Ivory's Homecoming ► Ninjago

16 ≛ Nya, Master of Water

Despite Wu making the ship sail slightly faster, the Preeminent still had very close range to attack. She lifted its arm high before slamming it down onto the wooden motor, the only thing that kept their form of transportation moving. The people screamed for their lives as it sunk deep into the ocean.

Now they really were sitting ducks out there.

"Oh no!" Cole shouted in distress.

To add onto the trouble, Morro had returned from his combat with Lloyd in the multiple realms. Returned by himself.

He landed on top his master, looking up to make sure he wasn't followed back; unbeknownst to him, the green ninja had done this on purpose. When the portal closed, he smugly grinned, thinking he had claimed victory. "I did it... I finally got rid of you!"

Everything seemed hopeless for those on board. The beast got closer and closer by the second. With no way to travel further, the only thing the people could do was run away to the farthest corner of the ship as if that would help.

Ronin sighed. He looked left at his cousin; if this would be their final moment, he might as well let her know what he wanted to say for some time. "I'm sorry, Natasha. About not believing you when you and literally everyone else were right about Morro. For fighting you over the stupid sword. For bringing up your parents in a bad context. I really am sorry. I was, and still am, a douche for doing that to you."

She turned to face him. Though all of those events still ran through her mind, it was pretty easy to forgive him. After all, he was only ever this sincere with people he liked. "... gracias. Pero no lo vuelvas a hacer."

The thief managed a smile. "I won't. I promise."

As the people ran away from the Preeminent, Nya slowly walked toward it. She stood there as she was shoved multiple times without apology. Could she even blame them? They were absolutely terrified. They felt as if there was no hope now.

She wanted to help. But the lingering question roamed through her mind: how?

Until you embrace what holds you back, you'll never discover your true potential, Wu's words filled her brain.

Her true potential. That was the key to destroying this motherfucking octopus.

She recalled memories of her entire life up until this moment. Things that would qualify as her giving up instead of trying to find a solution. Events that held her back.

The first was her dropping ice cream as a child and crying about it. Expected from a four year old.

Your weakness is you give up too easily.

At age seven, when she tried spinning a basketball on her finger and couldn't do it in two minutes, she tossed it on the ground and left it for dead. She never tried such a thing again.

You only like what comes easy.

Samurai X. It's what she loved to do. Compared to being a ninja? Yes, it was far more simple. Creating and inventing, it was her natural talent; of course being around machinery was easy. Waterbending at her will was not.

She recalled just a few weeks ago, when she first put on that dark red and baby blue gi. She had splashed her hands into the water in slight frustration. She hated that training. She watched the water drip from her hand into the river. God, how hard she tried to reverse the flow. And failed.

It was so simple to go back to being Samurai X. Because it came easy.

Don't be afraid to fail, Nya.

How many times had she done that already? Failed time and time again. It was exhausting. She had never been incompetent before. Because she never tried anything that she knew she would have a chance of failing at.