly.

"Right, I guess you don't know what that is," Lee said, rubbing the base of his neck.

There was another awkward pause.

"Anyway," Sokka said, changing the subject, "we're already heading southwest, so we might as well continue with the original plan. If our search proves unfruitful, we'll head south like you suggested."

"I agree with Sokka," Aang stated in his calm way. "I don't know why, but I feel like I need to keep going in this direction. Appa feels it too, don't you, boy?"

The bison gave a low rumble, which may or may not have been a sign of agreement.

"Well, I guess that's settled," Katara said in a business-like tone. "If Aang feels we should keep heading southwest, we'll keep heading southwest."

Lee nodded in acquiescence, knowing there was no point in arguing further. For all he knew they might be right and the Southwest would prove to be the best destination for achieving their goals. It wasn't as if he had all the answers. He was just a masked amnesiac with no name and no idea how he knew any of the things that he did. It was amazing they even trusted him to travel with them, let alone his judgement, though he sometimes had his doubts about Sokka. It seemed that Sokka couldn't decide whether he viewed Lee as a friend or a rival. Not that it mattered. They'd go their separate ways eventually and that would be the end of it.

He sighed and rested his elbows on the edge of the saddle, watching the forests and mountains flash by in blurs of green and brown. Momo came and settled on his lap and he absently ran his fingers through the fur on the lemur's back, feeling strangely soothed by the little contented noises his companion made. His mind was such a jumble lately, but there was something comforting about the weight of that warm bundle on his lap. Something that reminded him of Zhuā.

"What are you doing up there, Dum-Dum? Do you want to get yourself hurt?"

His mind throbbed with pain as images flittered through his mind, showing him a boy climbing atop a high roof to rescue a monkey-cat. Someone was screaming his name, but it was too late. He was falling, falling, helpless against the force of gravity that dragged him down into a world of pain and darkness. So much darkness.

A blur of time and space, of fiery cocoons and the smell of healing herbs. Then there were new voices. Two women speaking in hushed whispers as if they were afraid of being overheard.

"It's not natural. I saw the bruises and they just disappeared right before my eyes. Even his bones are mending at a pace too quick to be normal."

"Then it is as we feared. My son is a healer."

"This isn't good. You know what will happen to him if they find out."

"We will have to watch him. Make sure he doesn't—"

Someone was shaking his shoulders. "Lee."

He groaned softly.

"Lee, wake up."

Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw the Avatar leaning over him. A wide grin spread across Aang's face.

"You're okay!" Aang exclaimed, moving back to sit cross-legged on the grass.

"What happened?" Lee asked, sitting up and holding a hand to his swimming head.

"You fell out of the saddle. Gave us all a fright, to be honest."

"Oh."

Lee didn't know what else to say. It was humiliating to think that he had broken down in front of them like that again. They must think he was so weak. He could only be grateful that Sokka and Katara weren't there right then to see him struggling to stay upright. Speaking of which, where were they? He gazed around at his surroundings, noting that he was in some kind of meadow. Appa was not far, munching on the long grass with gusto.

"Sokka and Katara have gone to see if they can find any more food to go with lunch," Aang said, as if he had read Lee's thoughts. "I offered to stay with you to make sure you were okay."

"Right."

The silence stretched between them. Aang twiddled his thumbs and cast tentative looks at him. Lee folded his hands on his lap and watched Appa move to a new patch of grass. Neither seemed eager to speak.

"Was it the memories again?" Aang asked after a moment.

"What?"

"When you fell. Was it the memories?"

"I ..." Lee swallowed and stared at his hands, then nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I'm the one who's messed up."

Aang hugged his knees to his chest. For a long moment he didn't say anything and then he just sighed. "This isn't at all how I thought it would be."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Aang said a little sadly. "It's nothing."

A crease formed on Lee's brow. The kid was definitely hiding something, but before he could demand a further explanation, Momo landed in between them with a flutter of white wings and chirruped happily as he showed off his prize (a decapitated bug). Lee glanced up to see Sokka and Katara following in tow across the meadow. Sokka was loudly boasting about the fish he had caught while his sister carried a pouch of fruit and nuts. Then the conversation was all about how Lee was feeling, and whether he wanted to rest for a while longer, and so many other questions of concern that he began to feel a little suffocated.

He excused himself from the group and went to stand by Appa, giving the bison an absent pat on his shaggy head. These people were so impossible, just like Fei. They didn't even know him yet, yet—

"Yet they seem to genuinely care," he murmured.

His gaze shifted back to Aang, and their eyes met. Lee wondered what he'd meant when he'd said that things hadn't gone the way he'd thought that they would. Aang had offered him friendship once. He'd also admitted that they had not been allies when Lee had first healed him.

And you are a healer.

Yes, he knew that now. No matter how impossible it seemed for him to call upon his energy, he was definitely a healer. So why did the thought that he could bend make his stomach sink with such terrible dread?

Lee's fingers tightened on the white fur as he stared into those sad grey eyes. Well, perhaps there was one person who could give him some answers. Aang was definitely omitting some kind of information from him. He would not rest until he discovered the truth.