A/N: hi, it's me, back again. welcome to chapter 4, which could also be titled, "Nya Gets Sick and Then Learns to Drive". brace yourselves.

filling in some backstory with this one! these kids had to learn basic life skills somewhere, didn't they? enjoy some fluff!

oOo

The Smith siblings soon discover they don't need two people in the shop at all times, not since the colder months are upon them. Most people are staying indoors.

At the end of October, Nya doesn't bug Kai about the Day of the Departed holiday. She just sneaks away and lights a single lantern (provided by Walter) in the backyard.

It floats into the sky, taking a little piece of her with it.

Next comes the snow.

There's no warning. One morning, it's cloudy and gray, autumn leaves tumbling over the road. The next morning, the only color for miles is the crystal blue sky. Everything else has been painted a smooth white.

Nya's so excited to go outside that she practically rips the door off the hinges, but Kai drags her back in. She lets him shove a hat on her head and toss a coat at her.

She does her best not to roll her eyes. Kai's been acting like a total worrywart lately, but whatever—she's used to it. Could be worse.

At least they don't yell and argue like some siblings do. It's nice that he cares. Nya's just adapting, unsure about someone expressing concern for her.

Growing up, Kai was always there, but not like this. It's like he's assigned himself the role of mom and dad lately. Nya just tries to make his job as easy as possible.

While Kai opens the shop for the morning, Nya bounds into the freshly fallen snow. She somersaults and twirls around, chucking poorly aimed snowballs at her brother. One flies right past his ear and he glares warningly.

Winter feels different now that they're out of Liam's house. The air is crisper somehow. The snow is the perfect consistency.

The world just seems so much bigger. Weird to think it's always been this big, she's just seeing it for the first time.

Snow falls all morning and afternoon. That night, Nya joins Kai in front of the fireplace and they snuggle up together under a pile of blankets. They're not financially stable enough to run the heater yet.

But ya know what? Things are good. She's warm, she's content, she's with Kai. Can't get much better than this.

Except, when Nya wakes up the next morning, something feels a little . . . off. She can't pinpoint the exact problem, but she can feel something wrong inside her.

There's a weird tickle in her throat and a dull ache behind her eyes. It doesn't feel like anything of immediate importance, though, so she says nothing. Kai clearly doesn't notice any difference, so she's probably fine.

She's a little slow today, though. The headache is getting worse.

While she's lifting the box of tools to clean up her workspace, the pain behind her eyes becomes suddenly, unbearably sharp. Nya cries out, dropping everything to the floor. Her vision swims.

Kai stops what he's doing, turning at the sound.

"What was—whoa. Are you okay?"

Nya staggers forward one step, temporarily blinded. When the world stops spinning, she can see the concerned look Kai's giving her.

"Yeah," she lies. "I just—I saw a spider in there."

For a few tense moments, it doesn't seem like Kai is going to believe her. But then an actual spider scurries across the floor, right between Kai's feet. He jumps away, chasing after it angrily.

Nya marvels at the timing. Hopefully the spider survives Kai's wrath, she owes it big time.

Nothing noteworthy happens the rest of the day, and Nya goes to bed pretending the headache hasn't evolved into muscle aches as well.

No need to bother Kai with more problems, he's already swamped as it is. It's probably some stupid one-day virus. Everything's all good here, she's never been better!

Nya wakes up in the middle of the night, shivering uncontrollably. Pulse hammering, temples throbbing heart racing—

She sits up and she can't—

She can't breathe—

There's something crushing her, she can't—she—

Nya tumbles out of bed, coughing. She braces her hands on the floor, chest heaving. She can't think straight, her thoughts aren't coherent enough to discern any of them. It's cold and dark and her whole body is shaking—

Something is blocking her airway. Something's in there and it hurts. Her body is trying to force it out, coughing and dry heaving.

Perhaps alerted by all the noise, Kai comes stumbling in, tiredly raking his hair back. He sees her on the floor and stops short.

"What's wrong, what's wrong?"

He's kneeling next to her in seconds, one hand jostling her shoulder but Nya can't talk. She can barely breathe, her lungs are full of sludge and she can't—

"Nya. What's going on?"

"Hurts," is all she manages to croak out, and Kai's concern visibly heightens.

"Can you move?"

Nya's coughing so much that she can't answer him. She just heaves and gags, marginally aware of the rawness of her throat. But she can't stop, she needs to—

She has to—

She vomits.

oOo

Nya doesn't remember much after that. Everything is blurry, fading in and out. She curses herself for not reading about more illnesses. Maybe if she had, she'd know what the problem is and tell Kai how to fix it.

She does think there's a fever involved. The reason for this is because she feels like Kai stuck her in the freezer. But when he lays a hand on her forehead, he flinches.

"You're burning up," says Kai.

Nya wants to argue that maybe he's wrong, since he's always warm, but she hasn't yet found her voice. The coughing continues relentlessly, an awful sort of rattling that worries her.

Kai talks to her, but she doesn't hear everything he's saying.

He doesn't want to go to town for medicine or help, because he's afraid something will worsen while he's gone. But there's not much in the house that's doing any good.

Kai does find some cough syrup, but judging by the aged label, Nya shouldn't be swallowing it. Kai keeps her hydrated, though she refuses to eat.

She's miserable for days. Kai tells her not to pile on the blankets, since her body is overheating already. But whenever he leaves the room, Nya buries herself beneath the mound, teeth chattering.

Her brother drifts in and out of the room, asking how she's doing and does she need anything? Nya's not always conscious. Sleeping is most comfortable. When she's awake, her chest aches and she coughs up ugly mucus. Sometimes it's hard to breathe and Nya curls onto her side, shaking and praying her heart keeps beating.

Poor Kai doesn't know what to do. To his credit, he tries to stay calm when speaking to her. But a few times, when Nya's pretending to be asleep, she's seen Kai pacing the length of her room, looking more scared than she's ever seen him.

This is not reassuring, but there's nothing she can do. Nothing except hope it passes and she makes it out okay.

For a couple of days, the fever goes away. Then it's back.

Recurring fever? That's not good.

After a week of hacking and sweating and agony, Nya knows Kai will have to open the shop again. They can't afford to lose any more business.

Their budget's already shrinking by the day, and this has set them back.

It's beyond Nya's control, but she still feels guilty.

Kai just looks so tired . . .

Helplessness burns white in Nya's mind. This illness is awful, but what's really hurting her is knowing she's just supposed to sit here and suffer. And watch Kai suffer, too.

She's not a baby anymore. She's gotta do something.

So Nya thinks hard, trying to remember what she knows about fevers. They're only supposed to last a day or two. Normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Hydration is important . . . what else?

What else, what else, what else—

She needs to break the fever. That's all Nya knows for sure. Something is very wrong. She's showing numerous symptoms of pneumonia, and nothing is getting better.

An option presents itself in Nya's memory.

Ice bath.

At first, she hesitates. Cold showers or extreme changes in temperature can technically make a fever worse, since your body gets confused. But maybe if she just warms up right after . . .

It would do the trick. Might be risky, but it's worth a shot.

Nya sits up, coughing once as the motion aches in her chest. She holds her midsection and slides out of bed.

Whoaaaa . . .

The room spins. Nya's legs are weak from hardly any use, threatening to give up on her. Her whole body is weak; she's hardly managed to eat at all this past week.

"Kai," she tries, but her voice is scratchy. The single word triggers another coughing fit.

Screw this.

Nya gets out the door, pausing regularly as her body tries to expel the fluid in her lungs. She actually gets halfway down the hall before Kai comes around the corner.

His whole face changes.

"No no no, get back to bed," he says, approaching her.

Nya shakes her head rapidly, hands out to block him. "No—"

"Nya, stop, you gotta rest."

She keeps shaking her head. If her throat didn't hurt so bad, she'd be launching into her speech right about now, but all she can do is grimace.

"C'mon." Kai tries to herd her back to her bedroom, but Nya whacks him out of the way.

"I need—" More coughing.

"What?" Kai asks. "What d'you need?"

"Help."

This word is the wrong choice, of course, because Kai's panic does a whole backflip.

"What? Can you breathe? Are you breathing? Does something else hurt? What did you—"

"Shut up!"

Nya winces, inhaling sharply. She misses being able to yell.

Kai, miraculously, shuts up.

God, this is gonna hurt.

Nya swallows, steeling herself. Then—

"I gotta—break the stupid fever. So—get some snow—and put it in the tub."

Kai searches her face. Even he seems to know an ice bath isn't a smart idea.

"Are you sure?" he asks.

Nya nods.

Kai nods back, albeit reluctantly.

"Meet me—in the bathroom." Nya shoos him away. "Hurry up."

Though Kai doesn't look at peace with the idea, he does trust Nya. She's read way more books than him. She has, like, a photographic memory or something. If she thinks this'll work . . . he'd better listen.

Nya makes it to the bathroom, shivering as she wiggles out of her pajamas. She turns the tub's faucet to the coldest temperature and plugs the drain.

At the last second, she wraps herself in a towel. It'll be drenched, but no way is she appearing before Kai with no clothes on. She can't afford the nightmares.

As if on cue, Kai knocks on the bathroom door.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes."

"Are you . . . decent?"

"Yes."

"Just checking."

The door opens and Kai enters with a bucket of snow. Nya's teeth chatter even harder at the sight of it, though she can feel the beads of sweat rolling down her neck.

This is gonna suck.

And it does.

Nya only fills the tub about a quarter of the way. When she steps in, doubt nearly knocks her over.

This was a terrible idea, I'm gonna get hypothermia and die, it's gonna be my fault, this is ridiculous—

"You okay?" Kai asks. He's trying hard not to look at her, even wrapped in a towel as she is. The dork.

"Y—yeah."

Nya lowers herself into the tub, squeezing her eyes shut. Kai dumps the snow in. Within minutes, the water is well beyond uncomfortable. Nya already feels her toes going numb.

Now for the worst part . . .

"Turn the shower on."

Kai frowns at her. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Just—please? Turn it on."

"You're gonna freeze."

"I'm fine."

She's not fine. But she knows this has to be done.

So Kai, looking distraught, does as he's told.

When the icy stream pelts the top of Nya's head, she yelps. All sorts of profanity fight to be heard.

"It's cold it's cold it's cold—"

"I know."

"Kai, it's cold—"

He holds her hand, squeezing as Nya shudders in the bathtub. She whimpers as the water drips down her back, over her forehead, through her hair. She might be crying. Thankfully Kai won't notice, what with all the shower water.

"How much longer?" Kai asks.

"I—I dunno."

They stay like that for a while, Nya twitching and shivering, Kai stroking the back of her hair. She tries to focus on breathing. In, out. In, out. She can't even cough, that's how cold she is.

It's Kai who finally decides she's had enough. He shuts the shower off, helping her out. Between Nya's shivering and lack of general strength, mobility is a painstaking process. Kai turns around and she climbs back into her clothes.

"Okay, we gotta get you warm."

Kai darts away to find a blanket and Nya takes tiny steps toward the bathroom door. The world blinks in and out of focus.

By the time she's breached the doorway, Kai is rushing back with the thickest blanket from his bed. He tucks it around Nya's shoulders, frowning at the state of her.

"How do you feel?" he asks.

Nya eyes him. "L—lousy."

"Right. C'mon, you should lie down—"

"Can I—sleep in your room—tonight?"

Nya feels kind of pathetic asking, since she's been making such a big deal about "growing up" and all. But she's tired and freezing and another night of this might be her final straw.

Thankfully, Kai nods. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

They crawl into bed and Nya wastes no time burrowing right into Kai's side. Maybe it's lame, maybe it's childish, and maybe he thinks it's annoying. Screw all that. This is always where she's felt safest.

She's asleep before she can finish her next thought.

The next morning, her fever has broken. She stays in bed all day, drinking water and assuring Kai her fingers weren't going to fall off from frostbite.

The morning after that, Nya wakes up feeling like the universe breathed new life into her lungs.

Kai's not in the room, so Nya blinks for a moment, clearing her throat to test it out. It still hurts. The headache is gone . . . and she can breathe just fine.

Nya is relieved for an extraordinary handful of seconds. Then the frustration kicks in.

Stupid freaking sickness and stupid bacteria—she's wasted days just lying around! Kai had to do everything on his own. He probably made himself sick by worrying enough for the whole town!

Pessimistically, Nya tries a, "Testing. One, two, three." Her voice isn't quite clear, but it's there.

It's there! SHE CAN TALK!

Nya flies out of bed, tossing blankets all over the floor. Unfortunately, her coordination and balance are still recovering. Nya has to grab a chair and steady herself, pushing through the burst of static between her ears.

Man, being sick sucks.

When the room is right-side up, Nya scrambles away and plows into the living room.

Kai is curled up on the couch like a chipmunk in hibernation. Nya observes him fondly.

Yeah, she's excited about returning to the land of the living. But her brother looks so tranquil. There's not even the usual crease between his eyebrows. Kai's actually sleeping soundly for once.

She can't ruin it. Instead, she heads for the kitchen.

Her stomach's been empty for a while now, but Nya knows to be careful. Eating too much at once right now could make her sick all over again. No risks today, no sir.

The contender is a browning banana, which Nya downs. It's not all that appetizing; Nya likes her bananas green and Kai thinks it's weird.

She does him a favor and opens the shop on her own. Time to start rebuilding all the strength she lost this week.

An hour later, Kai stumbles in, rubbing sleep from his eyes. At first, he doesn't notice her. Then, as he starts going through the motions, he stops in his tracks.

"Wha—you're up?"

Nya offers a smile. "I'm up."

"Are—are you okay? Are you feeling better?"

Eh . . . Nya's not feeling 100%, but that's to be expected. She's just happy to be talking and moving again.

"Yep. I think it's over."

Kai looks so achingly relieved that Nya has to go over and hug him. Her brother relaxes a little—she can feel the loosening of his shoulders.

"Sorry I scared you," says Nya.

"What? Don't be sorry, it's not your fault."

"I know. But still. Thanks for everything. This week. And—well, all the time. But especially this week."

Kai laughs softly. "It's okay."

Before she can talk herself out of it, Nya whispers, "Love you."

Kai goes stiff again. The two of them care about each other, for sure. But normally they don't—they don't say it out loud. It's the kind of thing they're good at expressing through actions. Through the way they treat one another.

And—y'know, Kai's always been awkward about emotions. His moments of tenderness are few and far between; usually sentiment makes him squeamish.

So Nya doesn't blame him. She just wanted to say it. Just wanted him to know.

Kai pulls back, brushing himself off. "Yeah, I—yeah." He clears his throat. "Love you too."

There's a soft sort of genuine meaning behind those words. Nya smiles.

Living on their own is scary. It's unpredictable. But they have each other, and hey. Nya figures if they got through all that together? They can handle anything.

oOo

Time is a funny thing.

It passes like a jet, soaring by, and you don't notice its presence till it's gone.

Nya talks to Kai about Walter, and soon she's making weekly trips over to the older man's house. She tells Walter about her dreams and goals and fears. In turn, he "lends" her more books and conveniently never asks for them back.

Kai warms up to Walter, little by little, as Nya expected he would.

A year blinks away.

Nya's health is threatened yet again when a particularly expensive-looking woman comes by the shop to put in a silverware order (Kai looks offended, but complies). The lady smells like vanilla and flowers, which is how Nya knows she must be from the city.

As the woman wanders through the shop, Nya's eyes start watering.

Then her throat is burning.

Then she's having a hard time breathing.

Luckily, Walter is walking up to the shop, about to pay the siblings a visit. Kai rushes Nya out to him, and they have to drive to the hospital.

That's how Nya finds out she's allergic to perfume.

The doctor gives them a long list of things to avoid and instructions for what to do if this ever happens again. Because he's a literal saint, Walter pays for the hospital visit. Nya carries the guilt of that for weeks.

They discover a creek in the forest, behind Walter's property. There's a rope swing and everything.

No one expects the creek to be very deep, so Kai is the first to fling himself into the water.

That's how they discover Kai can't swim.

Nya dives in and drags her brother back to the muddy bank, where he hacks up water and shakes algae from his hair.

Neither of them ever learned to swim, but somehow Nya's a natural. She insists it was just the adrenaline, but Kai accuses her of being a secret mermaid for days after the event.

He vows to never step foot in a body of water again. When Nya begs to swim in the creek, Kai just watches dejectedly from the shore.

Another year blinks away. Nya turns thirteen.

Kai's fifteen now, and he's more responsible and mature than she remembers him being last year. He's taller, too. Nya also managed to shoot up a few inches—just enough that Kai can't call her short anymore.

Their little house has grown with them, accumulating more possessions and details that make it their own.

For quite a while, all Nya makes is samurai armor. The designs are plentiful in her dad's book, and she's developed an obscure fascination with the idea of the legendary warriors. Helmets keep materializing left and right.

Supportive, Kai just keeps hanging them up.

Walter stops by more often, and soon he offers to adopt Allie—the cat isn't so little anymore. Kai gratefully accepts this offer (cat food is pricey), but Nya's hesitant.

"I'll take good care of her," Walter insists gently. "I know you two have a lot on your hands."

After some persuading, Nya agrees. But only because she knows she'll be able to visit Allie whenever she wants. The cat has a special place in her heart.

Nya takes her time saying goodbye. Kai raises a brow.

"Chill, you'll see her tomorrow."

"Shut it, Kai."

Karma finds him a few days later. While Kai's hammering a stubborn piece of metal, he hits a weak spot and the metal breaks. Little shards fly everywhere, showering sparks.

A piece catches him right above his left eye.

When he comes groveling to Nya, she shakes her head slowly.

"One of these days, you're gonna set your hair on fire. And then you'll be sorry."

"Ha, ha, hilarious."

It's true. Kai has discovered the dangerous world of hair gel, making his spiky mop even more hazardous than usual. And more flammable.

The small cut above his eye heals quickly, but it leaves a scar. Kai's thrilled.

"Does it look cool?" he asks eagerly, examining himself in the mirror. "Do I look edgy?"

"Totally," says Nya drily.

Life adopts an acceptable pattern. Open the shop in the morning, work all afternoon, close at seven, eat dinner, visit Walter, go to bed.

Sundays are reserved for trips to the market and relaxation. Nya's finally happy with her routine. Living with Kai isn't so bad after all. She certainly prefers it to living with her stupid uncle.

All the financing is still largely in Kai's hands, since he won't let Nya mess with that. But he trusts her with more work now. He'll never admit she's a better blacksmith than him, but they both know it.

She's content to bathe in the silent glory.

Somewhere along the line, Kai's voice deepens. He's not squeaky anymore. For a while, Nya's hair is longer again, but the short length has really grown on her (haha, literally). She lets Kai cut it. He's stuck with his jagged, scruffy look. To each their own.

Nya has become quite fond of their little bubble. It's quiet and safe and shielded nicely from whatever lies out there in the world.

Ignacia is alright, she supposes. The townsfolk are nice enough, and the weather is never intolerable—though they are going through a dry spell right now.

Kai says he would be content living here forever. Nya . . . doesn't exactly feel the same.

Maybe a few years ago, she might've agreed with him. But now? Ninjago is a big place, she kind of wants to explore it someday. In fact, she plans to.

Because Nya has a secret.

Kai doesn't know yet, but Nya's been working on a project for the past year, urged on by Walter and all the books he's given her. Taking inspiration from folklore and history, Nya developed a—well, what should she call it?

Technically, it's a robot. But it's gonna be bigger than any old droid. It's gonna be so big that she'll be able to sit in it. So really, it's an exoskeleton. A huge, not-quite-functional-yet exoskeleton that's a major work in progress. But Nya knows exactly what she wants.

She's known for a while now, but she's afraid of what Kai will say. That's why Walter is the only person in the world who knows about it.

On her next visit, she asks him, "Are you sure it's gonna work?" Her legs dangle off the edge of the porch swing. "It's taking forever."

Walter takes a sip from his lemonade, looking out over his crops. "Good things take time. Rome wasn't built in a day."

Nya isn't sure what Rome is, but she appreciates the encouragement. There's just—a lot of self-doubt hiding inside her. She's scared the mech is taking forever 'cause she's not cut out for a project like this.

"I'm thirteen," she says.

"And? What about it?"

Nya leans back. "I dunno. I'm just sca—I mean, I'm just worried I won't be able to finish it. What if it's too much? What if I have to give up?"

Walter processes this quietly. Then, "Your parents knew you'd do big things one day, kid. They told me themselves. And I—well. I think if there's anyone who can get this thing built, it's you."

The words swell inside Nya's chest. A tiny smile plays at her lips.

"Thanks."

"No matter what anyone tells you, you never give up. Understand? You're doing a good thing. Get what you want, take no shit."

"Take no shit," Nya nods. Ha, Kai would kill her for using words like that, but Walter lets her say them. He's cool like that.

Allie mews from the ground and Nya picks her up, stroking the rust-colored fur. It's weird not having her around the house anymore, but Walter seems to enjoy the company.

That's a good night. Peace and quiet. Talking with Walter as they swing back and forth, watching the sky change colors.

Ignacia has the best sunsets, that's what Walter always says. The sky looks prettier every night, with its brilliant oranges and subtle purples. Like melted crayons have been splotched across the clouds.

When Nya was a kid, there was always that missing piece. That empty spot inside her. When she's with Walter . . . she doesn't feel it anymore.

Sometimes Kai joins them for sunsets, and when they're all sitting there together, Kai's arm around her shoulders, Allie curled up in her lap . . .

Nya feels complete. No more holes or hollow spaces or uncertainty.

Just warm fulfillment.

After all those years of longing for what she couldn't have, Nya can't express how surreal it is to have that. To have something consistent, something she can come back to when things get hard.

She and Kai are lucky to have an adult in their lives that doesn't throw things or slam doors or hurt people. Walter is just Walter.

A genuine, compassionate presence. He believes in her and talks about her parents. He gives her a second home. Sometimes when he looks at her, Nya catches a certain spark in his eyes. Like she's making him proud somehow.

Nya doesn't understand it, but she never wants it to stop.

In the coming weeks, Walter lets Nya drive his truck a little. Turns out, driving is fun and Nya loves it. When Kai finds out about this, he nearly has an aneurism. But then Walter asks if Kai wants to try.

Her brother can't say no.

By the end of the week, Nya and Kai know how to operate a pickup truck. Walter tells them it's a life skill; they can drive with him anytime.

After that, Kai worships the ground Walter walks on.

Nya keeps working on her samurai suit, stealing scrap metal from Kai, obtaining nuts and bolts from Walter.

She hops from one day to the next, picking up new skills whenever she can to pass the time. Walter teaches her how to hotwire and make pancakes. Nya furthers in writing, learns a lot of algebra, and even tries her hand at chemistry for a while.

Sometimes she watches videos on Walter's TV about gymnasts, and soon she's learning to backflip and somersault.

Granted, she's not very good at it, but she'll get there. Walter often watches her cartwheel around his backyard.

"Watch your form," he chides lightly, chuckling. Nya tosses him a breathless thumbs-up.

Mornings and afternoons are for business, nights are for having fun. Kai and Nya adjust readily. The two of them grow closer than they'd been as kids—sharing teenhood has given them new levels on which to relate.

This also means Kai's more protective than he used to be, but Nya thinks it's just because he's older and feels responsible for her. She often thinks it should be the other way around. Her brother is great, but he's not the brightest bulb in the shed, if you catch her drift.

They look out for each other a lot, lean on each other even more. When you grow up the way they have, you tend to become attached. You can't stand the thought of something taking your person away.

Nya gets that, so she doesn't complain (much) when Kai goes all parental on her.

Unless he's being downright unreasonable, in which case she never hesitates to knock some sense into him.

Their bubble is a pretty good place to be, right about now. Nya can't complain. She's surrounded by people that care about her, she's old enough to understand most business practices . . .

People definitely aren't judging them as much. Nya's a teenager now, she's mature.

Speaking of which, she doesn't sleep in Kai's room anymore. Not even if it's storming. Not even if she has a nightmare.

She's grown comfortable being alone in her own space, secure in the knowledge that her brother's in the room next door.

Yeah, she's had a few particularly scarring nightmares, and Kai's had to talk her down from several emotional ledges regarding their parents . . . but besides that, she's fine! She even installs a secret component in the forge, accessible only by twisting Kai's anvil just right. That's where she stores all her personal weapons. And no, Kai doesn't know about it, 'cause he'd flip.

(Not literally, of course, since he's not very good at gymnastics.)

Anyhow. Nya's happy, that's all that matters. She has Kai and Walter and Allie. Sunsets, pancakes, rope swings, her project. What else could she need right now?

So Kai and Nya continue on, sleeping peacefully each night. Blissfully oblivious to the impending dangers lying in the nearby future.