In response to a monthly challenge on r/fanfiction from bloody ages ago that I never got around to finishing.
-This is a bit of an introspection one. Grab a character of your choice (doesn't even have to be a canon character, OCs from original pieces are just as welcome) and have them write a letter to who they used to be. How have their dreams worked out? Their ambitions? How have they changed? What had the expected themselves to be right now, and just how off the mark (or on it) are they?
It was a bright summer day in the Northern Wastes. There was still snow on the ground, as there always was, but the sun remained overhead throughout the day, throwing glints of sparkling light on the carpet of unbroken white. There was a small cabin nestled against a cliff, sheltered from the worst of the biting winds. Inside a warm fire crackled, drying a set of freshly washed clothes. A young man was sitting cross-legged in front of the fire, a piece of paper resting in his lap and a pencil hanging loosely in one hand. A small boy was bustling around the kitchen, preparing dinner, sometimes opening the window to pull ingredients out of the snow, the cold outside rushing in in short blasts that made both of them shiver.
"Chiaotzu, this is stupid."
The boy turned and pouted, closing the window with a snap. "C'mon, Tien, it'll be good for you."
"I don't think so. I think this is stupid. You've been reading too many self-help blogs."
The boy flushed. "That's not fair, Tien. Besides, you've got a whole heap of anger you've internalised and I think you need to work it out."
"A letter to my five-year-old self? Really?"
"Yes really." Chiaotzu turned to the stove, swirling oil around his favourite, well-worn wok. "I did it. It really helped."
Tien scoffed. "You've been five for years, Chiaotzu. When did you write to, last week?"
"No, I wrote to me before I joined the Crane School," Chiaotzu said simply, ignoring the sarcasm in the man's tone. "And I think you'll find it helpful too. You were six when you joined Master Shen, right? I think it'd be a good exercise."
"Fine."
"Good. I'm ignoring you until it's written. It's not like you have to show anyone ever. You can write anything you want. I won't know and I won't judge."
Tien scoffed quietly to himself as he bent to the page. He knew that Chiaotzu would be able to read his mind if he really wanted to find out what he'd written. They had been a part of each other's minds for most of their lives at this point, linked via telepathy when they had been young and vulnerable. And while their thoughts and emotions had been shared for so long, they also respected each other's privacy, not digging below the level they shared.
Reaching out with his mind now he could feel the barriers Chiaotzu had set up around his own mind. They were flimsy and had large gaps, were clearly just for show, but he was reassured that Chiaotzu was sticking to his word and that this letter would remain private.
If he could ever figure out how to write it.
Dear Five Year Old Me,
The rest of the page mocked him with its blankness. His handwriting was terrible; spidery and slanted and improperly capitalised.
I know you've had a hard Time so far. Losing your Parents was rough and I know Begging hasn't been easy either. No one will trust a kid with Three-eyes after all.
He hesitated, chewing on the pencil, tasting wood and graphite. It was oddly cathartic putting the words down, forming the thoughts on paper. Making them real.
Soon you're going to be found by a Man who'll teach you how to Fight. He'll teach you how to harness your Ki and how to block and dodge and punch. He'll teach you how to hurt People. How to Kill people. It's sad, and it's terrible, but it's something you need to go through. You'll come out Stronger and Better on the other side of it. On the other side of all of that corruption is a Good man who does Great things. You'll leave the Crane behind and Prove yourself. You'll save the World one day.
He let out a low sigh as he looked at that last sentence. He would never have been able to do all the good he had done without his allies. His friends. He looked up. Chiaotzu was humming softly to himself in the kitchen, his back turned.
Tien felt a smile pull at his lips and turned to the paper again.
You won't leave all of the Crane behind though. You'll take the Best Friend you'll ever make with you. When you meet he'll be strange and Scary. You'll have a recurring Nightmare where he stands over you and just Stares. But one day you'll be Hurt. You'll get badly Hurt. You won't be able to Walk or talk or move. And he'll Look after you. He'll keep you safe and make you Strong again. So good things come of it. Out of all that rage and hurt and Pain. He'll make Life make sense after you leave, help teach you what it means to be Good again.
Another long pause. He watched for a moment as Chiaotzu tipped a bowl of chopped vegetables into the wok, his humming gentle and almost lost under the crackling of the fire.
So you'll be okay. You'll be totally Okay. Just a few more years under that Cruel old man and then you'll be Free. And the Years that follow will have hard times too, in their Own way. But you'll be Okay.
Enjoy it.
He folded the paper up. He tucked it into his belt then stood and walked into the kitchen. Chiaotzu didn't look up from the wok.
"All done?"
"Yep." Tien put one arm around Chiaotzu's shoulders and hugged the telepath to his side briefly, smiling widely. "Thanks. It helped."
Chiaotzu grinned up at him, no smugness in his smile. "I'm glad. You're a good man, Tien. You deserve to be happy."
"I am." Tien sat down. Felt the letter under his belt. "I am happy."