Hey everyone! Thanks for all the prayers, I'm doing much better. If you don't mind still praying though, I have an ear infection now as a secondary infection to a cold. A prayer for my health and my family's would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Anyway, this is the final chapter of this story. Thanks for sticking it out for the long haul. This chapter is dedicated to all of you who kept supporting me through my inconsistent updates. Enjoy.
The wife hurried into the back rooms carrying two papers in her hand, her friend running behind her. She searched and searched until at least! There they were. The husband and brother began their masterpieces, but the wife was smart and knew there was enough time to save them.
She rushed first to her husband then to her brother and gave them what they needed. Before the wife slipped away, she knew the spell was broken...
"Cole!" Lloyd shouted. He and Zane raced to their friend's side.
Cole wearily opened his eyes as he fought to take a steady breath, "I'm okay. Just give me a second. But Jay and Kai... are going to kill each other, and I... left Nya all alone in Kai's room with Melina."
Lloyd and Zane exchanged glances, "What do we do?"
(Time skip)
Nya's heart pounded as she stood boldly up to Melina. She may have looked brave to anyone who happened to see the fight, but on the inside she felt tiny.
Melina laughed certain in her victory, "Those are rather courageous word. Too bad your magic water won't be enough to back those words up. You'll need a lot more fight than that," She taunted.
"Says the person who makes others do all her fights for her. I should've caught on the day Jay and I handled those thugs for you," Nya challenged.
"We'll see about that!" Melina screamed and thrust Nya against the wall, "it's about time I joined in on that rumpus your friends are causing on the rooftop."
Melina dropped Nya and she crumpled onto the floor, crying out as her bones twisted. Through blurred tears Nya made out Melina's escape out the door and to the roof.
(Time skip)
"Split up," Zane answered after a moment of thought.
"No!" Cole insisted, "As Jay always says, bad things happen when we split up!"
"What other choice do we have?" Lloyd asked, "Zane, you stay here and protect Kai and Jay from each other. I'll find Nya and see if I can help. Cole, think you can help?"
Cole grunted and worked his way to his feet, "Let's do this."
Zane ran in between Kai and Jay and formed a barrier as Lloyd and Cole made a run for the stairs.
But before they could make it, Melina threw the doorway open.
Cole sighed at the painful truth coming clear to him. Nya had lost. "Oh no," he gasped. He dared look at Lloyd, whose demeanor had visibly changed. Lloyd and Cole both turned and looked at the others. Zane's expression had changed too.
Then before Cole could blink Lloyd and Zane were in the fight. He started miserably at his four friends fighting. What could be done about it? And what had happened to Nya?
(Time skip)
Nya grabbed onto the side of the bed and pleaded with her aching body to let her stand up. At first she fell again in a heap, but on her second try, she got up. Balancing against whatever she could grab on to, Nya limped out of the room and through the others hoping she wouldn't crumble before she found the others.
(Time skip)
"What did you do to Nya?" Cole shouted.
Melina smirked.
Cole tackled her and grabbed her around the neck, I said what did you do to Nya?" He persisted.
Melina choked until Cole loosened his grip, "I left her in the hospital room, okay?"
"Is she okay?" Cole asked. He stole a glance back at the team and saw Kai go down. Grimacing, he left Melina where she was and ran to his friend.
There was a pulse still. But for how much longer he didn't know.
(Time skip)
Nya could barely breathe by the time she made it limping to the top of the stairs. Her leg cried out for her to take all weight off it. Putting her hands against her side, she caught her breath, then flung the door open to be met by bright light.
(Time skip)
Cole watched in horror as the others fought. Kai's breathing steadied and his pulse came back. His eyes flung open.
"Kai! You're alright!" Cole exclaimed, but Kai's eyes fixed on the fight and pushed Cole out of the way, "No, no, no!" he screamed. Was it wrong of him to wish Kai were still unconscious?
Cole looked beyond the fight and saw Melina, and beyond her a door opening.
"Nya?"
Nya limped across the rooftop, staggering every few steps.
Melina turned around and gasped, "impossible!"
Nya smirked, "You'll find Melina that I don't just talk a big game, I play a big game. You'll also find that I was serious when I said hurting my family was no excuse!"
Melina laughed the way Nya learned only Melina could and stepped to the side, "Well Nya, I'm glad you showed up for the end of the fight."
Nya's eyes widened as Lloyd delivered a blow that knocked Jay down. She screamed. She didn't even notice Melina approach her and hit her to the ground once more.
She heard a thud and then it was black for a moment, but only a moment. Nya opened her eyes and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Melina laughed, slowly. Kai, Zane, and Lloyd threw punches at each other, slowly. Cole ran to her screaming her name, slowly.
And then there was Jay.
"Come on Jay..." Nya whispered
His eyes were closed and Nya couldn't tell if he was breathing, but it seemed to Nya that if she were to just reach out her hand, she could touch him. Slowly, Nya reached out. She grabbed a hold of Jay's hand, and it felt to her like a bolt of electricity zoomed through his arm to hers and then to her heart.
Jay opened his eyes. Nya smiled.
"Nya..." he croaked, "I'm... sorry..."
Nya tightened her grip, "it's okay."
Jay stood up and helped Nya to her feet, "can you walk alright?"
Before Nya could answer, Cole shouted, "Nya, Jay! Look out!"
The two of them ducked instinctively as Kai charged at them. He pushed Nya aside but continued to attack Jay even though Jay clearly was not under Melina's spell anymore.
Nya regained her balance and pushed herself in between them, "Kai... Kai, look at me. It's me, Nya, your sister. Snap out of it."
Kai's force loosened and he fell to the ground. He was shaking. His tears wet the asphalt below him.
Nya knelt down beside him, "Kai?"
"I didn't... I don't want to... the others... I could've hurt you," Kai stuttered. Although it was warm, he shivered and curled up into a ball.
"It's alright Kai. You didn't hurt anyone."
Kai whimpered.
"You're going to be okay," Nya whispered and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Uh, Nya, what do we do about the others?" Jay asked.
Nya stood up, "Come on, I think I've got this."
Nya made her way towards Lloyd and Zane, using Jay as a crutch. Cole was already trying to separate them, but his efforts were quickly dwindling.
A few feet away, Nya kissed Jay on the cheek, "Let's hope that this works." She turned towards Cole, "On my call, get out of in between them," Nya instructed.
Cole nodded his head but didn't reply.
"Ready? Go!" Nya shouted. She left go of Jay and wedged herself between Zane and Lloyd just as Cole backed out.
At first the two of them knocked Nya around, but she caught herself and held firm, "Lloyd, Zane, I want you two to listen to me."
The two kept fighting, but their guards lowered as they slightly turned their attention to Nya.
"You two need to stop fighting each other. You're friends. And you're family. Families may fight, but they don't kill each other, especially over a girl. You're just fighting over a girl, and she doesn't love either of you. She's just manipulating you to fight for her. Well, stop fighting for her and start fighting for family."
They didn't stop. They fought harder, and Nya was shoved to the ground in between them. They trampled over her and moved on.
Nya closed her eyes and swallowed. She could feel the tears coming, but she wouldn't let them fall this time. This time she would be strong, even if she was losing.
"Nya, are you alright?" Jay took her hands in his and pulled her up. Nya didn't answer but let Jay hold her up as she buried her face in his chest. Jay didn't say anything but rocked back and forth slightly. He understood.
"Nya, look," Cole finally said moments later.
Nya looked up to see Lloyd and Zane helping Kai to his feet.
"You did it."
Nya smiled weakly, "I don't know how."
"Isn't it obvious?" Jay asked.
Lloyd, Zane, and Kai approached the rest of the team, balancing on each other to ease their pain.
"Okay, can I be the first to say I'm sorry?" Jay asked, "if it weren't for Nya, we all would've killed each other."
"Cole helped too," Nya insisted and flashed a smile at her friend.
"Barely. Give credit where credit is due Nya. You did most of this. I just read from a fairytale."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Kai asked.
"We have a lot of explaining to do," Nya laughed.
"I'll say..." Lloyd trailed. His grin faded and his attention fixated on Melina as she stood up.
Sometime during the fight she had been knocked down, and now she was working her was to her feet. Upon making eye contact with Lloyd, she began to run, but the ninja cornered her.
"Don't hurt me!" Melina begged.
"After all you've done to my family, I should kill you, but I'm not about that. How does a lifetime in kryptarium prison sound instead?" Cole asked rhetorically.
"That's awfully generous of Cole," Nya stated, "but you can bet your life that should you ever hurt my family again, I won't be so nice."
"Well, look who it is! The Ninjago police department. Timely, huh?" Kai chuckled.
The commissioner handcuffed Melina and took her away, leaving the ninja alone on the roof.
"Well, it's a good thing we're at a hospital right now!" Jay sardonically laughed.
"If only the wounds inside could be bandaged up too."
Jay squeezed Nya tightly.
"Somehow we'll recover from this. Somehow..."
(Time skip)
"Need some company?"
Nya turned around to find Jay holding a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a stack of movies in the other. "That would be great," Nya smiled. Since the incident on the rooftop, Nya had been warned by doctors that she had broken her leg even further and was ordered to strict couch rest. For the past few days she had been confined to the couch and was needless to say antsy.
"Your pick on what movie," Jay held out the movies for Nya to look through. She selected one, and Jay put it in.
The others joined them cramming onto the couch. Sooner or later, they were all packed in watching the movie together. And in the center of the group, wrapped underneath Jay's arm, sat the heart of the team...
Nya
Later that day the Muse came to inspect the artwork. She instantly knew the winner, but, oh, it made her heart sting. It was a painting and a coeffort between the husband and brother. They had made the wife.
"No one has proven their love quite like these two!" The Muse proclaimed, "I shall let them return to their lives away from me because the love they have to this wife is so much more powerful than a kiss!"
I hope you all enjoyed this story. Thank you to all of you who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited this piece. I never would've found the motivation to finish this up without you all! The sequel will be up after Sons of Garmadon completes. But until then, I'm looking forward to it. This was by far my favorite piece to write, and this chapter was my favorite overall. I had so much fun coming up with all these fun cool sounding phrases for the characters to say in battle. Thanks for sticking it out for the long haul for over a year it took me to write this. You all are the best. God bless!
#God's Not Dead!