A/N: Yes, it's been a while hasn't it? I moved! And started college! Isn't that exciting? Anyways. Here's a really, really long chapter. Like…10ish pages.

SUPER IMPORTANT: There is a segment here that is…very racy. Not descriptive, but quite…suggestive. (More than usual.) If I need to up the rating, TELL ME! (It's really not a problem. I don't want some little eyes finding it and just ending up… 0.0) And, besides. If I need to up the rating, I'm going to earn it later. :D

Healed and Hunted

READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Seriously.

Core Structures

Chapter Thirty Two

Lunch with the Family

Sokka

Things were insane with all of the new laws. Someone was pushing for the Inheritors. Hard. Kat insisted it was the President, but he wasn't sure. There was some...undercurrent to it all. His sister wasn't watching all the pieces.

Granted, neither was he. Not every card had been played yet. Something big was waiting in the wings, ready to swoop. Except he wasn't sure what the prey was yet. What the overall game was. The back of his mind felt it was Aang. Everyone seemed to be after the Ava these days.

He watched his family move about the picnic grounds. Kyoshi and Lee were chasing Kat. That quickly devolved into the girls tickling Lee into the ground. Which resulted in Lee pinning them both down with an arm. The laughter filled his ears.

Toph and Aang were sitting off to the side, enjoying the breeze and sunshine. Sokka saw how long Toph's hair was getting. Nearly down to her shoulder, though she normally kept about her ears. It looked good. Made her look like a grown-up.

Not some dirty little kid who ran away from home.

That left his beautiful wife, who had been acting strange for days. She was doing the same as he was, he saw. She was observing the others around her, smiling happily at their daughter. But something was off.

"So, gonna tell me what it is?" He asked absently, letting his voice lull. He didn't want to shatter the happy mist that was surrounding them today. The video camera sat near them, taking in the scene. Forever recorded for later dates.

Suki looked up at him, then back at Kyoshi. The little girl was braiding Kat's hair, while Lee rested his head in Kat's lap. Lee seemed so at peace.

"We talked about getting Kyoshi a dog." She said, leaning on him. She was calmly leading him to something, he knew. But he just wasn't sure what.

She was waiting for him to say something. With a quiet sigh, "You said we should probably wait until the goldfish lasted more than two weeks."

Minutes passed without words. Kat was blowing on Kyoshi's belly, making the girl shriek and giggle. It was good to see. It had been so long, he realized, since his daughter had truly laughed.

"Think she would settle for a brother or sister instead?"

Almost instantly Toph jumped to her feet.

"Ha! Kat, Aang owes you sixty bucks."

Kat jerked her head, first to Toph then to Sokka. She smiled at him, the same way she had before Kyoshi arrived. Sokka felt like he was flying.

"You told them?" He wondered.

Suki shook her head. The two stared at one another. Sokka took a moment to kiss her, then looked back to his approaching family.

"How did you-?"

Toph answered first, "For me, the heartbeat. It's had a heartbeat since we were last here. I thought I was the only one who knew, at first."

Kat was next, "Suki, you asked me to look at a bruise you found on your stomach. I kind of...felt it."

Sokka looked to Aang. The monk was staring down at the ground, obviously regretting yet another gamble. It was a good thing Aang only ever bet with the rest of his family.

"For my part," the bald man said at length, "I knew they were keeping secrets. And Kat's not very good at that."

Sokka heard his sister blanch. Kyoshi wasn't saying anything, just staring at all of their faces. Then he realized no one had told the girl what was going on.

"Yosh, mommy's having a baby."

The little girl screamed, threw her arms around her mother's neck, and then jumped excitedly. She ran for a few moments, screaming, "I'm going to be a sister!" at the top of her lungs. The reaction was wonderful, and Sokka was suddenly glad Suki had the camera on.

"I love you." He said to his wife.

She sighed, "Yeah, well, I'm rather attached to you as well."

Kyoshi ran back over, and grabbed Lee's shirt in both of her hands, shaking him back and forth, "Did you hear?! I'm going to be a sister. Isn't that great?!"

Lee lifted her into the air, "I heard. Looks likes you get to teach your...hm, I vote sister, how to be cool, just like you."

Kyoshi gasped, "Do you really think it will be a girl?"

Sokka laughed, "No! Too many girls in this family! Boo-ooh!"

That earned him several harsh glares.

Lee shrugged, "The girls in this family are all very beautiful. I don't know what you're complaining about."

Sokka watched Lee kiss the forehead of the four girls, smiling all the while. Toph pushed the scarred man's face away while Suki just ducked. Kat rolled her eyes, and Kyoshi just smiled.

But, feeling some trouble with Kat was due, Sokka decided to retort, "So, when are the two of you going to make an announcement?"

Kat blinked, and Lee's expression turned guilty.

"Is that your way of calling me fat?" Kat asked, scoffing.

Sokka gave a shrug, "You have been looking rather...glowy, lately."

His sister's mouth dropped open, insults already forming in her mind. Yet, she said nothing. That wasn't right. Maybe she needed more prodding.

"I thought, maybe he's just been buying you lots of sweets but-"

And there it was, her beautiful explosion. She drew water, though Sokka had no idea where from, and it washed over him. For two seconds, he couldn't breathe. Then, he was up in the air, suspended by a column of water.

"Shut your stupid, dumb face." Kat shouted from below.

Sokka rolled over to look down, "Touched a nerve, have I?"

He could barely hear Kat say, "Can you believe your dad? He's insulting me!"

There was a quiet giggle that was hard to hear from ten feet in the air. Then, "Cousins would be fun, too."

The water suddenly gave way, and Sokka found himself on his back.

"You're all horrible. And Lee's lost his tongue." Kat was pouting now.

Lee, however, seemed to be thinking very hard about something. It was quite something, really. He'd never seen Lee so distracted. As long as he'd been around the other man, Lee had kept his thoughts hidden and a smile on his face. But now, well, something was different.

"So, that's a no?" Sokka asked, poking his sister with his foot.

She shot him a look that used to paralyze him, "No. Now be silent before I do something about it."

Sokka stuck his tongue out, but stayed quiet.

"Do you have a name picked out, mommy?" Kyoshi asked, moving away from the topic.

It was then that Sokka remembered.

They were having a baby!

Toph's Test Day

Kat

"I'm surprised you let it get this long." She says as she runs a brush through her sister's hair. Sokka had commented on it earlier in the week, and now it was all Kat could think about.

Toph sighed, "I've been meaning to get it cut. But who has the time?"

"It looks good." Kat said, smiling though Toph wouldn't be able to see it. She ran the brush through a few more times for good measure, preparing the braid. It was the first time Toph's hair was able to be put through the process. Kat was excited.

The blind girl snorted, "I'll take your word on it."

The sisters sat in silence. The braid was short, but the idea was to get the hair out of the way. Though she would never ask, Kat was sure Aang loved having Toph's hair this length. She wondered if that was the reason it had gotten so long.

"Are you nervous?" Katara asked.

"Of course not," Toph said, "It's the instructors who should be nervous."

But for half a second, Kat thought she heard a small waver in the statement. Toph wasn't invincible, nor invulnerable to feelings. No matter what she liked to pretend.

Deciding not calling it out would be the best course of action, Kat decided to play along, "Well, yeah. Bet they made diapers part of the uniform."

They shared a laugh, which they let grow into an all out gut-busting howl. It died the moment their door was knocked on. It was time to go. Their boys were outside, prepared to escort them to Toph's test. It was, though given a glorified and overstated title, a pit-match. A fight, but this time not against a scared little kid.

A real, trained master.

"Ready to go?" Lee asked. Aang was just staring at his feet.

Kat nudged Toph forward. The blind girl reached out with a hesitant hand that was quickly seized by the bald monk. Katara and Lee shared a glance, both hoping to give the other a reassuring smile. Neither worked.

"Well, lets quit standing around. We'll be late." Toph said, always managing to find words in difficult times. It was one of the many thing Kat admired about her sister.

Kat followed her siblings, leaning on Lee. No one spoke, no one made any noise. It would have been easier, Kat thought, if they would be allowed to at least see the battlefield before trusting Toph to the instructors. But they weren't. They were, all joking aside, completely blind.

They reached the waiting room all too soon. Waiting for them was a blank-faced instructor with a battle-uniform in hand. These were recently placed as necessary any time you were in the Pit. They were supposed to protect from most burns, and brace against earth attacks, but Kat doubted their usefulness.

Aang helped Toph pull the black uniform on while Kat went to fill the final forms. The last ones were disclaimers, stating that any injury or death was not the responsibly of the University, state, or government. Kat sighed, as it clearly was their responsibility. If they weren't required to attend to this system, Toph wouldn't be in danger.

Kat kept reminding herself that, in a one on one fight, Toph was more than capable of managing. Still, worrying was part of the job.

"Alright, quit fussing over me. Go on." Toph was trying to wave off her fiance.

Lee and Kat laughed quietly when Aang refused to be dissuaded. Idly, Kat wondered what it would be like two days from now, when it was Lee's turn to pull on the dark uniform. When it was Kat fussing, and Lee about to go off to battle. For a moment, ice flashed through her body. Nerves, fear. The, oh God, somone's going to be shooting at him. She forced the images away.

"We'll...wait outside." Kat told the two of them. She grabbed Lee's hand and dragged him away. She hoped Toph would accept the moment of peace and reassure Aang. The monk did not look well. Kat could only imagine what would happen if Toph was actually hurt.

The door shut with a timid click, as if it, too, were afraid of the consequences.

"She's going to be fine." Lee said.

Kat heard, and responded, though her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking about white lights and her brother's eyes. About the rage of a thousand souls beating to get out, twisting and ruining his fair face. The images had stuck with her, from their early days. It hadn't happened in such a long while. She wondered if Aang had mastered the Avatar State, or had simply learned to control his emotions.

Half a minute later, her brother was walking out of the room. He looked...tired. His gray eyes were unfocused and dull.

"Hey, c'mon. They set up some benches out here." Kat grabbed the younger/older man by the hand and dragged him Lee followed, but kept his distance. She was glad he understood Aang's need.

Aang sighed, not wanting to be comforted. But, Kat was having none of it.

"Do you remember that song I used to sing? When we were little?" She asked. Kat somehow managed to coax Aang into resting his head in her lap. She rubbed his bald head- for luck she always used to joke- and he closed his eyes.

The words came easily, even if they were hard to sing.

"Half a step more, and a leap. Close your eyes, and try not to snore. As the world fades away, find your peace. Know that I watch over while you sleep."

The song was always hard to sing. Her mother had sang the old melody to Katara as a child. Whenever there was a lightning storm, or she had a bad dream. The verses were silly, and Kat was sure her mother had made it up herself. But still, the words were as much comfort as she had to offer.

She kept repeating the song until Aang's breathing slowed. It was a restless sleep, but sleep nonetheless. Kat was sure he'd been up since yesterday morning, praying and interceding with the spirit world on Toph's behalf.

When the room beyond began to shake, she sang a little louder. Even in his sleep, Aang seemed to worry. Each time another thud would rock the building, Kat would try and soothe the sleeping monk. It worked for nearly forty minutes.

After that, he jerked himself awake and out of her reach.

He almost looked ready to accuse her of something, but there weren't any words coming out of his mouth. Kat, however did have something to say.

"You have a fight of your own, today. You can't stay up all night. If you fail and Toph succeeds, you think she'll let you live it down?" She tried to sound gentle, but get her meaning across.

The young man sighed, "It isn't...about that. It's..."

"I know, Aang. But everything is going go be fine. You have your own issues. Toph can handle herself."

Just then, because the universe has a divine sense of humor, the door opened. The woman who emerged looked...nervous. After explaining that everything was indeed not fine, Katara understood why. It probably wasn't easy to tell the all-powerful Ava that his affianced had been severely injured.

Medical Wing

Toph

Aang was going to kill her. And if not her, someone else. Her mind was racing, she barely even registered the pain. How was she supposed to calm Aang down when, well and truly, she was angry as well? The instructor had- in kid terms- cheated.

She couldn't even think about her hands.

It felt like she had only been alone for a few seconds when her family burst through the door.

She couldn't see anything, but she could hear them all breathing. Lee was not panting, but perhaps breathing quickly. Katara's was calm and even, almost like the doctor that had already been to visit.

Aang, however, was another story. Where his breaths were normally light yet full, his breathing now took on a decidedly slower, more malicious and angrier pace. Toph was glad she couldn't see his face.

"How are you feeling?" Kat was the first to speak.

Toph felt a gentle hand land on her knee, one of the only undamaged areas. It was Kat's way of acknowledging Toph's temporary blindness and providing comfort.

Toph tried to roll her eyes, "Leg's a little sore. Back's a little stiff."

It was Lee's turn to speak, "I can imagine."

They were all avoiding the actual issue. Toph could feel healing water drifting through her, pausing now and again to heal a bruise, or massage a muscle. Kat skillfully avoided her hands. It was quiet for a very long time.

Toph imagined they were all staring at what had to be an ugly mess of flesh, bone and muscle.

"What happened?" Katara asked finally.

She didn't want to have to explain her injury. It was insulting enough that she'd received it. Trying to find the words to describe the event, however, were difficult. Mostly because she feared Aang's response.

"I was too much for the instructor. He had to cut me down any way he could. But, I won. I passed." She didn't want to tell them everything. They didn't need to know. Except, as Kat's healing water passed over her hands, she gasped.

Toph knew the jig was up.

"He's...blocked you." Kat's voice was breathless.

A soft thud next to her, then someone taking her hand and pressing it to their face. His hands and face were not unfamiliar, now in this new level of blind.

"What's going on?" Lee wondered.

"She has lost her bending. He's damaged the chi pathways. She can't...see." It was the first time Aang had spoken since their arrival.

The weight of his words hit, and she began to cry. She hated herself for the weakness. Crying in front of her family was unacceptable. Yet she could not stop. She could not be the strength she had always been for them.

"Can you fix it?" Lee was asking.

Katara was the one with the answer, "I can't. The doctors will have to...reset the bones. If everything heals...properly she should...be fine."

The crying grew worse. It wasn't just sight she had lost. It was her connection to the outside world, her independence...her very essence had been stripped away. The core of her being- her rock solid center- was gone because of a few fragile pieces of bone.

Aang was wiping under her eyes.

"Kat... can we...?" Aang was saying.

Toph heard movements, though who or where was anyone's guess. Everything felt so wrong without her bending. Without being able to at least see the small amounts of metal in the room. It was horrible.

A door open, then shut moments later.

"You don't have to say it. I understand." Toph said, trying to brace herself. Surely, with so much of who she was gone, he would no longer wish to stay with her. If she wasn't the same, why bother? He had given her this privacy out of respect.

"You're going to be fine, Toph. Don't worry." He said. She couldn't tell if he sounded confused, or sad.

Her heart hurt. It felt like it had swallowed glass and was now pumping it through her chest. It hurt to breathe. It hurt not to breathe. She couldn't even clutch at said organ to ease the pain away. She wished, partly, that she had lost the battle. That she had died. It would have hurt so much less.

"You should go. You have a test, too." Even through the tears, she somehow managed to project the old strength. If things were going to be over, she was going to have to pretend it didn't hurt. If she showed him, he would stay. And she would not force that upon him. Having to forever attend to an invalid like herself, only to spare her feelings. He deserved better.

A kiss was placed on her brow.

"I'm not going anywhere. Until your bending returns, I will keep watch." He said, sounding very resolute.

Toph would have none of it. He still had a life to live. A world to lead. He couldn't do that tethered to her, like a cast iron weight attached to his ankle.

"Leave. I don't want you here. Go take your test." She tried very hard to mean it. If she didn't mean it, he wouldn't believe it.

Actually, it wasn't as hard as it should have been. It should have been impossible to send him away. It should have hurt like hell. Except, she was already in that pain. She was already trying to separate them. He was too important to keep.

The sooner he was gone, the sooner she was able to mourn.

"Toph, I know you're upset, but if you think that just because-"

She wouldn't- couldn't- listen, "I said I don't want you here. We're done."

A painful, stunned silence followed. More glass and poison pumping from her heart. No one had enough mercy in their heart to kill her. It wasn't too much to ask, was it?

The door opened and closed, and for a few blissful moments, Toph believed herself alone. She let herself cry a bit more, grateful for the quiet. She had been this close to...well, everything. All she had to do was make it out of the school. She could have helped Aang save the world.

And now all she could do was hold him back. The decision itself was easy to make. The following through bit was the part that was killing her.

"Stop acting like a child." Katara said suddenly, breaking the silent air.

Toph froze, like she had been caught red-handed.

"You're an idiot." Her sister kept on. Toph had never really heard Katara like this. Actually angry with her. Sure, they'd argued when they were younger. But this...was different. Or was it the same, but now she couldn't tell the difference?

More motion, and Toph was sure Kat was sitting in the chair by the bed. Or maybe standing nearby. It was so hard to tell.

"Aang would never abandon you. Ever. You're scared you won't ever heal. So you treat Aang like shit, hoping he'll leave and not have to take care of you."

Toph started to object, though it was all true.

Kat, however, was not finished, "Well, Toph. Who are you expecting to take care of you? You're injured. You haven't spoken to your parents in over ten years. You don't want us to...what be held back? So you don't want any of us to help. Fine. But who the hell are you planning on assisting you?"

Toph had nothing to say.

"You aren't. You're planning on taking care of yourself. Which, hey. I'm all for. Except, Toph, we're family, damn you. Just because you're out of commission for a bit doesn't mean you won't get better. You always have to be the strong one. We've needed that strength. But now, I'm telling you to grow the hell up. You can't be strong all the time. And you don't have to."

She half expected Kat's voice to be shaking by now. But it wasn't. It was almost dead, actually. Angry and hurt and scornful. If anyone else was in the room, Toph wondered if they were as surprised as she was.

"So, sit here for all I care. Until you can stop being such a baby and let us take care of you, we won't bother you. We both know Aang deserves better than what you're doing to him."

Before she could say anything, Katara was gone.

This time, while alone, Toph didn't cry.

Outside Toph's Hospital Room

Lee

It was hard to believe the words were actually coming out of her mouth. She'd closed the door, but Lee had opened it as quietly as he could. He didn't think either of them noticed. She was just standing there, belittling Toph like a child. This was the same woman who had told him it was okay to be afraid of heights. The same one who held children while they cried for home.

But now she was livid. It was written all over her back. Her hands were twisting the bottom edges of her long shirt, angry fists finding something else to take out their aggression on. If it wasn't the shirt, it was the very small shorts she wore beneath. Every now and again, Katara would unclench her fists, only to wave her hands wildly.

She finished her lecture and turned to find him staring through the crack in the door. She was crying, just as Toph had been. Except her tears simply flowed, no sound or tell-tale intake of air to let the blind woman know just how badly Katara was taking this.

He backed up to allow her out, then enveloped her in a hug once she shut the door. Her palms found their way to his chest, where she took a handful of the fabric there. He didn't know what to say to make it right.

"Two years ago, this was my idea. I said it would look good if the Ava showed he wasn't a danger to the world, but rather a ray of hope." Katara said. Her voice had lost the anger. Now, Lee thought, it was just guilt coloring her words, "If I would have just kept my mouth shut. If I wasn't so busy trying to fix other people's problems. They wouldn't be in this mess."

All the while, Aang was slumped against the wall, knees drawn up to rest his head, staring blankly at the other side of the hall. Lee wasn't sure who needed help most. Or how to help them, either. But hearing Katara blame herself for this was bothering him.

"You said Toph would probably get better." Lee told her. It sounded more like a question when it shouldn't have.

Kat looked up at him, hopelessness bringing forth a new wave of tears.

It was Aang who decided to speak, "She was lying."

The words seemed to come from nowhere, ghosting in and out of Lee's ears, echoing down the hall way. A horrible taunt of lying, lying, lying.

For a moment Lee was surprised. Katara would, naturally, try and be optimistic. But yet, at the same time, she never sugar coated anything. And then Lee partially understood what Toph must have been feeling.

To have something that not only identified you, but allowed you to function like a normal person...he couldn't imagine. He wondered, half-heartedly, what he had that was so important. What, if anything, that if he lost it, he would never be the same.

Kat broke away from him and sank to her knees beside Aang. Her hands were clasped together, resting near the point where her joints met the linoleum. Lee had never seen something as heartbreaking as the scene before him. Words couldn't even being to describe the looks on their faces.

The siblings seemed to tune out of the scene around them.

Lee sighed. He was no good at this.

"Hey. You two." He said, breaking the silence.

Both of their eyes snapped to him.

"This isn't helping anything. Get up. Both of you. Aang has a test. And he's going to pass it so he can get out of here and make sure this doesn't have to happen again." Lee continued, gesturing at Toph's door.

The siblings nodded, though neither seemed really to hear, and Aang rose off the floor. He touched Lee's shoulder as he passed, and went the direction of the testing facility. Kat didn't move, but rather stared up at him like she was waiting to be told what to do.

"Come here." Lee commanded gently.

She rose slowly, and stepped back towards him. They walked to the dorm rooms. Lee fully intended to make her sleep, but he had something to say first.

Kat opened the door and walked in, leaving it open for him to follow. He did just that, closing her door louder than necessary. She was staring at the things on the floor. Little things. Stuff that didn't make any sense. Pencils, small plastic toys. Kid stuff.

Kat picked it up, slowly and meticulously, and put them all back where they belonged.

When she was finished, she looked back at him.

"If you hadn't said anything back then, Katara, I wouldn't be here. I would have ended up in jail, or worse. And the only one who would have noticed would have been my uncle. You saved me. Without even trying." He'd been working the sentence in his head for a while. Since before she started cleaning.

Kat looked down, and he knew it still wasn't enough. She, just like Toph, couldn't think straight today. Something must've been in the water.

He caught her by surprise and kissed her. Just once, carefully.

Lee took half a step back, ready to leave, before she responded.

She touched his arm, and stood on her tip-toes to press her lips to his. He didn't want to push her anymore than she was ready. Normally, he was the more dominant one. But today, she needed some way to get rid of all the emotions.

One of her hands touched the right side of his face- for half a second, he flashed back to when he snapped her hand away from his scar- and the other was slowly moving down from his shoulder to his hip.

He took a few tentative steps toward the bed, just to be sure he wasn't completely crazy.

Kat gave a small nod, lips still moving on his, and lightly pushed him the rest of the way. The backs of his knees hit the edge, and he found himself sitting rather quickly.

Katara followed him down, placing her knees on either side of him. She did away with his shirt and then her own, placing warm, not-so-gentle kisses along the newly exposed skin. Her hands dropped down to the waistband of his pants, where she undid the fastening and jerked the zipper down. Lee didn't know how much more he could stand of this.

Torture was always her game.

Suddenly, the motions stopped, and she removed herself completely. He was about to complain until he saw what she was doing. Locking her door, so no one could barge in. Lee almost kicked himself for not remembering. Granted, two minutes ago, he'd been intending for her to sleep.

On her way back, she let her hair out of its restraints. It was something she rarely did now, and almost always for him. She removed his socks and shoes, dropping them behind her, and tugged on the hem of his pants.

Lee nodded, understanding.

As soon as the article was removed, she was over him again. He hadn't noticed- but did now- that she had removed her own shorts.

He was still sitting up, but Kat had other plans. She pushed him down with a firm hand on his chest, and he complied most willingly. Her lips and teeth were everywhere. She was pressing her hips to his, and Lee stifled a small groan.

If she needed to completely drive him out of his mind, he was going to let her. Right now wasn't about him- but God when did she start wearing lace? He closed his eyes and let his head drop back a bit. It wasn't easy to remain calm, and not take charge of this.

Her kisses slowed, near his chest. He knew he was panting. He chanced a look at her, and she was looking at him as well.

"I don't want to use you." She told him. Her hand was still tracing the muscles of his lower abdomen, feinting ever closer to the elastic band. But she was still serious.

Lee's voice was hoarse when he said, "Please."

If it was all he could do to make her feel...perhaps not better, then less bad. Even if he had to make it sound like it was something he needed. With that, Kat let out a contented sigh. She placed her forehead on his, and kissed his lips.

The next two hours or so were lost in sensation and vibrant sounds. Kat was finally asleep, resting comfortably tucked into him. His arm was pinned beneath her head, which was not unpleasant. It meant he could place his head on hers and breathe her in without being creepy.

He was almost on his side, peering at her. Her hair was down to her hips, and it was splayed everywhere. He smoothed it, so that it ran straight along her spine.

With his free hand, he cradled the back of her head, drawing a kiss from her sleeping form. She didn't respond, which Lee took as a good sign. He moved her off of him- grudgingly, wishing he could stay-and threw her blanket around her. She hardly moved.

He quietly got dressed, trying his best not to wake or disturb Kat. He left and headed straight for the hospital room. There was something he felt he had to do, really.

Aang was sitting on the floor, when Lee arrived. He was wearing the same black uniform that Toph had been earlier, though Lee could see the difference. There was the name tag, for one. And Aang's uniform was quite taller than his fiancé's. On Aang's uniform, there were a few singed holes where he had been burned.

The bald man looked up, exhaustion evident.

"Hey. How'd it go?" Lee wondered. He thought about sitting next to Aang, but decided against it. Still had something to do.

Aang sighed, "She still won't let me in. She threw a glass."

He lifted a small drinking glass, perfectly intact. When Lee raised an eyebrow, the bald man explained.

"She missed."

"I wasn't really talking about Toph. I meant your exam."

The man on the floor shrugged and said nothing.

Once it was clear there was nothing more to the conversation, Lee decided to enter the hospital room. Toph appeared to be sleeping, but that was alright. She could probably hear anyways.

He took the seat next to her bed.

"Hey. Toph. I know you probably don't want me here. Or anyone. But I had to tell you. Everyone's emotions are running high. Kat is upset. Aang's…I don't even know. And you, well. It's kind of funny, actually. You're trying so hard to be strong. Trying to deal with things on your own."

Lee sighed, "I was the same, once. I thought I didn't need anyone. I was strong enough to make it on my own. For a while, it worked, I guess. Then I met Kat. Things changed. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life…alone. I wanted to be someone she could be proud of."

He couldn't tell if Toph was even listening. She hadn't moved, but something in him felt she had heard. So, he continued.

"I don't know what it's like being blind. Or losing my bending. It must be horrible. It's probably still not as bad as feeling guilty that you somehow let Aang and Kat down. Like, suddenly, you aren't the same person anymore and they won't like the new you." Lee could picture it all. How she would be so afraid of being a burden.

But he knew better than that, "Except that neither of them really cares. They don't love you because you can move the Earth around you. They love you because you're Toph. You're a badass. If you let something like this win, then what was the point?"

He just stared at her for a moment, thinking.

"Anyways. Just thought I'd let you know. I get it. But, this doesn't have to be the end. See you later, Toph." Lee rose when he realized the time. He'd been here longer than he'd intended to be. Though, really, had anything gone like he planned today?

As he grabbed the handle he heard Toph say, "Hey, Lee. You're a badass, too."

Lee did nothing to acknowledge he'd heard. Instead, he nodded to Aang once out the door. The monk didn't understand for a moment. Then, with another jerk of his head, he finally got it.

Toph was ready, now. Ready to try something new.

And, Lee thought, so was he.

It was definitely time to see what Kat's plans were for the rest of her life.