A/N: yo! i've been into this show for a while now (like . . . six years . . .) so i thought i'd try my hand at fanfic for it. ninjago, everyone!
but from primarily nya's perspective! most of it is wildly AU, especially the first few chapters. anyhow. enjoy!
oOo
Nya knows she's being dumb. She knows she's only ten and there are lots of other people that have it way worse than her, so she should stop being a big dumb baby about this. But as she watches her brother drag their two lonesome suitcases outside, Nya really wishes she was someone else.
She doesn't remember much of her early childhood. Her first memory is barely a flicker. An image of a woman's face, with loving eyes and a warm smile — the kind of smile that makes you feel bubbly inside. It's a good memory, Nya thinks. After all, she's pretty sure the woman was her mother.
Everything after that is weird, though. She can't picture her parents in her head, she has to rely on the handful of photographs that Kai's hung on to over the years. There's a hazy memory of her father reading a story about dragons. Nya remembers a lot of loneliness and nightmares, rough hands and less-warm smiles. She doesn't remember home, either. The only home she knows now is Uncle Liam's one-level house on the outskirts of Ignacia, where the only entertainment is cow-tipping and alcohol.
Of course, Nya and her brother were too young to drink. Liam wasn't, though, and that had turned out to be a problem.
Nya doesn't remember her parents because they died when she was three years old — or so she'd been told. It makes sense, she supposes, since they've never come back and it's been a little over seven years. Parents didn't just disappear like that. Maybe. Probably.
Well, at any rate, Kai tells her that their parents are gone, and she believes him.
The two of them have been living with Liam since Nya was a toddler. She can't imagine life outside here, though she assumes it's probably way better. Almost anywhere would be better than here. The only thing she has to occupy herself is the bookshelf in the living room, stocked full of interesting books that she wasn't supposed to touch.
Books about building things and cooking. Some had stories in them, with magical creatures and exciting adventures. Liam taught her how to read, but, "Don't mess with my stuff, kid." Stupid Liam with his stupid drinking problem and his stupid temper. He'd never been the gentlest man, and certainly not the most friendly. She wondered, often, if he was really related to them at all.
Once, when Nya was eight, Liam had come home acting strangely, and Kai told Nya to hide in their room (a glorified shoebox of a space, crammed off the side of the hallway). She did, of course, but she could still hear everything going on outside the door. And later that night, when she'd caught sight of the bruise around Kai's left eye, Nya knew things were taking a turn for the worse. Kai wouldn't let her help, though.
"It's fine," he always said. "Can't even feel it!"
Liam came home drunk more and more as the years went by, and he was never in high spirits. He shoved Kai around and yelled at him and threw books across the room when Kai yelled back. Nya always sat with her back pressed to the bedroom door, listening with wide eyes, heart pounding against her ribs. Kai was always doing stupid stuff like standing up to Angry Liam. Nya respected him for it. But she was also terrified for him.
There was nothing she could do, Kai said. If she tried to help, she'd be in trouble, too. So Nya stayed put, curled up in the patch of moonlight on the floor, hands slapped over her ears.
Until—
Well. Until things got inexplicably worse, just about two days ago.
Liam came home much later than usual, banging open the front door with a heavy shove. The sound woke the siblings, who'd been sleeping in their shared room, but they didn't think much of it. Liam's rampages were old news. He'd probably go straight to bed anyway.
They were wrong.
Ten blissful seconds of silence were shattered by an abrupt pounding on the bedroom door. Nya pulled the blanket up over her head. Kai shifted on her other side.
"Kai! Open the damn door, you little brat! I wanna know why you left this mess in the kitchen!"
When Liam was drunk, he never slurred words or stumbled over his own feet. He just got mad. Mad about the tiniest things. Things like the two plates still sitting in the sink from when Kai and Nya ate dinner earlier. They probably should've known better than to leave them there, now that Nya thought about it.
"Hey. Hey! Come clean this up! Kai!" There was a solid thud on the door that resembled a powerful kick, so Kai heaved a sigh and rolled out of bed, hair scruffy, eyes tired.
Nya poked her head out of the covers.
"Where are you going?" she whispered frantically.
Kai turned to her. "I'm just gonna go—take care of that. I'll be really fast. Stay here, okay?"
Nya frowned, but nodded.
Kai was gone for one minute. Two. Four. And the voice outside the bedroom grew louder. Liam screamed a lot of words that Nya probably wasn't supposed to know, and Kai, for once, said nothing back. Liam seemed to be mad about that.
"You and your sister are dumb as a doornail, aren't you?" Liam hollered.
Doornail? That was a new one. But Nya understood "dumb" and she narrowed her eyes because rude.
"C'mon, boy. You mute, too? Usually can't getcha to shut up. Well come on, answer me!"
No reply from Kai. Nya carefully pushed the blanket back, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her toes met cold hardwood.
"I said answer me!" Then something shattered.
Nya's heart nearly flew out of her throat as she rushed to the door and yanked it open. She dashed to the kitchen and stopped short. Kai was standing by the sink, hands up over his face like he was—
Like Liam had—
Nya's eyes went to the floor. White shards of Chinaware lay scattered near Kai's feet. Pieces of a plate.
Nya's blood boiled.
Liam turned to her. "Get in there," he demanded, finger pointing at the bedroom. "Right the hell now."
She wanted to. Nya would've loved to turn and run the other way, but her brother was wiping a trail of blood from his temple, and Liam just looked so punchable—
"What'd I say, kid? Room. Now."
"No." Barely a breath of a word.
"What'd you just say to me?"
"I said no," Nya said, louder. Eyebrows low and angry, she stepped in front of Kai, forcing herself to look Liam in the eye. She felt one of Kai's hands touch her shoulder.
"Nya," he hissed. "What are you—"
Liam's face was turning an alarming shade of red. He leveled a finger at her.
"Your brother is a big boy, he can answer for himself," he said. "Back to your room."
"You're hurting him," Nya said.
"It's called discipline, kid, and I can discipline you, too, so step aside."
Kai's elbow poked at her back, silently urging her to make a break for it, but she couldn't move. It's not that Kai couldn't defend himself — he totally could. But this jerk did not get to throw plates at her brother. This had gone on for far too long, and if Kai wasn't going to stop it . . .
Nya felt confident for about two more seconds. Then all at once, Liam grabbed her left arm and pulled her out of the way, letting go as she yelped and fell sideways. Her head hit the edge of the counter, and she lay there stunned, blinking back stars.
He just—did he actually just—?
Maybe a few years ago Nya would've cried about it. But she was too old for that, now. Now it was time to be mature and do the adult thing. So she bit down on her lip and tried to ignore the new ache spreading across her skull.
But as Nya was sitting up, one hand rubbing her head frustratedly, she saw Kai lunge at their uncle and the two of them toppled over. Nya's mouth fell open.
"Get off!" Liam bellowed, rolling on his back. Kai was wildly scrambling to maintain his grip, being tossed back and forth; their arms locked around each other as they tumbled across the kitchen floor with malicious vigor. Nya's brain finally caught up to the events taking place, and she was behind Kai in an instant, tugging at his pajama shirt.
"Kai! Stop. Guys, stop!"
One way or another, someone was going to get seriously injured. Nya pulled and screamed until finally, the two brawlers split apart, staggering in different directions. Kai was swiping at an ugly cut under his eye, and Liam had a few nasty-looking scratches across one cheek. They faced each other angrily, looking almost ready to go at it again. In a moment of blinding impulse, Nya reached down and snatched a big piece of the broken plate. She brandished it at Liam threateningly.
"Back off," she said.
Kai watched her with wide eyes. The Chinaware wasn't enough to do any serious harm, but it was jagged and would definitely hurt a lot, she knew that. Slowly, Nya edged her way between Kai and Liam, still holding the broken shard out in front of her chest. Her expression held no room for contradiction.
And at last, Liam turned swiftly and stomped into his own room down hall, making sure to slam the door extra loudly behind him.
As soon as he was out of earshot, the siblings visibly relaxed, and Nya let the plate shard drop to the floor again. Her head was throbbing, now that she wasn't being distracted by appalling amounts of adrenaline.
Kai raked a hand through his hair. "Nya—I can't believe—I mean—that was dangerous."
"I don't care." She realized that was true. "He's a bully. Bullies don't get to mess with my brother."
Even though her heart was still pounding at an insane rate, Nya was feeling great. She liked standing up for Kai—and herself. It felt amazing. Like . . . like letting go of a massive weight for the first time. Sure, there were still broken plate pieces all over the floor, and she'd probably have to sweep that up now, but hey. That air of accomplishment was worth it.
But the next day, Nya woke up to Kai throwing clothes into an open suitcase.
"What are you doing?" she asked, blinking sleep from her eyes. It certainly hadn't been the most restful night she'd experienced.
Kai didn't look up. "Packing."
"Why?"
"We're leaving."
Nya tried and failed to process this. Leaving? As in, leaving the house? For good? They couldn't do that. Where else would they live? Would they have to sleep on park benches and steal hotdogs from people, like in those movies Liam watched sometimes?
"Are we coming back?"
Kai chucked a red tennis shoe into the growing pile. "Heck no."
Frowning, Nya kicked off the sheets and slid to the floor, kneeling next to her brother. He zipped up his suitcase and dragged another one out of the closet, letting it fall over sideways. They must've belonged to Liam, since Nya was pretty sure she'd never owned a suitcase in her life. What was the point, anyhow?
At length, she said, "Where are we going?"
Like it was obvious, Kai met her eyes and said, "Home."
So that's why, another day later, Nya is standing in the driveway with her arms wrapped around herself, squinting against the chilly wind that whips her long hair around. Kai is dragging a suitcase in each hand, all the way to Liam's truck, where he hoists them up and tosses them in the trunk. Liam comes up behind Nya, eyebrows scrunched in the middle.
"You two won't last a week," he says. Nya wants to turn around and kick him where the sun absolutely does not shine.
Ten minutes later, she's sitting in the backseat of the truck, knees pulled up to her chest, while Kai gawks out the window at the passing countryside. He seems so sure that they're going to be fine. Nya is . . . not excited at all. Yes, living with Liam was miserable, but it's better than living nowhere at all. At least Liam's house has a roof and books and working AC.
She trusts Kai, though. If he says they're going to be fine, it must be true. Kai's almost thirteen, he's responsible. She's responsible, too. It won't be perfect, but maybe she'll get used to it. No angry men banging on the door late at night. No yelling.
When Liam pulls up to their new/old home, Nya presses her face against the window. It's . . . admittedly small, not really much to look at. Just a simple, boxy home, with some thatched awning jutting out on one side. That must be the blacksmith shop Kai always talks about. He says the two of them are going to run it and make money to support themselves.
Nya isn't so sure about that.
The siblings hop out of the truck and grab their belongings. Liam tosses Kai a slightly rusty key and says, "Don't come crying to me when this doesn't work out."
Kai makes a face. "We won't, don't worry."
The truck drives away.
As Kai fiddles with the lock and key, Nya glances around at the surroundings. Just like the house, it's not much to look at. There's lots of winding roads and knobby hills, with patches of farmland scattered throughout. Land slants drastically downwards on one side, dropping into a low ravine of some sort. The sparse trees are a fresh spring green. It's quiet.
Do they have any neighbors? Probably not. She can't see any other houses from here. There's some white dots off in the distance—maybe sheep? Looks like the closest residence is a while away. Nya suddenly feels very small.
"Got it!" Kai yells, and he swings the door open. It creaks with years of weathering, but Nya forgets her worries for a moment because this is the house she lived in as a little kid. It's where her parents worked and ate and slept and raised her and Kai. A distinct sort of sadness lingers in the air drifting out from inside, like the memories were still there, waiting to be cherished again.
The rest just smells like dust and stale bread.
The siblings stand by the doorway, not quite inside.
"Who's first?" asks Kai. His voice is unnaturally quiet.
Nya sure as heck isn't about to walk in there alone, not when it's all dark and spooky. Normally Kai would offer to do the scary thing, but today he looks—nervous. So Nya grabs his hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
"We go together," she decides.
As one, they enter. Without any proper lights, the room is hard to see, and cobwebs hang from every corner and crevice. It's probably ten degrees colder than outside. Dusty furniture cast long shadows across the floor, and a chill creeps up Nya's arms.
"Feels like home," Kai offers, glancing around.
"Feels cold."
They spend the rest of the day fixing up the house, lighting lamps and sweeping the floors. When Kai's done with the broom, he hands it to Nya.
"Knock down some of those webs," he says. Nya makes a disgusted face, accepting the proffered broom with one hand. She wants to object, but Kai is already wandering around the house to open up the windows, so she just sighs and glares up at the spiders surely hiding in the corners.
Later that night, Nya finds herself standing in the doorway of a tiny room in the hallway. There's a little bed inside, probably not big enough to fit her anymore. Red curtains hang from the window, looking thick with dust and weathered at the bottom. Kai is off somewhere unpacking, so she steps inside the room and feels an odd sensation sweep over her.
It's her old bedroom, isn't it? She feels it. The bed could've fit a five-year-old Kai, but the far wall is painted to showcase a scattering of butterflies, spreading out from the center in a spiral. Who painted this? Her mom? Nya runs a finger over the painting, wondering if her mother had touched it too at some point. The chill comes back, but sadder this time. Less cold and more . . . lonely.
There are no photos on the little bedside table. No mirror or clothes or toys. Nothing from the life Nya could've had - the one she wishes she'd had. Does she have to sleep here tonight? Man. Nya can't remember the last time she'd slept somewhere away from Kai. Sure, he'd just be down the hall probably, but still. Shoulders slumped, Nya accepts this information glumly.
She likes the house, don't get her wrong. It's nice. It belonged to her parents, and that's . . . something to hold onto. But the idea of living here with just Kai? No adults? The two of them would be shouldering every responsibility, miles away from any proper civilization. It's like the world keeps growing bigger and Nya is only getting smaller and smaller.
"Boo," says Kai from behind her.
The sudden voice sends Nya jumping a good six inches in the air, and she whirls on Kai.
"Don't," she says. "Geez." There isn't much heat in her voice, though. Just an unwelcome little tremble that betrays the emotion she's trying so hard to hide right now.
"Hey, you okay?" asks Kai. He steps up closer, eyes concerned. Nya feels a lot warmer, just by standing next to him. Kai's like a mini furnace. Always has been. But heat is the last thing Nya cared about at this point.
His hand goes to her shoulder when she doesn't answer.
"We're gonna be fine. You know that, right?" Kai nudges her gently. "Promise."
"Why are we here?" Nya finally asks. "We don't have money, food, electricity . . ."
She hears Kai sigh softly. "We're here because Liam's house was dangerous. And—you deserve better than that. You deserve to grow up somewhere with . . . opportunity."
Slowly, her brain processes that. What opportunities does this place have, exactly? If anything, they'll be worse off than they were before. Again, she thinks of their new financial situation. Where will they get money? Surely blacksmiths don't make much for a living, why else would her parents have lived in this little rustic space instead of somewhere bigger?
As if reading her mind, Kai says, "We have money."
Nya raises one eyebrow, challenging. "Where?"
"Right here." From his pocket, Kai whips out a black leather wallet, cash poking out of the folds. Nya's eyes go wide. That wallet belongs to Liam.
"You didn't."
"Oh, I did." Kai pockets the wallet again. "It's enough to get us started. We'll get the shop running again, no problem. I'll teach you how to do everything."
Ugh. Nya fights the urge to make a face, because blacksmithing is probably the last thing she's interested in doing. She already knows all about it—she read all sorts of things in books. Who wanted to spend hours heating metal and hammering it into dumb tools, anyway? Booooriiiiing.
"Found your room, huh?" Kai asks, glancing around curiously. "I barely remember this. Wow." Suddenly, like he's just remembered, Kai gasps. "Oh, hey, c'mere." He starts off into the hall.
"What, why?"
"I found something."
She trails Kai into a different room, this one shrouded in shadow with the windows all covered. A king-sized bed is crammed into one corner, an antique-looking vanity in the other. Their parents' room.
Kai pulls Nya over to the mirror, gesturing around like a ringmaster in his grand circus.
"Check this out," he says. "It's almost like they're still here. We look like them."
As Nya peers into the dusty glass, she has to admit he's right. They're just younger, slightly shorter versions of their mom and dad. Weird. And a little creepy. Nya doesn't like it very much.
Kai sighs, joining her again. "I came here for a fresh start. Now we don't have to be what Liam wants us to be. We can be . . . whatever we want."
It's a profound statement from her usually-airheaded big brother, so Nya feels compelled to take those words to heart. But just as she's starting to feel better about everything, Kai yanks a drawer open to pull out a pair of glinting scissors.
Instinctively, Nya backs up.
"Wanna go first, or should I?" he asks, holding the scissors out to the side.
Appalled, Nya's mouth falls open. "Wha—Kai, we're not cutting our hair, that's stupid—"
By way of reply, Kai turns to the mirror and starts hacking at his brown waves, no method to it at all. Nya yelps, grabbing for the scissors and failing, only able to watch, horrified, as Kai finishes. His hair is now a mess of jagged locks, poking out of his head like . . . well. Nya is reminded of a porcupine that stuck their foot in a power socket.
Kai models for her, jokingly, running a hand through the new style. The uncertainty vanishes from his eyes almost immediately.
"That's what I'm talkin' about," he says.
He likes it? Of course he would, he's crazy. No way is she letting him do that to her hair, not in a million years-
"C'mon, Nya," he begs. "We can be new people now! You always said you wanted something to change. Well, here's your chance."
Biting her lip, Nya gazes at her reflection, absently twirling one long strand of hair around her finger. Kai's acting like hair is a symbol, like it represents something else. Their past, their parents . . . and Nya doesn't like the idea of it. But now that he's done it . . . something inside her is jealous. She wants to be someone new. She wants a change.
"Hair grows back, I guess . . ." she mumbles, still looking unsure.
Kai hands her the scissors. Both his eyebrows go up. "Now or never, sis."
Tentatively, as if they might bite her, Nya takes the scissors and steps closer to the mirror. She pulls all her hair over one shoulder, grasped in one hand. The other hand opens the scissors. When she has them in the position she knows she wants, Nya squeezes her eyes shut.
Snip.
One eye cracks open. Then the other one. Nya's jaw falls.
Her hair is short. Like, above her shoulders short. Whoa, wow, yikes, she looks different!
One hand reaches up to run her fingers through it. It's lighter and much shorter and she barely recognizes herself, but—
"Looks great," Kai smiles, nudging her shoulder. "Ready to start over?"
For the first time that week, Nya nods with confidence.
