A/N: Written for the Avatar 500 contest on live journal. The prompt is 'never'.


Legacy

"Wow," Jet managed to say.

The word sounded like a weak gust of air and as soon as it passed his lips, he clamped his teeth shut tight and rode out the next wave of pain.

'Shouldn't move,' he chastised himself.

"Don't move, Jet," Smellerbee said tenderly, her words an echo of his thoughts.

"Figured that out," the head Freedom Fighter gasped.

He knew that his insides were a mess. He knew that soon he would be dead, no matter how many tears Smellerbee shed and no matter how nobly Longshot stood, bow pulled back, ready to kill anyone who dared disturb their last moments together.

"Bee," he whispered, and she took his hand. "You don't cry."

With her free hand she rubbed her cheeks viciously, wiping away the moisture. "Yeah, well, Longshot doesn't talk either."

Jet laughed then and took a long, ragged breath. "It won't be much longer. You two, stay together. Look after each other. "

Smellerbee sought the archer's perpetually thoughtful brown eyes. He nodded.

"Yeah," the girl assured Jet. "We will."

"Good, then the Freedom Fighters will still exist…something of me. Do better than I did." He closed his eyes and tried to gather up the last bit of his strength. The effort it took to speak was enormous.

Blinking back more stubbornly persistent tears, Smellerbee made a vow of sorts to her leader. "We won't let you down, Jet, not for as long as we can breathe. I promise you that."

"You haven't yet, either of you." Opening his eyes one final time, Jet stared at his future.