A/N: Alright, well. Scribbles hasn't responded. But, we had someone volunteer to take a bullet for all you guys. LadyFateContemplatingDisaster stepped up and offered to fix me. So, you can all thank her now. Anyways, on we go!

Healed and Hunted

Forced March

Chapter 26

Hallway D

Kat

He didn't even let her talk. She tried, four times. Every time she started to form words, he kissed her in something of a frenzy. It would be a few minutes before he stepped back, almost calmed back down. Then, she would try and speak, and the craze was back in him.

It took them thirty minutes, standing alone in the hall, to start talking.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered. He rubbed her face. It sounded like he was begging.

Kat shook her head, "No, Lee. Please. Please let me speak."

He had her back against a wall, so much so that she couldn't move. Their foreheads were pressed together, and she realized the past week or so had been unbearable. How had she managed without being so close to him? It felt like she could finally breathe.

"I'm... sorry. I... I am...so...so...sorry. I have treated you..horribly. You didn't deserve it. Please. I'm not asking you to forgive me. I just want you to accept my apology." She was mumbling, and he kept brushing her lips with his, making it most difficult to be sincere.

"You don't have anything to apologize for," he said. His tongue flicked out over her lower lip.

Kat sighed, "I almost killed you, Lee. Don't you understand?"

He may have laughed, but she could hardly focus. Though she was breathing for the first time in over a week, she was getting dizzy. Too much of him against her at once.

"There's something I need to tell you." Lee was smiling against her.

Kat tried to shake her head, but was firmly held in place. When she opened her mouth, he attacked her again. It was another few minutes before he stopped. God, she'd missed him.

"Are you listening? It's really important." Once he was assured she was listening, he continued. "I love you."

She felt like he was going to say more. Like there was a but coming. I love you, but…

Except there wasn't.

"I love you. Do you hear me? I love you." He looked her in the eyes and waited.

"Your lips were blue. I was suffocating you."

One chaste kiss. "Then make them warm again?"

She managed to choke back a laugh. It wasn't funny. The thought that she had pushed him so close to death, and he was here apologizing... She didn't deserve him. And he didn't deserve to be stuck with someone like her. Not when she could do that to him.

He whispered something she didn't understand.

"What did you say?" She wondered.

One corner of his mouth lifted, "Just repeating my earlier statement. I love you, Kat. And I don't want you to be angry with me any more. I just..."

"You don't look well. Are you...alright?" She couldn't focus on what he was saying. It didn't feel right. It couldn't be true. He deserved more.

"At the moment, I'm doing great."

She watched him. Warmth blossomed on her face when he pressed his lips to her cheek. It was just the way he did it, the way it felt like he barely held back. He'd never pushed her too far, never asked for too much. She could feel the effort behind this kiss.

"Kat, can we please be alright again?"

She had to say it. She couldn't let him go on like this. "You deserve more."

"Then yell at me. Hit me. I don't care. I can't...keep going like this." His voice was strained.

It took a moment for to process it.

"No. Not... God, Lee. Quit making it sound like you're at fault. You're supposed to be angry with me. You deserve someone more than me. Someone who won't-"

He cut her off, for the millionth time. What were they talking about again? His hands were..roaming. She had to distance herself. Had to get away. Try again tomorrow, with a cooler head. God. Oh God. What was he doing, kissing her neck like that?

"Been waiting my whole life to meet you, Kat. You're going to have to try harder to get rid of me," he muttered. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

"So what now?" she wanted to know. If he was willing to work with her on this, she was willing to try.

He gave her a smirk that stopped her heart. He grabbed her hand, kissed it, then dragged her backwards. They headed back into the library, into the darker recesses of the room. And there, he showed her what this week had done to him.

Location Undisclosed

Soldier 384-46H-AIS (Anti-Inheritor Squad)

The new guns were beautiful, though to the newer recruits they were just new rifles. No one but him noticed, of course. But, still. Gorgeous and dangerous. The upcoming battles were going to be easy. The Inheritors weren't going to know what hit them.

They would lose their fighting ability like that, as soon as the shot was clear. And then their lives. The rebel scum would finally learn their place. The threat was, in his eyes, over. But his general, Hakoda, seemed to disagree.

"What is it, sir?" he asked. The structure of this unit was a little off, but it was acceptable. He was here to kill Inheritors, and he had done just that. He didn't care who was in charge.

Hakoda was staring down at the chemical rounds meant to be fired through the sniper rifles. "It's just... do they even know what they've got here? What happens after these hit?"

"Does it matter, sir?"

The general looked down at the weapons. "Of course it does. We aren't mindless murderers."

They weren't? Since when? They had never tried to negotiate. Taken no prisoners. The ground ran red with the blood of Inheritors that they had killed. They had simply killed any pockets of resistance they deemed fit, anywhere in the globe.

"We're soldiers. We're...supposed to be protecting people. Aren't we?"

He sighed. "Sir, we are protecting people."

The general's eyes snapped to him. "There were kids, yesterday. Young kids. The age of my grand daughter."

"Child soldiers, sir. Designed to infiltrate aid stations. Spies," he said. He didn't know that, of course. No one did. It had been more of a village, actually. Still he did not care.

The general sighed, saying, "I think I'm getting too old for this."

He didn't agree. In fact, the general was one of the best. A highly trained killer. Creative, too, when it came down to it. Hakoda was the leader for a reason. It was easy to see.

"I need a vacation," the general continued.

"You'd get bored, sir." The soldier saluted and went on his way.

That was his honest opinion, anyway. The general had been in this life too long for vacation. Except, the soldier paused in his thoughts, when he heard the general muttering about a family. It was strange that someone so gifted in death could have ever created life was... it was...interesting.

Kat's Studio

Kat

He was tracing patterns on her hip, up her midsection. Things were...almost back to normal. He looked much better. He'd admitted, after much prodding by her, that he hadn't been sleeping. She'd been something of a dream catcher, he told her.

It had been the same for her.

The room was dark. They had said hello to her family, but then came straight here. They had lost time to make up for.

It was Friday, already. They were both drifting off into another sleep, probably going to wake up in a few hours. She was...drifting, it felt like. Flying, nearly, perhaps falling.

She screamed a little at the harsh knock on her door.

Kat yanked the offending object open, ready to growl at whoever was there. It was, surprisingly, her brother. He didn't wait to be invited in.

"Pack your things." Sokka said. He looked up at Lee, who was coming out her room. "His too."

"What's going on?" Kat asked, but she moved to gather her things. Sokka wasn't a man for folly. He was serious about something.

Her brother sighed, "Dad's here. Wanted to see you. He followed me here, but I lost him for the moment. Kyoshi accidentally told him you were here."

She moved faster. Lee didn't ask questions, though she could see he wanted to.

"I tried to keep it calm, but you weren't answering your damn phone. Appa's touching down out back." Sokka sounded tired.

"Lee, I'll explain later. Please, grab your things. We have to hurry. I hope you're okay with flying." Kat was practically sprinting. Her father was here, of all times. No calling ahead, no warning. No chance to hide what she was. There was no good ending to this story.

"Why are we running from your father?" he asked, grabbing her bags. Sokka helped, but offered no answer.

Kat sighed, "My father... doesn't like Inheritors. I don't know if you remember me telling you. But he doesn't know. About me. And, if he finds out... Well, I don't know."

He nodded, accepting the short explanation.

"Aang's okay with Lee-?" Kat started to ask, hearing noises in the back of her house.

"He's the one who sent Appa. Welcome to the clan, Lee," Sokka said as he ran to the back of the studio. There was, surprisingly, a yard big enough for a three-ton bison to land comfortably. Kat liked to keep the grass there, so Appa had a little something to chew on.

Lee paused. "What is that?"

"I'm sorry. No time to explain. Climb up," Kat said, shoving him onto the ladder. He grabbed the rung numbly and tried his best to move quickly. Kat saw him wince when Appa sneezed.

"I'll call you when we touch down," she said. A quick hug between siblings. Worried glances, one comforting smile.

"I don't know what he's doing here," Sokka said, as she climbed up.

She didn't answer him. They rose into the sky. Appa didn't need any direction, he just went on his way. Lee grabbed her, carefully.

"Kat. This thing. It's flying. It's furry. We're in the air," he said. He kept muttering to himself in Russian.

The young woman looked at the night's sky, as if it would help. "His name's Appa. He's a bison. Six foot, four hundred year old, air bending bison. He is Aang's oldest friend."

He looked at her incredulously. She didn't blame him. Except right now there were more important things. Appa was old news.

"I want off," Lee said suddenly. He was pressing his face down into the saddle, grabbing the side for support.

She gave a smile. "Air sick, Lee?"

"Heights." He sounded...ashamed. He peeked over at her, to see her face. She kept it neutral.

She moved closer and laid parallel to him. He quickly moved one hand to her, as if she was going to help keep him safe. Kat touched her forehead to his.

"You trust me?" She whispered.

He shut his eyes nodded. "Gravity's pretty faithful, too."

"Just close your eyes. Listen to me talking, alright? I'm going to tell you a story."

And she did. It wasn't exactly the same as her story, but it was close enough that she had plenty to talk about. They were only in the air for thirty minutes- probably some two states north- but it was enough that Lee had relaxed.

The moment they landed, she called her brother.

"We're down," she said first.

Sokka was whispering, "He's still here. Calmed some. I told him you went off with your boyfriend."

She tried to contain her laugh, saying, "Guess it's true. What's he doing here?"

"Said he wanted to come home. Kyoshi's afraid of him. It's like she knows."

Kat could only imagine. Her father frightened her. How was a little girl supposed to deal with it? Much less the fact that Kyoshi had never met Hakoda. He was a perfect stranger, someone she occasionally sent videos to.

"So, we won't be coming tomorrow," her brother said.

"If you...need me to make an appearance... I can manage it," Kat sighed.

She could almost hear her brother shaking his head as he said, "Not gonna risk it. Stay safe."

"Love you, Sokka," she said. They hung up after that. Which left Kat alone with Lee. He had a lot of questions. She probably had as many answers, but wasn't really excited about it.

"So. We're out here, alone," he was saying. He had been mumbling since they landed. He occasionally leaned on a nearby tree for support. But, right now, he was pacing next to her.

Kat held him still. "Yes. Now. You're safe on the ground. Promise. Be calm."

He nodded. After she was sure he listened, she went to setting up the tent. Aang had been very considerate and thrown the family go-bag into the saddle. A small bundle of kindle, a tent and a sleeping bag, plus a few other miscellaneous things. She tried not to laugh when she found a small, square packet hidden in the sleeping bag with a note in Toph's braille: "for luck."

She rolled her eyes and hid it away. Toph was far too brazen for a young lady.

"There's little twigs and flint right there. Can you get on that while I fix this?" she asked, sighing. The tent was stubborn. And she had never been very good at setting them up. Usually Aang took care of it.

She heard Lee moving about.

"I don't exactly need the flint," he said. His voice was muted, kind of hazy. She wondered if he'd fallen into some sort of traumatic shock.

She laughed. "Guess not. Damn tent."

The poles just...weren't connecting. The light that appeared at her back helped, a little, but it just...wouldn't work. She fought with them for a few more minutes before deciding it wasn't worth the trouble. Kat looked back to check on Lee.

Appa huffed, making the scarred man jump off the spot where he had been sitting.

"I've never seen you move so quickly," she laughed at him, but moved between him and the bison. Appa made a few noises and swatted his tail. The resulting breeze made Kat's hair stand straight up.

"That thing could eat you in one bite," Lee answered indignantly.

Kat rubbed the bison's nose. "Appa's a vegetarian."

Appa licked her face then blew.

"Alright, go. We'll be here. Just be back before the morning, alright?" she asked. Appa lifted off the ground and took off into the sky.

She sat next to Lee, trying not to look guilty. She'd kept many secrets from him. Time to be honest, as well.

"I suppose you have a few questions," she muttered, looking into the fire. Lee had pulled some of the branches and used them. At least he had been camping before.

Lee watched her carefully. "A few."

"Well, the good news is, you've been given a pass. I am now free to tell you everything. Ask away." She tried to sound chipper.

A moment later he laughed. "What the hell is a sky bison?"