shots in the dark

VIII: Kai
float down like autumn leaves, hush now

Kai's never been really good at discussing his feelings, and he's grateful Jinora doesn't press it. He's not sure what he would do if she did, but the last thing he wants is a fight. He and Skoochy never fought a lot. He imagines fighting with his best friend now wouldn't be too different. Not that he's called her his best friend out loud or anything, nor has she said the same about him.

But, if they aren't best friends, than what exactly are they?

Thinking about things like this during a zombie apocalypse isn't exactly ideal.

"Are you okay Kai? You're zoning out."

Kai turns to Jinora, who looks like she's trying not to sound or look too concerned, and he shrugs. "Just thinking."

"For once," she teases. Kai rolls his eyes, but can't deny the grin spreading across his face. She always manages to pull a smile out of him, somehow.

They walk along in silence, other than the soft chirping of birds, the city of Senlin becoming a dot behind them. Soon, they won't be able to see it at all. Around them, trees are bursting to life in colours of crimson and gold, leaves falling to the ground, forming a thick carpet. There's a quiet crunch underneath Kai's mud-splattered boots with every step he takes.

If there's one good thing about the weather growing steadily colder as fall comes, is that the leaves are good tinder for fires and catch sparks easily. That, and Jinora tends to walk closer to him, and sometimes his freezing fingers bump into her hand and it feels like his skin's been burned.

Every day they wake up with leaves in their hair, and Kai can't help himself when he reaches over to pick a leaf out of her hair, and then he flushes the same red shade as the leaf when he realizes what he's done. Jinora grins at him and takes a leaf out of his hair, her fingers lingering over his locks longer than they need to. Then she tosses the leaf in his face and it hits him in the nose.

"Hey!" he protests, as the leaf falls, looking for retaliation, but she's already rolled away, laughing. "No fair!"

Jinora giggles and offers a hand to help him up from the ground. Kai takes it - and uses it to abruptly pull her down. Her knees buckle and she falls on top of him; they roll to the side and over again, so that he's on top of her. His knees are on either side of her hips, his hands supporting himself above her shoulders, his body pressed low over her's. Her breath is hot on his face. A strange warmth tickles the back of his neck, his cheeks burning. His throat goes dry.

For a second, she gazes up at him, her expression blank, but then she smirks and he feels pressure on his back, her knees digging into his lower back, pushing him forwards, as his hands skid, scraping against dirt and leaves. She grabs his arm, pins it down and then she forces him off of her, sending him rolling flat onto his back.

"Nice try Kai," she says and he can't help but notice she sounds a little breathless. He shoves those thoughts away. His throat is still dry.

"You just got lucky," he says without any real malice, attempting to cover up his hurt pride. Jinora beams at him. His heart does a little flutter and dread fills his stomach. That's not good.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," she replies smoothly, shouldering her backpack. "Now c'mon, let's get going."

They walk along the dirt road, the gravel having long given away to the grass and the elements, and Kai occupies himself by staring at the nature around them. He can see pieces of the bright blue sky in between swaying branches. He glances at Jinora after a long time, who's still staring ahead.

Kai swallows a lump in his throat. "Fall was always Skoochy's favourite season."

She stops walking, looking at him with sad eyes, her brow furrowed in concern. The way she looks at him is as if she wants to reach out, but is afraid that if she does, he'll shatter. Maybe I will, he thinks, his eyes stinging.

"I've always loved it too," she says quietly. "How - how long did you know him?"

"Three years," Kai answers. It's not long, in comparison to his twenty and thirteen in the Sanctuary. But it's the longest he has ever - he swallows thickly - had a friend. "We met waiting for our Careers meeting and started talking."

Kai can remember the meeting well, the way his stomach twisted itself into knots while he waited, because this meeting would determine his job, his life - and his lifespan too. "What career did you get?" he asks, pushing his memories away.

"Healer, teacher," Jinora says, shrugging. "I know a thing or two about first aid. I never thought I'd have to apply it to a situation like... this." She gestures simply with her hands.

"You were always the fastest reader in kindergarten," he says fondly. Then, he had moved up to grade one, the start of their separation. The year everything changed. He shakes his head, hoping to shake his mind free of the less than pleasant memories; it doesn't work.

"And you always gave the teacher hell," Jinora shoots back, grinning. She bumps her arm against his. "I wonder whatever happened to her." The smile slides off Jinora's face.

Kai knows what she's thinking, how unlikely it is their old teacher survived. She might be a zombie now. Or dead, probably dead. And even if Kai never particularly liked her, they bow their heads and stay silent for a moment in respect.

Mourn, respect, honour, but don't pity.

They move on.

"According to our map, the only thing that's around here is a big city, even bigger than Senlin. It looks like Senlin started out as suburbs but then grew into a city of its own," Jinora reads, gazing at the dirty map they had managed to find back in Senlin on one of their store raids. She smooths the yellow paper out, tracing their path with her index finger, over to the city. Through the grime Kai can make out the name: Omashu.

"The outbreak was really bad there, in the beginning," he adds. Jinora nods to show she's listening but doesn't look up at him; instead, she rolls up their map and neatly tucks it into her backpack. She hands him a package of food, since while they've stopped they might as well have lunch.

"Thanks Jin," Kai flashes her a grin before he opens the box carefully. Inside are some crackers, that aren't nearly as stale as the others. It's a rare treat and a welcome taste in his mouth.

Jinora tosses a berry into her mouth, catching it on her tongue. "You're welcome," she passes their small bundle of berries over to him. The sweetness of the berry gives away over his tongue. There's not much fruit they can find, and Kai knows it's only going to get harder as autumn continues and melds into winter.

He notices Jinora shiver. "You cold?" he asks, already shaking off his coat. Jinora gives him a brief smile.

"I'm fine," she insists. "You can't keep taking off your coat whenever I shiver, it isn't good for you... I feel fine when we're moving, just a little chilly when we're sitting, really. I'll be fine, I can pick up a warmer jacket when we reach Omashu."

Kai knows that they will take them another two and a half weeks, and that, judging by Jinora's watch, it'll be November by that point, far too cold for her jacket to last. "We could... share?"

Her eyebrows knit together and she wrinkles her nose. "Share?"

"It is a pretty big coat, we can use it like a blanket," Kai hopes he's not blushing, even if there's warmth spreading up his neck. He scoots over to her, stubbornly ignoring the way his leg is pressed up against hers, their knees knocking together, and drapes his jacket over both of their shoulders.

Jinora's face is pink and she doesn't look at him. "Thanks," she yawns. As daylight slowly became scarcer, it caused them to wake up as early as possible no matter how late they stayed up, with still only half as much sleep as they're used to.

After Kai has started to stuff the food back into his bag, he lets it rest against his leg, when he freezes, and barely moving, he looked over at Jinora. Her head has dropped on his shoulder, soft and warm. Kai can't help but think she looks peaceful when she's asleep, with the gentle rise and fall of her chest. And adorable, but that's beside the point.

Carefully, not wanting to disturb her, he shifts his coat over so it covers her more fully. She lets out a little sigh, a strand of her now shorter hair falling in front of her face. Gingerly, Kai tucks it behind her ear without thinking, looking at her tenderly.

Then, he realizes what he's doing and straightens up slightly, his cheeks flaming. But there's a small smile on his face that never goes away.

A/N: Thanks for all the feedback guys, I appreciate it a lot. I have two more chapters after this fully written, but I'm going to start to pace how soon I update so you guys never have to wait a ridiculously long time for an update. :) As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.