Power of the Heart

Chapter 4: I Didn't Fit the Mold, So I Broke

Mental Age: 15
Emotional Age: 10

TW: Panic attack, heavy emotions

Nya was uncertain about what to think of those two kids: Lloyd Garmadon and that pink-haired girl no one caught the name of. While Jay was busy touring his parents around the ship, pointing out the different machines he had worked on, Nya had pulled her hair into a ponytail and gone to the deck to train.

Zane had been adamant about the girl's injuries. He had been antsy and worried and anxious the whole time during the treehouse heist-- at least, according to Kai he was-- and there was something in his stare that was even more distant than usual, aside from the general Zane-brand weirdness that typically comes with the White Ninja.

If Nya ever asked him about the girl, Zane would only respond distantly with "Her injuries were too severe... I sense she will not live long if she continues to escape our grasp." And then he'd just leave, as if it was fine to leave on such an ominous note.

The little girl was a bit of a bother to the rest of the SNF, Nya noticed. Kai kept saying weird things under his breath, and one night Nya had managed to corner him to actually ask about how he felt about her.

"It feels like looking at little mini-us," Kai had confessed to Nya that night. "Of me and you, back in Ignacia, when we had no one but each other to rely on. I'm starting to worry a little bit. The things she said bother me still, and the fact she's sticking to Lloyd's side like glue only means that they're both gonna end up in some kinda serious trouble. Either that or they'll be the ones causing it. Regardless, it's... well, it's worrying."

Cole had similar concerns. "The little kid looked so freezing, I was scared her fingers would break off just from the climbing she did. It's a miracle she's alive, honestly. But I wonder what made her think sticking with Lloyd was a good idea..."

Meanwhile, Jay...

...well, Nya wasn't sure about Jay yet. She hadn't had a chance to ask him his opinion. Judging from his behavior, it seemed painfully obvious to Nya that Jay was avoiding her. Not because he didn't like her, but because he did, and his face would get red and he'd find any excuse possible not to be found next to her. Honestly, it was pretty cute. A little bit hurtful, to be honest, because Jay seemed like a genuinely nice person she wanted to spend some more time with, but she didn't take any personal offense to it at all. It'd take a lot more than a little avoidance to get under her skin, after all.

At one point, his parents had visited, though. That was fun. Nya was given all the juicy details about how Jay first learned how to pee when he was three years old.

...definitely not the image she wanted of him, but to be fair, imagining a tiny Jay getting frustrated at missing the toilet was hilarious and something she would take with her to the grave. She was sure Kai wasn't much different anyway. (In fact, knowing her hotheaded brother and his tendency to get angry, he was probably ten times worse.)

She definitely didn't envy Jay, though. Not with stories like that hanging on such loose lips.

Aaaaanyway.

Nya's personal Ninja training was starting soon. Although Kai, Jay, Zane, and Cole were starting to master the elements their Golden Weapons controlled, Wu had informed Nya of her own potential which she could reach. It might not have been an Element of Creation that was used in the creation of Ninjago, but there was an Element that only Nya could have control over: Water.

As soon as they found someplace with water and not a red, sandy, badland desert, then Nya's training to become the Water Ninja of the Secret Ninja Force would begin.