Symptom

The first signs had been so minuscule, but they all cursed not seeing them sooner. It had started after they'd battled some sort of ethereal, invisible elemental creature. From there, it went downhill.

Kai had gone into a little coughing fit during meditation, briefly interrupting the serene moment.

"You okay, man?" Lloyd asked, knowing Kai's voice, but worrying over his health. It was never good when one of them got sick.

"Yeah, yeah, just felt like I had something scratchy in there. Sorry, sensei." He settled back into his meditation pose, but Zane, Lloyd, and Nya had all mentally made a note to check on him later.

Kai checked out, and he continued on. The next oddity had been during a sparring session with Jay, a few days later. As the two were basically raw energy when they were in their respective elements, sparring always was a give and take as well as a spectacle to witness.

"Again, Jay! Go for the support!" Kai called, jumping at Jay, punches easily being dodged, and then seeing the pale blur move in to infiltrate his stance. Jay's strong round kick caught the back of Kai's knees, making him topple. He panted for a few moments on the ground, Jay poised in a mock kill blow. Then he cracked a smile, holding out his hand.

"How was that?"

"Better, but it needs more force." Kai took the hand, smiling back at his friend and lover. He let go, walking away, still panting and unable to catch his breath. He lowered himself onto the stairs leading out of the training room, grabbing his respective water bottle.

"You good, baby?" Jay asked, still hyped and bouncing. Kai nodded, unable to find his voice after several swallows of water. Then he coughed roughly into his fist, looking a little beat.

"Yeah, just, can't catch my breath." He shook himself off, standing to face the freckled man, taking a new stance.

"Alright, again."

"Zane, could I sleep in between you and Cole?"

"Nuh-uh, it's just starting to get warmer." Cole said from around the corner where he was changing, Zane paused from wiping grease off himself and Jay from the garage.

"Why?" He asked, not looking up. Kai didn't respond, opting to finish brushing his teeth. Spitting the scum into the sink, he refused to look over at his partners still as he rinsed his mouth.

"Cause I'm cold…" He mumbled, barely loud enough for the two in the bathroom to hear, let alone the third man in the bedroom.

"Whaaaaaaat?" Jay asked with a devious smile, seeing Kai's embarrassed and blush-tinged face.

"What what?" Cole asked, walking in from Jay's noisy response, only seeing Kai hiding his face in his hands.

"Nothing!"

"Kai is cold." Zane said over his shoulder, backing up from Jay as he was satisfied with his cleaning job.

"What, are you feeling okay?" Cole went to move his hands and feel the fire elemental's forehead, but was childishly slapped away.

"Yes! I'm fine! I just want to sleep next to someone warmer than ice fingers over there!" Kai huffed, still a nice shade of pink, making his three partners smile at his defensiveness.

"C'mere, fireball." Cole chuckled, scooping up the grumpy brunet, who hid his face in the broad shoulder. Zane and Jay followed, Jay opting to piggyback on Zane who looked happy to comply.

"Wow, you're actually, like, a normal temperature." Cole mused, letting Kai flop onto the bed as Cole sat more gingerly on the edge.

"Here, lemme feel!" Jay chirped, climbing off of Zane, jamming his hand onto Kai's neck. "Yeah! You're right! Kai, you're, like, human temperature!"

"Can we just go to sleep? And not talk about how I'm not warm?"

"Jesus, just say cold!"

"Hush, Muscles, less talking, more cuddling. Same goes for you two."

"Seriously? Who keeps making these mechs for these ass-"

"Language, Kai!" Lloyd cut off the red ninja, who was at the back of the formation, mostly complaining.

"Kai! I need some heat!" Jay called, starting to get overwhelmed.

"Thought you'd never ask!" Kai jumped over Lloyd, who was wrangling the leader, and went for the group of lankies on Jay. He landed, striking his control pose to release a jet of fire before he'd turn it on the bad guys. But nothing happened.

"Kai!"

"H-hold on! Just-" Kai screamed, fire exploding off of his arm, blasting away several guys from Jay's position. It made the elemental stumble, looking shocked at his own power, unregulated.

"Nice shot!"

"Yeah…"

He was getting dressed. He was JUST getting dressed! How in the world could his power be going haywire? His own skin was burning, the natural defense against the flames that would subsequently follow. Running out of his shared room, he managed to get on the deck when a jet of flames released itself from his hand. He stared at his own appendage disbelievingly, like it'd betrayed him. It had betrayed him. His powers were supposed to be under his control, especially after several years of use. The only exception to that rule was when his emotions got so extreme they were painful.

"Fuck…" He muttered, trying to get a gauge on his internal feel of his fire. Unlike usual, it was like catching smoke, and Kai did not like that. Suppressing his powers into the back of his being, he got his skin to cool down in the morning air. Then he walked back inside like nothing had happened.

"Uh, e-excuse me." Kai abruptly stood from dinner, walking out onto the deck. The weirdest part was Kai never excused himself in casual company.

"Did he look sick to you?" Jay asked, Zane nodding, concern mounting on his face.

"Lemme go out and check on him.." Lloyd soothed, standing to follow. He found him leaning on the railings on one side of the deck, trying to suppress coughs as smoke rose thick in the air.

"Kai!? Is that a cigarette!?" Lloyd sounded scandalized, which was a one of the fastest tones to get everyone else outside. Kai whipped around looking all sorts of guilty and wide-eyed. Then he coughed hard, smoke billowing out of his mouth and nose, having him holding onto the railing to stay upright.

"No!" He managed to get out, trying to keep the others back. Kai knew fire, and it's subsequent components. He may not be the master of smoke, but he's pretty damn close. This was the type of smoke that came off of burning garbage, that was dangerous and thick, it wasn't the usual kind. He was his fire's fuel source, so the smell of it's smoke would vary, but it was usually a scorched type of old tree smell.

"S-Stay back.." He wheezed, letting the gas spill from his lungs. After he'd hacked up enough that it stopped, he dizzily walked back over to the group.

"Kai, are you okay?" Zane asked with dangerously serious and genuine concern. The brunet nodded, coughing into his fist a little.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Sorry, I was tryin' not to scare you, it-it's an elemental thing. It's nothing to worry about, it'll pass." Lloyd smiled gently, hugging the red ninja. They went back inside, and no one saw the scared look in Kai's eyes.

"Kai? You okay?" Cole and Jay exchanged looks as they heard the other male retching again in their shared bathroom.

"Y-yeah…just…don't come in!" He said weakly, voice wobbly. Thus, Jay promptly opened the door. Kai sat curled around the toilet, frowning at them, surrounded by a small cloud of smoke. Upon closer inspection, a slightly chunky grey and black slop was in the toilet.

"Kai-"

"I'm fine." He looked away from them.

"This does not look like fine." Cole emphasized by pointing at gross sludge.

"I just had some bad food. It's fine." He insisted, coughing a little, defined puff of smoke coming out of his mouth.

"This looks like the opposit-" Cole was interrupted by Kai flushing the toilet, shuddering, and walking over to the sink. Grabbing his toothbrush, he looked at them pointedly.

"I feel fine. It was just something I ate, really." He said, throwing them a grin to accent he was certainly, most definitely fine.