Hit N Run
Summary – Zuko, the troubled firstborn of a ruthless gangster. Aang, the mischievous young vigilante. They meet on a rainy night, and their story opens the clouds.
Warning – This story includes violence, gang crime, rape, and homosexual relations.
Disclaimer – Nothing of ATLA belongs to me.
A/N - For those of you on the east coast, I'm sure you felt the impact of Hurricane Irene. And it was devastating. No, I'm serious, four days without power and manually flushing toilets is really devastating. But I'm back and posting now.
Leave your funny hurricane stories in the reviews.
On any given day, the shelter has ten children running around.
Originally a simple but large suburban-style house, Kanna was the first to remodel it to suit the needs of young children without a home. She had walls taken out, useless furniture put into storage, and then it became spacious everywhere. A haven for many people at a time, as many as they could fit. Children were allowed to stay overnight, they had horrors in their real homes to run away from, or no home to run away from at all. Adults were invited to stay during the day, have a hot cup of coffee and something to eat. They were recommended to employers or rehab centers, but sometimes they just wanted somewhere to sit in peace.
Now, Katara is looking for a new installment.
"I was thinking," she says casually over breakfast, Jet and Sokka squabbling over the last drops of orange juice, "that maybe we should start teaching women self-defense here."
They pause. Then Sokka bursts into laughter. "Self-defense? Women?" He chortles, now spilling the orange juice and making Jet swear all over the place. "What's there to learn besides screaming 'fire' and whacking guys with your purse?"
She purses her lips. "No, I'm talking about real self-defense techniques. Where to hit, how to hit, tips on what to do when you go out at night. Women need to know these things, especially with the rape rate around here, it's getting higher! And not just that. Any physical threat, from a mugger, even from a classmate or relative—Sokka, stop laughing!"
Jet is looking at her doubtfully, but skepticism she can handle, because she can simply wave it off as ignorance. Sokka is downright hooting at her, filled with amusement, and that she has no choice but to call stupidity.
"Katara," he says, shaking his head as he tries to control himself, except not really, "let me tell you, it's not in a girl's nature to fight. That kind of spirit just isn't in her soul. If you really wanna help, you should be handing out pamphlets with help hotline numbers or something."
"I was hoping you'd say that," Katara says, a knowing smile suddenly making its way on her face. "That's why I thought a demonstration would come in handy."
As if on cue, a confident-looking young woman with short hair and violet eyes enters the room. Both Sokka and Jet look shocked that the combination of girl, boxy uniform, and the outcome of HOT is possible. But what really surprises Sokka is the stern police officer following her.
"Dad? What are you doing here?" Sokka says, suddenly sitting up straighter.
"I'm the head of the board of directors," Chief Hakoda says, his cold blue eyes crinkling slightly in amusement at his son's surprise. "And Suki here is a top-notch martial arts instructor. I handle her payment, so I decide if we hire her. She's agreed to show us some forms, as well as demonstrate how she'd fight off an attacker."
"How about I—" Jet begins, but Sokka beats him to it.
"No, I'll do it."
Enlivened with a new determination, Sokka narrows his eyes, gets up from his seat, and strolls right up to the violet-eyed minx. "So, Suki is it?" He says in the most intimidating, manly voice he can muster. "I hope you understand, we don't mess around here. So if you got nothing but fancy dancing and hair flipping to show for, you're out of luck. We need a real fighter."
Suki listens, eyes silent and challenging in a manner that Jet finds impressive and Katara knows well from watching her classes beforehand. When Sokka continues to stand there, studying her, she replies by smiling widely, "Let's go to the back then, shall we?" and breezes past him to the back door. Sokka's jaw hangs open.
"A couple words and your pants are practically off," Jet whispers to him when the others are out of earshot, smiling snidely, "no game, my friend, no game at all."
Sokka whips around to glare at him. "Game? Don't lecture me on game, you turn into a sorry puddle of mud for Katara to walk over whenever you see her!"
"I've let her do a lot more than walk over me," Jet winks, satisfied in seeing Sokka's blood boil. "Riled up yet? Good. Now go over there and show that little girl who tops in this world."
As Sokka and Suki ready themselves and engage in another small staring contest, Jet takes a step to the side, where Katara and Chief Hakoda stand. "So," he says in his most polite voice, because that is Katara's father after all, "how good is Suki, anyway?"
Father and daughter exchange secretive glances, and then smile. "You'll see," the Chief says simply, knowing eyes now set out to watch the match. Jet looks and sees Suki gracefully stretching an arm full of lean muscle. He refrains from gulping. Poor, poor Sokka.
Poor Sokka indeed, because by the time they're done, Suki is signing an employment contract while Sokka can't seem to move properly. "Ohh," he groans, gingerly feeling the bruises blossoming on his backside. "How in the seven hells did they get there?"
Jet lets out a low whistle. "Wow man, bummer," he teases, and Sokka doesn't laugh at his joke.
Suki takes turns conversing with Chief Hakoda and Katara, nodding in agreement and offering her suggestions. They decide for her to come to the shelter twice a week for six weeks. If the women enjoy it, they would continue, and possibly give lessons to children. Only martial arts centered around self-defense, Chief Hakoda warns her, nothing that would give them any violent ideas. She agrees fervently, and gratefully bids him farewell.
"Hey tiger," Suki says once she's done and turned around, "need some help?"
Sokka looks up irritably, and Jet fully expects him to snap out some smart-ass remark and tell her to fuck off while he's at it. Instead he smiles grumpily and says, "Collecting your prize, huh?"
Suki almost giggles as she helps him to his feet. "So you admit it?" she asks. "Girls can fight too."
Sokka huffs softly. "Yeah, I was wrong, shoot me. No, don't shoot me. I bet you have fuel packed into your boobs or something, and it unleashes like Austen Powers when you're angry. Ka-pow!" Suki gives him an odd look, and Sokka begins to laugh at himself. Katara covers her face in embarrassment. "Alright, but no jokes this time, you're really good."
"Thank you," Suki says.
"And how was I?" Sokka says hopefully, "pretty good for an amateur, huh?"
"No," she says simply, and Sokka's face drops, but then she smirks and says, "but I admire a guy who can lose with style."
Jet watches as they flirt their way inside, shaking his head in disbelief. Just as Sokka finally makes Suki laugh out loud at something he says, they almost crash into Aang at the doorway. Sokka almost falls on his ass, again, he stresses.
"Oh, sorry—hey, what happened to you?" Aang stares at Sokka's frazzled appearance. "You look like you got run over, or something."
"This happened," Sokka replies sullenly, pointing at Suki with an equally sullen finger.
Aang nods approvingly at Suki. "Good work."
"Wait, what?"
Aang waits for Katara and Jet to come inside with them, and by the time they're all sitting down with a drink in Aang's hand and some ice on Sokka's, Aang decides to speak. "So," he clears his throat awkwardly, "I think Zuko might be stalking me."
In their stunned shock, Jet is the first one to speak. "I knew it!" he exclaims, almost proudly. He turns to Katara and Sokka. "Jesus, see? I was telling the truth all this time! Zuko's up to no good. Aang saw for himself, he's out to get him—"
"Well actually," Aang interrupts, "he's not very good at it. Just the fact that I noticed is proof enough. You'd think that if he really wanted to hurt me, he'd put more effort into it, right?" He looks off sideways, thoughtful. "He's almost embarrassingly bad, actually."
"Aang, tell us what you mean," Katara says, obviously not wanting to believe Jet but still expressing concern over Aang's safety. "What's going on?"
Aang clears his throat, and starts to recount the past couple of days…
He watches the cashier at the jewelry store hide money in his pockets when he thinks nobody's looking. Aang knows it's a bit early to whip out the mask, but he really can't resist scaring the greedy man as he goes to the lavatory.
Sure enough, he screams when he sees the orange mask in the mirror, and quick as lightning Aang snips his pockets. As the cashier runs out to the front to complain to his boss about a no-good prankster lurking in the bathroom, cash flows out of his coat. And he can see from her plump, heavily powdered face that she is not happy at all.
Before long, Aang exits the bathroom and leaves the store, no one sparing him a second glance as everyone focuses on the open fight between manager and cashier. Only one pair of golden eyes stare at him shamelessly as he stuffs his mask in his backpack and runs down the street. He pretends not to notice as a constant set of footsteps follow him.
Aang works odd jobs and part-times, anywhere and anyone who would hire a fifteen-year-old. When he goes to the amusement park, it's for both fun and work, and right after he pays for his ticket, he sets to begin his research. "Hey, how do you work that thing?" he asks the bored-looking operator of the ride closest to the entrance.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a scarred face arguing with a park photographer. "No, do I look like I want my picture taken? Leave me alone!" he snaps, avoiding Aang's eyes and pretending to meander around. He stands in line for the ride Aang is observing.
"Oh, I get it," Aang says as employee explains to him the on-off button. "A fifteen-year-old could do that, right? Is there anything difficult around here I should know?"
He points to the Leaping Frog, a much more manual ride with small children. Aang makes his way there just as Zuko, who is two spots away from the front of the line, immediately pushes his way out. "This looks like a stupid ride anyway," he offers in explanation to those who ask what's the idea here, why can't he just go on board like a normal person.
Aang watches, amused, as he gets in line for the Leaping Frog.
It's clear that Zuko knows what he looks like behind the mask, but Aang won't let him know where he lives. So that evening when Aang's stomach begins to growl for the shelter's dinner, he walks into an apartment building, takes an elevator three floors up, and then leaps out the window onto a branch. He can watch from here.
Sure enough, Zuko appears at the door. "I'm looking for a bald kid, about this tall, he's got striped yellow sneakers and a brown backpack, have you seen him?" Aang looks at his striped yellow sneakers and brown backpack, and thinks wow, not bad. "Yes, I'm asking if he lives here. This is what I was told! Excuse me! Hello, can you help me?"
Seeing Zuko give up with the people going in and out of the door, he goes into the building himself in search of him. Confident that it's now safe to come out, Aang slips down the tree and runs back to the shelter.
"Alright Jet," Sokka snickers, "even you have to admit that's pretty bad."
"He's searching for Aang," Jet snaps back. "It doesn't matter how much he sucks at it. He's making it blatantly obvious that he's hunting for Aang."
"Hunting?" Katara raises an eyebrow. "You make him sound like an animal."
"He is—"
"Wait, isn't your dad Chief of police?" Suki demands of Sokka and Katara. "Why don't you just go to him if you're so concerned?"
Aang shakes his head adamantly. "No, I don't want to get the police involved. Zuko hasn't done anything wrong yet. And besides," he says, looking at Katara, "your dad is busy enough as it is."
Katara clearly seems to want to raise the problem of Aang's arm, but knowing that he's taken the bandages off and she's seen the healed wound herself, she decides not to mention it.
"But we still need to find out what he's up to," Jet says firmly, "otherwise if you keep goading him like that—" he ignores Aang's interruption of "I'm not goading him!" "—then eventually...you're gonna find yourself in some deep shit."
Suki observes their curious faces, Aang wary but Jet fierce, Katara worried but Sokka rather excited. An idea pops up, and she smiles playfully. "I might know someone who can help. I could bring her over tomorrow, it's Saturday. She's really, and I mean really good at what she does."
At this, Sokka's whole frame droops slightly. "Great," he mutters, "another female out to kick my ass."
"Everyone," Suki's voice announces, "meet Toph, private investigator."
They all stand up to greet her, and it's not a pretty sight. Toph is a squat-looking girl who looks like she's stepped straight out of a Sherlock Holmes film, except her pipe emits cherry-scented bubbles instead of tobacco smoke, her monocle is obviously fake and of no use to her, and she wears a leather motorcycle jacket instead of a trench coat. She has a blank look on her face, except for the sarcastic twinkle in her eye that's partially covered by her black hair anyway. They stare questionably. This is the girl meant to help them?
"How old are you?" Jet finally asks.
"Fifteen," she says in a stout voice.
"Oh, so Aang's age," he says amicably. "I can get on board with that. I thought you were twelve."
"A common misconception." She blows some more bubbles from her pipe.
"Suki, what's going on here?" Katara, not Sokka, demands skeptically. Sokka has learned to listen to whatever Suki says. "How can she help us? I mean, look at her." She gestures frantically at Toph's height, her choice of dress.
"Ahem," Toph coughs crossly when she hears Katara, gathering their attention. "Look, I run a clean business here, fast and simple, no jokes. I accept payment up front, but if I don't succeed, you get a full refund. Unless I've ate some of it already, of course."
"Ate some of it?" Katara repeats. "What are we paying you with?"
"Candy," Toph says as if it's obvious. "Hard candy, to be exact. Jolly ranchers, jaw breakers, rock candy, if you can get your hands on some good ol' hardened maple syrup, that'll do the trick—"
"We need some real help," Katara insists, turning to Suki again. "Someone who can find out who this Zuko really is, if Aang is in trouble or not."
"Trust me," Suki says, "Toph is the one who can help. I know she doesn't seem like it, but she just sees things in ways others don't. She's an expert in snooping around and finding things out."
"Yeah?" Sokka says thoughtfully, surveying Toph's annoyed stance. "But how do you know?"
"Her parents once hired me as a private instructor," Suki admits. "Before we even started the lesson, she slapped down a folder full of embarrassing pictures, copies of legal documents, things that I've never shown her parents or anyone else in my life, and said that if I tried to baby her like every other teacher has, she'd blackmail me out of business."
"But that's illegal!" Katara cries, outraged.
Suki merely shrugs. "You guys said you didn't wanna go the legal way. She even had my credit card information there too, and threatened to use it if I ever—"
"How did you even get her credit card?" Katara demands, stepping forward to look down threateningly upon Toph.
"I have my ways," she says calmly. "What you gonna do, sugar queen, tell your daddy on me?"
"Sugar queen? Who was the one who demanded buckets of candy for payment?"
"Alright, look, where's Aang?" Toph says loudly, pushing Katara out of the way and looking around. Aang meekly waves his hand. "You want me to find out what this Zuko's doing following you around? Here's the deal. Because the hoity toity princess over there doesn't believe me, I'll work a week for you, free of charge. If I don't come up with anything good by then, you cut me off, I do no more work and I don't get paid. I think that's more than fair."
"Sounds good to me," Aang manages to squeak out, looking half grateful, half terrified.
"Excellente," Toph sings. "I would, however, like a little tip for this house call."
After another round of arguing and a great deal of convincing on Suki's part, Katara grudgingly procures three lollipops from the Halloween drawer. Toph pops them into her mouth at the same time and waves on the way out. "Enjoy your lives! Stay thirsty, my friends!"
"She grows on you," Suki ensures an enraged Katara. "I didn't like her very much either, at first."