A big thank you to my Beta-reader, Scribbles I, who continues to amaze me.
A big thank you to you, my readers for being here with us.
Here's another chapter.
If I don't see you before, Merry Christmas. Happy holidays. Whatever. XD
Healed and Hunted
Close Enough
Chapter Sixteen
Bus Number Nine
Lee
She wasn't waiting for him. That much was obvious. She was saying good bye to her family, and the little girl was having a little trouble letting her go. Lee wasn't surprised. He waved at Kyoshi when she noticed him.
When the girl waved back, he took that as a sign to approach the group.
"Hey, Lee!" the child said. He knelt to catch the girl's embrace. He was surprised at the familiarity. Kat was, too, he saw.
"I guess we should go," Kat said, smiling at him. They shared a glance to the bus, and realized they were running late.
A hurried good-bye was whispered and Lee raced Kat to the bus. He let her win, and she was breathless when they arrived. The sun glinted off her hair and he thought something was off. When had she become beautiful?
Pretty, certainly. Beautiful? God, the game was taking up too much of his time.
For a few minutes, he simply stared. They took their seats, and he had yet to say a word. She didn't seem to notice. They were halfway there before he spoke.
"You look nice today," he said simply.
She looked to him, surprised. "Thanks."
He watched her tuck her hair behind her ear, and he couldn't help how his hand reacted. He reached over and pulled it out, replacing it to its original spot. She furrowed her brow and looked away.
"I'm sorry. I... I don't know why I did that," he apologized.
She caught herself trying to fix the offensive lock. Her hand fell back down in her lap.
"Did you have fun at your uncle's?" she asked. She stared ahead, only looking to him once in more of a blink than anything. It was hard to miss the flash of blue.
"Fun isn't the best word. If I see another glass of tea, I'm going to scream." He laughed. She giggled with him, sounding a little nervous.
"Hey, tea's not so bad," she said.
He watched her for a little while longer. "I think I missed you."
The words slip out of his lips, so without his consent that he could not close his mouth. They stared at one another until the bus creaked to a stop. He got up to let her out, to let her walk first because he couldn't bear to know she was staring at him.
He was regressing back into the self-conscious stages of his youth, and this girl was making him uncomfortable.
She moved in front of him silently, her head down and hair falling to cover her face. Kat walked with her bag over her shoulder, her jacket draped over her arms. Lee couldn't help but notice how slowly she was walking. Like she didn't want to step off the bus.
She reached for the door with her hand and turned around very suddenly.
"I may have missed you a little, too."
The Library
Aang
He and Toph were keeping tabs. Not spying. Just... Okay, they were spying. But they couldn't help it. They were worried, sure. They missed seeing her this happy. Of course, they were so much younger before. The fact that Kat was happy once more was something of a miracle.
He was sitting in the library, his face hidden in a book. He had been watching Kat for a while, but he had needed to keep her unawares. He had read the book to get rid of the suspicious look on her face. But now, as he searched for her, he understood he had been unfocused for too long.
He looked around and saw that only Lee was at the table.
He frowned slightly.
"I was just wondering what you were doing."
He jumped. "Nothing, Kat. Just reading."
"I see." She plopped on the arm of his chair.
Aang couldn't look at her. She rubbed his head, and he leaned into her touch. She was the only person in the world who bothered with his bald skull. He wondered, momentarily, why that was. He imagined most people would think twice about even glancing at the Ava.
But, the fans were always there, waiting in the wings. He looked up and spotted a few, chuckling to himself about the jealous looks Kat was receiving.
"Any problems lately?" she asked. She didn't mean with Ava business. She was looking at the few girls who were staring at him, and he felt safer knowing she saw them. They had hassled her in the past, too.
He closed his books and felt someone else staring. He found Lee looking in his direction, but felt the man was looking more at Kat than at him. That brought up other questions, but he was supposed to not notice Lee.
"No, no problems. Someone let loose I'm engaged." He thought it might have been Toph, but didn't feel it was important enough to ask. The fact of the matter was he was glad.
Kat picked up his hand and examined the arrow tattoo, as if she hadn't done it a million times in their past. She wrapped her fingers around his for a moment.
"Decided where you will go for a honeymoon?" Kat asked, idle curiosity painting her voice. She was looking at Lee, and Aang did not fail to notice the way her lips curled upward.
"Not yet. We've... got a few things to work out first." Aang sighed, remembering.
Kat seemed to already know. "She doesn't want her parents there."
"Frankly, neither do I. But it's the right thing to do." The tattooed man rubbed his nose and decided to move on. It was pointless to dwell on it.
"Well, you've got some time," she said, distracting him. She kissed his cheek. "But I really don't need you spying. I can handle it."
They stared at each other for a second before he said, "I know. We both do. We just...miss seeing you smile."
"Well, sort of," Kat shrugged, meaning Toph.
Aang laughed, "Sort of."
Kat waved her hands at the girls who had been waiting patiently, and the went on about their business, shooting ugly glances her way. Aang simply smiled, grateful she was so brave.
"Teenagers are scary," he sighed.
Kat laughed, kissed the arrow on his head and started walking back to Lee, a pointer finger in the air, "But I'm scarier."
Something about her voice said that he was the one in danger, not the girls. And he understood. She wanted to do this at her own pace, without the interruption of her family. He laughed to himself and went back to his book. Believe it or not, he thought, reading wasn't so hard in a library.
Book Rows D-DI
Kat
She was thumbing through the spines, feeling each for what they were. Some of them had criss-cross spines of old material, some had newer ones in plastic hard covering. A few were paper, worn to the binding. These books had almost all been tired out.
"Do you do anything else?" someone whispered.
Kat jumped and nearly dropped the three books she had cradled in her arms. She hit Lee swiftly for scaring her, then checked to make sure her books were still safe in place.
"Sorry, I have that effect on people." Lee shrugged.
She snorted, "Yes, they see you on the street and cross sides."
He tsked and let it slide, having some other motive for being here. He was quiet for a moment, and she looked back to the books.
"You spend an awful lot of time here, too," she said. Kat looked out of the corner of her eye in time to see Lee awkwardly scratching his nose. She simply waited for him to justify himself. She was glad Aang had given up the spying business weeks ago.
He gave explaining his best shot, "I have to keep up with my studies."
They both thought it sounded weak. She could almost hear him berating himself for being set up like that. Kat could only grin, happy she was still able to keep her wits about her.
"And what are you studying now?" she wondered, trying to keep her lips in control. It was difficult not to smile around him.
This he had an answer to, "Ah, see, there's this girl. And I want very much to see what makes her tick."
"Sounds like a waste of your time." She shrugged. Kat wondered, though, if this was the true reason behind whatever their relationship was. Perhaps he truly was only curious.
"Did I mention she's beautiful? And smart? And I kind of like her. A little. Maybe." He smiled. She rolled her eyes and moved down the line. He moved with her, not deterred by her silence.
She sighed, "You should be honest with her. Tell her what's going on in your mind. Maybe she'll let you into hers."
Lee nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his chin in contemplation. "You're right. I'm going to go find her."
And then he left.
She was alone in between the bookshelves, flabbergasted. She nearly snorted at herself. What a surprise that had been. It hurt more than it should have. It shouldn't have hurt at all. She hadn't been expecting anything, really. Lastly that he would leave in search of someone else.
She pretended not to notice the way she had to bite her lip in order to keep it still, the way she moved quickly. She wanted out of the library. She didn't want to come back.
Book Rows Di-Dr
Lee
He followed her as she made her way through the book row parallel to the one he was in. She had her back to him the whole time, so he couldn't see her face. He couldn't tell if she was upset or not. Her posture was as straight and perfect as ever.
She reached the end of the row and read the books in her arms, checking the covers for something Lee didn't know.
He took then to approach her, running.
She jumped again when he announced himself.
"There you are. I've been looking for you," he said, grabbing her arms and pushing her back into the row. Her books clattered to the floor quietly.
"Lee, look what you did," she said. She tried to bend to get them, but he held her still. She looked at him incredulously. Who did he think he was?
"Listen, I was talking to a friend of mine and she gave me some really good advice." Lee made sure she was looking at him. Her expression could only be described as bored.
"I really don't have time for this." She tried to escape by dodging under his arms.
Lee wasn't about to have that. "Kat. I think you're beautiful. I think you're probably the smartest person I've ever known. I want you to know exactly why I'm doing this- I want you. I want to know who you are, who you were. Kat, I want to know everything there is to know about everything about you."
While he was saying this, he had been gradually moving his face closer to hers. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do more than that. But for now, he just wanted to feel her lips on his.
She closed her eyes.
He took that as an acceptance and moved in for that last, crucial inch.
Her hand covered his mouth and she sighed, "No. Lee. I'm sorry. I c-... I can't."
Kat slipped out of his grasp, fluid as water, and ran away like a scared rabbit. He let his forehead rest on the books, defeated.
He had never been blown off like that before. Ever. Not even as a youth. It was an odd feeling. It felt like he had lost the game. It should have been just a set back. It should have felt like that.
But it didn't, and he knew why.
He wasn't ready to admit that to anyone, least of all himself. So he sighed, and began the long trudge back to his room. Going to class was overrated, anyways.
He laid and looked at his ceiling for a very long time. He didn't know where to go from here. There were no rules, no guidelines. No helpful experience to draw back on. He was horrified that he had messed things up.
She had become too integral a part of his life to give up, but he didn't know what to do.
Hours later he decided the only option was an apology. He had done his best, and it hadn't been enough. It was probably too soon. Too quick.
Bus Number Nine
Kat
They hadn't spoken all week. Every time he tried, she ran away. She apologized every time, sorry but I can't do this right now, but still she ran. She had told no one about what had happened. She didn't want to have to explain herself to anyone. Her family included.
But now they were on the bus and there was nowhere to run.
She sat in her seat and met his eyes. She looked away, feeling guilty and dirty and cowardly. Kat couldn't tell him. Couldn't explain to him why.
He wouldn't look at her, either.
The bus ride was stifling. Not that it was hot, in fact it was quite cool outside. It was coming to be winter, and Kat could feel her power strengthening each day. Inside the bus, however, it felt like there was no air to breathe.
"Can I just say one thing?" he asked.
Kat nodded carefully.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it. But I meant what I said. I still want to learn about you, Kat." The sincerity in his voice frightened her.
She was afraid because she was about to spill all of her secrets.
Kat closed her eyes, "If you want to know who I was, we should probably start at the beginning. It's kind of a long story."
Lee touched her arm, and let his hand slide down to her elbow. It was a comforting gesture. Comforting enough that Kat launched into the tale of her life, leaving out only the most personal details. She couldn't look at him as she was speaking.
She didn't want to know how he was taking the news.
They pulled into the parking lot before she finished.
"Thank you for sharing. Can we finish this when we get back?" he asked, helping her to her feet. Kat was grateful for his courteousness. Who knew there was a gentleman under all those piercings and tattoos?
"See you then." She nodded, feeling a little weak. Her story had taken much longer than she thought it would. She had gotten old when she wasn't paying attention.
Lee noticed how wobbly she was.
His hand steadied her as he guided her out. He said nothing more to her than a good-bye once they were outside. She was happy enough having gotten out. She watched him ride away on his motorcycle before laughing and heading to her family.
Kyoshi was waiting impatiently behind the yellow line, switching her weight from foot to foot. The little girl looked so much like her mother that Kat laughed to herself. It was hard to forget who the girl was at times.
She was the daughter of two of the most impatient people on earth.
The child's father was staring off after the motorcycle, with a scowl on his face. He wouldn't out and out say it until he met the man, but Kat doubted the approval was there to be earned. The smile on his face surprised her, and she figured it was the best she was going to get for now.