Things in Jinora's life tended to start out slowly, and then, soon enough, spiral out of control. Friendships were apparently no exception to this. Before meeting Kai, the only friends she had were either part of her family, the avatar, friends of the avatar, or fictional. Not that she didn't like all those relationships, but she always longed to make a friend of her own. It wasn't as magical and smooth as Jinora had read about in books, however she wouldn't have it any other way. Kai was not only the only person her age who she wasn't her family that she spent time with, but her friend-her best friends and confidant. It comforted her to know that he was always there for her and would be there no matter what.

Despite all the chaos going on in the world, Kai gave her some sense of normality by talking to her like she was anyone else. Finding time to talk to him was, many times, difficult because someone was almost always leaning over their shoulders, usually an overprotective father or uncle.

Kai, being the cunning mastermind that he is, thought of a plan that, if executed properly, would give them the alone time they desperately wanted. The problem with the plan was that Kai had no way of telling Jinora about the plan without being overheard, so he decided to just do it.

It started with a knock at Jinora's door. Confused at who would bother her in the middle of the night, two young airbenders came to her mind- Meelo and Ikki, her younger siblings, who were always looking for a way to prank her. However, they weren't at the Northern Air Temple, so she knew it couldn't be them. When Jinora opened the door, no one there: there wasn't a traces of anything, only a gust of wind.

She sighed, slightly frustrated, going back to bed and picking up the novel she was rudely interrupted from.

It was one of those stupid romance novels that she had been weirdly drawn to lately. At least this one wasn't fictional. It was a forbidden love story about a man named Oma and a woman named Shu. Their villages were at war so they couldn't see each other, but even so, they found a way to be together. They were the first Earthbenders.

As soon as she got back into the book, however, the knocking came again. In hopes of not letting the culprit escape, Jinora tactically used her air ending to quickly open the door. The culprit, who amidst conjuring up an air scooter to escape on, was her surreptitious best friend.

"Kai, what are you doing here? If my dad finds you here, he'll kill us both."

He turned around, acting as if he wasn't about to leave in an embarrassed tizzy. "I knew it was a stupid idea. I just couldn't sleep and I thought-"

She sighed, pulling Kai by his arm into her room, and locking the door behind her. "It's fine, just be quiet." She said trying to contain the adrenaline rush she got from breaking her father's rules.

Before long their small, awkward movements became natural. Kai was cracking jokes and showing off.

"Hey Jinora, check this out. I was messing around the other night because I couldn't sleep and well-" he grabbed a few marbles from his pocket and with the help of his airbending, they started spinning them around "this happened."

"I know that move," she said smiling. "My Gran Gran told me that Grandpa Aang used to that all the time when they were younger."

"Woah." hey both looked at each other incredulously…and blushing.

"It's getting kind of late. I should probably go back to bed. I don't want to get caught or anything." It was a good excuse to get away from his intense blushing.

"Probably." Jinora pecked his cheek goodnight as Kai left. They both stayed up, wishing there was an easier, less troublesome way for them to see each other.

This continued every night, progressively staying up later, learning more about each other.

"Your dad was showing us this earlier and I got it before anyone else. I guess you could say I'm a natural."

Jinora watched him do some moves that she learned years ago. However, she couldn't help but notice his sloppy form.

"You're mostly right with that move."

"What do you mean?"

"Technically you can do like that," Jinora said as she moved behind him and adjusted his position. "But it's more efficient and proper technique this way." They were both blushing from their unusually close proximity was to one another. "Now try."

As he manipulated the air around him, it seemed much more natural than the way he did it before.

"Thanks Jinora. Now I'm definitely gonna be so much better than the others."

"It's not all a contest, Kai."

"Here, it isn't. But it's hard for me to believe. Since my mom died, everything I've done has been for the purpose of survival. Now, it's all different; things are okay and I'm trying to adjust to the fact that I don't have to beat everyone else out. I just have to be the best I can be, but I'm not even sure who I am."

He was now sitting on the edge of her bed, distractedly looking out her window, and tightly grasping her sheets into his fist. Jinora sat down next to him, putting her hand atop his, causing his hand to slowly relax.

"It really is okay now. And I may not have all the answers, but you are amazing Kai. You're really talented and "

"But I've made so many mistakes."

"Everyone's flawed, but that's okay. I don't know how much history you know but-"

"Not everything can be explain by some stupid anecdote about something you read. You don't know what it's like Jinora. You just don't. You didn't have to watch your mother get sick and slowly die in front of your eyes. And there's nothing you could do about it. You didn't have to learn to fend for yourself and then , leaving you to fend for yourself. And then get auctioned off like you're some kind of some kind of toy to some rich family. Its-" He stood up. "I should go back."

"No." Jinora yelped, grabbing his wrist. "Please stay." Her eyes soften and

He turned around and a glimpse into her calming brown eyes was all he needed to set himself at ease."Okay."

They sat in silence for a while. Jinora held Kai, who cried from the overwhelming amount of grief that welled up inside of him. Jinora stayed with her arms around him, hoping the pressure would calm him down. Eventually, his crying stopped and his breathing regulated. Jinora wiped away his tears and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, telling him more than words could that she didn't care what had happened to him because she would still be there for him. Vertically laying down on her bed together with their fingers grazing one anothers, they whispered secrets to each other, while trying to hold back yawns.

"I used to wet the bed at night, until I was 5." Kai embarrassedly admitted.

"I've never worn anything besides airbender garbs."

"Uhhh..I've never met my father."

"You're my first friend."

"Really?"

"Well, best friend technically."

That's the last thing the both remembered, before passing out, with their hands intertwined.

When Tenzin awoke the next morning, something in his over-protective father genes, felt off. He figured his nerves were rilled because The Red Lotus were on the loose and after Korra. He sighed, going off for his morning meditation to try and calm his nerves, but even that didn't help. It was hard to set himself at ease, when his fathers living legacy was at stake. He went to check on his eldest daughter, thinking that maybe seeing her would put him at ease. However, entering her room only made him more uneasy, seeing that his daughter was laying across the chest of Kai, a new airbending recruit who had a knack for trouble.

Boy, did he.

His face reddened and his blood boiled at the sight. His usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

"JINORA! PLEASE TELL ME I'M DREAMING AND KAI IS NOT ASLEEP IN YOUR BED!"

Jinora and Kai awoke with a start. Jinora's father was incoherently yelling at them and she was staring at Kai, who she was laying atop. She knew that she was, to put in simple terms, in a lot of trouble.

"Daddy! Funny story, actually, just let me explain. It's not what you think," she said as she groggily tried to remember how they were stupid enough to fall asleep together.

"SO I'M JUST IMAGINING THAT I WALKED IN TO KAI ASLEEP IN YOUR BED!"

"It was an accident!"

"Because that makes it all better." He didn't know what to imagine happened the night before, he wanted to trust her, but it was hard when she was so young and he was so….troublesome.

"This kind of thing normally doesn't happen, usually he leaves before I fall asleep."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"It. I-"

"YOU REGULARLY SNEAK BOYS INTO YOUR ROOM?!" Tezin was fuming. What had this boy been doing with his young daughter? And for how long?

"Well not exactly. Kai and I just sometimes talk at night."

Kai tried to slip out the door, as Jinora distracted her father.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING KAI? DO YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST SNEAK OUT OF THIS SITUATION?"

"Daddy stop yelling at him. You don't even know what you're talking about."

"I THINK I DO."

"I'm sorry. But at least listen to me before you start jumping to conclusions."

"This better be a good explanation."

"Look, we were just talking nothing else. I don't understand why you're freaking out. If you trust me as much as you say, why won't you take my word. I'm growing up, yes, and I actiually have a friend that isn't my sister for once in my lifed, so why do you have to try and ruin this. I mean you're the one who never gives us a second to be by ourselves, so I'm not sorry I went behind your back. I just want to actually spend time with my friend. You're so irrational, dad." Jinora grabbed her glider and Kai's wrist.

" Don't you dare leave this room."

"We have to feed the bison."

"Jinora I'm warning you."

They flew out the window to the Bison, with Tenzin yelling after them.