Kainora AU I did for Metalclan who runs the Officialkainora blog on tumblr :)

This fic is also on my tumblr blog where my username is Kuno-chan and my blog name is Dragoness Ramblings.

Disclaimer: Legend of Korra belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko


The Legend of Tui and La


"I have never met the reincarnation of a spirit before... well, except for the Avatar of course."

Kai had never been to the spirit world – that was Jinora and Korra's thing really – but he never thought that they might run into a man having tea there. This man, whom Korra enthusiastically greeted as Iroh, did not seem lost or troubled. It was obvious that he was perfectly content to be where he was. That was a lot better than what he, Jinora, Korra, Asami, Mako and Bolin could say for themselves seeing as they were thoroughly lost.

"Say what?"

Iroh was looking right at him. "I said that I have never really had the pleasure of meeting the reincarnation of a spirit before. The Avatar being the obvious exception. It is an honor to meet the ocean spirit."

Kai blinked. He looked behind him and around to make sure there was nobody else he could be talking to. They all shrugged their shoulders at him. Looking back at Iroh, he wondered if being in the spirit world for so long had driven the old man insane.

"Uh... thanks?"

Iroh nodded in acknowledgment then turned his attention to Jinora who sat next to him. "And you must be the moon spirit. An honor."

Jinora seemed to know how to handle this better than he did. "I'm sorry, Iroh... but I think you're mistaken. We're not spirits. We're just human."

"So is the Avatar, but she is a reincarnation nonetheless, is she not?"

"Well, yes... but that's different. She's got a spirit inside of her."

"As do we all. If you are as studious as your father was when he was your age then I am sure that you know the legends."

All eyes turned to Jinora. The attention made her turn a little pink as she seemingly combed the recesses of her mind for a tale Kai knew she probably had read. That was the great thing about having Jinora in the spirit world. She kind of knew everything.

"I... I think I might have read it in a really old text once, but there's a legend that tells the tale about the ocean and moon spirits, Tui and La. Having lived as spirits for thousands of years, they chose to cross over into the physical world to benefit mankind. They wanted to be closer to humans, but also didn't want to be separated should something happen to the other. Having no other solution, they manifested themselves into human beings that would eternally reincarnate in the hopes that they would find each other and fall in love again and again until the end of time."

With each word, Kai could feel his face getting hot. All of a sudden, he knew where Iroh was getting at with the whole Tui and La thing. He dare not turn around to see the other's faces. Especially when he could already hear Bolin.

"Aww, lil bro's had a girlfriend for a really long time."

"Bolin-"

"Mako, you can't honestly not be interested in all of this!"

"C'mon guys, don't tease them," said Asami.

Kai groaned, fighting the urge to bury his face in his hands. "But it's just a legend, right? I mean, wouldn't I know whether I was the reincarnation of a spirit? I've never really felt... spirity before."

Jinora, he could believe. She was magical enough without all those powers she had, but this trip was getting kind of far-fetched. Him? A spirit? He half-hoped he would wake up on Air Temple Island any second now, in his own bed, ready to head down for breakfast. Normal, non-spirity breakfast.

"I have been around spirits for many years and I'm not making this up. Believe me when I tell you that you two were meant to be in each others lives. Is it so hard to believe that you have a connection with someone?" asked Iroh.

At that moment, he looked over at Jinora. Her face was about as read as his probably was by now. What do you even do with information like that?

"Jinora?" asked Kai. "What do you think?"

"I-uh I'm not- maybe we..." she stammered, but couldn't seem to string a sentence together now that the implications of what this all meant had sunk in.

Iroh went on. "When these two people meet it is almost impossible for them not be drawn to each other. Often times, their lives become intertwined and it is a very difficult bond to shake. Once they find each other, it is destiny."

"I... don't understand," said Kai. That might have been a dumb statement, but he wasn't sure how to wrap his head around all of this... if he should in the first place.

"There are many bonds in this world that can transcend lifetimes, but true love can defy time itself and transcend eternally."

Kai looked over at Jinora again, grateful that nobody was saying anything anymore. He had never been taught much about the spirits back in the orphanage, but this would explain a lot. It would certainly explain why this person, above everyone else, made him so happy all the time.