The first time she kisses him, she is certain it will be their last.

She is not one for sentiments or dramatics, but the current situation is quite dire. She supposes that if they were not so engrossed in having the perfect date, things would have turned out differently.  Perhaps Jay would have listened to his teammates and cancelled the date, because you know, duty calls.  And perhaps she would have focused more on tracking the Serpentine and making necessary repairs to the Samurai X suit.  But now is not time to worry about Captain Hindsight and his sidekicks Shoulda, Coulda and Woulda, now is time for action, because there isn't much time left.

They are hurling towards a fiery death.

She is about to tell Jay to leave and save himself, when she feels energy in the air and her hair stand on end.  It has nothing to do with their impending doom.  She looks to her right and sees Jay glowing and humming with blue energy. 

"What's happening?" she wonders out loud, but in her heart she knows what is going on. Her cheeks tug her lips into a soft smile and she feels a warmth growing in the pit of her stomach. 

His true potential.

In an instant he disappears from beside her then flashes in front of her with lightning speed.  Hovering above the roller coaster he taps into electromagnetic forces and slows the metal death trap to a grinding halt.  Tentrals of lightning spark and crackle around her, yet they never touch her.  His element is wild and chaotic, impulsive and loud, just like him. She realizes she should have been zapped several times over from the impressive display of power. 

Nya marvels at his control.

The second time she kisses him, she is certain it will not be their last. 

They are still at Mega Monster Amusement Park, licking their wounds from a bad first date and defeat of the Serpentine getting away with the fang blade.  She waits until the others turn to head back towards the Destiny's Bounty before landing a chaste peck on his cheek, telling herself that next time she will work up the courage to plant one on his lips. 

Jay turns towards her displaying a bright smile, almost as blinding as his elemental power.  His freckle dusted cheeks are tinted red and the tips of his ears are growing hot.  You are the best you echos in his mind so he takes a risk and grabs her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. She doesn't flinch at his gesture. 

He is physically exhausted from unlocking his true potential and emotionally drained from trying to impress her on a first date.  His confidence is waning yet he can't stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth.

"So, Samurai X, huh?" 

She flinches at the words and starts to pull away.  He panics and grips her hand tighter, not wanting her to bolt. What a showboat clamors through her brain. His words sting because there is some truth to them. It forces her come to terms with why she hid her identity in the first place. She wanted to prove her worth, not be seen as just the girl, show them that she could hold her own in a fight. But he had a point . . . she had a habit of swooping in at the last minute and grandstanding them. She is about to explain herself when he floors her with:

"I'm sorry, you know, for mouthing off about Samurai X."

She wasn't expecting an apology, so impulsively she questions it.

"Even the showboat part?"

"Well, maybe not that part." 

Her heart falls and she starts to pull away but he keeps his grip on her hand firm and pulls her back towards him, face split in half with a cheeky grin as he says:

"No one steals my thunder."

She opens her mouth as if to protest, but the gesture is more out of mild confusion than any attempt to speak. The corners of her lips curl upwards as a laugh bubbles out from deep in her lungs.  Moving forward, she buries her head into his shoulder trying to stifle her giggles, adjusting her position to avoid the sharp points of his armor.  His body is warm and smells faintly of sweat, but stiffens under her touch.

After her laughter has subsided she looks up at him with chocolate brown eyes and cherry red lips. His eyes are still warm with amusement but his overall gaze is as equally intense as hers. Nya supposes it is now or never, so she takes a gamble as she leans forward again with a completely different intent.

The third time she kisses him, she is certain there will be many, many more.

This time she boldly connects her lips to his, and the world around them fades away, like the eerie moment of anticipation between lightning and thunder.  One one-thousand. Two one-thousand. Three -

Boom.

There is a sharp intake in his breath, as if he doesn't believe this is real and suddenly remembers how to breathe. But something in him stirs and the thrum of his elemental power spikes sharply. His gloved hands are gently cupping her face, moving to tangle themselves in her hair, and he is kissing her back.

A kid crying over dropped ice cream, a roar of screams doppler shifting away with the downward plunge of the roller coaster, the whimsical tune of the merry-go-round, idle chatter, shouts and cheers, none of these things can be heard over the gentle hum that is flooding her senses. It is as if she is back in the Sea of Sands, walking under miles of power lines, helpless to concentrate on anything other than the electrifying buzz of high voltage traveling above at the speed of light.

Through the haze, she briefly wonders if this is what it is like to kiss an elemental master. Their element is left unguarded and raw, opening up a hidden pathway to a secret only the universe knows. She wants to know more, relish in the feeling of raw power, but his thumb grazes across her cheek and she forgets how to think.

He finally breaks the kiss and it is her turn to remember how to breathe.

"I . . . uh."

"Um . . . that was . . ."

"Uh," he clears his throat, "we should probably catch up with the others."

"Yeah," she agrees.

He turns, almost too quickly, but she is distracted by her own thoughts to notice his attempt to hide his embarrassment.  His hand has found hers again as he guides them out of the park.

Her head is spinning with a million questions, but one thing is for sure, it's the first time he has kissed her, and she is certain she wants him to do it many times more.