Hello again, reader.

Man, I beasted this chapter. After I posted chapter 5, I finished my final exam and then spent the next few days just sitting around chilling. Then I managed to write this up in a matter of a couple days. This chapter isn't as long as chapter 5, but that one was a monster of a write up.

So as I mentioned in the author note of chapter 5, this chapter will cover some Skoochy back story. In my honest opinion, the back story sounded a lot better in my head, and I feel it came out a little 'meh' in the end. But, aside from a couple aspects, I'm quite happy with how the Jinora focus of this chapter turned out.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

Skoochy looked at the book that he held unsurely in his hand. How long had it been since he had tried his hand at reading a book?

Years, obviously. Probably three.

He flipped through the pages and frowned at what he saw. Aside from a few words here and there, the printed characters looked completely alien to him. Yep, he had forgotten how to read. Skoochy blew his bangs out of his face in annoyance, though the hair simply fell back where it was prior. He placed the book back on the shelf where he found it. He was looking for one particular book, a book that he had come across a few years ago.

Once upon a time, Skoochy was an infant left at the doorstep of an orphanage. He stayed at that orphanage for most of his young life. It was a time when he didn't know how to take care of himself, a time where he was dependant on others.

In the orphanage, he was raised by the caretakers. There he was taught many life skills, including how to read. But as he began to grow older, the caretakers began to neglect him, for he was seen as a waste of space and resources because no one would want to adopt a child so old. They sought to drive him away, and eventually when he was nine years old, he finally ran away.

Not knowing the ropes on how to survive on his own in the streets efficiently, he was often found scrounging through trash cans and dumpsters anywhere in Republic City looking for something that was in any way edible. One day, while he was searching through a dumpster, he found something interesting: a book. To be more precise, it was a novel. Or, at least what was left of it. The final portion of the book was missing. Curious as to what the book was about, he pocketed the book for later.

Curling up in a cosy corner in the dead end of an alleyway somewhere among the countless streets of Republic City, Skoochy began to read the book he found. It was a typical love story about a man who was in love with a woman who was in an arranged marriage with another, but it was unlike anything Skoochy had ever come across in his young life. Using his mediocre reading skills, he slowly but surely read through the book.

It did not take long for him to become completely entranced by it, and for the next few weeks, he had something to keep himself occupied with. Whenever he wasn't busy scavenging for food or money, he was found reading that book that he picked out of the trash. He was hooked, he was always anxious to read the next part where the man and the woman would be alone together, so he could immerse himself in the happy, joyous atmosphere that their love for each other and their happiness gave off. The story progressed, he followed their highs and lows, their happy moments together as well as their sad moments apart.

But suddenly the pages ran out. Skoochy was sitting on a low wall at the time that he reached the end. The shock of finding that there was no more to the book made him lose balance which caused him to fall off, leaving him with a limp for a week. He suddenly remembered that what he picked out of the trash was half a book. He swore inwardly at the thought that he'd never know how the story would end. The story was about to reach its climax too. The man and the woman had reached an all-time low in which the woman started to hate the man and the man was about to make the most important decision in his life about how he was going to approach the situation.

From then, he was often found re-reading the book. But he would always be shocked to find that the pages ended prematurely. Skoochy never did find out what happened next. Whenever he had some extra money on hand, he would go into a bookstore, looking for a copy of that book he found in the trash, but to no avail. His hunger would get the better of him and he would go instead to spend his money on food. Then he would have to spend his time getting more money again.

The trashcan book became his most prized possession. It gave him an escape from his miserable circumstances. His awful, hard and lonely life. But one day, a group of older kids had him cornered. They beat him up and took whatever they could find in his pockets, including the book. He had never felt such sadness in his life at that moment when he realised that they had taken his book.

He feared that without the book, he would eventually forget how to read. Constantly, he eyes darted from sign to sign among the streets so he could read them. Though once he learned that pickpocketing was one of the easiest ways to rustle up some cash and when he was able to pickpocket effectively, his eyes dropped down from the signs and to the pockets of unsuspecting tourists. And so, over the years that he spent eyeing pockets for picking, he forgot all the different characters that made up the written language of the world, and he could no longer read. Nowadays, whenever he would look at a piece of writing, he'd see nothing but a bunch of lines arranged in some kind of shape that looked entirely alien to him.

But despite that, he would always remember the story. Some nights when he can't sleep, he would recite what he could remember of the story in his head, sometimes he would try to guess what happened in the story next. The book that he had found in the trashcan that one fateful day had a massive influence on him. He decided that he didn't want to be adopted into a family. No, he wanted to find a girl and fall in love with her and start a family of his own. He wanted to experience the same happiness that the couple in the book experienced. But at such a young age, it was very difficult to find someone. And given his circumstances, he had more important things to do than find love.

Skoochy let out a sigh as he walked out of the bookstore and out onto the cold winded streets of downtown Republic City. He didn't know why he still bothered to look for that book since he no longer knew how to read. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he started walking toward Central City Station to find a potential pocket to pick. The cold air caused him to shiver a bit. He once again made a mental note to find a jacket soon before he got sick from the cold. A strong gust of cold wind blew by which only made things worse for the young street urchin.

The gust of wind reminded him of a certain airbender, his friend Jinora. What if she was the girl he could potentially fall in love with in the future. Skoochy thought about it for a short moment as he walked.

No, Skoochy concluded, not her.

He didn't really look at her as a potential love interest. Maybe it's because they were both still so young. But really, he guessed he just had more important things to do than go around being all lovey-dovey. Gosh, the ridicule he'd get from his friends if he were to be like that with anyone really. He shrugged it off as he picked up the pace.

As he passed an alleyway between two apartment buildings, he took a look and saw a few clotheslines spanning the gap between the two buildings. He saw a jacket that seemed to be his size, but it was hard to tell from the far distance that it was away from him. He turned into the alleyway and made a careful inspection. He would be able to reach the jacket from a pipe that ran along the whole height of one of the buildings. But it was a fair way up. If he slipped, he would be seriously hurt. He wasn't confident enough that he could be able to use his earthbending to save himself from the fall.

Instead he decided he would find a jacket somewhere else. Heck, even save up money to buy a brand new one from a store if he really had to. He turned around out of the alley and once again made his way toward Central City Station and braved the cold. Winter definitely was approaching. He hadn't been keeping up with the date lately. Perhaps it was already officially winter. He didn't know, nor did he really care since the weather was already cold anyway.

Eventually he reached the area of Central City Station. He leaned against the fencing that surrounded the statue of Zuko. The air around the statue was warmer thanks to the flame producing from the statue. He looked up at the sky above him. After a while of looking for pockets to pick, he had no luck finding anything and instead decided to walk around.

Eventually he found himself at Yue Bay. He looked up toward the sky above him. It was starting to get dark. The first street lights were beginning to switch on as he looked out toward the lone island that housed his friend Jinora. He watched as Air Temple Island began to light up. It was a little odd though, for the island seemed to be lighting up a lot brighter than it normally would. Usually it was lit dimly, but tonight it was beginning to look like a large shining star.

Something must be happening over there. Probably some kind of festival or celebration he guessed. He sighed. The thought of that made him doubt that Jinora would be making an attempt to sneak out. He looked toward the brightly lit island for a little longer before he turned back around and headed back toward the inner city.

Skoochy was right to have his doubts.

It was Korra's eighteenth birthday and everyone was celebrating. Jinora had spent most of the afternoon helping to prepare the decorations and come nightfall, the guests arrived and the celebrations began. Jinora was expected to take part in the celebrations and was therefore unable to sneak off to do her own thing. That also meant another night away from the city.

Jinora puffed her cheeks at her growing boredom and restlessness. She unintentionally drew a few concerned looks from her parents when she started tapping her fingers on the table she was sitting at. She had never done that before.

Soon the celebrations turned into an ordinary get together when Korra suddenly disappeared, not that anyone was complaining. She was up to a lot of mischief all night, using the fact that it was her birthday as an excuse. Jinora looked around and realised that Mako was gone too. The thoughts that then entered her mind made her eyes widen slightly. Wanting to distract herself from such thoughts, she picked up her book, which she had long since lost concentration on, and excused herself so that she could find a quiet spot to read. It had taken a while, but she had finally become able to concentrate on reading books again, much to the relief of the other residence of Air Temple Island.

She ventured among the trees of the island, looking for a particular spot. A quiet spot where she is often found reading on warm, sunny days. The whole island was lit up by lantern light, so reading in that spot wouldn't be a problem tonight.

As Jinora neared her spot, she stopped in her tracks when she heard whispering. Switching to stealth mode, she quietly crept up to the source of the hushed voices. Peering around a tree trunk, she saw them. Korra and Mako. Korra had her arms around his neck and Mako had his arms around her waist. They held each other closely, whispering a few things before they shared a passionate kiss. Jinora let out a soft sigh at how romantic the sight looked. Two lovers kissing in lantern light under a near full moon. How she envied them.

But soon the envy faded as Jinora felt awkward watching them. Quietly, she made her way back to the direction from where she came. She felt it would be better if she just went back to her room where no one would be, and where she wouldn't be disturbed.

She let out a relieved sigh when she finally reached her room. Her quiet, undisturbed room. Jinora flopped down onto her bed and laid down on her side. Bringing the book up to her face, she began to read. It was a non-fiction book on the 600 day siege of Ba Sing Se. She already knew the story of the siege. What interested her about the book were the letters that were in the book. These were letters written by Fire Nation soldiers who besieged the city. When the siege was abandoned, the soldiers pulled out, but left behind their camps untouched. The Earth Kingdom soldiers searched these camps and many found letters that the Fire Nation soldiers had written, unable to send them home during the final days of the siege when everything became uncoordinated when General Iroh broke down after his son's death. There were letters to wives, lovers, mothers, brothers, friends and in one case, which brought tears to Jinora's eyes, a wounded soldier wrote an apologetic to his father, who he hated and hadn't spoken to in years, before dying of his wounds. It was heart breaking to know that the letter was never sent and his father would have thought that his son died hating him.

Jinora became immersed in the book. Sighing at the words of love, laughing at the playful banter and holding back tears at the words of lost hope and life. She looked like the ordinary calm and collected book loving Jinora that everyone knew and loved again.

But soon, Jinora felt the urge to rest her eyes after peering into the pages for so long. Setting the book aside, she strode over to her window and gazed at Republic City's lit up skyline. She could never get sick of the sight of the city at night. The way it lit up despite the darkness was simply awe inspiring.

She wondered what Skoochy was getting up to tonight. It had been a few weeks since she had last snuck out. She hoped that he wasn't getting attacked like he had a while ago. She leaned against the window sill and puffed her cheeks in boredom. She didn't want to be part of the partying because it was loud and bustling with people. She didn't like it when things got very loud and she felt uncomfortable around crowds. That was just something that came with being the bookworm that she was. But strangely, she didn't mind the loud, crowded streets of the capital city that she gazed at from her window.

Her mind wondered to the image of Mako and Korra in their embrace that seemed to now be burned into her retinas. But soon the mental image subsided as she began to imagine that instead of Mako and Korra, it was Skoochy and herself. She subconsciously touched her lips lightly with her fingertips as she imagined herself in such an embrace with the street urchin boy.

When she realised what she was thinking about, she almost yelped in shock and her fingers shot away from her lips. What was going on? She imagined herself kissing Skoochy! She felt her face heat up as she buried her face in her palms in self embarrassment. Lately, whenever she thought about Skoochy, her thoughts would always drift toward a more romantic aspect toward things and then her heart would sink at the thought that she wasn't with him at that very moment. And as if on cue, she felt a slight pain in her chest at the thought that she was stuck on Air Temple Island attending a party that she didn't want to be part of while Skoochy was out in the capital city.

She stumbled over to her bed and let herself fall onto the mattress. She really missed him, she missed the homeless boy that showed her around the city, the street urchin boy that she had befriended, she missed Skoochy, the seemingly handsome boy she had fallen for.

Wait, Jinora mind almost exploded at her previous thought, what did I just…?

She thought again and realised what she had just said in her mind. She had fallen for Skoochy.

Oh, spirits!

Her eyes shot open as she rapidly stood up from her bed at the sudden epiphany. Her heart began to race. She couldn't help but squirm on the spot that she stood as she fanned her heating up face with her hands.

"I'm in love with Skoochy!" she finally admitted out loud.

Instantly she covered her mouth with both her hands, refusing to comprehend what she had just said, and hoping no one had heard her sudden outburst. This was big. No, bigger than big. This was a turning point in her life. This was the first time she ever had feelings for a boy.

She fell back onto her bad and covered her face with her hands. She began to roll from side to side on her bed as she groaned out of restlessness. What was she going to do? She was still so young. She huffed as she sat up.

And he couldn't possibly feel the same way about me.

Jinora felt her heart sink. Her chest began to ache as a lump began to form in her throat. She sniffled loudly as her eyes began to well up with tears. Who was she trying to kid? How would a relationship between them work anyway? Why would he want to find love when he has so many hardships to deal with?

She brought her knees to her chest and sniffled again as she buried her face in her knees. She always thought she'd be happy when she realised her feelings for someone. The fictitious worlds of her books had clearly misled her. She felt miserable thinking about the prospect of not having her feelings returned to her. She let out a sigh as she allowed herself to calm down a bit, a moment to recollect her thoughts.

After a while of sitting on her bed, Jinora decided that she wouldn't confess her feelings to Skoochy, she wouldn't act on her feelings. She enjoyed the time that she spent with that street urchin. She cherished the friendship between them. She didn't want to risk making everything between them by letting Skoochy know how she felt. She decided she would try to ignore her feelings for him, because that would be the only way she would be able to spend time with him without having to worry. The only way she would express her feelings for the homeless boy would be by doing small deeds for him, to let him know that she cared about him.

But how would I do that?

She couldn't think of anything at the moment. She was too caught up in her realisation of her feelings. She would think about it later. Right now, she wanted to get used to the thought of the fact that she had feelings for that street urchin boy by the name of Skoochy.

What did you think of this chapter? Reviews are most welcome.

So yeah, I recently found out about Bolinora... I find the idea of it to be weird (No offence to those who ship Bolinora.). That's probably because I'm still imagining Jinora as the 10 year old that she is in the actual series when I try to picture it... Maybe if I imagined them to be older, I'd like it. But either way, I still prefer Jinoochy, obviously.

In other news, my mind decided to come up with another idea for a fanfic. As you're reading this, I might be writing a bit for that new idea now. That makes four ideas now. When I finish Partners in Crime, I'm not sure what I'd write next. I really want to write another fanfic because this fanfic thing is pretty good fun. So do I want to do an AtLA or LoK fic next? =/

But sticking on the topic of Partners in Crime, I'm stumped for ideas of what to do for chapter 7. I have the basic plan for chapter 8 and beyond somewhat organised, but I don't want to make the story go too quickly...

Responses to a few reviews:

Foreverabookcritic310020: Thank you so much for the positive review and the kind words. Your words have inspired me with a new found motivation. I am also put slightly at ease about slow updates now. :D

KnivesAndPens13: Thanks for your positive reviews, my faithful reader! :D Nooo... There will not be any Tahnorra in this story, as much as I like the idea of it (I'm a sucker for the idea of enemies falling in love. Yes, that means I'm a Zutarian as well. YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH IT! lul). Makorra is what's canon right now and the focus of this story is Jinoochy, so that's what I'm going to stick with.

Sachmis: YUSH! I AM WINNING YOU OVER! :DD Thank you for the kind words, though I don't know about the writing quality... After I posted chapter 5, I read through the fic and found errors in every single chapter from missing words to repeated words to words that were completely out of place and crap I forgot to backspace... It's safe to say, my forehead was red after I finished that very late proof read. Might do another proof read in case I missed anything... I probably did.