Kylin
Summary: Nearing 3 years old, Kylin makes her first trip to Zaofu with her mom, the Great Uniter. Overwhelmed with work and the building of a new city, Kuvira has been forced to take some time off by her second in command, Yun, who instead stays and watches over "The Capital".
Story Background: Kuvira is there to visit Suyin for the first time with Kylin. Things between them are sort of tense after not having seen each other for a long time. It's been over four years since Kuvira has stayed in Zaofu. This story takes place in a universe where Kuvira has not destroyed Zaofu and there is no weapon of mass destruction…yet. In this story they've gotten to Kuvira before her plans for the weapon are put into place.
Side note: Yun is Kuvira's taller, giddier, and complete opposite best friend from Zaofu. Like Kuvira, she served on Suyin's guard. She also pops up in a couple of my other stories.
New Beginnings
The Capital, Kuvira's Bedroom – 177 AG
"All ready to go?"
Kuvira heard Yun's voice from the door behind her. "Almost." She packed a few final changes of clothing into her Suitcase; a smaller one, already packed, sitting by her foot.
"You missing anything? I mean you shouldn't be, since you've been in here for hours." The tall dark-haired metal bender pushed up her silver-rimmed glasses with one hand.
"Just trying to make sure I have everything."
"Or maybe you're just a little, nervous?" Yun smiled and leaned against the door frame with her free shoulder.
Kuvira stopped her task, looking over to a short stack of letters on the nightstand; her name written on them in Suyin's unmistakable ornate handwriting. "No." She replied plainly taking her eyes away from the letters as she went back to packing the last of her clothing.
"Sure. Whatever you say..." Yun briefly chuckled. "But, make sure you don't forget this?"
"What?" Kuvira snapped the two locks on the leather suitcase closed and turned around; her eyes widening a little as she took in the sight of Yun leaning against the door with a small toddler resting in her arms, sleeping soundly with her head on her friend's shoulder. In the little girl's hand, a fistful of Yun's loosened Earth Empire uniform.
"You tend to overlook the big picture when you get so focused on one thing." Yun stood back up and walked towards Kuvira. "And I think she's an important part of this mother-daughter vacation." She spoke softly, putting the unruly haired girl into the outreaching arms of her mother.
"She hasn't been asleep long." Yun watched Kuvira's face take on a rare softness as she gazed down at the small face that was like her own, only a little chubbier. "I ran around with her for a while to wear her out, and…" Yun smiled. "I think it worked…" She stifled a yawn. "On us both."
Turning around, Kuvira sat the girl down on the neatly made bed, resting her back against a pillow.
"Did you just sit her down like a stuffed animal?"
"She'll be fine for a moment." Kuvira moved across the room and into her walk-in closet, knowing Yun's watchful eyes were on Kylin. Moments later she came out donning her long black winter coat, along with a kid sized one of the same color, and a pair of similar sized waterproof boots. Sitting down across from Kylin, Kuvira took out the dark pair of socks she had stuffed into one of the boots. She gently lifted the girl into her lap, placing the heavier socks over the thin white ones already on the girl's feet.
"Oh wait a minute!"
Kuvira looked up at Yun's outburst, just managing to catch her flying out the doorway, and skidding around the corner. With a raise of her eyebrow, she focused back to pulling on Kylin's second sock.
"Here!" Yun busted into the room.
"Shh." Kuvira reminded her friend, watching the toddler's brow furrow in her sleep.
"Oh…Sorry." She whispered. "But here." The guilt on Yun's face quickly washed off as she held up a dark green pair of baby overalls.
Kuvira's brow knitted together. "What are those?"
"Just something warmer than the pants she normally wears." Yun gave her a wide grin. "I bought them while I was out. They were just so cute, and I thought they'd be perfect..."
With an irritated sigh Kuvira took the overalls from Yun, tuning out her rambling story in the background.
"…Since you were talking about how you were worried about her being cold." Yun paused, presumably for air. "So I had to buy them." Stopping, she raised an eyebrow. "Besides, they're more flexible than that little uniform you put her in for public outings."
Kuvira stopped, looking up at Yun with a furrowed brow.
"Oh come on, this is supposed to be a trip with your daughter. Not a formal meeting with the mini Great Uniter."
Kuvira inspected the short soft fuzz on the pant's inside, and sighed. "Ok, help me get her into these."
Yun's face lit up at Kuvira's acceptance, or really, her relent.
Wedging off Kylin's cartoon-printed pajama pants, gentle enough to not wake the sleeping girl, Kuvira folded them and set them aside, reminding herself to bring them on the trip since they were Kylin's favorite. Standing up with Kylin, Kuvira put the toddlers dangling bare legs into the overalls Yun held open.
"Are you sure you'll be okay here?" Kuvira locked eyes with Yun, just before the woman across from her shifted her gaze down to Kylin, her hands moving to fasten the clasps at the girl's chest.
"Are you worried about me?" Yun smiled. "Or are you really asking 'Will my empire crash and burn if I leave you in charge?'" She chuckled and looked back up at Kuvira. "I think I can handle this for a few weeks-"
"A few weeks?" Kuvira's eyes widened as she watched Yun turn her back to her and walk a few steps away, the toddler left in her hands. "Who said I'd be gone that long?"
"I did." Yun turned on her toes, facing Kuvira's irritation with a wide smile. "You haven't taken some good time off in a while." She shrugged. "Plus, I think it's time you saw Suyin again…" She glanced away. "…and she already knows."
Kuvira rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed sigh. "…That's what this is about." She grumbled and turned back to the bed, taking Kylin with her in one arm.
"SEE!" Yun pointed, striding a few paces toward Kuvira; the other woman sitting Kylin back against the bed's pillows before finding a spot on the edge to sit.
"I knew it. You don't want to face Suyin." Yun moved closer looking down at Kuvira with her face scrunched into a disappointed look, before she grabbed the woman underneath the arms and set her on her feet. "But oh well, you don't have a choice." Yun smiled. "The airship leaves in 15 minutes. And you plus little Uniter are going to be on it." She grabbed Kylin's boots, took both suitcases, and headed towards the door with speed in her steps. "Don't forget her." Yun called out disappearing out the door.
Looking next to her, Kuvira gazed at the toddler still sleeping soundly; the girl's tongue trying to poke out from between her relaxed lips.
Kuvira couldn't explain it. Over two years later, and she still didn't understand what it really meant to be a mother. Sometimes she could hardly believe the child was hers. All she knew was that this little girl was the world to her, and she'd bring hell to anyone who dared to hurt her. Now she understood why Suyin loved her kids so much. She never much liked kids, but quickly found out, when it was your own child, the feeling was different. Kuvira felt the strong bond between them, even though the girl couldn't say very much.
Still trying to figure out her words, Kylin used everything else she had to communicate the best she could. She smiled a contagious grin all the way up to her eyes, and waved her hands around when she was happy; especially with Yun. Yun was her favorite playmate; the two were perfect for each other.
"Now you have someone to play with." Kuvira softly smiled. Those were her first words to Yun after Kylin's birth, after she woke up and found the new Earth Empire commander beside her bed, cradling the day old baby in her arms; her hazel eyes staring mesmerized at the girl's face. But sometimes Yun was…overbearing. She wanted to take Kylin out and show her the world as soon as the girl opened her eyes for the first time; way before the baby even had a decent grasp on reality.
When Kylin was sad, or simply needed a break from Yun, that's when she came and found her.
Normally working away in her office, engrossed in the demands of her job, Kuvira didn't always notice Kylin's presence until she was right in front of her; even as the messy thumps from her tiny, untrained feet paced towards her. And her work became almost forgotten when she saw the bright emerald eyes of the little girl staring up at her. Kylin loved it when she picked her up and spun around in the office chair a few times. Kuvira didn't even go that fast, but Kylin would bounce up and down with a grin on her face.
Reaching to the foot of the bed, Kuvira picked up a small black beanie. She held it in her hand for a moment before lifting Kylin into her lap, and stretching the cap over the girl's wispy curls. Lifting the girl into the air, she gave her a kiss on the forehead and stood, Kylin's face going over her shoulder, and her arms around Kuvira's neck.
Just about to leave, Kuvira stopped in her tracks, and looked back to the reached down, grabbing the small jacket and pajama pants before making her way out of the room, and down the hall.
"Come on Great Uniter…" Yun's voice carried through the hall as she smiled from the door she held open a few yards away. "…my arm is getting tired."
Kuvira passed through the door, using her bending to push the door's weight off Yun's hand. "You can metal bend, right?" She smirked looking over to the woman recovering from her unexpected stumble.
"…Uh…w-well I…hadn't thought of that." Yun gave her a crooked grin, and scratched the back of her neck.
"Where are the bags?"
"Already on the ship." Yun gestured to the nearing Earth Empire airship they walked towards; the engines growing louder, and the wind whipping faster as they got closer.
Stopping at the bottom of the ramp, Kuvira turned to Yun, a serious look in her eyes as she stared down her second in command.
"What?" Yun raised an eyebrow. "Wait…now you're giving me the 'are you sure you can do this' look."
"I want you to keep me updated."
"Would you like me to call you every single hour?" Yun responded to Kuvira's concerns with sarcasm.
Kuvira looked down; the girl shifting in her arms. "No…just-"
Yun reached out, laying her hand on Kuvira's shoulder. "I'll call you—not every hour. But don't worry about it. Everything will be fine." She lifted her hand, and softly rubbed Kylin's back as she watched the girl for a few moments. "Your job is to take care of her."
Kuvira looked up, her eyes asking if that was it. She could hardly imagine herself sitting and doing nothing for days; the very thought was nearly inconceivable.
Yun rolled her eyes. "Ok. I put a case of some of your work on the ship. That should ease your worrying and give you something to do…for a few hours." She smiled.
"That's good enough. Thanks." Kuvira glanced to the ship then back to Yun, sensing there was more. She watched Yun's smile grow ear to ear before realizing what she wanted. "No-" Kuvira tried to take a step back, but was crushed against the other woman's body before she could protest the hug.
"I'm gonna miss you, and you." Yun rubbed Kylin's head.
Lifting her head from her mother's shoulder, Kylin turned; her irritated sleepy gaze connecting with Yun's wide eyes.
"Ok, I get it." Yun smirked taking her arm from around Kuvira.
"Did you wake her up?" Kuvira's brow furrowed.
"No…" With a finger, Yun tried to gently push Kylin's head back to where it was, feeling relief when the girl laid her head down on her own. "See…"
"We need to get going."
"Ok." Yun watched Kuvira take a few steps up the ramp before turning around and throwing another serious look her way. "Good-bye Great Uniter. Earth Empire will be fine." Yun waved to further push her point. And with that Kuvira turned back around, walking up the remaining steps and into the air ship cabin without another glance.
Turning around, Yun set her sights on the mansion. "You can totally do this..." She walked back towards the door as the airship behind her lifted off into the sky. "…maybe."
4 Weeks Earlier
"Hey Boss."
Suyin smiled over the phone at Yun's formality. Even though her second-best guard had gone with Kuvira to become her friend's right hand, Yun never forgot to show her respect. "Hi Yun, what is it?"
"It's about the trip."
"Oh?"
"Well, I'm sorta pushing Kuvira to take a break. She thinks a couple days off is enough. But that's not really a break." Yun paused. "So…can we extend that?"
"What do you mean?"
"A couple days isn't gonna do much…I was thinking a few weeks."
Suyin smirked. "And I'm guessing you're not going to tell her until the last minute."
"Yup, Exactly. I already instructed the pilots to leave once Kuvira is settled there with you, just to make sure she doesn't decide to come back early.
"Aren't they worried about facing the Great Uniter's wrath?"
"Nah…" Yun glanced to the side, seeing mental images of the soldiers cowering at Kuvira's feet, pleading for her mercy as she silently stood over them, her face shrouded in black. "…I think they'll be fine."
"That doesn't sound reassuring."
"Well if it comes to that I told them I'd take the fall for it. But somehow, I don't think Kuvira will be too angry. I think she'll understand." Yun paused, letting the silence drag on for a moment. "So yeah, do you have room for her and a plus one…well, really a plus half." She mumbled out the last part. "I guess I should've asked, do you mind keeping her a little longer?"
'Another person...' Suyin's stomach sank. "Of course not. Who's the other?"
"Uh-well, i-it's not really my place to tell you…You'll see when she gets there."
Present
8:30 P.M
Time couldn't pass by slower. Suyin sat at her desk, her head in her hand as she tapped the back of her fountain pen against the contract below her. Another company saw Zaofu as a lucrative city, and wanted her permission to build a store on her property. That meant that again she'd have to go through the whole meet and greet with the business owners, which was really just a glorified interview to assess their character. But at the moment her mind wasn't concerned with any of that or the words on the page below her. When she stared into the paper, all she really saw were images and memories of the newspaper article that changed everything.
ZAOFU-175 AG
Suyin stared at the sunset, her hand resting along the windowsill. Sometimes, it all felt like a dream. As she looked over the glistening city, she wondered how she'd gotten to where she was. She never expected that a teenager who hated politics would grow up and become a world leader. And now this world leader had been cooped up in her office for too many hours; it was time to get out.
"MOM!" Opal skidded into view, then doubled over with her hand outstretched to the doorway.
Hearing distress in her daughter's voice, Suyin quickly turned around to see Opal take in a deep breath. "W-What…what's wrong sweetie?"
Opal held up a newspaper and walked across the office, visibly out of breath as she slipped it onto Suyin's desk. "You're…going to want to read that."
Moving over, Suyin's breath hitched inside of her chest as she looked down. There it was, the face of the woman she had never been able to forget, pictured stoically standing next to a dorky smiling Wu, under the title 'King Wu gives power to Great Uniter'. Suyin examined the picture and softly a smile began to stretch across her face. "Why can't she just smile once for a picture?" She unintentionally said her thoughts out loud as she looked at Kuvira's emotionless face staring blankly into the camera.
The phone beside Suyin rang, breaking her from her daze as she picked up it. "Suyin."
"Have you seen today's paper by chance?" Tenzin's voice boomed from the other side of the phone, sounding troubled with anxiety.
"As a matter of fact I'm looking at it right now-"
"The Earth Kingdom is almost half of all the nations combined. Kuvira is going to be more powerful than any of us."
"And you think Wu was any better?" Suyin said calmly, tapping a finger on the wooden desk, her mind preparing itself to hear out Tenzin's frenzy.
"Suyin, we have seen what c-cruelties Kuvira is capable of. She's fit to start a revolt, maybe a war. But a person with such tyrannical capabilities is not fit to fairly govern a nation of citizens. Sure an army…but is she really ready to deal with the hardship of managing people who won't always bend to her will, or so easily buy into her propaganda? What if the Earth Kingdom is turned into some…giant prison camp?"
"I was pretty sure she had gotten rid of those."
"Well, y-yes but-" Tenzin stopped and gave an elongated sigh. "All I'm saying is, she has proven to be quick to anger, and quick to condemn those who do not follow the slightest of her orders. A nation cannot survive that way. People will get tired of it, and it will be only a matter of time before the Earth Kingdom is sent spiraling back into chaos once more."
Suyin waited a second before responding. "I understand your hesitation. But Kuvira has and will always want a certain amount of order…It's just how she is." Suyin rounded her desk and sat in her chair. "…Frustration can be her biggest enemy when she feels she doesn't have control." She paused then chuckled, thinking about her former captain's short fuse when it came to managing unmotivated people. "Tenzin, take it from someone who knows her well, but I think she's finally learned from her mistakes." She rested her elbow on the table and put a hand over the bridge of her nose.
"…Well then, I won't say anything more about it."
"Yes you will." Suyin smiled envisioning the pent up anger on the normally peaceful man's face. She could even picture the top of his bald head turning red from everything he tried to hold inside.
Tenzin unclenched his teeth and cleared his throat. "I guess we better start making plans to go to the ceremony in a few weeks." He sighed again. "I hope Wu is making a good decision."
"We know Kuvira is capable. She just had a rough start."
"Look, Suyin I understand what she means to you."
"Do you?" Suyin said disbelievingly as she looked up and out into the office.
"Yes, she lived in Zaofu for years, and was practically your right hand. I know it must be difficult to…believe everything that she's done."
Suyin held the phone loosely by her ear, tired of listening to Tenzin drone on about how bad and menacing Kuvira was, and why her taking control was an unwise idea; a lecture she'd heard many times before.
"But she's not the person who left Zaofu, not anymore. She's taken on a dangerous persona as this…Great Uniter."
Suyin looked down at Kuvira's picture in the paper. She had to agree that that statement did have some merit. With the rise of the Great Uniter, Kuvira managed to bring out a side of her Suyin had never seen.
"…the captain of your guard is gone Suyin. And-"
"You have no idea Tenzin."
"Of what?"
"I'm just going to leave it at that. But she's closer to me than Korra is to you." Suyin took a breath. "I trust her with my life. So persuading me to think against her is going to be very hard for you to do…even given what she's done."
"I'm not trying to persuade you. I'm just stating the facts." Tenzin paused, knowing it wasn't really his place to pry. "But…how has your perspective so easily changed…weren't you two at odds?"
Suyin stayed quiet.
Being forced to remember the series of progressively worse arguments that drove Kuvira to leave, hit a raw nerve. Out of anger she said many things she could never take back. And for months, she held a grudge keeping her from even wanting to think about Kuvira. But getting emotionally tired from holding so much in, she forced herself to swallow her pride and realize she was just as wrong to turn a blind eye to the suffering of her own kind.
"…Yes…we were. It's been almost a year since we've spoken." Suyin sighed. "But I can't stay angry with her…not anymore."
Tenzin grumbled under his breath. "That's a new turn for you-"
"I heard that." Suyin's eyes narrowed as she let the moment pass. "Anyways…I'm not saying I don't see the mistakes she's made, you know I do, but nothing of the sort has happened since. When I see her again, I'll talk to her, and I'm sure I can assuage all your worries." She smiled. "Kuvira did change when she left Zaofu, yes…but, she's changed again. And this time I think for the better." Suyin picked up the paper under her finger tips, and gazed over Kuvira's image again.
"Maybe your right..." Tenzin attempted to relent, pressing his fingers into the side of his temple. "Maybe the stubborn Great Uniter has finally had an epiphany. Maybe I'm just an old man yelling for no reason."
Suyin's eyes never left the paper as she let out a smirk at Tenzin's words, not noticing how Opal watched her as she spoke about Kuvira.
Present
9:45
Suyin paced the office, wandering in no particular direction as the time neared Kuvira's expected moment of arrival. She couldn't help it. She could only twirl the pen between her fingers for so long before she had to get up and move to relieve her nerves.
She wasn't expecting this though. She wasn't expecting her feet to be burning a trail into the office carpeting at the thought of Kuvira's imminent arrival. She was never one to get nervous, and could hardly remember the last time she did. Sure nerves came easy if she was ever forced to worry about her family; Opal's new air bender journeys had been the most recent addition to that. But Kuvira wasn't someone she was ever nervous to see. Maybe that was because for the longest time, Kuvira never had a reason to leave Zaofu. She was always there, right by her side.
But now, over two years had gone by, and the only contact they'd had with one another was through letters, and even that was limited. She'd tried to call Kuvira multiple times in the past, but was always sent off with the same line "The Great Uniter is busy."
Soon even the responses to her letters stopped coming. The replies went from weekly, to monthly, to just sporadic returns every few months. And then, four months after the Great Uniter's last reply, Yun called, telling her Kuvira was going to visit with a plus one.
What was that supposed to mean?
Well, even if she didn't know exactly who was coming with Kuvira, her mind certainly ran circles for the next few weeks trying to fill in the blanks.
10:10
The phone's ring struck through the silent office. Standing a good distance from the desk, Suyin practically jumped from her skin and froze. 'She's here.'
Realizing the phone hadn't ceased its incessant ring, she ran to grab it.
"Yes." Suyin said with haste before she tried to calm herself and straighten her posture with a soft clear of her throat.
"The Great Uniter's airship is landing in five minutes. Just letting you know."
"Thank you, I'll be down there shortly." Suyin hung up the phone; her hand staying frozen on the handle a few seconds longer. 'She's actually here.' Slowly her eyes started to dart over the desk as realization set in. 'Is everything ready? Will she need anything? Will she want anything- NO. Stop. Feeling herself start to lose her sanity, Suyin closed her eyes, taking in a slow calming breath as she ran a hand through her hair. "Everything is fine." She whispered her herself.
Suyin turned around heading towards the door, but stopped short in the doorway for just a second to secure her resolve. Drawing in another breath she moved into the hallway, walking with an extra push of confident purpose, disguising the tentativeness in her steps to fool herself into believing she didn't feel her nerves trying to get the better of her. Even worse, she knew Kuvira would instantly pick up on her feelings the moment she made it within the powerful bender's field of vision, so she had to fake it as well as she could.
But getting closer to the landing pad, then riding up its elevator to the top, Suyin couldn't reel in her pounding heart. It beat so hard it almost hurt, feeling like the beginning of an impending heart attack.
Reaching the top floor of the lift, a guard met her just outside the elevator doors, on a shaded portion of the landing pad. But she didn't really notice him. Seeing the massive Earth Empire airship having already docked and let down its ramp, her eyes searched for Kuvira.
Then, two soldiers came rushing down the ramp she neared, and stopped at the bottom; one going to either side as the two turned to face each other. Walking out into the open, Suyin stopped a good distance away from them; the Zaofu guard stopping just behind her. She gazed over to the soldier at her left. His unmistakable Earth Empire uniform was pristine, and his attention stance rigid. He didn't even sway. The stern look on his face was no less relaxed. His eyes stared only straight, yet somehow he was able to tell when Kuvira's presence moved down the ramp before she had time to notice, as he gave a perfect salute.
"Su?"
At Kuvira's nearing voice, Suyin froze for just a second; an internal chill rushing through her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Great Uniter's black boots moving down the ramp. Then, finally looking over, she saw Kuvira walking towards her with her hands in her pockets and not much of an expression on her face.
The Great Uniter was dressed in her same modest, but stately uniform. Black pants had taken the place of ones that were once green, and a long overcoat kept her warm against the chilling Zaofu winter.
Her armor was gone. But taking in Kuvira's slightly worn out appearance and rushed up hair, Suyin figured Kuvira knew it wasn't worth it to wear heavy armor on a four hour airship ride, no matter how much it had become a part of her image. Watching the woman stop at arm's length, feeling a warmth radiate from her towering presence, Suyin couldn't help the grin that spread across her face.
But Kuvira's focus turned elsewhere.
The Great Uniter stared down at the matriarch's feet then looked up into Suyin's eyes with a knowing smile. "I didn't expect you to be nervous."
Suyin glanced away, as the cool breeze that blew between them calmed her beating heart. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice."
"I had a good teacher."
Suyin looked back and smiled as it went silent between them. Her eyes eventually traipsed down to Kuvira's collar, but Kuvira continued to watch her; the Great Uniter's fingers tingling a little as they fought against and tested her self-control.
It had been so long since she'd touched Suyin's face. Thinking of that, the Great Uniter remembered that there was once a time where she would have given everything and anything for the woman standing in front of her; such a strong passion could never be so easily lost.
True, her disappointment with Suyin lessened that urge. But now, with everything resolved between them, the only things keeping Kuvira from reestablishing what they had, were her new priorities. Her commitment to work, the new city, and her daughter was steadfast, and purposely made so.
"There's someone I want you to meet." Kuvira turned to the toddler tugging on the back of her coat, where she hid behind her mother.
Suyin went to ask where, but was silenced when Kuvira looked down over her shoulder.
"Come on out." She reached arm behind her, waiting for the toddler to take her hand. When Kylin did, Kuvira led her out of hiding, and right before the matriarch's widening eyes.
Bringing the short girl in front of her, Kuvira was forced to lean a little in order to set a hand on the top of Kylin's beanie-covered head. She looked up at Suyin; the matriarch's speechless face and agape mouth telling her Suyin wouldn't be the first to speak. "This is Kylin."
Kuvira waited for Suyin to respond. After their long relationship, she could understand if Suyin was having trouble processing this new shock; especially since she remembered telling Suyin she wasn't at all interested in having kids. Kuvira vividly recalled describing them as a bothersome nuisance.
That same attitude toward children and family, eventually led to the demise of her already bleak relationship with Bataar Jr. And she was certain he told Suyin the reason for their breakup when he returned to Zaofu, trying to make reconciliations before setting out on his own way.
That was probably why Suyin seemed so awestruck at the sight of this little toddler. She was only the second of the Beifong family to see Kylin; the first being Opal, after the air bender decided to make a surprise visit to The Capital. But Kuvira made sure her secret would stay safe, by making Opal agree to tell no one.
"Where are my manners…" Suyin looked up to Kuvira with a smile that showed a mixture of emotions, happiness with a hint of sadness. "I haven't given you a hug." She reached out, enclosing Kuvira in an embrace as the Great Uniter's free hand slid to the middle of her back. "It's good to have you here." Suyin kept her tone even and her words absent of the I miss yous she wanted to say. That would come later, when they were in the comfort of privacy. Feeling her former guard make no move to break the hug, Suyin knew she'd have to push Kuvira away, before the new world leader made a diplomatic mistake as old emotions were resurrected.
A tiny foot stepping repeatedly on hers helped Suyin push Kuvira away. "I guess someone's getting jealous. Maybe the hug was a little too long." Suyin looked at Kuvira and smirked watching the Great Uniter look away.
"No…" Kuvira turned back with a smile hinting at embarrassment. She looked down to Kylin's angry little face, watching her give Suyin's foot one last stomp; the impact so gentle the matriarch didn't budge. "She just learned how to stomp first." Kuvira chuckled. "Walking came later."
"Well, I guess she's already managed to gain the Great Uniter's…enthusiastic spirit." Looking down at the girl rubbing her nose, Suyin let the smug look on her face slowly fade. She always loved picking on Kuvira from time to time. It used to keep their relationship interesting; her jabs enticing the mischievous troublemaker in the captain. "Can she walk? How old is she?"
"Two years four months. She just started walking a couple months ago." Kuvira paused. "I haven't picked her up since then."
"Why?"
"She doesn't like being held much anymore. Now she'd rather explore on her own…and cause trouble."
"Oh." Suyin smiled looking at Kuvira staring down at the girl whose forehead rested against her leg; a strong protective hand resting against the back of Kylin's head. Kuvira's eyes met hers once more, and in them Suyin saw a defensive look she recognized well. Her eyes said in a less than subtle way, "She's my daughter, and I will do everything in my power to keep her safe." And with Kuvira, Suyin knew that wasn't a warning to take lightly. She had every confidence that Kuvira would move mountains if it meant protecting the happiness of this little girl. Kuvira would give Kylin what she never had, a loving home, and a family.
"Here." Kuvira broke their gaze and leaned down, pulling the girl off her. She turned Kylin around and nudged her towards Suyin; that action alone a sign of complete trust. "Move back." Kuvira reached out and pressed a gentle hand into Suyin's front, getting the matriarch to move; her other hand on Kylin's shoulder. "Let her come to you."
"O.K." Raising an eyebrow, Suyin took a couple extra steps back, leaving a wide gap of distance for Kylin to conquer.
"Go to Suyin." Kuvira spoke, nudging Kylin's back with her hand before she stepped back.
Left alone in the open, Kylin looked around and turned back, gravitating towards Kuvira, taking tiny steps to reach her mother.
Who was Suyin? The toddler didn't know. Her mind was just getting used to the gray-haired woman's face.
Getting closer to Kuvira, she reached her hands out for her mom's dark coat, but stumbled in her balance when Kuvira lifted it out of her grasp.
"No." Kuvira said as she leaned over again and picked Kylin up from the ground, only to turn her back to Suyin and set her down.
Not wanting to go to this strange new person, Kylin stumbled backwards and was held up by her mother's hand on her back.
"Come here Kylin."
Putting her thumb into her mouth, Kylin stared at Suyin, who had bent over and outstretched her hand to the little girl.
The hand looked friendly enough, and the smile on the woman's face looked warm and inviting, but who was Suyin? Was this Suyin? Feeling another nudge on her back, Kylin snapped out of her stupor, and before she knew it the supporting warmth of her mother's hand was gone. She looked over, watching Kuvira move away until she stood on the same side as the gray-haired lady. Now she was forced to move towards this odd person.
"Come on Kylin." Kuvira spoke.
Kylin focused on the hand, then up to her mother. Which one to choose? Maybe she could just go around the weird person to get to Kuvira. But the darker hand was lower, so her energy went to that. She hesitated in her first step; the hand looked so far away from where she was.
"Come on."
There was the soothing voice helping to push her forward, and it came from the gray-haired lady. Kylin looked up to Suyin's face, seeing the tender smile growing across her lips. With no further hesitancy she stomped forward slowly at first, then faster. But her confident speed was more than her small legs could handle. Her coordination was off, and halfway to the hand she tripped and fell; her hands and knees taking the brunt of the harsh landing as she started to cry.
Kuvira watched Suyin rush to reach out and grab the girl; her deep-rooted motherly instinct wanting to protect the tiny child from pain. But the Great Uniter grabbed Suyin's shoulder and held her back; the older woman looking to her with a slight furrow in her brow.
"Don't." The corner of Kuvira's mouth turned up in a small smile; she knew Suyin too well. "She's fine. Let her get up on her own."
Suyin lifted herself up and turned her attention back to the sniffling girl, who was indeed slowly picking herself up from the ground. She pushed against the tarmac with her short arms and sat back on her butt; the saddest look left on her face. But with Kylin's attention span being short, her mind got over the pain and failure faster than any adult. Getting back up to her feet, Kylin rubbed her eyes and looked again to her destination.
The hand was gone, but there were still two dark green legs, and two black ones. She walked towards the green ones. After what to her was a long and tiring trek, Kylin made it to a leg, and gripped its green fabric. Too tired to look up, she rested her forehead against the soft fabric and balled the material up into her small fists.
"See, I told you."
Suyin stared down at the girl gripping onto her leg, and smiled. Now she understood what Kuvira had just done. She let Kylin fail in order for her to learn that failure wasn't an excuse to quit; failure wasn't the end. And Suyin knew, because of Kuvira's somewhat hands off approach to parenting, Kylin would come out stronger and more independent in the years to come. She had always been just the opposite with her kids, helping them at their every whim.
Reaching down, Suyin picked up the toddler, who was too worn out to protest over whose arms she was in.
And Kylin reached around her neck, closing her eyes, gripping the fabric just above the woman's shoulders, as she felt herself start to lightly rock from side to side with each one of Suyin's steps.
Following behind Suyin, Kuvira reached out and pulled the beanie off of Kylin's head, revealing the girl's mass of poofy, untamed curls. She smiled, folding the soft hat in her hands and sticking it into her pocket. 'Maybe this trip is worth a few weeks…'
"Great Uniter."
Kuvira stopped and turned back to see an Earth Empire sergeant with both of her suitcases in his hands.
"I'll take them. You all can retire for the night."
The guard said nothing as he set the bags down and gave a salute, to which she nodded.
Taking the suitcases, Kuvira turned and nearly froze at the sight of Suyin waiting for her with her daughter in her arms. Their eyes connected until Kuvira dropped hers and moved forward.
The Great Uniter clenched her teeth, trying to push down the warm feeling that suddenly everything felt right, like it had fallen into place perfectly. She still wasn't planning on talking to Suyin about where their relationship stood. Suyin didn't need to know that since she had taken office, and since Kylin had come about, she had been actively trying to avoid her. But knowing Suyin, Kuvira figured it was only a matter of time before the matriarch brought up the unanswered letters, and with that, a whole slew of questions.
"I set you up in your old apartment off the guard barracks." Suyin opened the door but didn't look at her. "…Just like you left it…well, for the most part. I had some basic housekeeping done to it, but that's about it." She spoke soft letting Kuvira move in first, watching a sense of nostalgia slip into her eyes, as the Great Uniter stood in the same place she once stood in as a guard. As Kuvira's eyes moved about the room, Suyin used the opportunity to squeeze past her and find the light switch, illuminating the room with more light than what the courtyard lamp could give, shining in through the doorway.
Kuvira watched Suyin move past the full size bed and deeper into the room, turning on an another set of lights by the small kitchen and checking to make sure things were properly cleaned for the Great Uniter's arrival, all while handling Kylin with expert finesse.
"Still looks the same huh?" Suyin turned to her.
"Yeah." Kuvira gently smiled.
Satisfied with the room, Suyin moved over to the bed and sat at the foot's edge taking Kylin from her chest, and consequently waking the girl up as she sat her on her thigh. "So this is what Yun meant by a "plus half"."
"She said that?" Kuvira walked to the nightstand and clicked on her favorite lamp, which was also still in the same spot.
Suyin chuckled. "Yeah." Lifting her hand, she tried to smooth down the girl's wispy curls a few times, only for them to spring back up once they were freed from underneath her palm. "It's just a big poof."
Kuvira turned to see Suyin stroking Kylin's hair. "Uh, well her hair isn't long enough to put in a ponytail yet. So yeah, it's just a dark poof."
Enthralled with the kid on her lap, Suyin took a finger and gently poked Kylin in the nose, to which the girl tried to follow her finger and bite back more than once before becoming mystified by her reflection in the matriarch's necklace.
"Why do you look so exhausted?" Suyin turned her focus to the Great Uniter who dragged into her view as Kylin's forehead found its way to her necklace; her small eyes crossing as they stared in amazement at the shiny metal.
"She kept me up for most of the trip. So technically I've been awake for 20 hours straight. I got on the airship right after work."
Taking her eyes off her fixation, Kylin spotted Kuvira moving past Suyin with their bags as she placed them in a corner by the side of the bed. Gazing up at the woman above her, her expression turned into a frown, and stayed that way until Suyin looked down at her.
"Well, I think she's had enough of me." Suyin smiled watching the girl reach out for her mother, her eyes following Kuvira's movements. "And I better not push my luck."
Tossing her coat behind Suyin and rounding the bed, Kuvira moved in front of the matriarch and crouched down; Kylin's fingers grabbing at the top of her head. "No. She wants something." Pulling Kylin's hand from her hair with a slight grimace, Kuvira looked down at her black leather wrist watch. "And I bet it's food." Kuvira absently laid her other hand on Suyin's thigh; a mistake she knew she made as soon as she felt the fabric beneath her fingertips. Her heart's beats started to pound from her chest. But the Great Uniter always prided herself on her ability to maintain a rock solid composure. Instead of jerking her hand away, she stayed cool and calm, playing the act off as though she hadn't even noticed. And the matriarch made no commotion over her unexpected touch.
"Really, this late?"
Kuvira sighed, her tired gaze drifting into Suyin's lap; Kylin's hand patting the top of her head before she, in awe with the softness of her mother's skin, began to rub the side of Kuvira's face. "Yeah…" Kuvira took Kylin's hand from her face, and held the small wrist between her fingers. "She didn't eat on the way here. So she's probably hungry. That's why she's getting more active." The Great Uniter couldn't mask the yawn that broke from her next. Afterwards, her head drifted down, and her tired eyes found themselves looking into Suyin's lap, some part of her wanting to lay her head right in the middle.
Keeping her eyes on Kuvira, Suyin gently lifted the woman's head with her free hand. "And what about you?"
All but forced to see the genuine concern slipping into Suyin's eyes, Kuvira felt her resolve dwindling. The matriarch wasn't making it easy for Kuvira to keep her suppressed feelings platonic for the duration of the trip as she had planned. "I'll be fine until tomorrow. And I brought snacks to give her." She reassured Suyin with a weary crooked smile. The whole estate really didn't need to be woken up just because the Great Uniter might be in the mood for a sandwich.
Noticing Kylin trying to pull out of Suyin's hold, Kuvira relented and sat on the floor, right at Suyin's feet. "Here." She reached out for Kylin, and the girl was transferred into her arms. Sitting Kylin in the middle of her crossed legs, Kuvira watched the girl give a wide grin and quickly cover her eyes.
"What is she doing?"
Kuvira let another sigh escape, resting her elbow on her knee; the side of her face going into her hand. "Now she wants to play…but…" She lifted a finger and tenderly pried Kylin's hands from her eyes. "…mom is tired." She spoke to the girl. "I'll play with you tomorrow."
Kylin's smile fell as she stared back at Kuvira.
"Come here." Kuvira sat up and put Kylin on her thigh, giving the girl's hair a vigorous tousle, and sending Kylin's hair flying out wild all over her head. But the toddler didn't care that her soft crazy tufts could be likened to the hairdo of a mad scientist. A look of content came over her face before she leaned into her mother and took a bit of Kuvira's uniform into her mouth.
"H-Hey…No. You already put a hole in the last one. And these aren't cheap." Kuvira wedged the fabric from between Kylin's teeth. And with nothing to do, the girl yawned. "So-" Kuvira looked up to Suyin and stopped finding a relaxed smile on the woman's face. "What? Why are you smiling?"
"I can't help it." Suyin's eyes moved to hers. "She's so cute. She even has your eyes."
Raising an eyebrow Kuvira smirked. "You aren't going to steal her are you?"
Suyin playfully glared. "No." She looked away and smiled. "I think five was my limit."
Feeling a tug on her pinky, Kuvira looked down finding her right hand in Kylin's lap, the other tiny fist grasping her mother's index finger, spreading the larger fingers apart and smooshing them back together.
"Well, I better let you two go to sleep."
Hearing Suyin, Kuvira looked up pulling her hand out of Kylin's grip just before her pinky was gnawed on by the bored child. Her eyes followed Suyin, watching her stand as the matriarch glanced around the room then to her.
"Goodnight." Kuvira looked down, occupying her focus with Kylin, keeping her eye contact with Suyin brief.
"I'll see you in the morning." Suyin turned away with a soft acquiescent smile. But as she moved towards the door, a glint of rejection showed in her eyes, just before she left the room without looking back at the Great Uniter.
A.N. Thanks for reading, hope it was decent.