Jaya Appreciation Club!

Two Hearts, One String

{I almost called this one "Hanging By A Thread," courtesy of hydroelectricjaya , but decided not to at the last second bc this one fit better!}

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When the Tying happened, Nya was just laying eyes on the most energetic, brightest-smiling guy to ever grace her sight. Of course, she'd heard of the Tied soulmate legend. Everyone had, at least if they were someone worth knowing. But she'd never known anyone who was actually Tied. Being romantically Tied (or Red-Tied, as it was more commonly known) was as rare as being an Elemental Master, according to Wu.

Being romantically Tied meant that when you met your soulmate, a red string would connect you from then until death. Only the connected pair could see the bright red string connected to each of their hearts. The further a person got from their Tie, the harder it tugged on their hearts. Stay far enough away for long enough and physical pain would start to set in. One Tied couple had died when they were forced apart and died of heartbreak and the physical pain it caused them. It was extremely, incredibly rare nowadays to be Tied romantically.

However, being platonically Tied (or Green-Tied) was more common, with a green string connecting the wrists of those who would become best friends someday. It could connect two, three, or even more people at once when they all met (eventually). Only those who were connected could see the strings, so if you were in a friendship where only one person saw a string... generally it didn't end well. Thankfully, those weren't very common.

Yes, it caused a few friendships to split but it also caused some to form! Most people were content with the green strings they had, even if they never found a red one. Some people counted their strings and boasted about them, as if they were celebrities. It was considered rude, but it continued nonetheless. If a couple got married without being Red-Tied, they usually still found a way to be happy with the person they chose, despite the challenges.

However... some people couldn't bear the thought of never being Red-Tied. Some became bitter and angry at fate for not helping them find a soulmate. They locked themselves away and tried to tear down the ideology of the Strings. They were called the Broken by the rest of Ninjago. Why, you ask? They strung others without strings along with their ideas until they snapped. They "broke" their own strings, so to speak, before they were even formed.

Jay and Nya had both accepted they probably didn't have a Red-Tie to be Tied with. Neither were exposed to other romantic interests for such a long time, they lost hope for meeting the right one. Of course, they each had a few Green-Ties (most everyone did), but they both longed for something they couldn't have.

Until that one fateful day...

The first time Nya felt hope she might've found her Red-Tie. She'd heard legends of how it felt to be Red-Tied to someone, but never thought she'd get to experience it. When Kai introduced her to "the guys" for the first time, she was hit with an "Oh my gosh--this is it." Jay must've felt it too, because the second their eyes locked, a zing of energy ran from her head to her toes.

A surge of energy from her chest pulled her forward towards him and he copied her moves. The others noticed their actions and stepped back to let them have some space, even though Kai had to be yanked back by Cole.

As if in a trance, Nya stepped forward again and held her hands out. Hesitating only a second, Jay took them and met her gaze with nervous, confused eyes. Then, out of thin air, a red string materialized between them and connected her chest to his--right where their hearts were.