A/N: Written for the Kainora week prompt "mistakes." For LoverlyLit (I told you it might take a while, but I hope you like it!) Enjoy :)
i.
There is a time for everything.
Today is not one of those days.
"Jinora?" Kai tries again, this time with more hesitance. The sunlight glints off the pale skin of Jinora's forehead, drawing attention to the blue arrow adorning it.
"What?"
"I was asking if you wanted to, you know, visit town later," repeats Kai, playing with the fabric of his pants. Tenzin's decision to allow the airbenders to roam the world to help spread peace and harmony has given Kai lots of opportunities he hasn't had before. It turns out there's more to see than he ever imagined. He and Jinora have taken to wandering around the places they're stationed during the nighttime as well, to get a different picture of things—unbeknownst to Tenzin, of course. But Jinora seems strangely distant today.
"I'm sorry, Kai—" Jinora winces, bringing a hand to her temple, "but I don't feel up to it tonight."
"Oh." Kai tries to keep the glumness out of his voice. "Are you sick?"
Jinora's eyes widen, and a faint blush dusts her cheeks as she looks quickly away. "No!" she says firmly. "I just have a headache. That's all." She mumbles the last part.
"Oh. Okay." Kai rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "I guess I'll walk you back to your room then? If you're okay with that," he adds hurriedly, not wanting to be presumptuous.
Jinora smiles faintly, nodding. "I'd like that."
ii.
"For the last time, Dad, get off my case!" huffs Jinora, gathering up all her scrolls and marching off.
"Y-you!" splutters Tenzin. He turns to Kai out of reflex, but Kai holds up his hands and shrugs, as if to indicate: I had nothing to do with this. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Tenzin asks, as calmly as he can, "Kai, do you have any idea why my eldest daughter is so irritable today?"
"Nope," says Kai, popping the "p."
"Perhaps you could find out?"
"Oh," says Kai, arching an eyebrow and pointing at the airbending master. "You want me to do your dirty work."
Tenzin shoots Kai a look. "I just want to know what's troubling my daughter, but as her father I might be too far removed in age to be in a good position."
Kai crosses his arms, smugness bleeding into his voice. "And you think she'll tell me."
"Look here young man, I'm simply asking you a favor, not granting you a seal of approval—"
"All right, all right." Kai holds up his hands in a gesture of appeasement. "I'll investigate."
Five minutes later, he knocks on Jinora's door. Through the wood, he hears a grumbled, "What do you want?"
"It's me, Kai. Can I come in?"
"No."
Rejection is nothing new—Kai has grown used to Jinora's reprimanding tone, on occasion, but her voice is sharper this time, clipped. It floors him. He's always viewed himself as standing on the same side as Jinora, but suddenly she has drawn an invisible line.
"O-oh. Okay, then," he says, stepping back from where he had his ear pressed to the door. "I—"
The door jerks open. "Yes," says Jinora. "I meant 'yes.' Sorry, I don't know what got into me, I just…" she gestures aimlessly and blows a puff of air, looking disappointed when she remembers that she no longer has any bangs to shift out of the way.
Kai opens and closes his mouth, still trying to make sense of the two contradictory messages he has received. When Jinora notices his hesitation, her face shutters again. "Or maybe not," she amends. "Never mind. You don't have to come in if you don't want to—I'm just reading—"
"Jinora." He sticks a hand out to stop the door from closing in his face. "What book?"
iii.
Jinora is sick.
That's the only explanation Kai can think of for why she's been acting so strange these last few days: headaches, irritability, and, now, fatigue. Granted, Jinora has always been calm, but now—she's listless.
Which doesn't make sense, because she didn't sneak out with him the other night. Maybe she stayed up late reading?
He drops his stance, letting the miniature air cyclone whirling between them dissipate. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"
Jinora looks at him strangely. "Yeah, why?"
"I don't know, you just seem more tired than usual."
Jinora rubs her eyes and shrugs. "It's nothing to worry about. I'll be back to normal in a few more days or so."
Kai narrows his eyes. "What do you mean, 'in a few more days'? Is something going on that I don't know about?"
Jinora's eyes widen. "N-no!" she stammers. "It's just…" she averts her gaze. "I don't know how to explain it to you."
Kai has always considered Jinora smarter than him; he can accept that without question. But her comment wounds his pride a bit. He raises his chin. "Try me."
Jinora draws a circle with her toe. "Maybe some other time," she decides.
"Jinora," pouts Kai. He hates being out of the loop.
Jinora only smiles mysteriously and reaches forward to shove his shoulder. "Don't argue with your superiors," she teases, some energy returning. "Let's run through that form again."
iv.
Oogi's hair gets caught in the brush in long tangles as they groom him. From his perch on Oogi's back, Kai looks at Jinora, who is working on Oogi's tail. Under his gaze, she sets down her brush.
"I'll be right back," she explains.
He slides down Oogi's tail to stand in front of her. "You want me to come?"
Jinora shakes her head. "It's nothing you need to worry about."
"Okay."
"Okay."
They stand in front of each other awkwardly before Jinora takes a step back. As she turns to leave, Kai takes a deep breath and blurts, "Are you avoiding me?"
Jinora freezes. "Why would I be avoiding you?"
"I don't know." It sounds stupid when he says it out loud; Kai's voice softens with uncertainty. "I just…you're either too tired to hang out, or being dodgy, or grumpy—"
"I'm not grumpy."
"Yes, you are." Kai realizes, too late, his mistake, and hurries to retract his statement. "I mean—you just—I don't—"
The damage is done. Jinora's shoulders have stiffened. She takes a measured step away and, over her shoulder, says, "Kai, I appreciate the concern, but it's none of your business."
"But we're friends!" protests Kai. "What's such a big deal that you can't tell me? I just want to help, Jinora, and I didn't really mean what I said before. And now you're mad at me—"
"I'm not mad at you!" she whirls around.
Kai stops, stunned. Jinora has never snapped at him before. Scolded him gently, yes. Teased him, laughed at him, but never snapped.
Jinora looks as shocked as he is. Her brown eyes widen; she covers her mouth with a hand. "Oh, Spirits," she whispers. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you, honest, but…" A look, somewhere between pained and mortified, flashes across her face, and one hand goes to her stomach. Jinora scampers away without finishing her sentence, leaving Kai lonely and confused.
He doesn't see her for the rest of the day.
v.
"Oof." Jinora grimaces, one hand clutching her abdomen.
Kai panics. "I didn't hit you, did I?" He had just been showing Jinora a cool move he'd picked up, and he could've sworn his arc of air was focused, but what if it wasn't? What if he'd hurt her without knowing? But Jinora would have seen it coming—she's a master, she'd have avoided it easily…but she's been so out of things lately, maybe it caught her by surprise—
"I'm fine, Kai," reassures Jinora, yanking him out of his momentary hyperventilation.
"You don't look fine."
"Stomach hurts," Jinora explains.
"You should go to your aunt."
"I am," says Jinora, smiling weakly. She starts walking, only to suck in a breath and wince again. Frustrated, she mutters to herself, "It usually isn't this bad."
Kai reaches her side in an instant. "I'll walk with you."
"It's nothing to worry about. I can get there myself."
"Not this time," Kai says firmly, and escorts her to her aunt.
A short while later, Tenzin bursts through the doors. "Where's Jinora?"
Kai looks up from where he sits on the ground, back against the wall. Kya poked her head out a few minutes ago to inform him that Jinora was going to lie down for a bit, and he was free to run along.
But he hasn't budged, because there isn't anywhere else for him to go. Without Jinora, things are pretty boring.
"She's in there," he indicates, getting to his feet out of respect and jerking his thumb toward the door.
"Is she all right?" worries Tenzin.
"Um, yeah, I think so," says Kai. "She just said her stomach hurt, but it looks like Kya made her lie down."
Tenzin strokes his beard. "She hasn't eaten anything peculiar while in town with you, has she? I have some doubts about those stands they set up at night."
"We haven't snuck out since four days ago," replies Kai. Then: "Wait. You mean you knew this whole time?"
"You think I don't keep an eye on my daughter?"
"That's not fair, you know I'm trustworthy—"
"Ahem." A throat clears. Kai and Tenzin turn to find Kya standing in the doorway, one eyebrow raised. She looks half-pitying, half-amused. "You," she says, pointing at Tenzin, "come in here, little brother."
Tenzin bristles slightly, but obliges.
"What about me?" Kai starts to ask, but the two adults close the door once more. He sinks to the ground again, scowling.
When Tenzin reemerges, he looks relieved but slightly embarrassed. He does a double-take when Kai leaps in front of him, pressing, "Well? What's wrong with Jinora?"
"There's nothing wrong with Jinora," Tenzin says, patiently.
Kai's eyes flick to the door, as if they can see beyond it. "Then why has she been so weird lately?"
"Oh. Erm. Well." Tenzin clears his throat, hand moving as if to rest on Kai's shoulder before he reconsiders and withdraws, hiding it once more under the folds of his cloak. "Kai, what do you know about…growing up?"
Kai wrinkles his nose. "I know boys' voices get deeper. And girls get…" he gestures toward his chest.
For a brief moment, a tic appears at Tenzin's temple, but his indignation fades as he recomposes himself. "Erm. Yes. Very good, Kai. But that's not the only thing girls go through. You see, every month, at a certain time, once they reach a certain age, girls have…they have…" Tenzin sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"They have…?" prompts Kai.
"They have moments of insecurity. Irritability. Tiredness, and such. It varies from person to person. But the point is, Kai, that during this time you must tread very carefully. You must be patient. Do you understand?"
Kai nods, even though he doesn't. Not really.
"Good," says Tenzin, taking a breath and starting down the corridor. "Now that that matter's settled, I'll be going. Jinora will play with you later."
"What's it called?"
Tenzin stops mid-step. "What?"
"What's it called?" asks Kai. "What girls have. During their time of the month?"
"Ah." Tenzin rubs his forehead—Kai gets the sense that if he had any hair, Tenzin would be running his hands through that. Finally, he seems to reach a decision. "It's called menstru—"
The infirmary door opens with such force that both Kai and Tenzin jump a foot in the air. Framed in the doorway stands one very flushed, very flustered Jinora.
"Dad!" she cries, outraged. "You promised you wouldn't tell! Traitor!" A gust of wind rushes in, flapping both Kai and Tenzin's cloaks in their faces as Jinora storms off, steaming.
They hear a loud sigh. Dazed, they turn to where Kya leans against the doorframe.
She gives them a look that, very clearly, communicates: You two are idiots.