Review Replies:
No One: Thanks so much! I liked the ending too, it was really fun to write!
Tomura-chan: The original title for the first chapter actually used to be "Like FirstFandomFangirl," lol. Yeah, you're going to see a few similarities between my fic and FFF's, and there's one major thing I yoinked straight from OTTWCD, but for the most part, I'm trying to make it as much of my own story as possible.
Thank you guys for your encouraging reviews!
"Hello? Miss? Can you hear me?"
"She might be dehydrated. I'll go get some water."
A pattering of retreating footsteps, and then the male voice was speaking again.
"Come on, wake up!"
As I was slowly dragged into consciousness, I realized something was shaking my shoulder. I squirmed, shrugging the hand off as I squeezed my eyes shut. There came a soft sigh.
"She's okay." Someone said, and there were murmurs of relief. My hip was throbbing for some reason, and I shifted, trying to relieve the pressure. I blinked my eyes open, only to balk at the sight of everyone in the shop standing around me, looking on with concern. One of the boys, the black-haired one, was crouched in front of me, his dark brown eyes soft as he laid a hand on my knee.
"Hey," He said, his voice kind and warm, "You okay?"
"I…" At first, I couldn't form a coherent response as I ogled shamelessly at the boy. He was… really good-looking, with thick muscular arms and a sharply-defined jawbone. There was a small scar along the bridge of his nose, and more on his arms, which were uncovered. He looked rugged, strong, and tough. I had never seen a boy like him, and it took me a second to regain control of my tongue.
"I… Yeah, I'm okay." I stammered, feeling dumb and awkward, "What happened? Did I… faint or something?"
"Yep." Another one of the boys piped up, and I glanced in his direction. Again, I found myself reeling as I drank in the boy's appearance. He too was pretty muscular, though he wasn't as large as the black-haired teen. His skin was tanned and pockmarked with scars, the most prominent being the one that sliced through his left eye. His brown hair wasn't as spiky as I had imagined, though it still stuck up oddly in several places. His expression was relaxed, but curious and perhaps even a little worried as he continued, "Zane says it was some combination of exhaustion and shock."
He nodded toward the silver boy, who smiled kindly as I turned my gaze to him. He didn't look as ripped as the other boys, but he was a robot, so I knew I couldn't judge him by appearances. He was much taller than the others, with an unusually long neck and a thin face. But his eyes were soft, and I found it impossible to dislike him on sight. When he spoke, his accent was crisp and formal, "It would seem you haven't eaten for several hours, and Nya says you have been walking for some time without sustenance. I am not sure what triggered the shock, but it seems the emotional toll was too much on your body, and your subconscious shut down to recuperate."
"Oh…" I said slowly, swallowing the dry lump in my throat, "Um, yeah. That makes sense."
At that moment, there were footsteps, and the dark-haired girl came bustling from the back room of the shop. She had a glass of water and a bowl of something in her hands as she hurried over.
"Move over." She ordered, kicking bossily at the brunet to get past him. He rolled his eyes, but shifted aside to let her pass, and the black-haired boy backed off. The girl immediately took his place, handing me the water and the bowl as she said, "Sorry it took me a minute. I warmed up some leftover potato soup for you. Misako is brewing some tea, but here's some water for now."
An electric jolt shot through my body at the mentioned name, but I hid my surprise well as I smiled gratefully, "Thank you."
Pointedly ignoring the stares, I quickly guzzled down half the water before I set it on the counter behind me and turned to the soup. I ate gingerly, self-conscious of the people around me as I spooned small bites of soup into my mouth. Already, I was starting to feel better. While I ate, the girl continued speaking, "I'm Nya, by the way. That's my brother, Kai," She gestured to the brunet, "And the rest of these guys are Cole, Lloyd, Jay, and Zane."
"You've probably heard of us." Jay butted in, smirking as he puffed out his chest, "You know, the Ninja? Heroes of Ninjago and all that?"
Butterflies exploded in my gut, but I still managed a small smile.
"Yeah," I admitted, "I've heard of you."
"Is that why you fainted?" Lloyd asked tentatively. He looked to be one of the smallest of the group, shorter than Cole, Kai, and Zane, but about level with Jay. His muscles weren't as defined as Cole's and Kai's, but he was still pretty cute. His voice was so soft and concerned that I felt something inside me melt and die as he went on, "I'm sorry if we startled you."
"Yeah, I… No." My stammering was getting worse the longer I dwelt on the boys' appearances, and I did my best to block that part of my brain out as I continued, "I mean, yes, it was a shock, but it's not your fault. It's just… a lot to take in. More than you'd think."
Jay and Cole exchanged strange looks at that, and Nya cocked her head in confusion, but didn't comment as she said, "Well, just take the time you need to recover. Then you can tell us what happened to you, okay?"
"Okay." I said, relieved, "Thank you so much. You guys have been really nice."
"No problem." Lloyd said, giving me a smile that made my stomach explode with fireworks, "Take all the time you need."
"Uh, can we at least get a name first?" Kai said, chuckling a little as he gave me a cheeky grin, "We've told you ours, but you haven't told us yours."
My eyes widened slightly at the sly look he gave me. I had expected him to be suspicious of me, but then I remembered how Kai tended to get around girls. I felt the urge to laugh out of sheer nervousness, but I somehow managed to keep a straight face as I blurted out, "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Abby."
"Nice to meet you, Abby." Cole said with a nod. Abruptly, he whipped around and made a shooing motion with his hands as he barked to the boys, "Okay, enough gawking! We should get back to work. We'll continue this conversation when Abby's feeling a bit better."
"M'kay!" Jay said cheerfully as the others gave various murmurs and sounds of affirmation. The Lightning Ninja gave me an exaggerated wave as he walked off, "See ya, Abby!"
"See ya." Lloyd echoed, and Kai and Zane gave similar farewells. Cole shot me a single, friendly smile before he hustled the boys into the back room, leaving me alone with Nya. As soon as they were gone, I felt some of the tension in my shoulders release. Without all eyes on me, I felt I could finally start thinking clearly.
"If you're good," Nya said, drawing my attention, "I'm going to stock some of the shelves over here. Just holler if you need anything."
I nodded, "Okay. Thanks."
The girl then stood and drifted over to the other side of the room, unpacking a box of what I assumed could only be tea bags. This gave me some time to think while I ate.
First things first; I was in Ninjago. The world of my favorite TV show. That… That took a minute to process. When Nya wasn't looking, I just stared at her, trying to force it through my subconscious that I wasn't dreaming and this was real. It took a bit, but I eventually managed to tentatively convince myself that yes, I was in Ninjago. Then came the other question.
What season was I in? I had a sneaking suspicion I knew, and the thought sent my stomach aflutter with a new wave of butterflies. I watched Nya carefully as I ate, wondering how best to probe for information. After a long stretch in which I struggled to work up my courage, I finally set the bowl of soup in my lap and asked casually, "So what are the Ninja doing setting up a tea shop in the middle of nowhere?"
"I know," Nya chuckled a little, not looking up as she slid a jar onto one of the shelves, "Not exactly somewhere you'd expect to find the 'famed heroes of Ninjago.' But it's really for our Sensei; he's ready to retire, and we're helping him out."
I puffed up my cheeks and blew out a long stream of air, "Crap."
Nya stopped, casting me a bewildered look, "I'm sorry?"
"Um, nothing!" I said quickly, giving her an easy smile, "It's… complicated."
The girl looked confused, but she only shrugged and returned to the shelves. I let out a breath as I leaned back in my chair, pondering my second reeling revelation for the day. I had finished my soup, and I now set it aside as I thought. I knew what time period I was in; between season four and five, right before my favorite Ninjago villain, Morro, attacked. It wasn't just Morro, though. I knew about the Time Twins, the Sons of Garmadon, the Crystal King… A great weight seemed to settle on my shoulders when I realized I knew the details of several of Ninjago's future years. As if things weren't already complicated enough.
My first instinct was to tell the Ninja. How often had I dreamed of traveling to this world so I could save them from so much hurt? They were kids; powerful, heroic, selfless kids. But still kids. There was nothing I would have loved more than to ease their suffering. But something held me back. Fear? Perhaps. There was always the danger of the unknown. There were a lot of events to keep up with, and I risked making things worse in the future. But what if—what if?—I could make it better?
AN: So, I realized I didn't introduce my main character until this chapter... Lol, oops. In case anyone's wondering, no, I'm not currently planning a romantic subplot. Abby is just really, really susceptible to cute boys. :P