About a year ago, right before the whole Kuvira mess started, me and Kai were training, just messing around, what we normally did. We wanted to train somewhere else that day, so we went to train in the garden instead of the training deck. We were alone, which doesn't happen very often. It was hot and we both had taken some layers off the beat the heat. I wore a light undershirt and he was shirtless all together. I remember thinking how cute he looked all sweaty and tired. I mean, I was tired too, but not nearly as tired as he was. We walked underneath a gazebo to drink some water. I guess nobody ever came to where we were. I never saw one person around us. We sat on the bench, a bit close I guess; but nobody was there to protest. I recall his hand sliding into mine, his shoulder turning towards me. I actually think he was about to tell me something but something came over me. I kissed him. It was our first kiss and lasted maybe a second because I turned away as fast as I could. We just went back to training, as if it didn't happen.
During a break we were sitting next to each other and Kai pushed my shoulder; I can't remember why, but we were just messing with each other. I guess the real mistake we made was taking our break in the huge tree in the middle of the garden. I sent a gust of air at him, it wasn't strong but enough to make him react with his own gust of wind. I remember the hollow thunk that Kai's skull made against the tree, and I remember the way his eyes went blank as he fell from the high branch. I sent another rush of wind at him, pushing him towards the tree. His body still limp, he slowly slid down the tree trunk until he landed on the hard dirt floor.
I screamed his name to wake him up but he didn't respond. I jump from the branch and landed next to him using an air cushion. I shook his shoulders, trying to wake him up. When I moved my hands away from him I could feel the sticky substance gliding on my skin. Blood trailed on my hands. I quickly turned Kai over, seeing the many cuts and gashed lining his back from the rough bark of the tree. I screamed for help and the air acolytes quickly came and carried him to the house. People came rushing in, observing Kai's unconscious body before doing anything. One of the medic told someone to take his shirt off, another yelling for wet clothes and bandages. One of the women cut his robes off, throwing the blood-stained cloth to the floor. Someone poured something on his back and I could hear a faint sizzling sound.
I finally pulled out of my haze, I had been holding his hand for the past five minutes, blankly watching the medics take care of his injuries. I asked one of the women holding wet rags what was wrong and she told me that there was still wood lodged in his back and that they were getting a waterbender to come help. Right after she told me an older women, already with greying hairs, stalked into the room. She wore the signature robes of the white lotus, with the watertribe insignia standing out on her helmet. She talked to the guy that was screaming for bandages earlier then walked over to Kai. She looked at me with pale blue eyes, and said something that I guess was suppose to be encouraging but I couldn't process it. She poured water on his back, then started to bend it, forcing the small pieces of wood out of Kai's back, then she placed her hand on his back. The water glowed a bright blue, and I felt Kai squeeze my hand. "He's going to be alright," the healer had said, "just keep him bandaged for the next few days. He has some pretty deep gashes." The lady left the room and everyone kept shuffling around. Someone places a flat bandages on his shoulders and upper back.
I watched as everything moved around me. I replayed him falling hundreds of times, trying to think where it went wrong. Did he just lose his balance? Did he forget to wrap his leg around the branch when he airbent? Did I knock him out of the tree? I tried to understand how this happened, but I just could not understand how this had happened. I wished that it was me in the bed, not him. I faintly remember my family coming in, Korra and Asami, Mako and Bolin; but they were all just a blur or hollow, "he will be okay" and "he's going to be better".
I remember the exact moment when he woke up. It was nearly three in the morning and I was falling in and out of sleep. I tried to keep myself awake in cased he said anything. I was shocked awake when I felt his hand grab mine, it was weak and seemed to take a lot of effort on his part. "Kai! Kai, I'm here. It's Jinora. Do you need anything?" I asked him.
All he did was laugh, followed by some coughing. I guess he found it funny how I worried I was back then. But his answer still worried me, "Hey, what happened?" He tried to moved but fell back down. "What happened to me?"
"You fell out of a tree. Don't you remember? We were goofing around and you fell." I told him, but there was no recognition in his eyes.
"No. I don't remember that," he told me. I told him that it was okay. We talked for awhile longer. I thought that his memory would come back. It was probably from the drugs that they gave him I told myself. The next morning was better. He told me that he remembered falling, but not before falling. I have to tell you that I was a bit relieved when he said that. He forgot what happened. He forgot the kiss. I don't know if I was happy or not, but relief filled me.
A week later, when Kai was able to walk around on his own, he and I were walking through the island. We happened to cross the spot where we were training when he fell, he looked under the tree and said, "So that's where I fell?"
"Yep, right from that branch," I told him as I pointed out one branch that was larger than the others.
He glanced at it for a moment, and then led me to the gazebo. We sat down and just watched the wind blow the leaves around. "I remember how I fell out now," he said without looking at me. "I was going to kiss you."
He said it so calmly, as if it was normal for us to kiss. "Why were you going to kiss me?" I asked him. He still wouldn't look at me, he just stared off into the distance.
"Because I thought that I should get to kiss you if you kissed me." He finally looked at me. "And yes, I do remember that you kissed me. YOU kissed me," he teased me. I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks. He finally turned around to look at me. "And I still would like to kiss you if that's okay," he asked. I just remember hating him for a second, he asked to kiss me like he was asking me to pass the rice at dinner. He was so collected asking to kiss me, but I guess that was just Kai being Kai.
I told him that it was okay for him to kiss me. He did, it was nice. He didn't linger, but his lips were soft and gentle. It didn't last long, but it was memorable. And that was the time I almost killed Kai by kissing him.
FIRST STORY BACK! I'm really excited to get back into fanfic writing and can't wait to write more for you guys. You are all so nice and supportive. I know that it has been a long time (like 8 or 9 months) since I have posted any new writing, so I hope this is good...
PLEASE SEND IT REQUEST! I LOVE TO WRITE OFF PROMPTS THAT YOU GUYS SEND ME! HAVE FUN WITH IT AND REMEMBER THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE KAINORA STUFF, IT CAN BE OTHER SHIPS!
REALLY EXCITED TO BE BACK :)
~ NADOGIRL18
