"Do you need to rest?" He pulled some bread from his bag and handed it to Kara.

Kara nodded tiredly, taking the bread. "Just for... a minute..." She didn't get a chance to take a bite because she quickly fell asleep in Hayden's arms.

Kai sighed as Kara fell asleep. It was not going to take them two days to get to the earth bender territory. He got some blankets out from his bag and set them on the ground for Hayden to lay her on. "It is incredible what she just did. I hope she's okay." Kai minimized his worry, but inside he couldn't reign it in.

Hayden nodded. "She'll be fine, she's strong." He laid her down and covered her up with another blanket and sat down next to her, stroking her hair.

Kai was envious of Hayden stroking Kara's hair. He sat down away from them and looked up at the sky. It was getting dark, like it was about to rain. It hadn't rained in weeks, he was ready for it. He loved when it rained.
He still felt the pain of being a murder but the wall he had up was helping. He knew time would help him heal, but until time passed he is going to have to push everything down. The slow pace they were moving did not help. He was anxious to get moving and occupy his mind.

Hayden heard something nearby and suddenly had to duck out of the way of an air blast.

Kai heard the movement and ran over to Hayden and Kara, as rain started to fall from the sky. The air blast that Hayden had dodged hit Kai instead sending him back into a tree. Black dots filled his eyes for a second before the world returned. He felt his head and saw blood. He got up, the world tilting. The rain helping him to focus. He couldn't see the air bender but listened to the rain as it fell. The rain told him where the air bender was along with a fire bender. He froze the beads of water that were to fall on them, pelting them with frozen pellets. The air bender just created a shield of air, blocking any further attacks. The fire bender sent a shot at Hayden and one at Kai. Kai just built up water droplets and sent the water at the fire blast, freezing the water at the last second. The fire died. Kai took a step forward, feeling faint but trying to hold himself together.

"Kai!" Hayden ran towards him and looked at him, his eyes widened as he saw the trail of blood on his neck. Hayden fumed and aimed a fire ball at the source of the previous one, it was sent back so Hayden circled it around and forced it in the direction he thought the air bender was in, he heard a scream, he got a hit.

Everything was soaked and Kai had every possibility in the world. He tried to freeze the water that had fallen on the two, but instead he created a water ball. He looked down at it, confused. Kai's head was pounding. He decided to sent the water ball at the two, but instead it heated up in his hands. He dropped it as his hand started to burn. He looked down at it and he could see blisters rising.
"I can't." He said to Hayden. He took a few steps toward Kara, planning on protecting her if any of them tried to attack her. With his first few steps the world tilted and slowly went black. He fell with his arms out. He fell into the mud and his hand touched Kara's arm.
Kai woke up in a empty place, except there was someone in the distance. He ran to it, but it never got close. He squinted and he thought he saw long brown hair. "Kara?" He shouted. The person in the distance opened her eyes, revealing Kara's purple eyes.

Kara felt someone enter her dreams, she saw a figure in the distance, crumpled, in pain, she saw bright red hair. "Kai!?" She tried to run over to him but couldn't she ran and ran but couldn't reach him. "KAI!!!" She shouted.

Kai ran and finally broke through. He was finally running and making it somewhere. He made it to Kara and hugged her to him. "What are we doing here?" Kai asked, looking around but not seeing anything but black.
Our of nowhere, Shala walked up to them. "You seem to be here in the in-between together. This is where people go before they die. It is where people go in their purist forms."
Kai looked at Shala confused. "You mean we're about to die? Why are you here?"
Shala let out a light laugh. "You are the one who decides if you are about to die. You choose to go back. But it is strange that you are in this place together. It is usually a travel made alone, but the universe seems to think you deserve to be here together. I am here because I knew you needed my help. I have come to explain this, and that is all. I am to leave now, and let you make your decision." Shala smiled and left the way she came, disappearing into the blackness.
Kai looked back at Kara. "I don't like her that much." Then his eyes grew wide. He didn't mean to say that. He slapped his hands over his mouth. "I didn't want to say that. Maybe, in our purest forms, we cannot lie."

Kara listened to Shala, her eyes growing wide with horror at every new word. She looked at Kai and grabbed his arms, tears in her eyes. "YOU CAN'T DIE!" She said shaking her head wildly. "No, no, no! You can't die! I don't care if I die but you can't die! I can't let anyone else I love die!"

Kai was worried about Kara and how she would prefer to die over letting him, but then she admitted to loving him. He paused, looking at her. The wall he had erected didn't exist here and his feelings for her were on the surface. "You love me?" He asked.

Kara looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Of course!" She couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. "You're the most important person in my life now, I love you, I can't bear to lose you too."

Kai couldn't hold himself back anymore. He leaned in a kissed her. His hand rose to touch her face. It was a sweet kiss. He quickly broke it off and turned away. "I love you too. I love you so much that I would give you up to protect you. I am not good for you, I don't want to hurt you."

"Mmm..." Kara's eyes widened in surprise as he kissed her and before she could react he pulled away. She didn't want this, she didn't want to hear this, she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind tightly. "No! Kai please! Don't leave me. It hurts the most when you leave me." She was crying into his back.

Kai turned to her, wanting so badly to be with her. He wanted to but he didn't want to hurt her. That's what he kept saying to himself and to her, but he really didn't want to let himself be hurt again. Here, in this place, he finally realized why he was pushing he away so much. He maybe over River, but he still hurt from being betrayed by someone he had given himself to so fully. He whipped the tears from her face, then whispered. "You won't hurt me, will you?" He felt raw and like he was opening up to Kara in a way he never had before.

Kara stared up at him, she finally realized why she needed him so desperately, it wasn't that he was the only one she had after her tribe's death, it wasn't that she needed something sturdy to rely on until she could stand again, it was because it was Kai. It was because she could have no one else but him. She looked up at him for another moment then slowly stood up taller and kissed him gently. "I'll do everything in my power not to, and if I do hurt you in any way, I'll heal you. I will never betray you Kai."

Kai touched her face, a small smile playing on his lips. To have her in his arms felt so right. He kissed her and it turned into a deep kiss. He finally pulled away for air and then remembered that they were dying. "Kara, I don't care how you feel about me, but if you ever give your life for mine, I will never be able to forgive myself for that. If that situation were to arise, let me die. The rest of the world can live without me, but not without you." He said because of her earlier words at letting him live instead of herself.

"M-Mmm...." Kara blushed brightly and this time she was able to kiss him back. When he pulled away she just stared at him until his words jolted her back to reality, she looked down for a moment, thinking, then back up at him. "I won't die. But I won't let you die either. I'll protect both of us." She hugged him. "I won't let us die."

Kai smiled at her, overjoyed to finally have her. But he was worried, she had already lost so much and she didn't want her to loose him as well. He decided that them working to keep each other safe would be enough. "I love you. " Then he kissed her yet again, happy to finally be able to do that.

Kara sighed into the kiss and kissed him back, she was about to say 'I love you too' when suddenly everything faded.

Kai saw Kara fade as he started to. He woke up with his face in the mud and his hand locked into Kara's. He felt happy and content even with his headache. He sat up, not wanting to release Kara's hand for some reason, but decided that would be the best thing to do. He dropped her had as she woke up.

"Mmm..." Kara woke up slowly, feeling somewhat light, until she heard the sounds of fighting. Hayden was still trying to protect them, he was bloody, filthy and a little burnt. Kara immediately jumped up to go help him.

Kai saw Kara jump up, and tried to follow her to help Kai, but the wound in his head was still bleeding. He cursed. He pushed himself up and tried to freeze the water on the assailants like before, he managed to freeze the fire bender before the black dots filled his vision. He woke up moments later, still disoriented.