Chapter Text
CRACK
I looked up at the place where, seconds ago, the giant sea monster called Wojira had been. Now, all that was left in the sky were small bursts of purple lightning and an ocean-like figure plummeting straight towards us.
Nya.
The team’s mingled shouts and cheers filled my ears as my girlfriend landed with a small thud on top of the NGTV news tower.
“Nya!! You did it!” I exclaimed, half laughing and nearly crying from relief as I ran to hug her.
But when I threw my arms around her, I gave a tiny gasp as they went straight through her body, soaking my sleeves in water.
right, I thought to myself. She merged with the sea.
I looked up at her face. She was gazing at us like she only vaguely remembered our names. She seemed… distant.
“Well, that’s gonna take some getting used to,” I heard Kai say with a small, shaky laugh from somewhere behind me, though he sounded a bit anxious. “But don’t worry,” he added, “we’ll find a way to change you back.”
“Back…?”
when Nya spoke, it sounded wrong, like someone had taken my favorite song and distorted it. Her voice echoed a little, and it had a distant sort of sound to it that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
this wasn’t Nya.
“Yeah, to normal,” I said, starting to feel worried. “Y’know, the old you.”
“…Normal?” Nya frowned faintly, looking at me with eyes more blue than they should’ve been.
“what’s wrong? Are you okay?” I asked hesitantly, fear beginning to spread in my chest.
Just then, the dark clouds cleared enough to let brilliant rays of sun reflect off the water. The light shone on Nya, who looked around me at the horizon. She seemed to glow faintly as the light hit her, shining through her body like she was made of glass.
I heard someone carefully walk up next to me. I glanced around and saw Kai. Seeing his anxious expression and clenched fists made my chest tighten with fear. Kai had never looked this… this frightened.
“Do you hear it?” Nya said softly, still gazing intently at the horizon, her body still glowing.
“Hear… what?” I said slowly, an uneasy feeling spreading through my chest.
“the sea… It’s so loud… so powerful…”
“It calls to her,” came Benthomar’s voice somewhere to my left. He spoke as if he was standing by a dying person’s bed.
Just then, Nya’s entire body rippled, like she was about to collapse.
“Nya-” I stretched out my hand halfway, like I could hold her together if I tried hard enough. Panic was starting to claw its way up my throat.
“Sorry,” she said, her voice more distant-sounding than ever. “It’s difficult maintaining this shape.”
“What do you mean ‘shape’ that’s- that’s who you are,” I said, fear seeping into my voice despite my attempt to stay calm.
“what I was, yes,” said Nya, smiling faintly as she gazed into my eyes. She paused for a moment, then-
“I have to go now.”
A chill ran down my spine that had nothing to do with my soaked gi and everything to do with the girl now walking past me towards the edge of the roof.
I heard Kai’s breathing speed up next to me, which meant I wasn’t the only one who was fearing the worst.
“I will remember you,” she sounded like a mother soothing her child as she stepped closer to the edge, staring intently at the horizon.
“…what’re you talking about,” Kai spoke so quietly I almost didn’t catch it. his voice was thick with emotion. “you’re not going anywhere…”
“Nya, stop, wait-” I didn’t even think. I just moved. I walked quickly towards Nya, stepping in front of her and walking backwards so she could see me.
“Listen- something is wrong with you,” I tried to keep a level voice, but the panic, fear and desperation were winning. “you have to concentrate, you have to focus, you have to turn back-”
I gasped as she walked right through me, soaking my entire body.
“no-” I tried to grab her hand, anything to keep her here with me. My fingers passed right through hers.
“Don’t leave me…” my voice trembled as I spoke, my voice so quiet I wasn’t sure she heard it.
she turned around slowly, looking at me with those glowing blue eyes that didn’t belong to her. Then she started walking back towards me, a small smile spreading across her translucent features. She took my hand in both of hers, and this time, it worked. Her hands felt solid, real, but strangely cold.
My lip trembled as my vision blurred with unshed tears. I couldn’t lose the love of my life. not here, not like this.
I heard footsteps come up behind me, probably Sensei Wu, but I didn’t care anymore. My entire focus was on the girl now standing before me, a sad smile on her face.
she reached up and touched my face lovingly, gazing into my eyes with something close to longing. I felt a single tear slide down my cheek.
then she let go.
I looked down at my hand as the water dripped off it onto the ground, then looked back up at Nya, who was now at the very edge of the roof.
“Nya, I implore you,” Master Wu’s voice was strangely soft as he walked up behind me, looking at Nya with a pained expression.
“Whatever you are hearing, whatever you are experiencing…” he took a deep breath. “fight it, Nya, remember who you are…remember……”
she turned around once more, gazing at all of us with a soft sort of sadness in her eyes. “I am Nya. I am the sea. we are one.” she said, her voice echoing.
“Nya, I, I-” I wanted to tell her to fight it, to resist whatever was inside her head that had changed her so much, but all that came out was a tiny
“I love you…….”
She smiled at me.
“tell my mother I understand now. That's the way the cookie crumbles.”
a choked, tearful sound came out of Kai’s mouth, and I heard his footsteps running up behind me, coming to stop beside me as he looked at Nya with fear in his eyes. My heart twisted painfully.
Nya looked at him, smiled, and said quietly, “thank you, Kai. for being my brother. for everything.”
a tear slipped down Kai’s face.
Kai had never cried in front of any of us before.
he reached out, but Nya turned away and stepped onto the ledge.
“No no no, wait, Nya-” I ran forward right as she jumped off the edge, water spinning around her in a shape not much different than spinjitzu.
“NYA!!” I screamed after her, looking down at the flooded city and seeing her gliding through the water, as graceful as anything that lived under there.
in the distance, I saw her rise out of the watery depths. Raising her hands, the water flooding Ninjago city drained, leaving her in the ocean. Her voice, as clear as if she was standing next to us, said “you are my friends, all of you…”
and with that, she swam away into the horizon.
I felt numb. There was no way she left.
Then-
“NO!!!!”
Kai ran up to the edge and was nearly over it when my instincts kicked in and I grabbed his arm, keeping him from leaping in after her.
“Let go, Jay- I need to, have to-” he growled as he struggled against me, crying silently as he tried to jump in after his sister to find her.
“you can’t, Kai, she’s…” my chest hitched painfully as I choked back tears. I couldn’t bring myself to say it. that would make it real.
“Kai… come back. You can’t go after her.” Master Wu said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Kai stopped, breathing heavily.
Then the dam broke.
he sank to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. I never imagined the day I would ever see Kai upset like this.
“I already lost mom and dad once,” he choked out, his voice breaking. “I can’t loose my sister too…”
I stayed frozen in place, willing myself not to break down as Master Wu and Lloyd sat down beside Kai and spoke softly to him.
It was only when Cole came up behind me that I looked away from the place where Nya had disappeared, my vision blurring again as my best friend placed a steady hand on my back.
“Hey.” his voice was steady, as always. “You can let it out.”
and I broke.
Cole pulled me into a tight hug as I started sobbing quietly, my body shaking so hard I thought I might pass out. but it didn’t matter.
I had lost the love of my life. The girl I admired every day since I laid eyes on her. the girl who the people of the city owed their lives to.
I lost Nya.