This story is a reader request from my wattpad account.

I have to admit that I wasn't very fond of this pairing in season 4, but they have kinda grown on me. I thought that scene between Kai and Skylor in HoT was very cute, and I really enjoy writing them in my Jaya stories.

So, you can probably expect more Kailor stories from me in the future...

First Love (AU)

Kai ran one hand through his slightly damp spiky hair, silently muttering a curse that the eleven-year old boy should definitely not say out loud - and that he probably should not even know the words of.

Today was a very hot day at Master Chen's Island Holiday Resort. The late afternoon sun was burning down, and all children were playing and having fun in the spacious hotel pool.

Well, all children except one.

Kai Smith had never been too fond of the water.

Unfortunately, that meant that, even though it was only the third day of their family holidays, he was already bored to death. He had just finished reading his second book, and he wasn't allowed to take either his phone or his handheld video game system down to the pool.

So right now, he sat in a sun lounger and watched his little sister happily splashing around with the other kids, while he himself was counting down the hours until they would finally go home and back to his friends.

He stood up. "Mum, can I please go get an ice cream?" He asked his mother in the lounger next to him.

"Of course you can." Maya replied. She took off her sunglasses and looked at her oldest child. "Are you alright, Kai? Why don't you play with Nya and the other kids? They look like they are having so much fun."

Kai knew that his mother and father were worried about him. Back home, he had many friends and was usually the first one to participate in any fun activity.

So he gave her a small fake smile and lied: "My book was just too interesting, and I wanted to finish it first. I will join them tomorrow."

His parents had worked very hard, so that they and their children could enjoy a family holiday at the popular five-star resort, so he didn't want to upset his mother by telling her the truth - the truth that he hated this holiday.

"Alright, sweetie." Maya smiled back and handed him a couple of coins from her purse. "Will you bring one for your sister as well, please?"

Kai walked over to the pool café and bought two ice cream cones. Walking back, he was so focused on not dripping the melting ice cream on his favourite new t-shirt, that he didn't pay attention to where he was going.

"Ouch." A female voice complained.

Kai looked down and saw that he had stepped on a slightly smaller foot in an orange flip-flop. Lifting his head, he found himself face to face with a girl around his own age.

A very pretty girl.

She had long scarlet hair in a high ponytail and was wearing black shorts and an orange tank top. As she was almost as tall as Kai himself, he found himself looking directly into her sky blue eyes that were sitting in her cute and perfectly tanned face.

Kai blushed. "Uhm, sorry." He mumbled. "I-I hope your foot is okay."

He sincerely hoped she was not one of those girls who would always start crying immediately, no matter what happened. But to his surprise, she just smiled at him.

"No problem." She said. "I am okay."

"That's great. And I-I am Kai." He mentally slapped himself when he realised how stupid this answer must sound.

She giggled. "Nice to meet you Kai, my name is Skylor."

"Would you like an ice cream?" Kai offered her one of the - by now half-melted - treats.

"Thank you." Skylor beamed at him.

Together they walked to the deserted playground and sat down on two swings next to each other.

"I haven't seen you around at the pool or the restaurant." He remarked. "Have you just arrived?"

"Me? No." Skylor laughed. "My father runs this place, my full name is Skylor Chen. Dad just doesn't like me hanging around at the pool with our guests, he says it's unprofessional."

"Oh..."

"But he hasn't said anything about having an ice cream with a friend." She winked at him. "And when you are here all the time, the pool can get very boring very fast anyway. Unfortunately, that's where most children spend most of their time..."

"Yeah, I've noticed that. I am not too fond of swimming..." Kai admitted. "But what do you do instead?" Maybe she could give him some hints on how to spend the rest of his holidays.

"I like to explore the island. When I was a little girl, my dad used tell me stories about an ancient tribe called the Anacondrai cultists. They worshipped the great purple snake god and lived in a grand palace on an isolated island just like this one, so I am trying to find it. According to the legend, it contains invaluable treasures made from jade. If you want... you can come with me."

Kai briefly hesitated.

Exploring the island sounded like a lot of fun. And Skylor seemed to be... nice. Most girls of his age he knew were just plain stupid. And according to Jay, his best friend back home, they all had cooties. But this one was different. She was definitely not stupid, she was in fact quite fascinating. And she was much prettier than any girl he had met before. It would be nice to spend some time with her.

So he nodded. "I'm in."

"Great." She jumped off the swing. A firm grasp on Kai's hand, she pulled him across the resort, all through the PRIVATE. STAFF ONLY. area, until they arrived at a small hidden backdoor.

Skylor pulled out a small, rusty key from her backpocket and unlocked the door. After stepping through, two children found themselves right in the heart of the untouched, eerie jungle.

"Wow." Kai was impressed.

"I know." The girl grinned. "It's hard to believe that the hotel is just behind that wall there. I love being out here. And you don't have to worry about wild animals. There are no venomous snakes or spiders on this island."

"I am not scared." Kai insisted.

"I've never said that. And I wouldn't have asked you, if I didn't think you'd make a great, fearless explorer." Skylor retorted. "But it's too late to get exploring today. Let's meet here tomorrow morning at eight, fire boy." She suggested, referring to his t-shirt depicting a red flaming dragon head.

A wide grin on his face, Kai walked back to the pool, only to realise that he had been gone for quite a while and that he was returning without the ice cream for his little sister.

Nya, who was wrapped in a blue beach towel, pouted when she saw him arriving without her treat, but she immediately forgot her disappointment when her big brother grabbed her and started tickling the nine-year old, until her laughter could be heard all over the resort.

"I am sorry I'm late. I've met a... new friend." He then told his mother, a huge - and genuine - smile on his face. "And if it's okay with you, I'll meet he-him tomorrow to play."

"That's great, Kai." Maya smiled back. "Of course you can."

The next morning, the eleven-year old anxiously waited at the secret door. Would she come? Suddenly, two small, soft hands covered his eyes. From behind him, Kai could smell the same flowery scent he remembered from the day before.

"Hi Skylor." He said. Knowing the place inside out, the red-haired girl had snuck up to him.

"An explorer should always pay attention to his surroundings." Her warm voice replied. "Never let your guard down."

She removed her hands and he turned around. Skylor was dressed in the same outfit as the day before, but was also wearing a wide-brimmed brown fedora on her head. She was definitely better prepared for their exploration than him, as she carried a backpack and compass, while he had only brought a bottle of water.

"I got us some snacks from the kitchen." Skylor explained. "Shall we?"

"After you." Kai replied.

The girl opened the door with her key. She took his hand, and the two explorers went on their wild adventure.

For the next ten days, the two children would continue to explore the jungle, searching for traces of the legendary lost tribe. An old, ruined hut they found was declared as the Anacondrai's secret temple, and a mouldy tree branch was identified as a priceless jade blade.

Of course, they never found any real treasures. But the more time he spent with the red-haired girl, the more Kai realised that he had found something else... a wonderful friend.

But then, much too soon, came the day that Kai and his family were going home.

The two Smith siblings were waiting in the lobby with their luggage, while their parents were doing the check-out at the reception.

Suddenly, Kai felt two soft hands covering his eyes.

"You'll never learn, will you?" He could hear Skylor giggle from behind him.

The boy took her hands into his and removed them from his face. Still holding on them, he slowly turned around. "I knew you were there, but I'd let you catch me anytime."

"Here, I want you to have this." Skylor let go of his hand and removed something from her back pocket. She placed it in his open palm.

Kai looked at the present. It was her old compass.

"Look at the back." Skylor said.

He turned it and saw the engraving. Skylor Chen. May you always find your way.

"I don't want you to get lost." She smiled. "And it might help you find the way back one day."

"But don't you need it more than me?"

Skylor shook her head. "Exploring on my own won't be fun anymore. I don't want to pretend finding a treasure if I can't share it with my friend."

"Thanks. I'm gonna miss you."

"Let's keep in touch, okay?" She leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He touched his burning cheek. "I-I'd like that."

But Skylor had already turned around and was walking away, her scarlet ponytail waving from side to side with her movements.

When she had disappeared around a corner, the spiky-haired boy took another look at her gift and smiled.

He had no idea how, but Kai was sure that one day he would see her again.