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

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

Get to know people. People will surprise you and life is full of surprises. Learn this lesson.

The Branch

For the next week, Jinora did not know how to live with herself. Or with her boyfriend's mother for that matter.

She had lied right to Kai's face about the woman. As it stood, Jinora couldn't stand Hebimi. She kept on getting closer and closer to Kai, taking away every minute of his time to the point that he'd go over to her hotel room after work and get home late at night. Her parents were always understanding, always generous and always kind about it, constantly reminding her to be patient.

He had so many hours he wanted to catch up with his mother about. Years.

That being said, it didn't make Jinora any less irate about it. The more he spent time with her, the more snippy Jinora got, the more she had a hard time being in the same room when Hebimi was around and the more distant she felt she was to Kai. Their hearts were with each other, soldered into place right next to one another and Hebimi seemed like she was a lightning bolt ready to strike any moment to tear him away from everything he'd come to love.

She knew what she was doing, goading him with simple requests of going out into the city, having lunch with him and such things.

It was only when he'd skipped school the next Friday that a top had finally blown off for Jinora. He'd skipped school to go spend time with his mother. Apparently, she'd texted him halfway through first period and he'd ditched. Now, did Kai go to every class every time? No and Jinora wasn't dumb enough to make him. Kai was still Kai and sometimes he just needed a break from school. His grades were fine and he always caught up so she really never was concerned with it much these days.

Now, though maybe she shouldn't have had a problem with it, she couldn't help but just find it mildly disturbing that his mother could practically snap her fingers and he'd go running like a puppy.

"Love," she said to him when he'd gotten home from work finally. "I get that you want to see her as much as possible, but you can't just leave like that. You didn't even tell me!"

Kai sighed. "I know, I know, I'm sorry, but she really wanted to go out today and I wasn't going to say no. You know what I mean?"

"No, I don't really know what you mean because as your mother she should understand that you need to go to school," she hissed.

Frowning, he said, "Babe, you and I do this every once in awhile. And I didn't think I had to run every little thing by you."

"You don't have to, but you always do. And this isn't little. I feel like you're slipping…"

"I'm not slipping anywhere. I'm right here. Doing something I do with you, but you're so jealous-"

Jinora's mouth fell open

"Jealous? I'm sorry, did you say jealous?"

"She told me that you could barely bring yourself to talk to her at the museum-"

"Oh, she told you that, did she?"

"Yeah, she did. I know this is hard for you, but Jinora you promised you'd at least give her a chance."

Perhaps it was the fact that he'd said that, perhaps it was the fact that he looked at her in a way that she couldn't recognize, but Jinora immediately felt tears spring to her eyes. She shouldn't have been this upset so quickly, but it was like every fear she had about Kai and his mother were coming true and here, too, was another stage of Hebimi's game.

His expression faltered when her eyes got bright, she was sure, but she turned away before he could say anything else. She didn't want him to see her cry. Not over this.

"Jinora-"

"Skip all the days you want," she said bitterly, trying to hide the thick of her voice that came with the sniffling. "It's fine, just… yeah."

She walked away, going straight up to her room and not stopping even as she heard him calling after her. Perhaps it wasn't fair to put him in this position. Perhaps she shouldn't try to impose how she felt on him, but it was still something that made her heart ache. Wasn't she allowed to be upset that he was slipping away from her? And what was worse, he couldn't even see it?

Well, she didn't wait to find out and stayed locked in her room all day. Only when it was time for dinner did she go down and, even then, she had little to say to Kai. His face broke her heart, like a wounded child who didn't know how to fix what he'd done.

She wanted to tell him that she loved him and that she knew he loved her too, but she bit the inside of her cheek instead and went back to her room after dinner alone.

-:-:-:-

"I know he doesn't mean it… am I being too hard on him?"

Mako looked up at her from a file he was working on from his coffee table. He smiled wryly and shook his head. "I don't think so. Not really. I mean, you could stand to not give him the silent treatment so much, but I get it. Believe me, he got an earful out of me when I got wind of it. The school still calls me when they realize he's skipped."

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm. I mean, I haven't been on him too much over the years, but this year is different. It's his graduating year, he can't afford to screw around."

Jinora nodded, thanking Korra when she came over with three cups of tea. Her belly now had swollen more being at a good three months. There was no waddle in her step yet the way Jinora's mother had been with her siblings early on, but the change was there. Korra was tired more now, used the restroom a little more now, Mako reported, and she seemed to eat foods outside of her comfort zone normally. Like sweet meat dumplings. Until pregnancy, Korra had never been crazy about sweet meat dumplings.

Sitting down, Korra put a hand on her belly, tea in one hand. "I have to agree with Mako on this one. Kai's been spending an awful lot of time with his mother as is. Don't get me wrong, it's obvious why, but that's the problem. Why is she spending so much time with him after so long? What's the game?"

"You think there's a game?" asked Jinora.

"There's always a game with these types," said Mako, sighing as he sat back, rubbing his eyes.

As he sat back, Jinora happened a glance at his paperwork. Papers upon papers stacked among each other. She couldn't read most of them with them upside down, but she swore she could see the characters of Hebimi's name typed in there somewhere…

Mako closed the file and moved it to the side as he took a grateful sip of his tea. "Kai's emotional. He's easily swayed by other people's happiness. He's always been like that."

"I know," sighed Jinora. "That's why I'm so worried."

Mako pursed his lips. "So am I. But the problem is that you can't win this fight. You can't. Not the way you're going about it. And, really, it's not healthy for Kai. I know it's frustrating, but we've got to be there for him."

"Even if you don't like his mother," said Korra, nodding. "Because he loves her. No matter what she did, Jinora, Kai loves his mother. And no matter what she does, he always will. That's never going to change."

"I just…" Jinora slumped. "I just wish he wasn't so vulnerable when it came to her… you know? Like, look at this. Does anybody know her? What she's like? I feel like she's just this invisible force pulling Kai away from all of us. I barely know a thing about her. In fact, I don't know anything about her. It's like…"

"She doesn't want you to know who she is," said Mako. "She's not trying to let you in. The woman knows what she's doing. Jinora, she's a con artist."

"Do you… do you think?"

"She operates like a type I know. Blinding their prospective target and alienating them from everyone else. She takes care not to show her fangs in front of him, but she knows you don't like her. She's using it right now. You and Kai haven't talked since yesterday, right?"

Jinora shook her head. "No, not much… I just...he left the house before I did to go somewhere…"

"Probably to go see her. It's becoming routine and you're in her web at this very moment."

Jinora stared at Mako for a moment, a dreading feeling spreading out in the pits of her belly. Is that how it was? One giant manipulation? Of course, Mako could be wrong, but why would he be? It all made sense. Hebimi hadn't come over or spoken a word to her parents either since that night at dinner when they'd first met her. Even then, she'd been unnervingly sparse with conversation.

The woman was obviously on a mission and the person who couldn't see it was the one who needed to the most.

Raava, she had to go find Kai.

"Whatever you do, don't go trying to convince him of everything I tell you," Mako told her just as she went to pull out her phone.

Jinora frowned, brows upturned. "Why not?"

"Because it'll make it worse. He won't believe you. Not because he doesn't love us or anything, but I'm sure Hebimi's playing her fiddle already. Mourning the loss of your approval I'm sure and she's spinning that tale to Kai like a royal flush in poker."

"She's two-faced, Jinora," said Korra. "She's just going to use your warnings and concerns against you so she can convince Kai that you're against her for no reason. She's just the poor mother who's finally been reunited with her long lost son, remember?"

Her boyfriend's mother was an evil witch. That she could remember.

"So… we can't do anything?"

"You can go talk it out with him. Don't stir trouble, but… just tell him how you felt about yesterday. Kai may love his mother, but he still loves you and me and everybody else he loved before she came back into his life. Your tears mean just as much to him as hers does. More, I'm sure."

Feeling a little anxious, Jinora swallowed hard. "What about you?"

"Me?" Mako raised his brows. "He and I are still fine. He's been a little more careful around me when she's with him too, but otherwise fine. Oh, I know how to look out for my kid, don't you worry. You just leave Hebimi to me, alright?"

Jinora nodded as she got up and pulled out her phone.

"And Jinora?"

"Yeah?"

Mako looked up at her. "You just forget all about that name you might have seen in my papers, okay?"

They stared at each other for a long moment, but she was a smart girl.

And she knew when to leave something alone.

"Sure thing."

-:-:-:-

Back at the house, Jinora didn't go find Kai just until before dinner. He was busy sketching something in his room and looking a bit more concentrated into his work than usual. Even for him.

She watched him from the doorframe until he seemed to feel her presence and looked up. His face immediately faltered.

"Jinora?"

She felt her lip twitch upward. "Hey."

She could see his throat bob a little as he seemed to decide whether or not he should put down his sketchbook. Walking over to his spot on the bed, she put a hand over his, an olive branch she could offer without having to speak. If she spoke too much, she was afraid that she was going to cry.

"I didn't mean it," he finally said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you jealous and I know saying that hurt you a lot. I do now. I just… I want this to work."

His mom being home.

"I know you do," she said, starting with a whisper. "And I'm sorry. I'm trying. But…"

"She's having a hard time adjusting." He sighed. "I know."

She wouldn't call it that exactly, but she supposed that was another way of saying it. "I'm sorry for not really talking to you."

He shrugged. "I kind of deserved it. For more than one reason, anyway."

His face was so sullen that it just killed her and she surged forward, wrapping her arms around him as his found their way around her waist as they always did. She pulled back and their lips found each other. Raava, sometimes it just felt like the first time. Like a breath of fresh air that she so sorely needed.

"I love you, you know that?" He breathed when they pulled back. "No matter what. Like, nobody changes that. Not my mother. Not anyone. You have my heart the way no one else has, can or ever will."

"And you still know all the right words," she smiled, burying herself in his shoulder.

"I mean every one of them." His kisses were in her hair now, peppering love all along her temples and she felt one with the world again. Like he always made her feel. He and only he could do that.

"I love you too," she whispered in his ear. "I love you so much."

She could feel him grin against her ear and laughed when he answered her, "I knew you liked it when I was around."

"Oh, shut up," she said in between a fit of giggles. "I keep you around just because you're pretty."

-:-:-:-

Things with Hebimi got slightly better if only because Kai stopped letting it get in the way of his scholarly responsibilities. Something her father praised him for.

"She's gotten used to me coming around after school and work now," Kai told her. "Old man Toza even lets her drop in for a little bit at work when it's not busy."

The days wore on and Kai's mother finally started coming around more as it became apparently clear that Kai was just as dedicated to the rest of the people in his life as he was to her. It was the sweetest bit of revenge Jinora could have asked for.

Still, Jinora had wanted to offer an olive branch. The love of her life deserved all the love he could get in his life after everything. She could only hope for results when she went to his mother's hotel room.

Hebimi opened the door very slowly, surely having seen Jinora through the peep hole. Her face was unreadable, those silver-grey eyes trained like a predator assessing prey. Jinora had a half a mind to believe the woman was examining her to see what was weak. What could she strike next?

Another part of her told her to stop being so paranoid and she sighed deeply.

"Hello," greeted Hebimi with a small smile. "I wasn't expecting this pleasant surprise. Did you want to come in?"

Jinora nodded, awkwardly walking in as Hebimi moved aside. The room was quite nice actually. Very lovely and roomy and everything that a five star hotel was expected to be. On a nearby table was a glass and bottle of champagne that looked very expensive. In fact, everything around here looked expensive, including the dress that Hebimi wore.

"I… wanted to see if you'd like to go do something," began Jinora, facing Kai's mother. "We got off on the wrong foot, I think."

"Indeed we did," said Hebimi with a sigh. "I'm not the best with words or… feelings for that matter. My words did not come out right and perhaps we can start over? If this is what you wish?"

"If you would like it," Jinora said politely. "I'm willing to try. Kai wants it more than anything. So, for him, I'll try."

"To the point. A good girl. Your father's clearly the politician."

"I'm not going to pretend like you didn't hurt Kai. Because you did. But I also realize now that I can't judge you either, so… if you're willing to try then so am I. Is it a deal?"

Hebimi eyed her warily, watching Jinora's hand before looking up at her face. Those silver eyes still unnerved Jinora. Like they veiled years of selfish ambition and Jinora wondered that if she stared too long would something in her body seized up. On the other hand, those eyes were beautiful. Mesmerizing. The color of polished steel.

"We have a deal."

-:-:-:-

It made it less awkward that Kai was so happy his girlfriend and his mother wanted to have dinner with him. Together.

By the time he drove himself over to a nice Fire Nation cuisine restaurant, Jinora and Hebimi had been sat down for ten minutes talking about what Jinora wanted to do after high school. It was typical small conversation, but it was still something and since Hebimi was making quite the effort, Jinora was going to bite.

"Hey, you two." Kai came up, grinning, and pecked his mother on the cheek before he slid into the booth. When did he start doing that? "This was a nice surprise."

Jinora smiled, taking his hand underneath the table. "We talked. That's all. We were actually just talking about after high school. I was telling her about your art, but it looks like you've already shown her, yeah?"

Kai flushed. "Yeah, well, you know… she wanted to see and I've been doing a lot of stuff lately. Some even inspired by her. So, why not, right?"

"I'm impressed," Hebimi flashed a smile. A real, genuine smile it seemed apparently. "He has so much talent."

"Nah." Kai waved her off. "I just draw a lot so. You learn some things."

Jinora raised an amused brow. "You're so modest about it. Love, you're amazing and you know it."

"I agree," said Hebimi.

Jinora could see his face go even redder. Since when was he this bashful? Was this how he got around his mother? Then again, she couldn't really blame him. He'd waited so long to hear those words…

She mentally slapped herself.

Don't focus on the negative, she reminded herself. Focus on the positive. For Kai.

Besides, Hebimi apparently wasn't so bad when she wasn't… doing whatever it was she'd been doing. Perhaps Mako was just being paranoid. Is this how Kai felt with Jinora less than a couple weeks ago?

Maybe Hebimi was just quiet. Like she said, feelings were hard for her. What if everybody just misunderstood her…?

"Jinora?"

She cleared her throat when she realized Kai and his mother had been talking to her. "Oh, uh… I'm sorry. What again?"

"She was asking what you planned to do in college," said Kai, nudging her playfully. "Don't space out on me now, love."

She nudged him back out of habit. "Oh, well, I definitely want to go into history. History, culture… all that. That kind of thing is really where I like to be at."

"Is it?" Hebimi sipped her tea. For a long moment, she was quiet. So uncomfortably quiet that even Kai looked at her like something was wrong. She took another drink before she put it down. "My home island is in the east… in a large bay. You can probably find it. It never gets too cold and the climate's tropical. It's beautiful. It was the biggest island that way."

Jinora smiled. Then, she turned and saw Kai's face, full of wonder and as if he'd been touched in his heart a little bit. Her smile got wider.

"We should visit it one day," he finally said.

A moment later, Hebimi nodded curtly, taking another pointed sip of her drink. "...yes."

From there, they began talking more and more about all kinds of subjects. There were even the few times when the three of them laughed all together. Hebimi's laugh was like her son's. It was so full of something magical. For all her guardedness, she had a fountain of magic inside her, it seemed.

Was this what Kai saw?

This.

This was it, wasn't it?

This was what he missed.

Of course, she wouldn't know that and Kai probably didn't want to - or perhaps even could - explain it, but after so long this was what he couldn't turn away. Yes, maybe somewhere deep inside him he wanted to talk about her leaving, but not right now. Not when he'd missed her laugh and her voice for fourteen years.

Fourteen years of missing that magical fountain deep within that cold well. And, really, Jinora couldn't expect Hebimi to be perfect. Perhaps the woman even was apprehensive that her only son and child had a girlfriend.

It was possible that Hebimi… regretted leaving Kai. Surely, it was. And maybe she just hadn't known how to let him know that. People changed, Jinora could admit.

Did that excuse her for leaving Kai? No.

But it did make a world of a difference going forward. A difference Kai was clearly willing to consider.

Jinora looked up from her plate of rice and fire dumplings, watching her boyfriend's mother. There was a glint in Hebimi's eye.

-:-:-:-

"You have no idea how much I appreciated that dinner today, babe."

Kai spoke quietly, Jinora in the crook of his arm. She shouldn't have been in there this late at night, but she couldn't help it and, frankly, she missed sleeping in bed with him. If anybody found them there'd be trouble, but at this point, she was pretty sure that they could have a little leeway with her mother's help. After all, they were very literally sleeping.

Kai caressed her shoulder with the arm she laid on and Jinora laid her head on his chest.

"I just tried to see what you see," she whispered, smiling against him.

"And it means a lot. I'm… I know it sounds sappy, but I'm always going to remember that."

She wrapped an arm around his torso, snuggling into him closer as if to pull herself toward him more. If that was even possible. His warmth was overwhelming. The warmth in his voice and in his body. He was probably grinning with his eyes closed too.

"Sound sappy all you want," she said, yawning. "I'm glad it made you happy. She's… not so bad once you sit down with her."

"Yeah…" He sighed. "I mean, I'm happy when everyone else is happy so I could say the same to you, couldn't I?"

"Your happiness is my happiness."

"And yours is mine," he bent down to plant a kiss on top of her head. "But really… I do appreciate you trying so hard. I think she really feels it and… well, I just want you to be a part of it. I mean, you are the love of my life. How you feel means the world to me, you know that right?"

Jinora felt her face get hot. Even after all this time he still did that to her. "Now, you're getting sappy," she teased, sighing contently through her nose. "But, I know. And I feel the same. It's why I did it in the first place. I think she and I could work… she seems to have missed you too."

"You think?"

It took Jinora a moment to answer.

"She came back, didn't she?"

Jinora's eyes slipped closed as she listened to the sound of his voice. His voice that sounded as if he were on top of the moon, her head against his chest that breathed with a peace and excitement she couldn't quite place in words, but, Raava, did it make her happy that he felt like this for once in his life. "Yeah… yeah, she did."

I'm a thousand times sorry this fic is coming to a close so slowly. Honestly, my brain thinks it's already written that's how in place everything really is. But here we go, another chapter closer to a completed fic! I'd say we have about four chapters left.

I want to say thank you to all of you who have stuck around for the fic. All of you who have given it such a large fanbase and this fic has been my dream. It wouldn't be anything without you!

As always, I really appreciate it when you guys leave those reviews! They really keep me going and, this close to the end of the fic, I could use all the feedback I can get to get my butt into gear! Thank you for reading! Tune in for next chapter!