the thief and the airbender
i've changed
{for Lilyflower}
"I'm so proud of you," Jinora whispered, and Kai offered her a faint smile. They had traveled all over the upper Earth Kingdom - now properly restored as the Kingdom, after Kuvira was finally taken down - as airbending masters, but Kai had made an unusual request of where he wanted to go. Jinora was more than happy to oblige. And now they were here, standing outside a nice, fancy house, waiting nervously on the doorstep after Kai had rang the doorbell.
A short woman answered the door. "Hello, how may I help you?" she asked.
"We were hoping to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Shu," Kai said, his voice faltering. Jinora gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Oh, I'll go get them right away, I'm their maid, Oma," the woman said, giving them a smile before disappearing back into the house. Oma reappeared a few moments later with a plump, finely dressed woman, and a man with smoothly slicked back hair. "I'll leave you to your business."
Jinora studied Mr. and Mrs. Shu. Kai had rarely talked about them, and although with more gray hairs, they looked the same way he had described them. The couple regarded them, surely taking in their airbending suits and Jinora's tattoos, but Jinora couldn't see any real recognition in their eyes.
Kai took a deep breath. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Shu... It's been a while, but... I'm Kai, the kid you adopted for a short period over three years ago. I just wanted to say sorry for stealing your money and running away. I'm not making excuses for I acted, but I was in a bad place at that time in my life. I thought you'd like to know, well... That I've changed."
Kai smiled nervously at Mr. and Mrs. Shu, who overall still looked shocked. "Oh, and where are my manners?" Kai continued. "This is Master Jinora." His smile grew. "My girlfriend."
Mr. and Mrs. Shu finally seemed to get over their shock. "Oh, erm," Mrs. Shu managed out. "It's very nice to meet you, Master Jinora."
Jinora smiled. "Likewise Mr and Mrs. Shu, although just Jinora is fine."
"Would you two...?" Mrs. Shu gestured helplessly to the door. "Like to come in for tea? We were just about to have some."
Jinora and Kai exchanged looks. "Um..." Jinora trailed off, waiting for Kai's approval. He jerked his head, a short, tiny nod. Jinora gave Mrs. Shu a gracious smile. "We'd love to, Mrs. Shu. Thank you so much."
Jinora slipped her hand back into Kai's as they walked through the house, lacing their fingers together. She couldn't imagine how odd it must be for him to be back in a place that he had rejected as his home. Tea with the Shus was brief, a little awkward, but overall pleasant. They seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves however, and told them to stop by in the future; Jinora had every intention on taking them up on their offer.
Kai had been silent ever since they had left the house, though, and that had been five minutes ago. "Do - do you still wanna go find the Sheriff?" Jinora said hesitantly, giving his hand a squeeze.
"Yeah," Kai said with a sigh. "Yeah, I do, it just... got me thinking, that's all. I have changed you know, and I'm really happy. I'm so lucky that I got airbending. I have friends, family now. You." He smiled faintly, looking at her with adoration; Jinora flushed under his intense gaze. "You especially. Korra was the one who gave me the chance to change, but you... You gave me the reason."
He leaned down and kissed her, pulling away with a huge grin on his face. Jinora stood rooted to the spot, slightly in shock, her cheeks still pink. "Now, let's go find that Sheriff."
It took a couple of days for them to get there. They retraced the route Kai took when he was on the run. They'd stop in every other town or so. Kai would point out buildings ("That big gray one used to be an orphanage, but then they couldn't afford to pay the mortgage so we were all tossed out on the streets. I was 7.") and places he used to steal from ("The fruit stand's gone now, must've shut down,") and where he used to hide. ("Really, any sort of dry ground would do, but in winter, I'd hang out near restaurants for the food and there's usually a heater of some sort.")
Multiple times, tears form in both of their eyes. Once, standing in the place where his home with his parents - he could still remember the barest traces of their smiles - he broke down on the spot. Jinora cradled him to her side, wiping away his tears.
Finally, they make it to the Sheriff's town. And Kai was really nervous, Jinora could tell. He kept fidgeting with the rim of his sleeves, or rubbing the back of his neck. They were on their way to the Police Office when they ran into the Sheriff. Like the Shus, he had a lot more gray hairs. When he spotted them, his eyes widened. Unlike the Shus, he obviously recognized Kai.
Then, slowly, he gave them a small nod, half-smiled, and continued on his way.
Kai let out a deep sigh.
Jinora gripped his hand tightly. "I know," she said simply. "You okay?"
"I think... I think that I am." He smiled brightly at her. "Thank you Jinora. For everything." For taking this journey with him, for giving him a second chance, for accepting him at his worst. For giving him a reason.
Tears sparked in her eyes. She pecked him on the cheek. "You're welcome, Kai. Are you ready to go back home?" To move on? To leave the past behind?
Kai smiled. "I am."
A oneshot about Kai's adoption, his adoptive parents shall be coming. You know, eventually. I have so much stuff I wanna write, so much stuff I should be writing, and so little time to do so. I'm sorry you guys have been waiting for this chapter for a while... Life has been crazy. Thanks for sticking with me.
Also, you guys remember that oneshot I put up a while ago called "20 Questions"? A bonus chapter is now up, and a little drabble (with more to follow) called "Everything has changed" so if you liked the oneshot, I'd check that out.
I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving. As always, prayer circle for Kainora next episode.
Love you guys! I hope you all have a great day. :D
