A/N: yowza, i know it's been a bit since i updated this one, but considering the state of the world today, i've had some other priorities haha...
anyway! here's another chapter for anyone who's still following, and here's a reminder to stay safe and also black lives matter!
okay, enjoy :)
oOo
Kai's ninja buddies don't stick around very long. Eventually they exchange quick see you later's and take off into the sky, perched excitedly on their color-coded dragon counterparts. Kai watches them go, hands on hips and a grin on his face. The villagers scatter as well, continuing their chatter as they head back to their respective farms and homes in the valley.
Nya, feeling an unwelcome pang of sadness in her chest, wanders away, hops onto the fence by the road and lets her eyes rest on the horizon. She missed a whole month of autumn, and the leaves are starting to lose their bright colors, turning crisp at the edges and littering the ground. Even though the breeze is slightly chilling, Nya stays where she is. If she focuses really hard, she can see Walter's house down there, partially hidden behind a row of trees.
"Hey," Kai says, coming up behind her, footsteps crunching softly in the grass.
"Hey," Nya replies. Kai climbs up next to her and swings both legs over the fence, taking a seat. For a moment, the two of them rest there quietly, perhaps taking some time to appreciate the silence—it's almost unnerving, how still everything is. Almost as if life is normal again. Like Lord Garmadon never happened. But the memories are too fresh for Nya to forget them that easily.
"So . . ." Kai starts, slowly. "Whaddya think?"
Nya inhales softly. "About what?" she says on the exhale.
"Ya know—about the guys. About . . . just everything."
When Kai talks about it, his voice changes. He sounds happier than she's seen him in a while, with this eager spark in his eyes, and a smile that makes her want to match his perspective.
"I dunno." Nya swallows. "They're cool."
But Kai's not easily fooled. He sees right through her. He leans down, angling his head so she has to look at him.
"C'mon. Be honest, Nya."
She'd like to be honest. Truly, she would. But unfortunately, crushing Kai's spirits isn't something she enjoys, and—he just looks so happy—what kind of monster would she be if she disappointed him by disliking this "new life"?
So she puts on her most convincing smile and turns to him fully. "I'm serious. It's all really cool. I'm happy if you're happy." Which is . . . well, mostly true. Certainly not a full lie, but in this case . . .
Either way, Kai lights up at her answer and, satisfied, soon returns his gaze to the countryside. The corner of Nya's eye catches a glint of something shiny, and she glances at Kai's back. Strapped to his bright red outfit is a gleaming sword, crafted entirely from what looks like real gold . . . or maybe something even more precious than that. The childlike curiosity in her wants to touch it. The logical part says not to, though.
Nya recognizes that sword. It's the Sword of Fire, the one Garmadon was hell-bent on retrieving, the one that has, like, magical powers or something. And speaking of which—the Fire Temple is a blur in her memory, but Nya distinctly recalls Kai jumping towards her in an explosive tornado of—flaming energy? Geez. She has a lot of questions. She'd thought Kai would be a fountain of stories and ego, gushing about how cool he is, but . . .
He's just sitting here, warm eyes fixed on the edge of farmland they can see from their spot on the fence. Nya risks another glance at him. Kai's smile from earlier has faded, replaced now by a pinched sort of half-frown, expression clouded with thought. Nya knows when her brother is upset about something.
"What is it?" she asks gently. Kai rolls his bottom lip between his teeth, debating.
Finally, he sighs. "I was really worried."
Nya's heart clenches at his exhausted tone. Sure, he has new responsibilities now, and new friends, and a dragon (which is still curled up in their yard, by the way), but this is Kai. Her big dumb brother that cares way too much to just pretend she was never in mortal peril for a second there. She'd forgotten to consider the situation from his point of view, which must've been all kinds of horrible.
"I thought I lost you for good," he continues, unsteadily. "Sensei wouldn't let me go after you for weeks, and I—I didn't know if—"
"I'm okay," Nya assures, nudging him. "It wasn't . . . it's not like it was that bad."
Kai raises a suspicious eyebrow.
"Okay, well, it wasn't great! Obviously. But I knew you were coming. I could feel it in here." Nya points to her heart, grinning playfully. Her humor does its job and Kai laughs.
"That much faith in me, huh?" he asks, smiling wanly.
"Yeah, duh. I knew you couldn't get rid of me that easily."
"Shut up," Kai chuckles, elbowing her. Nya laughs with him and feels that customary swell of warmth flood over her. She'd worried that Kai might not be the same after all the chaos, that maybe he'd be too mature for her, or something. So—it's nice to be reminded that he's the same Kai he was before. A little stronger, with a few more scrapes and bruises, but still her brother. Still a massive dork. And even though she's not getting the Underworld out of her dreams anytime soon, she wants to keep Kai smiling.
"So—you're a superhero now?" She changes the subject, only partially kidding. After all, this ninja business isn't something she's familiar with. Kai only shakes his head, laughing.
"Not—not really. I mean, sort of. Maybe. We're not exactly the Fantastic Four, but—ya know."
"Then what's this do?" Nya reaches playfully for the Sword, but Kai jerks away, eyes wide.
"Whoa, don't touch it," he warns. "I . . . don't really know what it can do. Not yet, anyways. We're still learning."
Nya just hums thoughtfully. She almost asks about their future living situation, but—it'll just spoil the mood. So she leans back a little, pretending to daydream romantically as she kicks her heels.
"So. What's his name? The blue one. He's cool." She grins at Kai.
It takes him a second to catch on to what she's playing at, so he says, "What, Jay? Yeah, he's cool, I guess. I mean, a little on the chatty side, and definitely too energetic, but—"
Then, evidently, Kai notices the significant look Nya's giving him. He balks. "Ohhh no. No. Not in a million years—"
"I think he's adorable—"
"—absolutely not—"
"But what if—"
"You're thirteen—"
Kai and Nya bicker back and forth, bouncing between serious threats and joking remarks—though most of the teasing is coming from Nya. The idea of her being interested in his teammate apparently doesn't sit well with Kai, but that only gives Nya more reason to annoy him with suggestive comments and dreamy-eyed looks.
She's missed this. The loose, comfortable way she feels when she's with Kai, and how the tension in her shoulders just melts away. Sure, he's currently threatening to hit Jay over the head with a shovel if he makes any moves, but Nya knows he's not serious. Probably. Maybe. Actually, there might be a degree of truth to Kai's words, but—whatever. That's not her problem, anyhow.
"What're you so scared of?" Nya asks, giggling.
Kai pushes her hand away as she tries to mess up his hair. "Nothing," he insists. "Remember the rule! No dating until you're sixteen—"
"That's so stupid—"
"You're stupid," Kai laughs, giving Nya's shoulder a gentle shove. She pushes back, a little harder. Kai shoves again. So does Nya. Eventually, the two siblings are involved in a faux-vicious cat fight, pushing each other and trying to stay balanced on the rickety wooden fence.
And for a few brief moments, they're the only two people in the world. It's just Kai and Nya, overlooking a countryside painted with the colors of fall. There's no Lord Garmadon. No skeleton warriors. No Underworld or uncertain futures. Life is just . . . simple. How it used to be. It's—
"Whoa!" Nya yelps as Kai shoves her a little too hard and she tips backwards off the fence. Kai's gasp of oh shoot I'm sorry is barely audible as Nya tumbles into the grass, one foot smacking the wood before she rolls onto her back. Before she even has a chance to decide which way is up, Kai's kneeling next to her, frantically asking if she's okay.
He looks her over with concern. "I'm so sorry, I didn't—it was totally an accident. I—why are you laughing?"
Sure enough, despite being sprawled out in the dirt, Nya is shaking with silent laughter, eyes squeezed shut to block out the sun's glare from this angle. Kai frowns.
"Are you—did you hit your head? Nya, stop laughing—"
This only succeeds in encouraging it, though, and Nya bursts into a full fit of delirious laughter, wrapping both arms around her chest as she lies there. Kai looks on with confusion until Nya's mood latches onto him and he can't help but laugh right along with her.
We're crazy, Nya thinks. Her life is being ground to a pulp in a blender. She barely survived a kidnapping-slash-fiery-death. Dragons are real and her brother is a ninja and the world as she knows it is ending.
And here they are, lying on the side of a dirt road, gasping for breath because somehow it's funny. It's hilarious. If it was someone else's story, Nya wouldn't believe it. But it's real and it's crazy. This is her life. And Kai's life, too. And Nya knows that once she gets up—
Once she remembers what lies in the not-so-distant future—
The humor will be gone. So for now, she sits back on her elbows and laughs with her brother, both of them clinging to the last normal moment they'll ever have again. The last remaining sliver of Nya's childhood.
oOo
"—and so Wu hid the four Weapons in different parts of Ninjago, where Lord Garmadon could never find them."
"Wow," Nya breathes, where she's curled up under a blanket next to Kai. She's been listening to him tell the story of—well, everything. The more he reveals, the more Nya realizes how oblivious they've been for years. Right now, her whole world is this couch. But beyond the closed windows, past the chipped wood of their walls . . . a whole separate reality is unfolding with every word Kai says.
"And there's this group of special people—Sensei calls them the Elemental Masters. People who have these crazy powers, like—I dunno, controlling water, or shooting ice out of their hands. And Nya—you'll never believe this."
She looks up at Kai. "What?"
Kai leans closer, as if he's about to reveal some dark, scandalous secret. Shifting to face her, he whispers, "Our dad was one of them."
Nya blinks once, letting those words register as she clutches the blanket tighter. Her dad . . . had elemental powers? Did her mom know about that? What—how did—
She rubs her temples, grimacing at the headache that's growing distinctly more prominent. Information overload is not something Nya usually partakes in right before bed. Kai's been filling her in for—hours, she realizes when she glances at the clock. And the end of his tale is nowhere in sight. Clearly he's been learning quite a bit during his time with the other ninja.
"What power did Dad have?" Nya asks. She figures it's a safe question, all things considered, but she's nowhere near prepared for Kai's response.
"Fire," he says, smiling. His smile grows wider when he continues, "Same as me."
At that, Nya's brain short-circuits; if she were a robot, bursts of sparks would be flying everywhere.
She'd known Kai has some sort of interesting ability now, but he'd just finished telling her all about Spinjitzu and how he figured out how to do it. Nya didn't realize there's more. Though she guesses it makes sense—the Sword of Fire only likes to light up when Kai is holding it. So—
Her father had passed down his elemental powers through—just basic genetics. That's how it works? Elemental parents have elemental kids? Okay, fine, she'll buy it, but—
Wait just a darn minute. How come Kai has cool powers and Nya doesn't? Or—or does she? Is that possible? Can two kids have the same power as one of their parents? There are probably rules for this stuff, but gosh, Nya doesn't know any of them—
"What about me?" she asks, sounding offended (and feeling offended, too, if Nya's being honest). "What can I do?"
Kai has the decency to at least look sorry when he says, "Uh . . . I think—I mean, I'm pretty sure you—you're just . . . normal."
Nya's heart sinks. "What? How come?"
"It doesn't work that way."
Nya crosses her arms. "Who made you the boss of elemental powers?"
"I'm not! Sensei said the powers get handed down to one child. I guess I—well, I have Dad's powers because I was born first."
"What about Mom?" Nya's grasping for straws now and she knows it.
"Sensei didn't mention her. I think he would've, if there was something we should know."
Nya wants to ask just how this "sensei" character knows everything and why Kai trusts him so much, but then Kai finishes.
"Sensei was good friends with our parents before—before everything. He knows what he's talking about. I'm sorry."
Ugh. So her doofus of a brother gets to have fire powers, but she gets zip. Typical. How come he had to be born first, and why do elemental powers have such dumb guidelines to follow? If Wu is a descendant of the First Spinjitzu Master, can't he just—ya know, change the rules, or something?
"—have to keep training, so we're ready to face Lord Garmadon when he returns," Kai is saying. "Our Weapons have powers we don't even know about yet. It's our job to unlock them."
It's your job to keep Dad's business going, Nya wants to say, but she keeps it to herself. All this magical ninja stuff is way over her head, if she's being honest, and she'd like for things to go back to normal now. Sure, it was fun for a second, but now—
Now it's getting too real, too fast. If everything could just slow down—
"That's why we're moving into the monastery," Kai says, matter-of-factly.
And Nya's entire consciousness decides to stop functioning.
"The—the what?"
Kai launches into another long-winded speech about what the monastery is and what it's like to live there, but Nya's not really listening. She's trying. Really hard. But her own frantic thoughts drown out anything Kai has to say.
It's happening. It's actually happening. We're moving. We're leaving.
"—so cool, and you'll love the guys, I promise. Not Jay, though. You're not allowed to love Jay—"
"We're moving?" Nya asks. It comes out much quieter than she'd anticipated, but Kai doesn't seem to notice.
"Well yeah. I mean, if I'm gonna be part of the team, we can't stay here. The monastery has all the training equipment and—" Kai stops when he sees Nya's face. "What?"
Nya briefly debates telling him everything. This is Kai. Normally she's not afraid to talk to him, they've been joined at the hip since, like, birth (except for the first three months of her life, in which Kai didn't like her at all—but they don't talk about that). She shouldn't be holding back right now. He needs to know how she feels.
But—FSM, he's so happy . . .
So she erases the anxiety from her expression and says, "Nothing. It's just so—so exciting, you know?"
"I know, right? It's like—this whole other world has been out there and—now we get to be a part of it!"
Nya smiles shakily, tucking her legs underneath her. Leaving Ignacia? Moving in with a group of strangers? Abandoning everything Nya's grown up with, everything she's learned to appreciate and—
"I promise you won't be bored, or anything. I mean—you can't come on missions with us, but—there's tons to do in the monastery, and you can help out with, like, cooking and stuff—"
Kai keeps going, rambling incessantly. Nya lets it go in one ear and out the other, because if she pays attention, she'll want to club Kai over the head with a throw pillow. Can't come on missions? Help with cooking?! What does she look like, a housewife? That sounds awful! She'd rather stay here alone for the rest of ever. She'd rather go back to her cell in the Underworld!
Alright, maybe that's a bit excessive, but Nya's made her point. After all this time running the shop together, Kai's gonna shove her aside like some little—useless—
"Okay," Nya grinds out. "I'm going to bed."
Kai pauses his aimless ninja-bragging to look at her. "Oh—already? I thought you—"
"I know, I just—it's been a long day. It's been a long—three weeks, and—it's not that I don't like hearing about all your ninja stuff, but—"
After that, she can't find anything else to say. So she leaves it there, swiftly hopping off the sofa and making a getaway to her bedroom. She can feel Kai's eyes on the back of her head, but Nya doesn't look back.
Sleep doesn't come easily. On top of scattered nightmares about the Underworld, Nya has new things to worry about. They're not supposed to move, they have to stay here. In Ignacia. Where life is simple and predictable. Adventure and action sound great, but not yet, gosh darn it. Kai is only fifteen. They're both minors, living on their own, which is already pushing it, and now—
Ninja life is not an experience Nya is dying to have, especially not if she can't be involved. It'll be like moving away with Kai and then handing him over for good. Not cool.
Nya sleeps on and off, waking up sporadically and usually in a cold sweat. The moon cycles through the sky, and its beams filter through the window all night, casting shadows along the floorboards. Finally, Nya wakes up at 7:35 in the morning—and she can't fall back asleep. Which is good, she remembers, because she's gotta meet up with Aiden today . . . for what might be the last time.
After the past few weeks of chaos, Nya knows Kai won't let her walk to town alone if she asks, so she goes with the other option: not asking.
Her bedroom window is conveniently perfect for sneaking out, so Nya throws on a jacket and climbs right through, hoping she's back before Kai wakes up. Pebbles slide under her feet as she jogs down the hill. The morning air, crisp as it is, feels great against her skin that's missed the autumn weather. The sun is sitting low, near the horizon.
Nya reaches town in what might be record speed, because the sensation of running is something she hadn't known she missed this much. Nevertheless, here she is, halted on the edge of the center marketplace. It looks . . . the same, mostly. There aren't any huge changes. Some vendors are setting up, ones she's never seen before, and the paint on that house looks fresher. But besides that, town is exactly as she'd left it.
No one notices Nya as she wanders through the middle. She wonders where Aiden might want to meet—neither of them had offered a location, and Nya doesn't see him yet. As her eyes roam the market, she catches sight of a conspicuous stack of crates, blocking the entrance of an alley.
I wonder . . .
Nya heads over and recognizes the alleyway immediately. It's where she found Aiden and the kitten, years ago. Someone has clearly tried to discourage others from entering, but Nya's not about to be hindered by some dumb boxes. Not after what she's been through.
She shoves a few crates aside and spies a hole big enough for a person to crawl through. And standing inside the alley is Aiden himself. His eyebrows shoot up when he notices her climbing in.
"Hey, you found me," he grins.
"Yep!" Nya stands, dusting herself off. "I had a hunch."
She approaches him cheerfully, but the two of them can't seem to find anymore words. Nya's the one who suggested this meet-up in the first place, so she should probably say something first. But—where to start? Why had she done this, exactly? Oh, no. She's too awkward for this. She's—
"You're moving?" Aiden asks suddenly.
Okay, not the way she'd like to start, but that's fine. He's straight to the point. She'll have to work with it.
"Oh. Yeah." Nya looks down. "My—uh, my brother . . . his new job—"
When she looks back up at Aiden, he's frowning. Frowning like he doesn't believe whatever excuse she's trying to force out. So Nya sighs.
"Look, I—I'm gonna be honest, okay? And—promise you won't think I'm crazy."
Though his expression is not comforting, Aiden nods once. "Okay . . ."
So Nya tells him everything. It's not easy by any means, and she doesn't miss how Aiden's eyes keep getting wider by the second, but—by the end of her long-winded recount, Nya feels a heck of a lot lighter. That feeling lasts a whole two seconds before the anxiety sets in, because oh, she just revealed everything to this boy—this cute boy, and now he probably thinks she's gone off the deep end.
There's also the slowly rising dread in her stomach, reminding Nya that this information might not have been hers to tell. Not that Kai ever mentioned any of it being a secret, but how can she know for sure? Maybe she wasn't supposed to tell anyone and maybe she's in big trouble now and—
"You're messing with me," Aiden finally says, smiling oddly.
"I'm serious," Nya replies.
"You're telling me—Ninjago is in mortal peril and your brother is our last hope?"
Maybe if the situation wasn't so serious, Nya would've burst out laughing. Unfortunately, she's forced to nod in solemn acceptance, watching as Aiden's face pales drastically. He looks away for a long moment, processing.
It's a while before either of them says anything else, but Nya thinks that's fine. If she'd just been told that the Lord of the Underworld was loose in Ninjago and the only weapons that could stop him were in the hands of teenage boys . . . she'd be concerned, too. And she is. Heck, this whole thing sounds like a story straight out of a storybook, she knows that. But usually when she doesn't like a story, she can just close the book.
Not this time.
Finally, Aiden takes a breath. "So you're a ninja now?"
Nya blinks. "What? No."
"But I thought—"
"My brother's the one with the fancy powers," Nya explains sullenly. "He's got the looks, the skill, and now the elemental power."
Aiden looks down. "Not all the looks. Or skill."
After that comment, the two of them exchange awkward glances and Nya laughs because it's the only thing that she can force out of her mouth at this point. She feels her cheeks heating up, probably turning as red as Kai's new ninja outfit. But after that, it's not as uncomfortable. She and Aiden smile hesitantly at each other.
"Tell me more," Aiden says, grinning.
For a moment, Nya's stunned. But she plenty more to tell, and talking to Aiden comes easier than anything ever has.
Eventually, Nya goes home. Aiden asks if he can accompany her on the walk, and she says yes. They talk a little more about elemental powers and Lord Garmadon, but Nya doesn't mention that she'd been kidnapped and trapped in the Underworld—Aiden doesn't need that on his mind. He has enough to process already.
He's doing a good job of it, though. While he'd initially accepted the information with skeptical eyes, Aiden seems like he believes her now. And why wouldn't he? Nya couldn't make this stuff up if she tried.
The only thing they have yet to accept is—
"This might be goodbye," Nya says when they reach Four Weapons. It's still early. The sun is rising slowly, its rays peeking through the branches of trees, and the sounds of morning drift up from the valley. Nya thinks she can hear a woodpecker somewhere. And a frog.
Aiden looks at her. She stares back. And—there's something in the air just then, a buzzing sort of anticipation, like something is about to happen. Aiden takes a step forward. Nya stays where she is. They look at each other some more.
"Does it have to be goodbye?" Aiden asks.
Nya's heart stutters, because there'd been a notable tone in his words, but she can't place it. Apparently she can't think of anything to say, either, and for a second she panics as words crash together in her head.
"I guess not," Nya finally manages. "I—maybe we'll see each other around. Someday."
"Yeah."
More uncomfortable silence. Briefly, Nya considers hugging him, but she doesn't have practice hugging cute boys, she'd be sure to screw it up somehow, and they're not quite close enough for that. But what other options are there?
Kiss him.
Nya's eyes go wide when the thought pops into her head, but she quickly banishes the idea. Kiss him? What? They hardly know one another, she doesn't even—they don't—she can't—
"Nya?"
Heart leaping in her chest, Nya whirls around to find Kai standing in the doorway, arms crossed in a way that usually means she's in trouble. His eyes are narrowed curiously, brows pinched in the middle. Clearly he's just woken up, hair poking out scruffily and pajama pants folded oddly at the ankles.
Lightning fast, Nya recaps her situation, trying to see just how badly this could end.
This is goodbye, cute boy standing here, I want to kiss him, my brother is watching.
In other words, the most explosive recipe for disaster she has yet encountered. Her eyes flick between Kai and Aiden, who are both looking at her with equal expressions of expectation and confusion. And since her whole life is changing and everything is being flipped like a pancake, Nya decides she's got nothing to lose.
She gets so close to Aiden that she can see every individual freckle on his face. He blinks at her owlishly.
"Not goodbye," she says. Then Nya rises quickly on her tiptoes and plants the barest of kisses on Aiden's cheek. Immediately, he goes red, but she doesn't wait around to see much of it. The last of her resolve had gone into that kiss (which was less of a kiss and more of a peck), she has zero courage left. So Nya heads inside, brushing past a very scandalized Kai.
"Who was that?" he asks later, after Aiden has gone.
"Doesn't matter." Nya picks at the crust on her toast. "He's here. I won't be. End of story."
It's obvious that Kai's not quite satisfied with that answer, and Nya fully expects him to pry further. To her surprise, though, Kai has the decency to leave it alone. A first, she thinks. Whatever. Nya can't complain.
Kai breezes around the house all day, gathering up what few personal belongings they have and shoving them into boxes or bags. Nya lets him do it on his own. Her theory is, if she can't see things changing, then things aren't changing. Seems to be working so far.
Yet, Nya spends no time idly. Her day is booked with putting in more work on her mech, which is coming along nicely, by the way. Metal scraps and tools lie scattered over the whole floor—wicked hazards when she's walking around—and half-built robot appendages lean against the wall. She keeps her door shut and locked, not that Kai comes knocking anyway.
That night, after reading another chapter of Mechanics, Motors and Mobility, Nya curls up in bed and rolls over to look at the wall. She raps her knuckles against it three times.
"Good night," she says loudly.
Kai's muffled voice replies, "Night," from his own room.
Nya smiles at that. Yeah, stuff is pretty messed up and there's gonna be a new lifestyle to get used to. But Kai's here. She's here.
Nice to know that some things never change.
