A/N: So sorry for the wait. I was waiting for my Beta to reply. As of yet, she hasn't. And I'm impatient. So, you all get the...not so fixed version. If you see any mistakes, you can point them out if you want. I'll fix what I can. Anyways, hope you're all still here!

Healed and Hunted

Separation Anxiety

Chapter 23

LoTus

e

a

Mushi

His nephew was sitting at the bar, head down on the counter. The young man's eyes were glazed and unfocused, staring forward in a most dejected manner. It was quiet... refreshing, to be honest. Usually, his nephew was causing trouble with the lady-guests.

Though, in the past few months at least, he seemed to have something else on his mind.

"Lee, if you drool on the counter..." Jun started, but stopped when she realized the boy was not listening. Then she poked him with a wooden spoon. Twice, in the head, until he blinked awake.

"What?" Lee asked, looking stunned to be spoken to.

Jun poked him again, "I said stop drooling on the counter."

Lee wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "Sorry."

"Are you sick?" Jun was giving Lee a once-over, checking for injuries.

"Heartsick," Mushi muttered loudly, earning him a dark glare from his nephew. The young man was blushing horribly, like Mushi hadn't seen in years. Certainly not in this country.

"I was bored, was all." Lee was trying to defend what little dignity was left. Of course, the way his voice came out only served to force laughter out of both Mushi and Jun.

"It's that girl, isn't it?" Mushi wanted to know.

Lee opened his mouth to speak, but no sound would come out of his mouth. Instead, the young man bolted out the door, calmly and as quick as a walk would allow. Embarrassment had always been too much for Lee to handle.

"I've never seen him like that." Jun went back to scrubbing. She poured another drink for herself after she was done, opting to lean back and watch Mushi.

"You weren't here to meet her." The old man answered, meaning it.

The girl had been...special. She'd been shaping Lee to a new form for the past few months without trying, without directly telling him. The girl had been a good enough infulence that Lee had decided to be a better person. To try and be human again. And for that, Mushi would be forever grateful.

His nephew, who had been dying slowly for the past ten years, was alive again. Alive and well.

The Streets

Lee

His uncle was right. As he always was. It was infuriating. It was three days. He could handle it. Really, it wasn't a big deal. He'd had relationships shorter than this.

But perhaps there was the problem.

They'd been together for months now...

It was serious.

He knew it. She knew it.

He was scared.

He loved her- there, he admitted it- and he wanted... to tell her the truth. More than anything, he wanted to tell her the truth. God, he wanted her to know. But what difference it would make, he didn't know.

Summoned by his thoughts, she called him then.

The phone took too long to reach his ear.

"Hey." He said simply. It was much less than he had been planning on saying, but it summed up the entire phrase he had had in mind.

Kat answered in kind. Her voice calmed him down, made him smile, and brought his walk to a halt. And she didn't even know.

"Did you need something?" He asked, realizing it had been quiet for a while.

She laughed- ah, the sound of angels- and replied, "I kind of missed you. It's kind of enough to be on the phone with you. Didn't think of anything to talk about."

"Missed me, huh?" He teased. By the silence, he could tell he had stepped too far. To rectify this he added, "Me too. Missed you, that is."

"Not bothering you, am I?" She sounded serious. He wished she would stop worrying about it. She was never a bother. Why couldn't she see it?

"Kat, if it was a bother would I have answered the phone?"

She scoffed, "Fine. Fine."

They each waited for the other to speak. Kat broke the silence first.

"Hey, when's your birthday?"

He answered, but had barely noticed what he had said. They spoke for nearly two hours. It made him feel better, lighter in a way, but the hanging up was hard. She wasted no breath in the "no you hang up" game. Simply said good-bye, that she would see him soon, and clicked off.

When he went back to the shop, he had yet to close his phone.

"I was starting to get worried," his uncle said as he entered.

Lee blinked, "I was on the phone."

"Lee..." his uncle started, then stopped. He then smiled and said, "She's a wonderful girl."

The young man was glad, "She is."

"It's good you're happy." Mushi sounded like a father.

It brought Lee up short. His uncle was the closest thing he had ever had, really. Even when he was a son and not a nephew, he had always gone to his uncle first. There were no problems asked of his father. His father had been a busy man. Too busy for a failure of a son, anyways.

Then, in Russian, Mushi asked, "To what end?"

"I'm...going to tell her." Lee answered as he went up the stairs to pack. His mind was made and his soul was at peace.

The Library

Aang

"Are you busy?"

Aang didn't look up, "She's not here."

"I know. She's in class. I came here to talk to you." Lee said.

Aang motioned for the other man to sit. He shut his book and put his pen down, leaving the sentence unfinished. Once he had shifted in his seat, he gave Lee his full attention.

"You need to learn to bend fire before next year." Lee stated. Aang watched and waited. Lee sighed, "I want to help. I can teach you."

For a moment they stared at each other. Aang wasn't sure how he felt about Lee. He should, as a brother, distrust him on principle alone. He should, as a gentleman, be disgusted by his treatment of women. Instead, he felt connected to the man.

"When do we start?" Aang smiled and held out a hand. The Russian took it, pumping Aang's arm twice.

"Just like that?" Lee wanted to know, "I thought I would have to at least explain."

"Just like that. No explanations necessary. As long as Kat doesn't know." Aang rubbed his face.

The bald man wanted nothing more than to get ahead in his training. It would do no one any good to have an Ava who could not command all the elements. Especially if he was to wage war or maintain peace, whichever came to be.

"Deal." Lee agreed.

Aang watched Lee carefully. Without the piercings and hair in his face, the man was easier to read. His golden eyes were sharp, dangerous, but focused and kind. His face had been empty before, but there was more animation there now. A smile, sometimes, when the man wandered in his thoughts.

"Do you care about my sister?" Aang blinked.

Golden eyes met gray.

"Yes. I do." Lee said, voice serious and grave. Something about the man seemed different.

The Ava rose to his feet and said,"Then you need to be honest with her. Except, of course, for this little pact." Aang knew nothing of the man's secrets. Didn't know if there were any. He was fishing, of course. Searching for them.

The look on Lee's face told him enough. Indeed, there were lies and secrets.

"I'm trying." Lee was staring at the table, most determinedly.

The older-younger man nodded, "Then, alright."

Table SEVEN

Kat

She put her head down, exhausted and spent. She could hardly stand the sight of food. She could hardly stand the sight of anything. Her eyes closed, but that only made the world around her louder. She decided to endure the noise.

"She okay?" Lee asked.

A hand passed over Kat's face. She realized how warm her skin felt, compared to his icy hands. She bent into his touch, then pulled back.

"I'm fine." Kat couldn't feel her tongue. She bit it, twice, to check. It was definitely numb. Or maybe she did feel it... she couldn't remember.

"You're burning up. Why aren't you in the infirmary?" Lee demanded.

"It's cold, dammit." Kat tried to say. To her, it sounded more like thold, thamit. She didn't quite care.

Aang spoke up from across the table, sounding rather annoyed, "She's stubborn, that's why. She won't cancel her tutoring for today."

Toph said something, but it didn't make any sense to her. Her head was fuzzy. It felt like her ears were all stuffed with wet cotton. She couldn't remember what she was doing before now.

"Kat, look at me." His voice cut through the fog, headlights and a foghorn all in one.

Her eyes snapped open. It was dark around him. Hadn't they been in the cafeteria? It was twelve in the afternoon. Why was it so dark in here? Better yet, where was here?

"Is it better without light?" Lee asked, touching her forehead. The contact made her want to jump, but her body didn't respond. She was disconnected.

"Time's'it?" She found her voice to be rather harsh and gargled.

Even in the dark and as out of it as she was, she could tell he smiled. Lee sat next to her, "About four. I took you to the nurse once you started yelling at Toph for stealing your socks. Then I brought you here... Toph said she didn't want you in your room."

"Sh'iz...so mean... I'm fine." She tried again to move. Kat couldn't be sure, but she thought her hands moved a little.

"Just sleep, okay? The doctors said you'll be better tomorrow." He pushed her back down, though she didn't remember sitting up. The bed she was laying on was really comfortable. But it wasn't hers.

"Where?" There was nothing more she could say. She was already falling back to sleep.

Lee answered very quickly, "You are on the other bed in my room. My turn to take care of you."

"M..fine.." Kat told him.

She was a dirty liar. She was not fine, and she knew it. But really, what else was she supposed to say? She didn't want him taking care of her. Didn't want anyone taking care of her. Least of all him.

Kat didn't want to seem...weak.

Not to him.

Location Undisclosed

Prime Minister of Russia

The diagnosis was..bleak, to say the least. Discouraging, definitely. There were a lot of things to do before things got worse. Loose ends to tie, an empire to secure. It was a lot of work, and he didn't have much time.

Still, there was a certain image he had to uphold. People still expected him to act the same, though this diagnosis had him deeply reflecting on his own mortality. He was not so infallible as he had thought.

Of course, even though he knew he was going to wither away, he was not looking forward to bringing his son home. Despite his daughter's ruthlessness, she was no leader. Therefore, his son would have to come home.

He beckoned to his secretary, and told her to find his son. The credit card wouldn't be too hard to track, the phone number easy. He scheduled time, but decided to call later.

There wasn't much of a later, but still.

He scribbled a note to himself, Bring Zuko home.

It wasn't going to be easy.

Sokka's House

Lee

Kat was holding his hand, sitting next to him at the table. Her brother was trying to be polite, though Lee could feel the dislike radiating from across the room. Kyoshi, however, was gushing and making him feel most welcome.

"And then- after Uncle Aang left- a few kids came over to play! I had to tell them bye- 'cuz daddy was coming to get me but-"

"Yosh, calm down." Kat laughed, taking a sip of her tea.

Lee was grateful for the intervention.

"Well. Fine." Kyoshi said, pouting. She didn't sound too upset, though.

Kat winked at him, and laughed again. She was in high spirits. He thought she was just glad to be among her family, but it could have been her recovery from whatever sickness she had caught.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, making both he and Kat jump. He ignored the call, not wanting to speak with anyone else. Part of him wanted to switch the device off, but it didn't seem appropriate to be messing with his phone at the moment. He could feel he was being judged.

"Could be important." Kat said, taking a bite of food with a smile.

Lee shrugged, "If it is, they'll leave a message."

His phone buzzed again, and he sighed. How bad would it be if he set it on fire? Couldn't they see he was with his girlfriend? He didn't want to be disturbed.

"Go, answer it." Kat waved him off, and moved to talking with Kyoshi. The little girl was grateful for the attention.

Lee rose and moved into the other room and answered his phone.

Upon hearing the voice on the other end, he nearly hung up. He wanted nothing to do with them, had left the life behind. He said nothing, agreed to nothing, denied nothing. Eventually, the man on the other end quit talking and hung up the phone.

Lee went back into the dining room and sat down, praying his face didn't give too much away. His seat was cold. How long had he been gone?

"Everything alright?" Kat wanted to know. She seemed concerned.

Lee gave her the best smile he could manage, "Yeah. Took me a while to understand what they were saying. Wrong number, I guess."

Kat stared at him for a moment longer. He thought she was going to call him out, but she didn't. Instead, she carried on the dinner conversation with ease. Lee thought he was rather fortunate to be dating someone who knew when to press and when to leave things alone.

"Well. We should get going." Kat said once the meal was finished.

She hugged her brother's neck, kissed her niece's head, and motioned for Lee to follow her out. Lee was all too happy to leave, more ready to sleep than he realized.

Kat chatted with him happily, though he knew she was just trying to set him at ease. She was trying not to make him uncomfortable by pressing too much into his business. She was wonderful.

He was rubbing his mouth, looking out the window when he said, "It was my father."

Kat said nothing, leaving him free to answer or stop talking.

"He...asked me to come home." He waited for her to say something. He could feel her tense for a second, though he didn't know why, but she relaxed moments later.

"Did he say why?" She focused on the road, taking a turn carefully. They were in the city now, somewhere Lee didn't recognize. He supposed they were near her studio.

"Not exactly. Said he wanted me back."

She pulled into a parking garage, and took a spot by the door. The car cut off quickly and she climbed out without saying another word. He followed her quietly, grabbing their bags out of her trunk. She unlocked the door with an old key and went inside.

"Are you alright?" She asked once he was next to her in the first room. The light she turned on hurt his eyes.

"Kind of...stunned." He answered honestly. She told him to sit at the table while she made coffee. He wondered if it was going to be a long night.

Kat stared at the coffee pot, "You seemed upset, was all."

He rubbed his hands together, "He wasn't exactly the best father. He didn't like me too much, either. I don't know why he would want me to come back to Russia."

The pot started making noise, though he wasn't sure when she'd put water in it, much less coffee grinds. Still, the smell was undeniable.

"Maybe he had a change of heart." She suggested. Her hands sought mugs in her cabinets, which she grasped without really looking for them. Once those were on the table, she went to the refrigerator to retrieve cream for him.

"Not likely. Someone likely noticed I was missing. Wouldn't want his good name soiled." Lee rolled his eyes.

"You've been gone a long time, Lee." She said. Kat was still watching the coffee. Something about her posture made Lee wonder what was going on in her mind.

"Listen. My father... is the Prime Minister. Of Russia." He didn't look up from the table.

Kat, being ever the unsurprised, simply said, "Oh."

"I was... a disgrace. I opened my mouth too much."

"Is that why he hurt you?" Her hands were gripped on the edge of the counter, like she was angry or something. For a long moment, Lee thought about what she had said.

"Yes." He nodded, though she wasn't looking.

Kat poured the coffee and left his cup on the table.

"I left, after that. With my uncle. We changed our names and moved here." Lee watched her.

She blew on her coffee, ice crystals forming near her mouth, and smiled. She said nothing, but laughed a little.

"I didn't think Lee and Mushi were very Russian names." Her eyes lit up, and Lee released the breath he had been holding.

"You never said anything." He tried to smile, but he was nervous.

She shrugged, "It was none of my business. If you wanted me to know, you would have told me. I guess, now you have."

"I'm sorry for lying." It was the most sincere apology he had ever given. He bit his lip, wanting so much to keep talking. But what more was there to say?

"Everyone lies." This she said with such certainty and disinterest that he had to wonder who else had lied to her. She sounded so used to being lied to.

"But you're the one person I'm not supposed to lie to."

She shook her head and bent over to kiss him.

"Do you... want to talk about it?" She sounded sorry for asking.

"Think I'd rather just kiss you more."

They laughed for a moment before she said, "I think I can manage that."

He had never been so sure that he loved her.