Firstly. Sorry. Here's the cliffnotes version of my apology:

-School was evil (somehow ended up in a junior class when I was a freshman. College rocks.)

-Accepted to study abroad this summer. Been prepping and doing that. (UK Jun 28-Jul 28)

-Basically did not have time to write properly. (Still not sure about that last bit.)

Hopefully you can forgive me. I know it's been a while, but I haven't forgotten this story. I promised to finish it, and I most certainly will. Hopefully I'll finish it this summer. No promises. See aforementioned plans as to why.

Healed and Hunted

New and Old

Chapter 37

Their Shared Room

Kat

Her hands shake more than a little as she packs.

It feels like she's eight years old, and her father is saying goodbye. It feels like two days after her mother's funeral, and he's been mysteriously called back to duty after ten years of retirement. Back in two weeks, tops, he promises. But it is a lie, and they don't see each other for a very long time. Years, lifetimes.

She doesn't let Lee see.

When he looks at her, she steadies her hands, wills her limbs into being calm. Then he looks away, and her muscles shiver. He hands her a sock, and all is well.

"You have to bring something back, okay? Like a t-shirt. Or a cool snow globe. Oooh, or some sort of yummy Russian candy. Promise?" She is trying to make small talk.

"Absolutely. Something sweet, instead of salty, right?"

"Or both. Bring back lots of food. Oh, and Russian coffee. Mm."

They are both good at pretending. Kyoshi, however, is far too young and impatient to bother with the routine. She's pouting on the bed, sneaking out random bits of clothes when Lee isn't looking. The girl is making a point to stare at Kat's trembling hands. She said nothing about it, though.

"Kyoshi, can you go ask Uncle for his Dragon of the West storybook? I'd like to take it with me." Lee said.

The girl hopped off the bed, a stomped out the door.

Kat watched Lee out of the corner of her eye. His folding slowed to a halt, and he went to shut the door. He stared at her, but said nothing. She didn't want him to. Nothing would be right to say.

"You have to go." She told him finally.

He nodded, "And you can't go."

"And I can't go." She repeated.

"I'll be gone…two weeks. At most, three." He was thinking aloud.

Two weeks, tops.

"Well, I'll be at school. Probably hardly notice you're gone." She lied. She would most definitely notice. But they both knew.

"I'm sure. Kat. I don't-"

"Let's get married tonight."

It surprised even her. But, when she thought about it for a moment, it was sound. They were both worried that he would not be allowed to leave Russia. While he technically had dual citizenship, they were worried about the political situation his father's death would leave behind.

"What?"

"We can take Appa. You, me. Your sister, Uncle. Kyoshi. We'll all fly up to D.C. We can sign the papers. Simple."

She let the words sink in, for both of them. They hadn't had much time to plan a pretty ceremony. Or anything, really. And it didn't look like they weren't going to get much time to do so. And this would give Lee solid, undeniable ties to the United States. The Russian government (his father's men) would have a more difficult time keeping him, if they decided to try it.

"No."

All of her plans came to a screeching halt.

"No, that's not acceptable." He sighed, rubbing his hair.

Lee started muttering in Russian, quietly and it didn't sound angry. For a very short while, she wanted to know what he was saying. But, no. She had to go back to circling the word no.

"No?"

He looked up from his own conversation, "Nope."

"But-"

"No."

And that was that.

The conversation ended when Kyoshi banged on the door, "THERE IS NO STORYBOOK. YOU LIED TO GET RID OF ME."

Lee snorted, and pulled the door open without turning to it.

"Yes I did. Did you enjoy the-?"

"You didn't let me finish!" Uncle was yelling down the hall.

They all burst into laughter at it, now the three of them having been exposed to this story. The story of the Dragon of the West, which Kat knew to be actual truth. He was the Dragon of the West, who had snuck into the great city of Ba Sing Se. At which point in history the United States adopted the I-bands. Red, for the Fire-Inheritor who was responsible for nearly killing an important political figure head.

She had hated the bands for so long- still did, in fact- and blamed the Dragon of the West. But now, seeing him as he was, the anger was dissipated. Replaced, now, by understanding. They'd talked about it extensively. At the time, he had believed in his cause.

"I don't want to hear it! Lee lied to me." Kyoshi had her arms crossed over her chest. Fearsome little thing that she was, she did not look at all like she was kidding.

"I just needed to talk to your aunt, alone."

"You lied."

Lee bent down to the girl's level, "Yes. I did. Can you forgive me?"

"No, I can't."

Lee sighed, "That's too bad."

Kat watched her niece. The girl seemed to be sorting through things, deciding her next move. Then, after a few moments of silence, she spoke, "What else did you lie about?"

"I don't really believe in the Tooth Fairy. Santa, yes. Tooth Fairy, no."

The girl blinked, "I knew it."

"But that's all, I swear." Lee offered a pinky.

Kyoshi didn't take it, "Did you lie when you told me that fire flakes and coke would make my stomach explode?"

"To be fair, that's what I was told when I was growing up."

"Or, how 'bout the time you told me that if I ate too many sea prunes my skin would change colors?"

"Your aunt told me that."

"Did you lie about coming back?"

Kat heard her fears, echoed by an eight year old. It was so sudden that Kat felt her mouth fall open. She wanted to immediately reassure her niece, of course Lee was coming back, but she couldn't find the words. Not any that would have convinced anyone within the room.

"I promise he will come back. I promise, little one, that I will return him to you."

Everyone turned to look at Lee's sister. She hadn't said much since she'd arrived, and nothing since Lee had decided to go back to Russia. At least, not anywhere Kat could hear.

"Why should I believe you?" The little girl had uncrossed her arms at this point.

Azula bent down, matching her brother's position, "Because. I am coming back with him. And if that doesn't convince you, maybe this will."

The dark haired woman pulled a golden ring off a metal chain hiding on her neck. At its appearance, Lee froze. Kat noticed, but could not place the ring in her memory. No photographs or mentions of it, as far as she could remember.

"This is my father's ring. It is my single most important possession. You have to promise to take care of this."

The little girl seemed flustered, "Why…would you give me that? Especially since…"

"Because I am taking something precious from you. From someone you love. I am offering it for a temporary loan. Is this fair?" Her accent was pretty, Kat decided, but different from Lee's. His accent was hardly noticeable, after so long in the United States, so long speaking English and hiding it and faking it.

Kyoshi looked to Kat for guidance. As an adult, Kat felt she should have something to offer, but…nothing.

The little girl nodded, "Fine. Okay. But, if I have to take care of that ring, you have to take care of him." A finger pointed directly at Lee, nearly poking him in the face.

"It's a deal."

"Pinky promise." Kyoshi insisted. When Azula looked at a loss, Kyoshi went ahead with the gesture, catching the woman off-guard.

Kat and Lee shared a glance. His face asked, can you believe it?

In it, she understood that he would have been returning with or without his sister. Her shoulders relaxed.

Moongazing

Lee

He thinks that saying no to Kat was a bad idea. He has always believed that. But, as he thinks more about it, it was the only thing to do. He didn't want a rushed wedding. Didn't want just a piece of paper to show their kids. Future kids, anyways.

He wanted pictures. Video. A preserved flower in a photo album. He wanted to remember the feeling of watching her walk down the aisle supported by her father. He wanted to remember that terrified feeling, as she was walking toward him.

He didn't like that she would simply surrender all of that, for no other reason than that he was leaving for a spell.

He wanted to talk to her about it, before he left. But since he was leaving in the morning, and he wasn't sure what the problem even was, he doubted it would work itself out before then. Which meant it would probably be another month before they could address the issue. Which seemed far too long to be upset about something.

He let a sigh escape his mouth.

"Did I do something?" Kat had snuck up on him, as she did quite often. He'd thought he had gotten over being surprised, but thought could be distracting.

When he didn't answer, she sighed, too.

"Thought so."

"I… I just…" He kicked at the dirt.

Kat was looking up at the moon, "Oh, Yue, I've been silly."

"You're…talking to your brother's girlfriend. The one that died."

"She became the moon." Kat said simply.

It sounded ridiculous. It sounded like the kind of things kids would tell themselves to deal with trauma and pain. He didn't say anything, but she knew.

"We're not crazy. You know how Aang is able to bend all the elements, right? He's a bridge between two worlds. The mortal and the spirit. It's real, whether or not you believe it." Her voice was misty.

Lee looked up at the moon, "Why did she become the moon?"

"Do you remember…has it been ten years, Yue? A surprise lunar eclipse?"

He thought back on it. At the time, he'd honestly had other things on his mind. Like women. Girls. Whatever. But it sounded familiar. He told her as much.

"There was a fight. And the moon spirit, well… it was killed. And Yue, she… Traded. Her spirit. My brother held her as she died." Kat was trying not to cry, "Sokka didn't speak for days. Then he went to her dad, got on his knees, and apologized."

Lee looked at her face, surprised to see a smile, "What happened next?"

"To who? Yue relit the moon. Sokka married Suki. Aang found the truth about spirits."

"What about Toph?" He asked, curious as to why she had been excluded from the list.

Kat snorted, "We hadn't met at the time. In fact, that was the first time the thought of Toph occurred. Aang heard her laugh in a dream. Wait. Was it that time? Goodness, it was so long ago."

"What about you? What did you learn?"

There was a moment of quiet.

"As I watched my brother holding her, the only thing I could think was I will never love anything as much as Sokka. Not because Sokka has a higher capacity for love. But because Sokka was breaking in front of me. Because I was watching the one thing that had been present my entire life crumble because he cared."

She took a shaky breath, "I hated it. I never wanted to care about anything like that. Ever. I couldn't imagine…losing something like that. Like he did."

"So when you said you wouldn't miss me-"

"I lied. Always easier to lie. Always has been."

He didn't know exactly how this was related.

"Because I tell myself, be careful. Remember that look on Sokka's face. And that is my one truth. At least, you know. It was."

Pieces started clicking, "That's…Kyoshi was worried because you were."

"If our names were signed on a legal document, they'd have trouble keeping you." She told him, glad he finally understood, "And… that terrified me."

"I wasn't worried at all."

"That's good to know. Glad our impending separation is no concern of yours." She muttered.

He pulled her in for a hug, burying his head in her hair. She smelled wonderful. She giggled when he poked her side. He had her outright laughing when he sniffed her hair overdramatically, trying to be weird.

"I'm very, very sad." He kissed neck her with every word, "I will miss you very, very much. All day, every day."

When she gave a very unladylike snort, he stopped.

"I love you. There is nothing in this world, or your as-of-yet-unproven-to-me spirit world, that would be able to keep us apart. Not your past, or mine. No fear of the future. Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

A watery laugh from his beloved, "Not even a bunch of scary Russians?"

"I am a scary Russian. And the son of a scary Russian. And the brother of a scary Russian. And the nephew of a scary Russian." He told her, very seriously.

She tried to give him an equally serious expression, but that dissolved into laughter. Tonight, as he spent his last few hours with her for nearly two weeks, was not a time for sorrow or anxiety. Right now was about laughing, because he was right. There was absolutely nothing that could lessen what they had.

"That ring, that Azula gave Kyoshi? Was it important?" Kat wondered, not moving much.

"It's the pair. To yours, the one I gave you. Our parents' wedding rings." Was his answer.

He watched her stare at the ring on her finger, as if she were seeing it for the first time. When he thought about it, for everything they'd told one another about their pasts, they had both left so much out. Little things that didn't seem important at the time. Feelings they had long since thought buried. But, standing with her, he wondered what difference any of those things made now.

Kat pulled him toward the shop, "I think your sister and Kyoshi get along rather nicely."

"Have you met someone Kyoshi doesn't get along with?" He wondered, trying to imagine it. Yoshi was the kindest, friendliest, most amazing kid he'd ever met. Not that he knew many children. That didn't diminish his opinion.

Kat gave a small laugh, "You know, she was named after one of the most…aggressive Avas in recent history."

"Recent, a word here meaning in the past six hundred years." Lee shrugged. That didn't sound recent to him.

His fiancé shrugged, "Recent-ish."

They shared another laugh, and Lee was beginning to feel optimistic about this trip. The sooner he left, the sooner he could return. And, it seemed, so could Azula. He wasn't sure why she was coming back to the States, but whatever the reason, he and his sister would have some time to catch up with one another. They couldn't possibly cover the past thirteen or fourteen years in two weeks. But they could start.

He was looking forward to all the new beginnings, but first, he had to go deal with an old problem.