The cold wind rushes through Kai's hair as he situates himself on the roof of the temple. He loves coming up here. Its dark out so no one can see him, whilst he can see everybody who passes by. He loves the thought of being alone in a place no one can find you. And the cool air is quite refreshing. He puts his hands behind his head and leans back, giving him a perfect view of the bright galaxy up above. His mind wanders to life before he was an airbender.
He told a fake sob story to Korra when they first met, but he has a real sob story. He grew up an orphan and just like every other orphan his life was rough. His village had an orphanage but he never stayed there when he was young. Too many rules and jerk adults, for some reason orphanages are always run by people with evil embroidered into their souls.
Long story short Kai mastered the art of pick pocketing. At first he was ashamed to be stealing from people. But he was stuck in a hole and he could only steal his way out. After a while his guilt turned to dust and flew away in the wind. He learned the love the adrenaline he got from stealing.
But of course, right when he got to a decent place in his life of thievery he was caught. Instead of putting him in jail they made him return everything he stole and placed him back in the orphanage. Unfortunately they took extra care to make sure he didn't escape. And then much to his surprise a family adopted him. They were a nice couple, unable to have kids. Kai really did like them. But he knew he didn't belong there. He didn't know where he belonged yet but he knew the only way to find out would be to run.
How could he possibly run with no money? In the dead of the night he sneaked into his "parent's" closet and found the box where they kept their money. He honestly only meant to steal enough to get him a reasonable distance away. But once he started he just couldn't stop. Hey, no judging, everybody reaches a low point in their life.
Of course he didn't get very far before they discovered their missing treasure. And that's when his life as an outlaw commenced. The outlaw life suited him. But deep down in the pit of his stomach he knew he couldn't run forever. It would take something big to save him from this doomed lifestyle. Perhaps an earthquake would shake up the men chasing him so bad they forget who he is. However, Kai got something much better.
It was an ordinary day when Kai discovered he can airbend. He knew this was the thing that could get him out of his crappy life. So when the avatar and her friends showed up looking for airbenders he was positively rejoicing. Everything was going smoothly until the police showed up. He remembers having his life literally in Korra's hands as she contemplated whether or not to let him stay.
This new life was promising he could tell as he boarded the ship. He was finally done running from the police and he was going to learn to be a pro airbender.
Everything got ten times better when he met Jinora. She has incredible dark brown hair that perfectly frames her soft face. Her eyes seem plain when you first look at them, but when you really look you see so much life and intelligence just beaming behind them. Not only is she beautiful she's smart, sweet, and an incredible airbender.
Kai feels his cheeks begin to heat up as he thinks about Jinora. He smiles to himself as he recalls the time she hugged him and kissed his cheek. It was the best day of his life. He touches the spot on his face where her lips touched. Suddenly Kai can't stop smiling.
Kai's train of thought is interrupted when he hears two people talking below. They were talking about him!
"Kai and Jinora are so cute don't you think?" One airbender asked.
"Yeah sure," the other replied. "But I mean how long are they going to last?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well the only reason Jinora likes him is because he's the only boy her age. If she were older the chances of her picking him are very slim."
"You know airbenders aren't supposed to be so pessimistic."
"Hey I'm still learning!" He defended himself. "Its getting late I'm going to bed."
"Me too, Goodnight!"
Kai sits for a second, really thinking about what they said. Would Jinora really have picked someone else if there were no options? Would he have picked someone else if there were more options? Of course not! Kai scolds himself for thinking such a think. How could he not pick Jinora, she's perfect for crying out loud! Would Jinora say the same thing about him?
Kai rubs his eyes and decides this is enough for one night. He jumps down from the roof and makes his way to his bed. He lays down on his unnaturally uncomfortable bed and closes his eyes.
Ten minutes pass by and all he can think about is Jinora. How could he ever continue on knowing Jinora's feelings for him might not be genuine? Kai is not one to lay around when he knows he needs to be doing something. Quietly he gets up and walks down the hall. Being an airbender its extremely easy to be light on your feet and not make a lot of noise. He practically floats to Jinora's room.
He's about to slide the door open when he hesitates. What is he going to say? Kai and Jinora have never really talked about liking each other. He always kind of assumed she likes him. Its never been officially established though.
Kai decides in a second of courage to ignore his doubts. He quickly slides Jinora's door open and goes inside, shutting the door behind him. The lights from outside faintly light the room. Its not very bright but he was see where Jinora is sleeping. Kai doesn't wake her right away. She's so cute when she sleeps.
But he doesn't have all night. He grabs her arm and lightly shakes it.
"Jinora," He whispers. "Wake up."
Jinora's eyes slowly open and she processes what's in front of her. "Kai? What are you doing here?"
"Do you like me?" Kai gets straight to the point.
"Well of course," Jinora says.
"No," Kai sighs. "Do you, ya know, like me?"
"Oh, I- uh.. yes," Jinora stutters. "I actually really like you." Kai's heart flutters. Somehow he can see her blushing even in the dark.
"Good," Kai smiles. "Because I really, really like you." Now it's Kai's turn to blush.
"Do you mind telling me why you woke me up in the middle of the night for this?" Jinora asks. "Not that I'm not glad you did." She smiles shyly.
"Well I-uh, I overheard someone saying that you only like me because I'm the only boy your age. And that if you had another option you wouldn't have picked me," Kai nervously rubbed the back of his neck while avoiding eye contact.
Kai silently braces himself for whatever answer she may give. Jinora opens her mouth and Kai flinches in advances.
She starts giggling much to Kai's dismay. "How could you think such a silly thing," Jinora squeaks through her giggles. Jinora places her tiny hand on Kai's shoulder. "Of course I was excited to have a boy my age joining us. But even if ten more came with you, I would have chosen you."
"How can you be so sure?" Kai questions. "I mean how do you really know you would pick me? What if some really amazing guy came too?"
"Kai," Jinora says reassuringly. "I've read a lot of books, many romance novels. I've had time to evaluate every type of guy there could be, and I know that you're perfect. You're adventurous, funny, and a little crazy. Trust me I would choose you." Kai pulled her in for a hug.
"You said I'm perfect and I wont let you ever forget that," Kai says into her ear.
Jinora abruptly pulls apart from him, her hand still on his shoulders. "Wait how do I know you would choose me if you had more options?"
"Impossible, no one else could be as smart or sweet or amazing as you," Kai smiles. Jinora gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. Suddenly there's a gasp from outside. Meelo is peering in through the window, and apparently he witnessed everything. If Kai wasn't in the presence of a girl he would curse.
Meelo jumps down and very loudly calls, "DAAAAAD GUESS WHAT JINORA KISSED KAI."
A faint cry came of the distance that clearly said "KAI!"
"I better go," Kai sighed.
"You better run!" Jinora squeals. Kai gives Jinora one more quick hug and quickly exits. Although he is without a doubt going to get in trouble, he doesn't care.
He is going to sleep soundly tonight.
A/N Ok so I actually have no idea what's inside the temple. I know all the trainees sleep in the same room but I don't know where Jinora sleeps. I kinda just assumed she has her own room. I mean Tenzin wouldn't want her sleeping in the same room as Kai. So yeah I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave reviews, good or bad. I appreciate both.
