everything is different, now that i see you

Kainora Tangled AU. For LoverlyLit.

This, is the story of how I died. Don't worry - this is actually a very fun story. And the truth is, it isn't even mine. This is the story of a girl named Jinora, and it starts with the sun. Now, once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens. And from this small drop of sun, grew a magic golden flower. It had the ability to heal the sick, and injured.

Centuries passed, and a kingdom sprang up, ruled by a beloved king and queen. The queen was about to have a baby, only she was sick. Really sick. The citizens of the kingdom started to look for a miracle - or in this case, a magic golden flower.

And it worked. It healed the queen, and gave the baby, a little girl, beautiful golden hair. I'll give you a hint: that's Jinora.

It's what happened afterwards that's the fun part of this story... and well, I'll let you see for yourself.

: - : - :

As the heroic adventurer he was, up until this morning, Kai had been sure he had seen it all. Pirates, ruffians, thugs? Been there, done that. Even climbing the tower as tall as the one he was currently sitting in had been fairly easy. Easier than stealing the missing princess' crown, anyhow, but where was his satchel? And was this... hair?

"How did you find me?" a voice asked.

Kai looked around the room, with its tall ceilings and colourful walls. Gold of some kind was draped everywhere, but he couldn't find the source of the voice.

"How did you find me?" the voice repeated, sounding more demanding now. There was still a slight tremble to it.

And when the speaker stepped out of the shadows, Kai found himself rendered speechless. It was a girl - late teens, a year younger than himself, probably - but unlike any he had seen. She was petite, dressed in a pale blue dress with long yellow hair. And when Kai said long, he meant long. The gold all around the room really was her hair - which was completely insane!

But hey, Kai knew how to deal with girls. He could easily get out of this situation.

He put on his most charming smile. "Hey," he said smoothly, "how's it going?" The girl's expression remained blank, confused; she raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly. It crossed his mind that she looked almost cute when she did that, but he pushed the thought away. "Name's Kai," he continued, "how you doing?"

Man did the back of his head hurt. He wished he could reach up to massage it, but his arms were strapped to the chair by hair. (This was by far the weirdest morning of his life.) How had he gotten here, again? It seemed like he had been hit on the head, or something... Oh yeah; he had just finished successfully stealing the crown, and ditched the Stabbington brothers, Mako and Bolin, outran the guards... climbed a tower. And had been promptly hit on the back of the head, if the throbbing was any indication...

"What, where's my satchel?" Kai squirmed in his seat; he had to get that crown back! How else was he supposed to get his castle?

"How did you find me? Do you want my hair?" the girl demanded.

"I was being chased," he explained, "saw your tower and climbed, it end of story... And why would I want your hair?" There sure was a lot of hair, everywhere, though. Why someone would ever want 70 feet of hair was beyond him. The girl still looked wary; Kai fixed his gaze on her, frowning. "Look, just give me back my satchel, and I'll be more than happy to get out of your hair. Literally."

"I have a deal for you, Kai, and if you hold up your end of it, you'll get your satchel back," the girl announced. Kai scowled. "Without me, you'll never find where I've hidden your satchel."

Kai sighed, and quickly scanned the room. "Is it in that pot?" he pointed a finger towards the orange vase in the corner; the girl flushed. The next thing he knew was a slimy little tongue in his ear and his head was hurting again. The tongue popped out and he wiped his ear on his shoulder, thoroughly disgusted; the little creature was this red furry little thing - the girl's pet.

"Gross!" he cried, and was grateful when the rat-thing got off his shoulder. He fixed the girl with a dry stare. "So, what exactly is this deal you have for me? And if we're going to be 'business partners', shouldn't I at least know your name?"

"Oh." The girl glanced down at her feet, looking slightly embarrassed. She needs to get out more, Kai thought. How does someone to forget to introduce themselves? "I'm Jinora." Odd name, but she was an odd girl. (And cute, but that was besides the point.) "And the deal is," Jinora continued, her voice growing in volume and confidence, "that you are going to take me to see the floating lights, return me home, and then you'll get your satchel back..." She trailed off and pulled back a curtain with her hands.

Behind the curtain was a beautiful drawing, obviously done by her. Really, all the drawings around the tower were stunning, but this was clearly the newest one. It was a picture of a dark night sky, full of lanterns. At the bottom of the picture was a figure with long blonde hair; Jinora, looking up at the lanterns.

"Do you know what these are?" Jinora asked, a frying pan clutched in one hand. (So that was what she had hit him with; surprisingly effective.)

"You mean the lantern thing they do for the lost princess every year?" He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know it. But it's in the kingdom, and well, the kingdom and I aren't exactly best buddies at the moment..." Besides, how did he know she'd give him his satchel back?

Jinora placed her other hand on her hip, using her hair to pull him closer to her, until her glowering face was only inches away from his. "You want your satchel, right?" she breathed. "I promise I'll give it back to you once I'm back here safe and sound." He frowned, because promises could never be broken, right? "And when I promise something, I never break that promise. Ever."

Kai doubted she would respond to his 'smolder', even when it was one hell of a 'smolder' and simply sighed. "Fine."

That crown had better buy him a really nice castle for this, and that was before he had to watch her run around like a maniac through the forest (a very cute maniac, mind you.)

: - : - :

As they walked along the passage, Jinora couldn't help but feel pleased and proud of herself. Who knew she'd had it in her to keep a room full of ruffians and thugs in order? And who knew ruffians and thugs could be such nice people, either? Who knew there were so many things Mother Gothel could be wrong about?

"You were pretty good back there," Kai told her, giving her a little smile.

"I know!" she exclaimed, and then tucked back a strand of her long hair, flushing. "I know," she repeated, more calmly this time. "So," she gave him a curious look. He wasn't at all how she had pictured the storybook princes she had read about, but than again, from the sound of it, he wasn't a prince, a wanted thief of some sort. But still, he was the first human she had ever met outside of her mother. "Where are you from?"

"Sorry blondie, I don't do back story," he replied, holding up his hands. "I am curious about yours however. I know I'm not supposed to mention the tower, the hair, or the over protective mother. Frankly, I'm too scared to ask about the rat." Pabu, curled up on Jinora's shoulder, lifted his head and made a noise of distaste. "But I have to ask: if you've wanted to leave your tower for so long, why haven't you left before?"

Jinora stared at her feet, for a moment. It was a good question, and she wanted to tell him the truth, but how could she when it would reveal her secret, a secret was still blissfully ignorant of.

"Why should I tell you that, you're a total stranger." Kai put a hand to his chest, with a mock-hurt expression on his face; she let out a giggle. "How about this, we'll play a game," she suggested, "I ask you a silly harmless question and you have to answer; you ask me a silly question and I'll answer. And we both have to answer honestly."

"No."

"Please?" Jinora pouted and Kai's resolve melted. It wouldn't be too bad, he guessed, and a pretty good way to pass the time, and she was too cute to say no to.

"Fine. You start though."

"Favourite colour?"

"Yellow. Yours?"

"Green." And it was the colour, she noticed, of his eyes. A bright, wonderful shade of green that reminded her of grass when she had spent years looking at the blades of it below and wondered what it would feel like to touch it. "Best friend?"

"Don't have one," he said shortly. "Yours?" he added hastily; Jinora blinked, taken aback at first, but then realized it was probably a sensitive topic that she shouldn't push, so she wouldn't.

"Pabu," she gave the fire ferret (not a rat) an affection scratch under the chin; Pabu hummed with pleasure, leaning into her touch. "Okay, favourite food?"

Kai had opened his mouth to answer, when they heard loud footsteps. It seemed the guards had caught up to them. The flickering light of lanterns and shouting confirmed his fear. "We gotta go, now!" He helped her scoop up her hair as they bolted down the tunnel and out of it, onto a short rocky ledge.

Aqueducts ran along the walls, and they ran to the rim of the ledge. The footsteps were getting louder, as was the shouting. "Hold on," Jinora told him, and used her hair like a lasso. It wrapped tightly around a jutted out beam, and she gave it quick tug; it didn't loosen. She grabbed his hand, and before he knew what was fully happening, she had jumped off the ledge, bringing him with her.

"Are you insane?!" he managed out, but a strange sense of safety had gripped him, even as the guards accidentally destroyed the aqueducts and the water started to pour out, flooding the canyon. He knew that no matter what, Jinora wouldn't leave him behind. She wouldn't turn around and stab him in the back.

And he decided, right then and there, that he would never do that to her either.

So as the water filled up the small cave they had taken refuge in, he figured he could fulfill her request of wanting his back story. "They didn't want me," he said.

"What?" she gasped, her hair plastered against her face. She had tried to look for a way out, even after he had tried and failed (not to mention had gotten cut on his hand, which really hurt). Neither had found one, however, it was too dark down there.

"My parents. They left me at the orphanage. They didn't want me. Nobody ever has, really. I thought someone should know; I'm glad it's you."

She offered him a little smile. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing."

"What?"

Jinora didn't answer. Instead, she started to sing. "Flower gleam and glow," she sang quickly, as the water rose up to their chins, "let your power shine, make the clock reverse..." The water engulfed them, but light illuminated the small cave.

Enough light to see an opening, and that was all they needed.

: - : - :

It turned out that Jinora's hair did more than glow, it also healed. Or so she said, Kai wasn't sure. He just wished her little creature Pabu wasn't smiling at him; it gave him a bad feeling.

Kai couldn't help but notice how carefully, gently, Jinora wrapped her hair around his hand. Or the way when her fingers brushed against his palm, his hand tingled, and heat rose to his cheeks.

"Just don't freak out," Jinora requested, before she started to sing again. "Flower gleam and glow, let your power sine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt, change the fate's design, save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine. What once was mine."

She had a really nice voice. Slowly, she unwrapped her hair, and Kai looked down at his palm. It was completely healed; he gaped at it. "Please don't freak out," she reminded him.

"I'm not freaking out," Kai squeaked, "it's just very interesting how your hair glows and heals stuff how long has it been doing that?"

Jinora giggled softly, and it helped Kai relax. (She had a really nice laugh too.) "Since forever, I guess? Mother always said a gift like that... it has to be protected. That's why..." she trailed off, sighing.

"That's why you never left your tower," Kai finished. She looked up at him with sad eyes, but her expression changed to one of curiosity. Her eyes glinted in the moonlight, the stars above them twinkling in the inky sky.

"So, you're an orphan?" she said at last.

"Oh." Kai cleared his throat. "Yeah. My folks dropped me off one night when I was baby. Never saw anything after that. No one adopted me and I had to make my own way."

"Well just so you know," the smile Jinora gave him made his heart skip a beat, "if I had one person to almost die with, I'm glad it's you."

His face felt hot. "Thanks." He suddenly realized how close they were to each other and drew back. He looked around, desperate for a distraction. The fire! "It looks like we need some firewood.. I'll go get some. Be back soon, okay?"

"Okay," she replied.

As he headed into the forest, Kai shook his head. No, he could not be falling for her. This was going to be a simple easy job. He'd take her to see the lanterns, take her back home, get his crown, and then be on his merry way. Nothing more. Even if she was very cute. (And the first person who seemed to genuinely like him in a long, long time.)

"Get a hold of yourself Kai," he muttered under his breath.

: - : - :

Despite the fact they had to hide a couple of times from the guards, Jinora found getting into the kingdom was surprisingly easy. She didn't know why Kai and the kingdom weren't 'best buddies' (she bet it had something to do with the crown in his satchel) but all she knew was that she needed to do something about her hair. Walking around with it hadn't been a problem in her tower, or even as they traveled through the forest, but with all the people milling around, it was a hindrance...

Kai whistled, and Jinora heard a few people gasp. Four little girls gathered around her, their red hair pulled into various braids. The two youngest squealed and clapped their hands excitedly. Within only ten minutes, the little girls had done up Jinora's hair into a long braid that nearly went down to her ankles and adorned it with flowers. At the very least, it wasn't strewn all over the street anymore. Now, she and Kai could focus on killing time until that evening when the lanterns would light up the sky.

And when Kai asked, "So, where do you want to go?" she had a seemingly endless list.

The library, where they spent hours pouring over books. More books than Jinora had ever imagined. She danced with the commoners, and Naga, one of the guards' polarbeardogs they had found in the woods (Jinora had persuaded the animal not to try to take Kai to the authorities, just for the next 48 hours) shoved Kai into the dance too.

In fact, Jinora had enough memories and happiness, eating cupcakes, dancing, reading, painting even and just seeing how beautiful everything was, she thought this single day could last her a lifetime in her tower. But part of her longed for more too. She didn't want to say goodbye to the outside world.

And the way her heart fluttered when she ended up with Kai, chest to chest, at the end of the dance confirmed that she especially didn't want to say goodbye to him. (Her mother's warning drifted back to her, and thought of the satchel with the crown she had been carrying with her left a heavy weight on her heart. Give it to him, watch, you'll see. Trust me my dear, that's how fast he'll leave you!)

Jinora shoved those thoughts away. Kai cared about her, didn't he? He had to.

After what seemed like almost no time at all, she and Kai were in a boat, floating on the water, and waiting for the lanterns to appear. Anticipation built up in her chest, but despite her excitement, she couldn't help the nagging doubt that was growing.

"What if it's not everything I hoped it would be?" she said softly, and Kai turned to her in surprise. "And what if it is? What do I do then?"

"That's the good part I guess," Kai said, smiling at her. "You get to find a new dream."

Slowly, she returned the smile. Then, she caught sight of a tiny glowing object, floating into the sky: a lantern. Jinora nearly tipped the boat as she scrambled to the stern, standing up slightly to get a better look. More lanterns joined the first one, the sky lighting up beautifully. There were more lanterns than Jinora had ever thought possible, all glowing softly and casting their light on the water.

A content smile came onto her face. This was worth the wait, and worthy of being her first dream.

After a few seconds of simply gazing at the lanterns, Jinora turned back to Kai, who was holding two lanterns in his hand, holding one up for her. Jinora sat down again, and shifted nervously, giving him a smile, before she picked up the satchel from underneath her seat. Kai's expression melted into one of slight shock.

"I know I should have given it to you before," she admitted. "But I was scared. And the thing is, now, I'm not scared anymore." She looked up at him hopefully. "Do you know what I mean?"

Kai placed a hand on the satchel and lowered it off onto the side - an act of complete dismissal. "I'm starting to," he replied. Jinora grinned widely, Kai returning it. He softly placed her lantern in his hand, and they lifted them into the sky together.

He couldn't help but watch with a quiet sense of joy as she pointed out a lantern floating near with pure happiness, and lifted it back up into the sky. Maybe he had fallen in love with her, just a little bit. Kai reached forwards and took her hand. If possible, her smile got even bigger. And it looked like she had fallen for him too.

She slid her hand into his other hand, and for a moment, Kai thought that everything was perfect. He reached up and brushed her hair out of her face, and leaned in to kiss her when -

The Stabbington brothers were on shore, glaring out at him. That couldn't be good.

: - : - :

Everything had happened in a blur, but as Kai placed a hand to his aching side, coating his palm in blood, it seemed to replay in slow motion. Going to shore to give the Stabbington brothers the crown - he didn't want it anymore. The brother tying him up, forcing him onto a boat, making it seem like he was abandoning Jinora, while the brothers went after Jinora themselves. Getting caught by the palace guards, sentenced to hanging, realizing Jinora was in trouble when the Stabbington brothers ended up in jail. Escaping, with the help of the ruffians and thugs, and climbing Jinora's tower. Finding Jinora tied up, gagged, while Mother Gothel quickly gave him a fatal stab wound.

"Just let me heal him," Jinora pleaded with Mother Gothel. "And I'll listen to you. I won't fight. I'll go with you, stay with you, for the rest of my life. I promise. Just let me heal him."

After chaining Kai up to a post, Mother Gothel threw back her black hair and let Jinora rush to Kai's side. "You're going to be alright Kai," she told him.

"You can't do this," he coughed. Tears welled in her eyes.

"I can't let you die."

"But if you do this," he looked up at her with sad eyes, "you'll die."

"I'll be okay," she reassured him, although Jinora knew Kai didn't really believe her.

"Jinora..." he croaked. He reached up to brush her hair out of her face, when she felt him grab hold of it just a little beyond the back of her head. There was a shing! and his other hand - one holding a shard of glass that had been left over from Jinora and Gothel's confrontation only an hour prior (because by God, she was the lost princess) - fell limply to the floor.

"No," she gasped. Her now cut feet of blonde hair was rapidly turning brown, as did the hair she still had on her head. Her hair was losing its magic, its power. She turned to Gothel, who was turning to gray, turning older with every passing second.

The monster of a woman howled as she tugged her hood over her head and staggered desperately around the room. Jinora didn't even have time to cry out a warning as Gothel stumbled and tripped over the threshold of the tower - and fell. Jinora didn't have to check; no one would have survived that fall.

She would deal with that later; right now she had to save Kai. She couldn't let him die! She took one of his hands and placed on his hair, singing in a broken voice. "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine, heal what has been hurt..." Jinora's shoulders shook. There was no light, no glow. Her magic, her healing was gone. Kai's chance at survival was gone.

"Jinora," the thief managed out. "You... were my new dream."

Jinora smiled tearfully. "And you were mine."

He didn't take another breath; he was dead. She finally gave into her tears, holding his body closer to her. A tear splashed onto his cheek. A few seconds later, a soft light grew... from his wound. It spiraled and shone and then grew dimmer. She reached out to touch the wound - was it healed? - when she felt Kai's chest rise and fall.

Desperately, she looked to his face. His eyes fluttered open. He was alive. "Jinora?" he said weakly.

"Kai?" she said in disbelief.

"Did I ever tell you I have a thing for brunettes?"

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, one of his arms wrapping around her back, pulling her closer. She trembled slightly in his arms - god, she thought she had lost him - and buried her face in his neck, before she pulled away, grabbed him by the shirt collar, and kissed him.

: - : - :

After popping back into the castle and having her reunited at last with her parents, there was a huge celebration. It lasted for two weeks, and to be honest, I do not remember most of it.

Jinora joined her parents as rulers, and since I had sort of delivered the lost princess back home, all charges against me were dropped. I was now a free man, which was nice. It meant no more badly done wanted posters, anyway.

I know what you're all wondering: did Jinora and I ever get married? And well, after years and years of asking and begging, I finally said yes.

Kai!

Alright, fine, I asked her. And she made me the happiest man alive by saying yes.

And we lived happily ever after.

I've been wanting to write a Tangled AU for a while, and I'm happy to say it's finally done. It more or less follows the movie's plot, but unlike a Harry Potter AU (which will be written at one point or another, oh yes) this story doesn't have a huge amount of leg room. Which was still fun, of course. :D

I wrote this with LoverlyLit, a fantastic fanficition author, in mind. She's a big fan of Kainora and Tangled, so voila, there you go! She's also a writer I look up to a lot, so yeah... I hope you enjoyed it. It seems you're going through a bit of a tough time right now, so hang in there. You'll be fine, even if it seems hard right now. :)

I'm open to more possible Disney requests, so if there's any AU you think would really fit Kainora, let me know (Aladdin is already among the list with Bolin as Genie because let's be real here, it'd be hilarious). Love you guys!