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If the ocean was where his sister was, Kai would leave her alone. He couldn’t bear to think back to the image: Nya jumping off a building, merging with the watery streets below. She didn’t look like herself- her face had strange markings; her lips had changed shapes. Yet Kai knew it was her. He couldn’t think enough in that moment to hold on, or tell Zane to freeze her. He pretty much stood there. She had left them. He had to leave her.
“Nya, I’m leaving. I don’t want to go crazy hoping for you back. I want to go back and stop you, but I didn’t. So goodbye.” Kai said to the waves. Nothing promised that his sister would get the message.
He went back to Four Weapons. Day after day, he crafted sword after sword after sword. Occasionally, someone wanted him to make a small dagger, or a spear. But mostly Kai made swords. It kept him distracted, in his element, away from people most of the time. It was nice to have short conversations, and he enjoyed being paid with pies or scarves or whatever homemade object people could pay with. When the team eventually reunited and Nya returned, Kai was overjoyed. But would it happen again?
~~~~~
Yes, it happened again. During the Merge. Or, in Kai's mind, the Shattering. Realms breaking, his family tearing apart. Nya being thrown across the muticolored sky like a shard of glass in a tornado. Separated again.
~~~~~
When she was found, Nya was beyond relieved to be with her older and younger brothers again. Sometimes she would just sit with Kai. She could tell he was watching her closely, anxiously, fearful she would get ripped away and lost again.
Nya watched the two students. Sora watched her back. Neither of them spoke about it, but they were still slightly wary of each other. Nya was unsure how she felt about another tech girl. Nya took pride in her work, but this kid could just use some power and do it in a fraction of the time it would take Nya. Sora watched everyone, that's just what she did. But she watched Nya closer than Lloyd and Kai, because Nya was ‘newer.’ Despite the strange relationship, days passed and Nya enjoyed herself most of the time. But she also spent a lot of time trying to process events from the past and people she wanted to see in the future.
One night, Nya laid on the roof. At this point, she felt very, very out of control. Nya missed Jay. Why hadn't he come to the Monastery yet? She could understand Zane- he was probably saving a realm. Or two. Or sixteen. Probably with Pixal. Cole was likely helping people get to safely or reunite with family. But Jay? He should have found his way to the Monastery by now! Nya should be his first priority! It had been too long for her to think he just hadn't found someone yet. If the others had reunited, they would have found a way to get home.
So basically, Nya was really freaked out. Jay was surely injured, kidnapped, or something else. Otherwise he would have contacted Nya, right? Maybe he had… forgotten about them, Nya realized. He hit his head, or went crazy in a merge quake. Or had been brainwashed. Or was that or he was kidnapped. A thought, a scary thought, came to her.
Nya gasped and lost her balance, rolling off the roof and landing with a crash. Kai was out there at once.
“Nya? Are you okay? Can you hear me?” He demanded, picking her dazed head up to look into her eyes. They weren't focused.
“This must be how you two felt.” Nya said. To Kai, this seemed random, since only he was near her, and the confused look on her face only worried him more.
“Let's go inside. Can you stand? Nevermind, I'm carrying you.” He checked his sister all over for injuries, then picked her up. It wasn't the easiest thing- she was a young woman, so wasn't small and light like she used to be. But he got her onto the couch.
In Nya’s head, she was having a flashback. On a roof, with her family around her. She felt odd, looked strange, and wasn't herself. Jay was begging someone, tears dripping down his face. The fear of losing her (again) visible in his eyes. That Nya, the one who heard nothing but the ocean screaming in her ears, had betrayed her family. This time though, in the flashback, Nya noticed. She noticed the emotions she had been too deaf to hear, too blind to see.
The flashback faded, replaced by Jay’s face, but his eyes were blank. There was not a trace of recognition, of love, in his face. Just a slightly annoyed, but mostly blank expression. Nya heard her brothers’ voices, and slowly came back to reality. The strange version of Jay disappeared. She felt the warmth of Kai’s rough hands on her chin, Lloyd asking something. Vision fully returned, hearing as well. Nya shook her head.
“Nya, come on, answer us!” Kai pleaded.
“Yeah?” Nya responded, still slightly dazed, and definitely confused.
“Oh thank goodness!” Lloyd gasped in relief.
“You had us so worried! Sis, don’t do that again.” Kai engulfed her in a hug.
“Do what?” Nya asked.
“Just stay off the roof. It’s not made for napping.” Lloyd told her.
“And answer when we talk to you. You were sitting up, and your eyes were open, but you didn’t say anything. For like thirty minutes!”
“It was more like five.”
“Maybe fifteen. Nya, oh, I don’t even know with you sometimes.” Kai shook his head, obviously glad to have her back. Nya was still trying to remember why she was on the
living room couch, and trying to remember what she was thinking about, but what mattered was proving she was fine.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Back off!” She said playfully, pushing Kai away gently.
“Fine.” He rolled his eyes.
“Does anything hurt?” Lloyd asked, taking responsibility of the situation.
“Definitely my head, but not too bad.” Nya told him.
Kai squinted at her. “You sure?” Nya nodded.
“I’m sure, that’s all.” She smiled. Kai grinned, before running off to grab an ice pack. Nya knew it would be half melted by his return, but it would be fine.
“Nya, what was going on in there?” Lloyd asked, pointing to her head.
She frowned. “I can’t remember. But I’m sure it was nothing.”
“Really? You sure had the ‘I’m thinking about something traumatic in my past that never got addressed’ look.”
“No way. I’ve never been through anything traumatic.” Nya shook her head jokingly.
“Sure. Let me know if you remember.” Lloyd told her.
“Will do.” Nya promised as Kai returned, placing a (partially melted) ice pack in her hand. Lloyd got up and left.
“Kai, I’m not a child anymore.” Nya said.
Kai smirked. “I know, but you’ll always be my little sister.”
“I’m not even close to little!”
“I know.” Kai sighed. “But I try to look out for you. You need to stop disappearing. And I need to keep a better eye on you. I was watching, but I was too far away to catch you.”
Nya's gaze softened. “That’s okay. You aren’t a babysitter or a security guard.”
“No. I’m your brother. I need to protect you from harm, not just save you from it after.”
“No, you need to be here for me when I do stupid stuff. Like sleeping on the roof, I guess.” Nya chuckled. Kai smiled.
“You’re right. And to melt your ice packs.”
“Right. I’m going to take a nap, on the couch, right here, safely. Now leave me alone!”
Kai went to the doorway. “Call if you need anything.” Nya nodded, sleep taking her immediately. She loved her brother, and could only hope he would be easier on himself.