Beta-read by Scribbles I, the fearless.

I may have said this before, but Merry Christmas.

Or whatever you celebrate.

And happy New Years.

Healed and Hunted

Shot in the Arm or Foot or Something

Chapter Seventeen

Study Hall

Kat

The noise was loud enough to make her feel comfortable. At least, as comfortable as possible. The story she was continuing was something she absolutely wished to avoid but had already promised. Her eyes flicked back up to him to see if he was still paying attention. And he absolutely was.

"So... where did I stop?" she wondered. She had spent the weekend trying her hardest to forget. She had been successful thus far.

He smiled. "You met someone called Jet."

She hid her groan. Ah, yes, Jet.

"Right. Jet. He was a bit of a smooth talker. Girls practically threw themselves at him. Kind of like you, I guess." But that felt like an insult. Comparing him to that monster.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Is he the reason you won't trust me?"

"Mostly. I made the mistake of trusting him. I did anything he asked. If it hadn't been for my brother... I would have killed a lot of people." Kat kept her eyes down. She couldn't look at him. She was afraid of what she would see. She charged on before he could ask any questions, "I thought I was just refilling a river for a dying settlement. He used me, and Aang. We thought he was fighting the right fight. But he was just trying to annihilate a village he thought was in his way."

Lee only made a small noise, allowing her to continue without interrupting.

"Sokka never trusted him. And he warned the people of the town. He saved nearly two thousand lives because I was too stupid to do it myself," Kat admitted this quietly.

Warm fingers wrapped around hers, and she took comfort in the contact. His fingers were pale against her skin. She was mesmerized for a moment at the contrast. How different their skin was. Mocha and ice, she mused.

"He attacked Aang and me. I froze him to a tree and we ran. I don't know what happened to him." Kat sighed. She was ready to move on.

"Hey, look at me," he kept his hold on her hand while pushing her chin up a bit. She gave him a weak, embarrassed smile.

"What?" Kat asked.

"Firstly, I am quite aware of the fact you could kick my ass. And secondly, you know I would never do that." Lee watched her. They watched one another until Kat nodded.

"I do know. But that doesn't mean you won't do something else. If it's of any interest to you, I'm already past this point. Mostly. We're here, aren't we?" She was focusing very much on their hands. He hadn't let go yet. And she hadn't pulled away.

"Trust me yet?" he asked, laughing.

Her answer didn't seem to surprise him, "Not really. But I've decided that I can try."

"I can work with that."

Auditorium

Toph

The three of them sat together. The whole school was here. Every Inheritor in the place had been summoned to this room, and she wondered if they all fit. Before she could ask, though, the assembly began. The topic nearly began a riot.

"That didn't take long at all," Toph commented. She could feel Katara and Aang tensing. Toph could feel people staring in their direction. They were all waiting for the Ava to say something. Waiting for the Ava to stand up and do something.

"And for those of us who aren't ashamed?" Aang yelled to the people below. Toph heard a few people sigh, but she couldn't be sure if it was in relief or not. Someone snickered, as if they expected such an answer out of the Ava.

"Will you force this drug on us?" Aang continued. He was standing now. Toph tried to let go of his hand, to let him stand strong on his own, but he kept a tight grip on her hand. She stopped pulling away when she realized.

The person giving the speech laughed, "Of course not. It is currently voluntary."

Toph wondered who all heard the word currently. They weren't officially using it as a weapon. Yet. That was subject to change, she supposed. Soon enough, they would be hunted down like livestock. They would all be tagged and numbered and whittled down into nothingness.

"For how long, I wonder?" Aang shouted and sat down, letting people draw their own conclusions from the stunned silence of the speaker. It was tense for a good few minutes.

"We have here three hundred doses of the medicine. If you take the shot, your school has offered to personally drive you home to your families," the woman continued.

Toph thought that was a below-the-belt comment. Who didn't want to go home? Who didn't miss their families? And, more importantly, who were the 'lucky' three hundred? There were nearly a thousand in the auditorium.

Voices clamored immediately, and the stands shook with people stampeding down to receive the treatment. Toph wondered how many would actually take the shot.

"Please, please, one at a time. Form a line over here, girls on this side boys on the other."

Toph felt sick to her stomach. So many people were about to give up the greatest part of their otherwise unimportant lives. Just to fit in. Just so they could blend in to the nonnie crowd and shout curses at those who held on to their gifts.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. It's probably close to two hundred," Aang told her.

Toph thought he was lying.

"Hey, whoa, what's going on in here?" a man said. It was Lee, come once again to spend time with Kat. They had been getting closer and closer, Toph saw, over the course of the month. They seemed to have bonded.

"How do you feel about needles?" Kat asked, her voice dripping with acid and hate.

Lee made some odd noise. "The medical kind? They freak me ?"

"For just one shot," Kat said with false gaiety, "You can lose all of your abilities and go home. No more Inheritor business."

A snort. "Pass."

"Sure? Think about all the fun times you could have, being a nonnie." Kat seemed happier, though, about the whole situation. Toph smiled to herself, ah how far they had come.

"Besides, the I-band makes me look badass," Lee said with bravado.

They all laughed. Toph felt the need to add, "Not the piercings or scar. Just the I-band."

"Those are just base parts of my badass-ness," Lee defended himself. Toph thought he might be smiling. Teasing already.

"Let's get out of here," Lee continued. Aang grabbed Toph's hand and helped her to her feet. The stairs were hard to maneuver, since so many people were moving and yelling. It was hard for her to get a feel on the metal.

Someone's hand touched her back. It wasn't Kat, or Aang. In fact, she thought, it had to be Lee. When had Lee become so comfortable with them that-?

"Sorry, Toph, I was falling," Lee quickly apologized.

Toph chuckled, "So you lean on the blind girl?"

Lee coughed awkwardly, "Not one of my best ideas, admittedly. But it was that or fall on Kat. I don't think she would have thought it an accident."

"You're not wrong," Kat interjected.

They all walked to the library, grateful that it was unlocked and empty.

Aang and Toph spent the next hour learning about Lee. He handled their questions gracefully, not shying away and only becoming awkward when Toph purposefully gave hard questions. Like, what are your intentions with my sister? And, how many girlfriends have you had in the past?

When it was time to move on with their days, Lee said a quiet good-bye to Kat. It was almost...sweet, actually. The way he whispered that he would see her later, and to have a good day.

Lee bade them good-bye and went away quickly.

"I like him," Toph said.

Aang agreed, "He definitely likes you."

"Oh shut up," Kat sighed.

"Kissed him yet?" Toph wriggled her face, happy to tease.

Kat scoffed, "No. Don't..."

"Okay, okay, Toph. That's enough. She's pretty red," Aang said. He sounded like he was making fun of her, all the while staying on Kat's good side.

"I'm leaving." Kat closed a book and ran off rather quickly.

Aang nudged her. "Ten bucks says he's waiting for her at the door."

"You're on."

Aang took her hand to shake and they followed her out. Toph didn't need her eyes to see what had happened.

She owed Aang ten dollars.

Four Nations Law

Sokka

The new laws that came with the new drugs were outrageous, but unsurprising. Most of their cases were falling through now, their losing streak on the rise. With the option of the medicine as punishment instead of jail time or death, most juries stopped caring.

"Daddy?"

He dropped the pages he was holding, "What is it, sweetie?"

"Daddy, are they going to shoot me, too?" she pointed to the window.

Sokka threw himself from behind the desk, opening the blinds with his fingers. Protestors were outside with signs and weapons. Sokka couldn't believe his eyes. They were outside of his office?

"Kyoshi, go to your mother. Go, don't argue." He pointed to the opposite direction of the door. He intended to go outside and see what was going on. He was expecting clients soon, and the crowds were not welcome.

As soon as he opened the door, the abuse filled his ears.

So many people were screaming and yelling that Sokka could barely hear himself think. He spotted his client on the edges, looking horrified. The woman was about to bolt, but he raised a hand to help her. He met her half way and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Don't let them scare you. They're hate mongers. Just ignore them," he said, sighing. He made it back to the door, barely. The mob was pressing in on the two of them. He ripped his office door outward to allow the woman to go inside. He tried to shoot a disapproving look at the crowd.

"Go to hell, freak!" was shouted. A bang echoed and Sokka reacted the only way he knew how. He jumped in front of- well, behind- his client. Something pierced his back or shoulder. He went a little numb, so it didn't really hurt.

At least, he didn't think so.

The Hallways

Kat

She almost didn't want to say goodnight. She knew he noticed that she was fiddling with the ends of her hair. But she couldn't stop. God, how embarrassing.

"Your siblings are pretty protective," he said. She grinned at him.

"Toph and I are the only family Aang has." Kat shrugged.

Lee nodded. "He's very lucky. To have you care for him so much."

She looked up to him, not sure what he meant. They took a few moments to stare. They seemed to be doing that so much lately. Kat wondered what kept him staring for so long. She knew she stared because his eyes were.. gold, and beautiful. Sharp and clear.

"Kat, come with me this weekend, to my uncle's. I want you to meet him," Lee said. Kat was shocked to see he was nervous! He, Lee, player extraordinaire. Nervous. She almost missed what he asked.

"Wait, what?"

Lee smiled. "Come meet my uncle this weekend."

Kat gulped, unsure of what to do. It was strange. Meeting the family? That was ridiculous. That was... something serious. Something... that meant this might be more than what she had originally assumed.

"I... Can I think about it?" Time would definitely help.

He nodded. "That's fair. Well, good night Kat."

"Good night L-"

Aang came running down the hall, traveling faster than he should have. Kat turned just in time for the blast to throw her hair back.

"C'mon, we've got to go. Sokka's in the hospital," he said. Aang snatched her hand and began dragging her back down the way, explaining no further.

Kat looked back over her shoulder. Lee was running after her, following her with the strangest look on his face. It almost looked like worry.

It made her want to cry.