still on my string

ii. jinora

Jinora stared at him before grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. "What are you doing here?" she hissed, slapping his arm. Kai smiled weakly, his arm clutching his side. "Oh Raava, did I hurt you I'm so sorry-"

"No, no it's fine, really. See?" Kai lifted his arm, and Jinora drank in his image in the faint glow of the streetlights. He looked tired, with large bags under his eyes, but his smile was genuine and bright. "I'm all good."

"Then what were you thinking?" Jinora whispered angrily. "I didn't know if you were even alive, you idiot!" Her temper deflated, her shoulders slumping forward. "I didn't even know if you were alive…" Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

Kai looked around quickly before cupping her cheek with a hand. "Hey, I'm here." His thumb gently brushed away a tear, his other hand reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Jinora's ear. "I'm all good," he repeated. "Don't you worry about me. If anything, I'm the one who should be worrying about you."

She felt heat rise to her cheeks, her dream of kissing Kai rushing to the front of her mind. She placed her hand on his own and removed it from her face, but couldn't manage to resist the urge to lace her fingers through his. The leather of his Equalist glove was warm and smooth.

"What happened after I left?" Jinora asked. The words felt surprisingly sharp in her mouth, bitter to the taste. It almost seemed like her life had been divided: before and after her kidnapping.

Kai explained in detail, and Jinora listened with rapt attention. It filled some sort of void to know what had happened, and how Kai had been treated after a week of worrying about his safety.

Jinora ducked her head and glanced around. The White Lotus guards were still preoccupied as more Equalists had joined the fight, but she knew they wouldn't be distracted for much longer and would notice her absence.

She turned back to Kai, who had been staring and quickly diverted his gaze, seemingly embarrassed. "I missed you," she blurted out, and then clamped her mouth shut, her cheeks burning.

Kai smiled softly, giving her hand a squeeze. "I missed you too. How've you been doing? How's your family and your…" Kai's smile faded. "Your boyfriend? I saw a picture of them in the papers."

Jinora could remember the flash of the reporters' cameras and the annoyance spreading across her father's face.

"He's fine. They all are. They're worried, I had to beg to get off the Island tonight, and after this there's no way they're letting me out of their sight…" she trailed off worriedly. "I can't go another week, we need some way to stay in contact. Any ideas?"

"Letters?" Kai suggested, but Jinora shook her head. Never mind that letters were far too traceable or risky, but she also knew reading and writing wasn't Kai's strong suit.

"I do have an idea and it might work," Jinora said slowly. She hadn't tried to use it since Harmonic Convergence, but if it had worked then, would it work now? "What times of the day are you usually alone?"

"Most of the day, recently," Kai answered. "The Lieutenant doesn't want me taking on any missions right now."

"But you weren't punished or anything?" Jinora said immediately, her brow furrowing.

"Got off scot-free," Kai assured her. "Now, what's this idea of yours?"

"You'll know it when you see it," Jinora told him. "Now come on, we should both get out of here. You especially. The White Lotus won't be distracted for long. I'm afraid your Equalists are no match for them." She didn't want to leave so quickly, but she also knew how dangerous it was, more so for Kai, for them to be talking for so long. If her idea worked, they'd be able to talk for as long as they needed to. She turned to leave when his hand latched around her wrist.

"Be safe, alright?" And before she could answer, he kissed her on the cheek and had turned around to walk away in the opposite direction. "Now go."

Jinora brought her fingers up to the place where her lips had touched her cheek, her skin burning. She shook her head, hoping to clear her head of those dangerous thoughts - maybe she was falling for him - as she headed back into the light of the streetlamps. The White Lotus guard, Ming, was by her side in a second.

"Are you alright?" she asked, taking Jinora by the shoulders and inspecting her for injuries.

"I'm fine," Jinora insisted. "But the Equalist I was fighting got away. They're probably long gone by now." The lie came out of her mouth so easily, it almost scared her. But she knew, by that point, she'd do just about anything to ensure Kai's safety. He had risked it all for her. And he had kissed her... on the cheek. It had been too quick to know for sure, but is seemed like his lips were as soft and warm as she imagined they would be.

Jinora barely listened as Ming called the police department to pick up the rest of the Equalists that had attacked them, or as Ming led Jinora onto the ferry to take her back home. The breeze rolling off Yue Bay was cool and refreshing on Jinora's face, which was still burning. If a simple peck on the cheek reduced her to this, Jinora wondered what a kiss from Kai would do to her, his mouth soft and warm and pressed against her own, his teeth biting down on her bottom lip. Jinora felt heat rise to her cheeks. She shouldn't be daydreaming about kissing anyone, never mind someone who was technically on the other side of the war.

But it strengthened her resolve. She'd end things with Akash as soon as possible.

Or, maybe not. Now grounded to the Island more than ever, Akash had become surprisingly sweet. He had started to go out of his way to do nice little things for her, and it reminded Jinora of the good old days when they had first started dating. She still wasn't sure if the relationship was worth continuing, but perhaps she had been a little hasty. Akash was safe. Kai was dangerous. Jinora felt herself torn between the two, and just when she thought she had decided she would stick with Akash, Kai's smile and the way it made her heart flutter would burst into her mind and Jinora would remember how she was lying to herself. If she was really being honest, she wasn't sure who to choose, and it wasn't like she could discuss it with anyone either.

Slowly, Jinora settled back into her ordinary routine. Her body was recovering, and soon, she'd be able to resume her regular training schedule. But now, sitting in the gazebo while the sun rose, was time for meditation. She was grateful she was alone, as it almost seemed like there was never a moment for herself anymore, and she was going to try communicating with Kai for the first time.

These four days of silence had nearly killed her.

Jinora got into the lotus position, her fists pressed against each other's, and willed herself to connect to Kai's spiritual energy. It wasn't hard to focus on him, seeing as she had been having difficulty getting him off her mind at all. She felt the physical world fall away and then reappear. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in an empty street alleyway.

"Jinora?" She turned to see Kai staring at her, looking horrified. "Jinora, what are you doing here?" he hissed, his eyes wide and anxious.

She shushed him, taking a few steps closer to him. "It's a high-level airbending move, with some spiritual stuff thrown in."

Kai let out a deep breath of relief. "For a second there, I thought you were a ghost."

Jinora smiled at him. "It's good to see you. What's been happening the past four days?"

"Not much. I know something's being set up for the long run, but it'll be a while before we have to worry about it. Chow and Iluq can't let me in on the loop, unfortunately. What about you? Any new airbenders or anything?" She noticed he was wearing his Equalist glove again, but even then, little wisps of wind seemed to curl around his fingers.

"Not that I know of," Jinora replied. "I'm being kept in the dark too. Mom and dad don't want anything to distract me from my 'recovery.' Have you been practicing your airbending?"

"When I can. Obviously, I have to be really careful, and we didn't get too far into lessons," Kai said quietly.

"Your form was very good though," Jinora praised.

Kai flushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks." A silence fell between them. Jinora felt a strong desire to close the small distance between them and kiss him, but knew that even if she wanted to, she'd pass right through. "So, you were at a play the other night, right?" he asked.

Jinora nodded. "Um, yeah. Love Amongst the Dragons."

"Never heard of it," Kai said. "So tell me about it, spoilers and all."

Jinora grinned. "Okay," she said slowly. She knew she was rambling, waving her hands and giving far too much detail, but every time she looked over at Kai his eyes were eager and attentive. She took him through the highs and lows of the play - two forbidden lovers, a sort of Fire Nation version of the story of Omashu - as the lovers overcame the various obstacles in between them. There was a sort of tenderness in his eyes when he looked at her when she was finally done that made her heart skip a beat.

"It sounds good," Kai said. "Or maybe you're just a good storyteller."

"A bit of both," Jinora agreed, her eyes crinkling. "I think you'd like it. There's some action scenes too."

"We should go it to sometime," Kai offered. "As friends," he added hastily. He avoided her eyes.

"Because that's what we are?" Jinora said softly. "Friends?"

Kai opened his mouth, and then flinched at a loud sound. "Someone's coming, you better go."

Jinora closed her eyes and her spiritual projection fizzled out of the alleyway. When she reopened her eyes she was back in the gazebo, feeling tears pool at the corners of her eyes. She wiped at her eyes furiously and didn't say a word to anyway as she walked to her room, her heart aching. Why did Kai always send her spinning in circles? He was just a boy who had a lopsided smile that set off a flurry of butterflies every time she saw it, who cared for her, who made her feel like nobody else, much less Akash, ever had, who had risked his life for her, who...

Who she was maybe the teeniest, tiniest bit in love with.

Jinora put her head in her hands once she was in the privacy of her bedroom.

Why did she have to fall for an Equalist?

The next time Jinora used her spiritual projection, in another two days time, she had already made up her mind: she was going to ignore her feelings for Kai. There was no point making the mess she was in more complicated until the whole Equalist-bender conflict was taken care of. She would put off ending things with Akash too. She didn't know how her family would put two-and-two together, but she didn't want to give any evidence that she and Kai's relationship had been anything beyond a warden and prisoner one.

"Hey Kai," she greeted cheerfully.

Kai had looked sad, but brightened up once he saw her. He was standing back in the same alleyway as before, an Equalist mask tucked under his arm. "Hey Jin. I was hoping you'd pop in for a visit before tonight. There's going to be a mission somewhere in Republic City, but they haven't told us many details yet. Just make sure you stay home, alright? Stay safe."

"You too," she said. "Don't do anything stupid."

Kai smiled at her, even though it didn't reach his eyes. "Too late," he muttered under his breath, and clearly she wasn't meant to hear it.

Jinora's brow furrowed. "What do you mean-" she shut her mouth abruptly. She was ignoring whatever they had, she reminded herself. She had to ignore it. "Just Kai, please be safe. And no matter what you have to do on this mission..." She wondered what the task would be. Kidnapping, robbery, maybe. "It won't make me think less of you," she continued. "I promise."

Kai gave her a half-smile. "Thank you Jinora..." He shot her an apologetic look. "I better go. Talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay, talk to you soon." She tried to smile for him as her spiritual projection faded, worries clouding her mind. She knew that Kai was a skilled fighter, and a skilled Equalist, and he should be fine. The fact was though, was that sometimes Equalists did die on their missions. The deaths were always reported in the newspaper. Jinora had never given it a second thought, until now.

She sent up a prayer to the Spirits that Kai wouldn't be the subject of the next obituary.

Jinora sat up groggily in bed. A sharp noise had awoken her, but what could it be at almost midnight? It had taken a while for her to fall asleep in the first place, due to her worries about Kai. The sharp noise, a rapping sound, happened again. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Jinora looked around for the source. It was coming from her window. Someone was knocking on the stone, maybe?

Cautiously, Jinora crept forward, her hands at the ready if she needed to airbend to defend herself. It was probably just a bird, but who knew these days with the city on the brink of war.

But she certainly didn't expect to see Kai, curled up on the roof next to her window. He had a cup lip, an arm curled around his torso. A broken rib maybe? His eyes were bruised and blackened, and his nose crooked. Jinora stared at him for a moment, shocked, but quickly swallowed it and helped him inside her room. "What in Raava's name happened to you?" she gasped. Panic crushed her lungs.

"Mission went wrong," Kai choked out. He let out a soft groan of pain. "You were the closest thing... couldn't go to a hospital... Jin-"

"I'll help you, don't worry," she anxiously brushed his hair away from his face, kissing his forehead gently. She was too worried to care about the forwardness of her actions. "I'll be right back with some bandages and water, alright?"

As Jinora bolted out of her room and down the hallway, for the first time in her life, she hated that she was an airbender. A skilled waterbender would have been able to heal Kai's injuries no problem. Now, she hoped that whatever she knew would be enough. And if it wasn't... She would have to get outside help. But who would be willing? Her mother maybe, but Pema wasn't a skilled healer either. There was no way she could tell her father. Who-

"Jinora, what are you doing out of bed?"

Jinora turned around to face the Avatar and gathered up her courage. "Korra."

This chapter was a bit shorter - the shortest so far, I think but the next chapter will be nice and long and very, VERY Kainora-y. So hold onto your feels, folks. Also, some very exciting news: a wonderful reader made a fanfic TV tropes page for this fic! (I cried real tears). You can find the link to it in my profile. It'll be interesting to see what tropes I used in this chapter. If you're that person, you rock! And all you readers, you're awesome too!

Thank you so much for all your feedback and support. :D I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.