Just Keep Swimming

Air Temple Island was a sleepy place to grow up - a small fishing town on Yue Bay, first settled centuries ago, miles away from the nearest civilization - and Kai couldn't wait to get out of there, because quite frankly, "sleepy" was just another word for boring. He longed for the day at the end of the summer when he'd catch his plane, and fly off to Republic City and never look back. He couldn't stand the thought of spending the rest of his life here, as a boring old fisherman.

Some would have thought it odd, then, that the eighteen year old spent most of his time on the beach. The answer was simple: he couldn't stand staying inside the stuffy orphanage he had grown up in, a small, shabby building, close to overflowing with kids much younger than him. A lot of their parents had lived in Republic City, or had died out at sea. Kai's parents had been in the latter group, yet he couldn't really find it in him to fear the ocean.

If anything, the gentle lapping of the waves on the sandy shore calmed him down. He glanced back over his shoulder, watching as his footprints in the sand were washed away by the water. It was a hot day, and Kai could feel beads of sweat trailing down his neck. A swim always cooled him off though, so he pulled off his loose t-shirt and dropped into the sand, already wearing his red swim trunks.

The water was instantly refreshing, if a bit chillier than he would have liked, but after getting his head wet and resurfacing, he quickly got used to it. He was trying to decide how far he should swim out, doing an easy backstroke all the while, when he froze. A large fish tailfin, a pale yellow, disappeared into the water at least 50 feet further out from him.

Odd, Kai thought, his brow furrowing. He squinted at the place where the tailfin had disappeared. It seemed too large to belong to a regular fish. A new species of some kind? Cautiously, Kai swam towards it. Part of him wanted to call out to it, but he immediately dismissed the idea as stupid. It was a fish, it couldn't talk. He squinted at the spot, seeing something moving below the water, a muted yellow tail swaying.

Definitely not a fish, but it didn't seem to be dangerous. Kai tread the water, following the tail with his eyes, but struggling to keep track of it. This far out - almost 70 feet from shore, difficult unless you were a really good swimmer - the water wasn't nearly as clear, and all the slimy seaweed licking at his legs and feet didn't help visibility either.

He nearly swallowed a mouthful of water when he heard a voice behind him say, "Oh, hello."

It took Kai a second to compose himself as he whirled around to face the owner of the voice: a girl, his age probably, with long wet brown hair, some of it curling around her face, only her head above the water, the rest of her submerged. "Um...hi," Kai squeaked. This girl wasn't from around here, he knew; he would have remembered someone so pretty. He realized he was staring, and struggled to tear his gaze away, but so was she, her bright brown eyes attentively focused on him. "What are doing out here?"

"Swimming," she answered. "What are you doing out here?"

"I thought I saw something..." Kai shook his head, trying to push away the image of the strange yellow tail. "But it's gone now. You probably shouldn't be out here, it can be hard if you're not a really good swimmer."

She smiled, eyes gleaming with amusement, as if she knew something he didn't. "I'm pretty sure I'm a better swimmer than you are."

Kai shook his head, shrugging. "You're not from around her, are you?" Maybe she was visiting from Republic City, and didn't know how hard it was to swim out so far and still have the energy to get back to shore. The girl shook her head. "Where're you from then?" She pointed far out to the ocean. Kai looked at her, puzzled. There was another island, maybe. "Another island?"

She shook her head again. "No, I'm from the ocean."

Kai stared at her. What? "How...what do you mean you're from the ocean?"

The girl flipped over abruptly, her torso rising above the water, and two realizations hit Kai over the head:

1. She was a mermaid. Like an actual mermaid, with a yellow tail with shimmering, yellow scales that sparkled like shiny gold coins, coming to an end in a frilly, transparent yellow pair of tailfins. The ones he had seen disappear below the water. Kai had heard rumours of mermaids, but had always dismissed them as silly old stories from boring fisherman, as he grew older at least. Kai stared hard at her - it had to be fake, somehow right? But the tail moved with her, seamlessly attached to where her human hips would have been, breathed with her. She was real; a real-life mermaid.

2. She was topless. Her long hair covered the majority of her breasts, but still left very little to his imagination, and Kai found himself staring just a little, before he remembered to clamp his eyes shut and show some respect.

"Why're you closing your eyes?" the mermaid asked, and he felt the water move as she swam closer to him. "You don't think my tail is pretty?"

"No, no," Kai squeaked out, barely opening his eyes, but seeing her face scrunched up in concern, and so close to his. "Your tail is beautiful, it's just that, um..." She didn't seem ashamed at all, and it occurred to him that if - since, mermaids existed, differing levels of acceptable nudity around strangers could be too. Maybe all the mermaids went topless (he couldn't find a reason why they wouldn't) and figured it was just part of their culture. Kai opened his eyes, and concentrated hard on her face. "It's just not every day you meet a mermaid," he managed.

"It's not every day I meet a human," she replied. "I'm Jinora."

"I'm Kai." He stuck out his hand, and after considering it for a moment, Jinora shook it.

"Do you live in the town?" She asked, and Kai nodded. "Do you come around here often? I don't see a lot of humans around this part of the beach."

"Yeah, not many people are willing to go over the rocks," Kai shrugged, pointing over to shore. There was a rocky area jutting into the sunny blue sky, a wedge in between this area of the beach, and the one that everyone else used. "And everyone wants to stay with their friends closer in town, anyway. But I like it here."

"What about your friends?" Jinora said, her voice growing soft. Kai chalked it up to the fact that she was a freaking mermaid that he was willing to answer truthfully.

"I don't have a lot of friends," he answered. And certainly not a best friend. "What about you?"

"I have a lot, but not a best friend," Jinora shrugged. "Will you be coming back tomorrow?"

It caught him by surprise. "Um, yeah. I can come in the morning, even, if you want to talk and stuff," he offered, rubbing the back of his neck. He was insane; he must have been, to try and form a friendship with a mermaid. But his curiosity won out over his fear. He had so many questions, and he suspected Jinora had just as many about the human world.

And as much as he liked this part of the beach, and liked being alone, well, he could be a bit lonely sometimes. It wouldn't hurt to have some company.

"I'd like that very much," Jinora said with a smile. Some of her teeth were a bit sharper than a human's, but she did have a very nice smile. It made his stomach do a back-flip, anyway.

Kai didn't have to swim nearly as far to find Jinora the next morning - she was only 20 feet from shore, maximum, near a small cluster of rocks. Kai pulled himself out of the water to sit on one, the heat from the sun trapped within the stone and warming his body, while everything below his knees was still submerged in the ocean.

There was an awkward moment, as neither of them were really sure what to say, when Kai swallowed and said, "A pact that whatever's said here, stay's here? No topics off limits? Deal?"

Jinora smiled a little, the tenseness in her shoulders fading as she rested her forearms on the rock just below his, and then her head midway on her arms, looking up at him. "Deal."

Kai smiled back. "Alright, then I have to ask, what do mermaids eat?"

"Seaweed mostly," Jinora answered. "Dead coral, too. But not fish. They're our friends, and the sharks and big fish eat enough of them, so it's okay. Humans eat fish too?"

It was so strange to hear her refer to humans as though they were separate from her - which they were, yet she spoke with such a human voice, and if you ignored the fish tail, you never would have known she was anything other than human. It was still a little awkward for her to be topless around him, but thankfully (or not) she hadn't moved her hair, so her breasts were still mostly covered.

"Yeah, and a bunch of other stuff, and we eat seaweed too. We call it sushi," Kai explained. "I've always wondered though, how do you get rid of the food? Like how do you go to the bathroom?"

After Jinora explained it, part of Kai wished he hadn't asked, but he couldn't help but laugh, or still think that Jinora truly was very pretty. And he was perfectly happy spending nearly the whole day on the rocks, laughing and learning with her. He was even a little sad when he finally had to leave, his hunger getting the better of him, and resolved to bring a lunch the next day.

It quickly became routine.

Kai told her things about humans and their culture, and in turn, Jinora told him about hers. He learned of her life, her people and her family too, with her younger siblings and overprotective father, who made Kai nervous just thinking about meeting him. "He doesn't really know I'm here," Jinora had confessed on their third day. "He thinks I'm making a few trips over to visit my aunt and uncle, who are covering for me."

"And if he finds out?" Kai had asked.

"Best not to think about it."

So they didn't. Instead, they traded stories and culture and little details about themselves. Kai learned that Jinora could be out of water temporarily, as long as no salt water touched her legs, she could walk and pass as an ordinary human.

Jinora joined him on the beach after another week. Her legs were wobbly at best, and Kai had brought her a pair of his shorts and a top so she could cover up. His clothes were loose and baggy on her, but Jinora absolutely loved them, running her hands over the strange new fabric. "You can keep them," Kai told her, and she hugged him tightly. Kai took a moment to relax before wrapping his arms around her.

"Thank you Kai," she said, smiling widely once she had pulled away. Kai rubbed the back of his neck.

"No problem." Jinora took a shaky step forward and almost fell over; Kai caught her just in time, lifting her back onto her feet, with her practically pressed up against him. Kai drew slightly, but still kept his hands on her forearms to steady her. "You might wanna hold onto me, until you master this walking thing."

"You're probably right," Jinora admitted. She wrapped an arm around his torso, and Kai wanted to kick himself for the heat that rose to his cheeks. He could not fall for a mermaid, no matter how kind or how pretty - not only was it ridiculous, but it was sure to end in heartbreak, and Kai had had enough of that to last a lifetime.

Their first kiss happened underwater, and it was an accident. They were sitting on the rocks, and almost two months had gone by. Out of all the things Kai had learned about Jinora - her favourite type of seaweed, how she had finally been able to really walk and run onshore with him, what underwater palaces looked like, how her dad would be coming to visit her soon - one thing had stuck out particular in his mind: mermaids mated for life, and Jinora had yet to find her mate.

His future, while it had once seemed so free, and unknown, now felt so painfully uncertain and lonely. Going to the big city seemed almost impossible to imagine, when it was so far away from everything he had ever known, from the ocean. From Jinora, who was a mermaid, and also easily the only person he could say was his best friend.

"Are you okay?"

Jinora's voice startled him out of his thoughts. "Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking."

"You're leaving in a month or so, right?" Jinora said quietly, her eyes softening.

Kai nodded. "Oh, um. Yeah. I am. And once your dad comes, you'll be leaving soon too?"

Jinora nodded, brushing back a strand of her wet curly hair behind her pointed ear. "I'm afraid so." Her face brightened. "Hang on, I have an idea." She suddenly dove beneath the waves, her tailfin disappearing while Kai waited. He was just thinking maybe she had been gone a little too long, and felt worry curl around his throat, when she popped up out of the water, something clutched in her hands. She handed him a conch shell. "Here."

Kai took it, turning it over in his hands. It was a beautiful, creamy white shell, still slick with water. "Thanks." Jinora looked at him expectantly. "But what exactly does it do?"

"Oh," Jinora gave a little laugh. "It's a way to contact me, you simply blow it and I'll be able to hear it, wherever I am. It might take me a few days, but I should be able to find you almost anywhere, as long as it's near water." She avoided his eyes, flushing and chewing her bottom lip. "It's just...I don't want to lose you, Kai."

Kai laid the conch shell carefully on the rock beside him, and then took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You're not going to, I promise."

Jinora smiled softly. "Alright then." She squeezed his hand, and then gave it a large tug, and Kai found himself dragged into the water with her. Kai resurfaced quickly, gasping down air.

"No fair!" he protested, trying to sound angry, but the effect was overall ruined by the wide grin on his face. Jinora stuck her tongue out at him.

"You big gubby. Come on, swim with me," she requested with a grin. Kai could only shake his head and smile as he took a deep breath, and followed her under the water. She had been coaching him on how to hold his breath for longer periods (although mermaids did have gills as well as a working pair of regular lungs, so she was sort of cheating) but he was pleased to know it was paying off as he swam with her through the ocean.

Kai broke through to the surface to breathe at least 10 feet away from their rocks before diving below again. Jinora grabbed his hands facing him as they did a sort of swimming, water dance, lacing her fingers through his. Her face was less than an inch away from his, and all Kai could think about how he'd be leaving soon, and so would she, which made the fact he closed the gap between them and kissed her all the more stupid. Her lips tasted like salt and sunshine and home and freedom, all at once.

He was just about to pull away when Jinora cupped his face with her hands and not only kissed back, but kissed him harder. (Not that he was complaining, far from it.) In response, he wrapped his arms around her waist, just brushing the first of her tail's scales, surprisingly soft against his skin.

Kai had to go up for air, although once he was above the water, he knew being below it wasn't why he was breathless. Jinora's head popped up behind him, and he turned to face her. "So...mermaids kiss like humans do?" he said, heat rising to his cheeks and smiling nervously at her. Jinora beamed back at him.

"I don't know, there might be a few differences," Jinora said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Want to find out?"

Kai's smile grew as Jinora pressed her lips to his again, pulling him closer.

Tenzin was - and there were no other words for it really - flat out terrifying, with a stoic expression, a pointy, sharp beard and even sharper eyes. Kai was happy to let Jinora do the talking, even as he periodically gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Tenzin only spoke when Jinora was done, his own yellow tail glittering in the sun. "Do you love this human?"

Jinora tightened her grip on Kai's hand this time. "Yes. I do." Kai's face felt hot, and he tried not smile.

Tenzin sighed. "Alright then. You're far too old for me to tell you what to do, and I know that if I tried to would only push you further away." Kai stared at him, and glancing at the shock on Jinora's face out of the corner of his eye, he could tell she hadn't expected this response either. "But please come back and visit as much as you can."

Jinora smiled brightly at her father. "I will, I promise." She wrapped her arms around Tenzin. "Thank you Dad."

As soon as Tenzin was gone ("Be safe!") Kai pulled Jinora into a tight hug. "I love you too," he murmured into her wet hair, and she pressed him more tightly to her as she hugged him back.

The next day Kai cancelled his plane ticket.

Jinora's brow furrowed when he told her, the two of them sitting on their regular cluster of rocks. She chewed her bottom lip, looking at him. "But...why?"

"Staying in town and working as a fisherman doesn't sound so bad now," Kai said, rubbing the back of his neck as Jinora shifted to sit in his lap, and he wrapped his arms around her waist loosely. "Or maybe I'll write about mermaids and get rich, or sail the world or something. But there's no point going to the big city if I'll be there without you."

"But, Kai, your future-"

"Is with you, Jinora," Kai said gently, meeting her troubled eyes, like an ocean in a storm. "I know we haven't known each other that long, but I wanna know everything there is to know about you. I wanna explore with you. The ocean can take you almost anywhere right, so let's just see where this takes us and just...just keep swimming."

Slowly, Jinora grinned at him before kissing him fiercely. "Alright," she laughed, tears pooling in her eyes once she pulled away, resting her head on his shoulder and burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Let's keep on swimming."

Kai yelped when Jinora leaned away from him and dragged him into the water with her, quickly taking a big gulp of air and holding his breath as he was pulled underwater. Jinora laughed, a stream of bubbles spilling from her mouth, quickly cut off as Kai pulled her in for a kiss.

Air Temple Island was a wonderful place to grow up - a small fishing town, now home to a mermaid and a promising young writer, "Everybody loves mermaids," he chuckled at an interview for his second book in a series, now a bestseller - Kai was never happier that he stayed than when he woke up from his usual afternoon nap with his mermaid-girlfriend-now-human wrapped up in his arms.

He still spent a lot of time on the beach, walking hand-in-hand with Jinora, making sure the waves didn't touch her feet unless she wanted to. Once he had saved up enough money, he had a small house - more of a cabin, really - built on the rocky area just near the beach they had met. Jinora helped him with his writing, all about the "fictional" world of mermaids.

One afternoon, he was swimming while Jinora sat on the rocks, her legs turning back to her regular fish tail once more. After finding the perfect clam, Kai wrenched it open, and found a beautiful, shining pearl inside. It took him another few weeks to get it ready, but he was pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Jinora sat with him in the shallow water, the waves just lapping over their legs and then falling away, again and again. Kai dug the carefully crafted ring, with the pearl as it's jewel, out of the pocket of his red swim trunks. "Jin?" Her bright brown eyes widened at the sight of the ring. "I dunno how it goes in the mermaid world, but marry me anyway?"

Jinora's smile had never been wider as she quickly nodded and kissed him. "Yes," she said in between kisses, just like the waves. "Yes I'll marry you."

The wedding was small and simple, a cool breeze rolling off the waves as they kissed by the ocean, and walked barefoot on the sand, hand-in-hand with matching smiles. It seemed crazy that they had only met two years prior, their lives now so changed, for the better.

Jinora was still in her wedding dress, a simple sleeveless white dress that cut off just above her knee, but Kai couldn't find it in him to care as he asked, "Want to go for a swim? I'll race you."

Jinora grinned at him. "I'm pretty sure I'm a better swimmer than you are."

As her legs turned into a shimmering, golden tail, she had a small splash of water hit him in the face. Kai shook his head, reeling backwards slightly, before swimming after her.

God, he loved the ocean - and it loved him back.