GENERAL DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE LEGEND OF KORRA, OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS HEREIN (aside from Zanda. He is an original creation). THIS IS A FANFIC MADE FOR PERSONAL ENJOYMENT THAT I WISH TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE CONTENT, DEAL WITH IT.
Kai is standing in the mouth of a large cave filled with beautiful gems, reflecting and scattering the traces of light caught through the waterfall to a gorgeous effect, lighting the cave enough to see in with multicolored light. Gasping, Jinora takes Kai's hand, letting him pull her out of the water onto a sandy shore.
"This is amazing!" she exclaims, throwing her arms around him and kissing him again. I'm never going to get over that feeling, she thinks. After a moment, Kai breaks the contact to pull her into the main part of the cave. Jinora is surprised to look down and see soft moss covering the floor of the cave. "I've never seen that type of moss before."
"Like a lot of things, this moss is singular to this clearing." At her confused look, he explains. "I've done some research on the plants around here, and I haven't found any matches. Those flowers, this moss, the trees, even the grass is completely different from any other species in the world."
Jinora smiles at this boy in front of her. He's clever, brave, loyal, caring, and smart too. I'm so lucky. With a smug grin, Kai takes her hand again, dragging her further along. "There's one last big thing about this cave," he explains, pulling up behind her and covering her eyes with his hands. Giggling, Jinora obediently walks forward, trusting the boy behind her. "Okay," he says, stopping them. "Here it is." When he moves his hands away, Jinora thinks nothing new can surprise her about this place. She was wrong.
Hanging there from the ceiling is a massive gem, the purest white you've ever seen, shooting off rays of light of every color imaginable and then some. From the very bottom of the crystal shines a gleaming beam of white light, the heat of which is enough to warm the entire cave. The light ends in a large divot, filled with ashes and the remnants of long-gone fires.
"This crystal, I think, is the heart of this entire clearing," Kai says, drawing her attention away from the fire pit. "Watch," he says as he turns an odd stone set into the wall. Suddenly, the light begins to dim, until all that remains is the white beam out the bottom. Kai walks over and takes her hand, taking her toward the mouth of the cave and the waterfall. Jinora notices that there isn't any light coming through. Before she can ask any questions, Kai has already dived in, making his way back into the clearing. Following suit, a thought passes through Jinora's mind. When the crystal dimmed, I just thought it was because something was blocking the light. What if it's something else? Coming up on the other side, she decides it's definitely something else.
Where before the sun shone, now the sky is filled with stars, shining brightly considering the proximity to Republic City. Kai is standing on one of the surrounding stones, arms spread and raised to the suddenly night sky. Jinora, ever the academics, immediately realizes where they are. "This is Zanda's Glade!" Kai's confused look causes her to laugh as she swims toward him. He reaches a hand down to help her up. Once standing, he holds her close in his arms, holding her steady on the rock.
"That white wolf we saw is Zanda, a spirit of peace and light. He's a guardian to humans and will offer sanctuary to those in need. Zanda's Glade is said to be his home, a portion of the world that doesn't exist in any particular place or time, connected only by gates he makes." Her academic spirit has fully emerged, her thirst for knowledge awakened. "Did we ever pass through something that looks like a gate, maybe the branches above wove together?"
"Actually, yeah," the young airbender answers. "Right after I blindfolded you, there was a point where two trees had grown together over the path. It was also where I hid the basket."
"That was the gate," Jinora says triumphantly. "Kai, the ONLY way to find the glade is to be shown the way by someone or something that has been there. Zanda himself led you!" She smiles and sighs, seeing how little impact this statement had on him. "He chose YOU specifically. Kai, you don't seem to understa-" Kai interrupts her tirade with a kiss, one she quickly reciprocates.
"Jinora, the only thing that matters to me is that this is a place where we can be together without fear." His explanation causes her chest to heat up, joy at the thought of that one word, "Us," and what it means. She snuggles her head into the crook of his neck, sighing contentedly. His arms tighten around the young master, lightly jumping backwards and letting the wind slow their descent onto the blanket.
After a few minutes of this, Jinora realizes something. "Wait, it's dark out here, but what about back home?"
With a sheepish grin, Kai sits up, Jinora slipping onto his lap. "Well, I'll be honest, I had some trouble figuring that one out myself. Long story short, though, I found that as long as you return the dial to what it was when you found it, it'll be the same time leaving as when you entered."
Suddenly, a thought hits Jinora. "That's what happened that week you were just...gone. You got mixed around by the Glade." Nodding, Kai reddens, embarrassed at his mistakes. Jinora pouts at him, crossing her arms. "You had me worried sick!" she states firmly, turning her upper body away.
Before she has the time to build up any real anger, Kai throws his arms around her, kissing the back of her neck lightly. Shivers run up and down her spine at this feeling, a new, unexpected warmth building in her chest and somewhere lower down. Before she can think about it, he lightly nips her shoulder, and a low moan finds its way out her throat. The sounds shocks both of them, neither expecting a sound so primal, so...aroused.
A/N: So, for anyone who happens to be following my story, the upcoming chapters are where it gets a bit more NSFW. If you're not into that kind of stuff, feel free to simply wait until a later chapter to pick up. You won't really miss any major story. Thank you. Don't forget to review. It'd make me really happy.