Chapter 19! Wow, there were so many different favourite villains from you guys! As I said before, I love how interactive my readers are! And, over 50 reviews?! YESSSSS!
Now, with no further ado, the story!
It was morning. Nya woke up, ready to get out of bed, but found herself unable too. If she got up, she would acknowledge that this was the day that she would go home. She was not ready. To be honest, she believed she never would be.
She lay in bed, thinking. She had done so much ever since she got here. They had met, and fought, beside the future Ninja of Ninjago, and their future teammates. Nya had the opportunity to spend time with her daughter, an amazing young woman who never really knew her mother. Jay, her father, was missing most of her life, too. Nya sighed. How would Maya act, with her gone? Sure, she had her dad, but what if she could not handle losing her "mother" again? What if she became distressed, beyond repair? What if…
No. She would not think like that. But, thinking of Maya reminded her about how she had helped Jay. Poor, poor Jay. He was heartbroken after her future self died, then lost his memory, losing everything that defined him, even his heartwarming smile. Nya was so glad she had come and saved him.
Jay. She was going to see him, her Jay, today. That thought pushed her out of bed. She was postponing the inevitable, anyway. There was nothing she could do but spend as much time as possible with the Ninja of her tomorrow. And her daughter.
When she was dressed, she looked into Kai's borrowed room, realizing that Kai was already out of bed. Strange, her brother was not a morning person. Nya guessed that he just had more sense than her, spending every waking moment with them.
Nya walked in the kitchen, and found everyone sitting at the table, the huge piles of food already dug into . Nya sat down in the only seat left, right beside Maya and Jay. That was obviously planned. As soon as Nya sat down, she grabbed a plate and put food on it, starting to eat.
"So, here's the plan." Sensei Lloyd started when the meal was underway, " We will send you guys back in the evening, giving you the whole day to do whatever you want. I think Kai, you want to play videogames with the younger ones, right?" Kai nodded. " And Gila wants your, " he pointed to Nya, "...opinion on her and Maya's double-mech thingie. But, if you have other plans, do whatever. I'm pretty sure you and Maya want to spend some time together, maybe Jay joining you?"
Nya nodded "Yea, I'd like that."
After breakfast, Kai, as promised, joined the boys in playing video games, while Nya let Gila and Maya show her their mech. Jay tagged along, while Sensei Lloyd and Master Kai discussed "important matters".
Nya gasped when she walked into the garage, where a two-headed mech stood. It was sleek, but had many strong pieces of metal strapped on the limbs and torso, giving the machine an invincible look to it. It was mostly black, but one side was accented with brown, the other with light and dark blue. Nya was very impressed.
"Did you two make this from scratch? This is incredible!"
"Mostly," Maya started, walking over to her side of the mech, soon climbing into the cockpit. "My grandparents, er, Ed and Edna, helped me with the wiring, but Gila and I did the rest. We thought of having a cool thing that only the girls had. The guys are soooo jealous."
" No kidding, I think I am jealous, too. You guys did a great job." Jay said, giving a sad smile. Nya noticed, and signaled for them to talk outside.
In the open air, Nya could see that Jay was slightly pale. She put her hand on his shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
Jay sighed. " I just… when I lost my Nya...I...I broke. I broke, and no one knew. For years I felt guilty, and always hoped I would go to the Bounty and see you there. I never did. And then I lost my memory, and forgot how much I hurt. Now I am scared about how much pain I will be in when you leave...I just don't want to go through that again."
Nya drew him into a hug, knowing that is exactly what he needed.
"It was not your fault, Jay, we should have come up with a decision together. I don't want you to feel guilty, she wouldn't either. And, when it hurts, remember you have these amazing people right beside you, even Maya. You're strong. I know you can get through it."
They broke the hug, Jay smiling, tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Nya, I knew I could count on you."
"No problem."
Later that day, as the hours slowly ticked by, Nya and Maya sat alone, both working on blueprints for a sword for the mech. Kai told Nya that it technically did not count as quality time together, but it felt like it. Just being in the same room as Maya felt good. It was...comforting.
"You are a really great young woman, you know that?" Maya looked up from her work, surprised by her future mother's words. She blushed, but smiled.
"Thanks, I guess I had a great family, even if I hung out with them in the wrong order." They laughed, and then suddenly heard other people entering the room. They were loud.
"I'm telling you, throwing fireballs is SO much cooler than spreading it along the ground!" Kai said to Kaith, who was on his shoulders.
"No way! Way more fire is created if you create fire in your hand, then touch the ground. It can surround your enemies and take them down far faster than throwing flaming marshmallows at them!"
"Keith, you do realize that if you lose control of the fire the team could also be surrounded by fire, right? That could be bad. So, my method is better."
"I say get them soaking wet, and then shock them. Way more effective than any flame move." Maya claimed, butting in. Nya nodded, agreeing with her future daughter. Kai opened his mouth to object, but Sensei Lloyd and Jay came running in, looking panicked.
"Guys! Cliff Gordon broke the Time Twins out of prison! I hate to say this, but I think they will try to stop you guys from going home. So we will be doing it early." Lloyd said.
"Wait, earlier? How much earlier?" Nya asked, frightened.
" Assuming Cliff Gordon used the Reversal tea to counter the Tomorrow's tea, they are likely their original age. They probably also have their vehicles. Andy calculated the distance they had to cover to reach our resting point, and it will take them approximately 5 hours to get here." Jay butted in, holding a tablet.
" But, given that they escaped 3 hours ago, it gives us two hours to get you two home, and get a head start leaving on the Bounty. I don't know if they are tracking us, but we have to believe they are. We do not want to get caught unprepared." Lloyd finished.
"So...what are you saying?" Kai said, his voice soft.
Lloyd sighed, looking down at his feet. " I think it is best we do it now, for the protection of our home and the people in it. We are still exhausted of materials and strength. We cannot fight them now, especially without a plan. I'm sorry. Meet outside in 10 minutes. You're going home."
And with that, he let the room, leaving the rest in great sadness and fear. Keith got off of Kai and gave him a big hug, Maya hugging Nya, and Jay joining in, soon joining the group into one big hug. They stayed there for a couple of moments, before Nya and Kai had to get ready. It did not take long. Nya wished that it did. She, and Kai, were not ready to go.
Everyone stood outside beside the time machine. All but one of the Time Blades were inserted in the machine, Sensei Lloyd hanging onto the last one, knowing that once it was inserted, the two Ninja would be sent home soon after.
Kai and Nya were going around to everyone and saying their proper goodbyes. If it was a free for all, all of the younger ninja would go nuts over who would say their goodbyes first. When Kai and Nya decided when they would say their goodbyes to everyone, it was just so much easier.
Kai made his way over to Gila, Liam, Mo, and Andy, Gila was in tears.
" Goodbye, Mrs. I-can-do-anything! Keep smiling for me, wouldja?" Kai said, patting her on the head. Gila nodded, clinging to his legs tightly.
"Goodbye, Mr. Red Shogun!" Kai laughed. She was just so cute. He looked forward to meeting her as a baby.
"Liam…" Kai continued, ruffling his silver hair, " You're as great as your father. He raised you well. Never stop using those muscles, or the cooking skills. Got it?"
" You bet!"
"Mo...wow, you are an amazing leader. You are going to be an amazing Sensei when you are older, I'm sure of it."
"I won't let you down, I promise. Thanks for the experience, it's not everyday I get to fight side by side with the Fire Ninja." Mo responded, bowing his head. Master Kai's head swung towards them.
" Hey! You've fought beside me!"
"Well, your younger self still has his element!" Mo shot back, sticking out his tongue.
"And...Keith." Kai's smile grew bigger when he made his way to his future son. Man, he was so proud of him. Kai could not say how proud he was. He knew, when Keith came into his life, he would tell him every day how amazing he was. But, for now, he would have to say a goodbye. Wow, this was going to be hard.
" I was scared about meeting you at first, I wasn't sure if you were more of the good parts of me, or the bad parts. I didn't know if I had done a good job raising you. But, when I met you, and got to know you, I realized I had nothing to be afraid of. Even though you have a fiery temper like me, you are so passionate and strong-willed. I see an unquenchable fire in you. Never underestimate the power of that fire. I am so proud that you are my future son. I hope I will see you again. I...I love you."
Both fire ninjas were in tears. Keith took a deep breath and looked Kai in the eyes, smiling despite his sadness. Keith gave Kai a huge bear hug, one that his future father returned instantly.
"Thanks. I love you, too, Dad."
Meanwhile, Nya had made her way to Maya and Jay. She had already said her goodbyes to the other ninjas, and saved the closest ones to her heart for last. Boy, this was going to be emotional. Nya felt the tears coming, but saw that Maya was already in tears, so she let them flow.
Nya and Maya hugged each other, both not caring about how their tears were soaking through their suits.
When they finally let go of each other, both smiled. Nya glanced over at Jay, who was standing there awkwardly, and turned back to Maya.
"Keep an eye on him for me, I know he can't handle himself." Maya laughed. Jay, however, cast them a fake angry look, growling.
"I can handle myself, thank you very much."
"No, you can't." Nya laughed. "Anyways, Maya, you're amazing. I can't wait to meet you in the future. Some tips from both Jay's and my lives: One, never let being a part of a boy gang define you, never give up. And two, if you're going down, might as well go down laughing."
" I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for everything, Mom. I love you."
"I love you, too. Maya." She gave her one last embrace.
Nya turned to Jay, who was giving his signature smile.
" You know...I think I should take those tips too, they're really good. I wonder where you got them from?"
Nya rolled her eyes. "Very funny."
The two stood in silence for a while, not knowing what to say. Nya knew she was going to see him soon, possibly in mere minutes, but it still did not quench the feeling of sadness that she felt, leaving the future Jay. Like when fighting Nadakhan, this encounter may never happen. It would only be in her memory.
"Thanks for everything," Jay said, interrupting her thoughts, " You gave me my life back. My friends, my family, my daughter. I could never thank you enough."
"I'm glad I could. I just wish I came sooner." Jay gave her a sad smile.
"Don't feel bad, if you didn't come at all it would be worse. I could not be more grateful. I'll always love you, Nya. I always have, always will. I'm so glad Kai had a sister we needed to save." Jay grinned as Nya laughed.
" My knight in blue armour."
Kai walked up to them, giving Maya a high five.
" You turned out great, Maya, I can't wait to see you again, just younger."
Maya chuckled. " You too, Uncle Kai."
"Oh, and one last thing: Keep an eye on Keith, even if you dislike him."
" Sounds great!"
"See you later, Jay," Kai said to Jay, giving him a fist pump.
"You, too." At this point, Sensei Lloyd signaled the two siblings a signal to come over to him and Master Kai. They went over.
"Are you ready?" Lloyd asked, holding the Time Blade. They nodded.
"One last thing. You cannot tell your team about anything. We cannot risk messing up the future more than it has been, even if it has been changed for the better. Understood?"
"Understood, Lloyd." Kai said, Nya nodded in agreeance.
"Ok, have a safe trip." the Sensei said to them before placing the final Time Blade in its slot. The machine turned on, whirring with life. All they needed to do was step on the platform and they would go home.
Nya and Kai waved to the others, saying their final goodbyes. Kai stepped onto the platform first, and felt sick to the stomach. He felt like blacking out, but he had to hold on until Nya came. When they let the darkness consume them, they would go back, and the siblings had to go back together.
Nya faced the platform, but had to look behind her one last time. She saw Jay and Maya, smiling. She smiled back, and joined Kai on the platform. She felt the same feelings as Kai, and before she blacked out, she managed to get one last thought across.
I will see them again. Just not yet.
That was a long chapter, I just did not feel like breaking it up. IMPORTANT. THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. I know it feels like the end, but there is one chapter left! Stay tuned!
CaptainSteve1: I love that this is your first fanfiction that you have followed completely, I love all of your reviews!
And to all of you who have reviewed, thank you soooo much. Especially CaptainSteve1, RPM Shadow and Seline16, who review so often, you guys are amazing.
Hopeful thinking...maybe? Can we get 65 reviews by the end? That would be spectacular!
Question: Which secondary character do you prefer? Dareth or Misako?
Stay tuned and review!
#God'sNotDead