A/N: I plan on this being the motherfic of all Kainora fics, which seems only appropriate considering this is probably the first multichaptered fic for the pairing. This prologue is roughly just recounting Kai and Jinora's first meeting with a little insight on Jinora's feelings throughout. Part of me wanted to start later, but this is going to be their story, from the very beginning, so it felt only right to start from here. That being said, feel free to only start reading at chapter one, which will simply be building on canon and filling things in from behind the scenes/what's implied.

My goal is to have this all comply with canon so things that happen in the episodes will happen in here/be mentioned. Until season 4 comes along this story will temporarily go on Hiatus. I'll be using that time to plan out things that the TV show will not cover - as in Kai and Jinora's teenage years, travels and life in general.

This fic is going to be long, and fluffy, and sad and happy and everything in between.

After all, to fall in love is never easy, and the act of loving someone is one that takes a lifetime. So, without further ado, here is the prologue of "To Fall."

To Fall

ACT I: to fall

PROLOGUE

All in all, Jinora thought that their airbending show had gone pretty well. The crowd seemed impressed, even if Mako hadn't been a fantastic actor as the firebender convict. Hopefully word would get out, and some airbenders would want to join them.

If the thought of airbenders not wanting to help rebuild the Air Nomad nation was disheartening to her, she could only imagine how it made her dad feel. She had been so excited about the prospect of new airbenders – she and her family weren't going to be alone, anymore – but quickly found disappointment in the citizens who had been given the ability.

As the rest of the crowd left, a tan-skinned boy ran up to them. He's cute, Jinora thought briefly. He was around her age, probably a year older, dressed in Earth Kingdom clothes, with dark, messy hair and bright green eyes.

"Hey," the boy said, smiling. "Hello. If you're looking for airbenders, you just found one." He crouched down and did a couple of moves. They were fairly simple, but the fact it was obviously self-taught left Jinora feeling impressed nonetheless. "I wanna join you guys," the boy continued.

Jinora grinned – their first new airbender.

"Get outta town!" Bolin said excitedly.

"We got our first recruit," Korra said to Tenzin, both smiling widely. Then the Avatar turned to the boy. "Just to be totally clear, we're going to be heading to Ba Sing Se, then the Northern Air Temple to live as nomads and rebuild the Air Nation. All that sound good to you?"

"Yeah. Ba Sing Se, rebuild the temple, Air Nomad whadoyado. I'm in. Let's go right now." Well, he was eager, to say the least.

Bolin gave a little jump. "This is gonna be so great! You're gonna love it, er… uh, real quick what's your name?" Jinora couldn't help the little giggle she did at Bolin's antics.

"Kai," the boy replied. Kai, Jinora repeated mentally. It was a nice name, she decided. "So, when do we hit the road?"

"Hang on Kai," Tenzin said. "Where are your parents? We can't have you come with us without their permission."

Kai looked downwards, his smile gone. Even before he spoke, Jinora felt she knew the answer: "My parents are… gone."

"You're an orphan?" Bolin asked sadly.

"It happened about a year ago. My home town was raided by outlaws, but my parents fought back against them. I was so scared, but they told me not to worry they would protect me, and they did. My parents saved me and the entire village, but they died in the fight," Kai explained.

Jinora looked at him sadly. Poor kid. She couldn't even imagine going through that.

"Mum and pap meant everything to me, they're were my whole life. Ever since then, I've been on the run. Those same outlaws are still after me," Kai finished.

"Well, you don't have to be on the run anymore," Bolin declared, casting a look at the rest of them. "Right guys? Tell him."

"I'm so sorry about your parents. I know we could never replace them..." Tenzin put a hand on Kai's shoulder. "But we are here for you."

"We'll keep you safe," Korra said. "Come on."

Bolin wrapped an arm around Kai's shoulders. "When you board this airship, you're going to leave your old life behind and start a new path. That's big brother advice. Just think of me as your big brother." Kai smiled at Bolin.

They all boarded the airship again. Jinora wondered what it would be like with Kai. How would things change? And it was going to be fun having another airbender that wasn't someone in her family. They could become friends. The thought made her stomach do a flip flop.

After everyone boards the airship, Mako stops and walks away from the group. He stares out a window and sees a group of motorcyclists outside their airship.

"Guys!" Mako called. Jinora turned around to see him staring out the window, and on the ground are a gang of motorcyclists. "I think we got trouble."

The lead motorcyclist got off his motorcycle and took his helmet off, walking up the airship before removing his glasses.

"Release the boy, or we'll take him by force," the man ordered. He clenched his fist and the men around him all got into fighting stances with rocks levitating a few feet off the ground.

"The outlaws!" Kai said worriedly. "They're here … Uh, let's get out of here." He grabbed Korra's arm.

She looked down at him. "We are not running away from anyone," she told him. The door of the airship opened. She yelled, "If you want Kai, you'll have to go through me!"

The earthbenders launched the rocks towards Korra, but she avoided them easily. Jinora was proud she could see the 'evade and avoid' tactic of airbending now perfectly integrated into Korra's fighting style, and how far Korra had come with her airbending. The men were no match for the Avatar, and within a few minutes and a well-placed earthbending move, Korra had beaten the leader of the group.

"Your days of harassing an innocent boy is over. You outlaws are going to prison," Korra told him confidently.

"Outlaws? Innocent boy?" the man repeated. "I'm a sheriff," he glanced at the badge on his chest before looking back up at Korra, "and these are my deputies, and this kid is a thief."

Jinora's eyes widened. What? Kai was a liar? A thief? No.

"Whatever he told you was a lie, we've been chasing him for months."

"Where's Kai?" Korra demanded, looking back at them

Mako was pulling Kai by the arm, scowling. "Right here, I found him slipping away."

"I was just going to the bathroom..." he tried weakly. [Kai gets cut off.]

"With your stash of gold?" Mako retorted, cutting him off. He threw a green sack on the ground, gold coins spilling out along with some jewelry.

"I told you, I found this on the road," Kai insisted. But it was obviously a lie. Jinora felt her heart plummet.

"Enough with the lies kid. I want the truth," Mako said sternly. The firebender and the rest of them turned to the Sheriff.

"The truth is, he's the outlaw. He's spend an entire life in an orphanage, got adopted by a real nice family six months ago, and how did he repay them? By taking their entire life savings. We've been after him ever since," the sheriff explained.

Korra turned to Kai. "Is that true?" she asked. Jinora crossed her fingers, hoping it wasn't.

"The person who stole that stuff was the old me. Once I got airbending, I changed. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like airbending choose me for a reason," Kai said. Bolin cast him a sad glance. And even though he had been lying only moments before, Jinora couldn't help but believe him.

"Like I'm a new person," he continued. Two of the deputies start to drag him away, like he's a horrible criminal. "I'm sorry! Please, you have to listen to me."

Jinora felt pity well up inside her. Even if he was a thief, well, being an orphan was hard. Even Mako and Bolin had been thieves once, and now they were heroes.

"Are, are you taking him back to the orphanage?" Bolin stammered.

"No, he's headed to jail," the Sheriff said. But he was so young, they were allowed to throw twelve year olds in prison? Spirits, no one deserved that. Least of all someone who probably wasn't used to not having to steal to survive.

"Wait!" Korra said, and Jinora felt a wave of relief wash over her. "You've got the family's life savings, now let us take Kai."

Thank the Spirits that Korra was one for giving second chances.

"Do you really want our first member of the Air Nation to be a liar and a thief?" Tenzin said,

Jinora was pretty sure she knew what Korra was thinking: the first Avatar, Wan, had been just that. Korra had told them the story shortly after Harmonic Convergence.

"He just needs some guidance, Tenzin. Who better to give it to him than us?" Korra said. Please agree, Jinora thought worriedly.

"Do you want this boy or not?" the Sheriff said.

Tenzin stroked his beard, looking deep in thought for a few moments. "Yes," Tenzin decides, sounding almost as if he's already regretting it. "You can release the boy into our custody.

The deputies let go of Kai's hands and he immediately grinned and ran to hug Korra. "Thank you!" he said gratefully, sound half-surprised.

"Just don't make me regret it," Korra mumbled. Jinora walked forward, as did Bolin, to join in on the hug.

As she half-hugged Kai, she could feel his ribs slightly, poking into her hands as she pressed down. It was only a little, but the thought made her sad. As skilled a thief Kai may have been, there were obviously some nights he had gone hungry.

"Welcome to the family, little bro," Bolin said cheerfully.

Once the two group hugs had broken up (Uncle Bumi had wrapped her father in a tight embrace, much to Tenzin's discomfort) they went back into the airship.

Jinora hung back as the others passed her. Mako had as well, standing on the very edge of the airship's long narrow drawbridge. She watched Mako turn Kai around by placing a hand in the boy's hair and mutter something to him, too quietly for her to hear.

(Not that she was trying to eavesdrop, or anything.)

"– making a change," Kai was saying, as he walked backwards, his hands stuck in his pockets. "Don't you worry about me." He turned forwards, looking at her.

Having his attention on her, for the first time, completely undivided, made her cheeks heat up. "Hi, I'm Jinora." She had turned away slightly, half-looking at him over her shoulder. Normally she didn't feel shy at all, so why did he make her feel this way? "If you need any help with airbending, I could show you what I know."

He fiddled with his suspenders, smiling gently at her. "Thanks, that's real nice of you." And she could tell it was completely genuine, too.

"Jinora!" her father called. Her head snapped up to the doorway of the airship, Kai following suit. "We're leaving now."

Her blush gone, she looked towards Kai and they shared a smile before walking into the airship together, Mako bringing up the rear.

After flicking on a few switches, turning a few knobs and spinning the steering wheel, the airship took off, with its new airbender in tow.

As the group settled around the table, Korra and Tenzin going through the list of boundaries for Kai ("Don't touch this, don't lean too far out over the railing,") Jinora peeked at him through her eyelashes.

Kai still was a thief, but he still was cute, she admitted, her heart skipping a beat when he noticed her across the table and half-smiled at her.