"our paths in life are never a straight line."
✧✧✧
If Kira's insomnia was bad before, it's near-incurable after her conversation with Wu.
The rest of that night is spent staring up at her bedroom ceiling. Her head aches from the whirlwind of thoughts and words inside, spinning and swirling around like a wild tornado. Her eyes burn and twitch from exhaustion and the slightest hint of tears. In just under an hour, her entire world has been flipped upside-down. Everything she thought she knew has been thrown completely out the window. Questions upon questions swirl through her brain: if Wu knew she had this power, why did he wait this long to say something? Heck, if her mother knew she had this power, why didn't she think her daughter deserved to know? And why did she seem to hate Wu so much?
It's unbelievable, she thinks, how quickly things can go from being perfectly fine to making no sense at all.
She shifts to glance out the window, where the full moon still glows high above.
"Maybe I was right to wonder about you so much," she whispers.
When she finally does drift off, it's in the early hours of the morning, and she sees her father's face in her dreams.
Kira isn't sure how long it's been when she drifts back into consciousness. A groan escapes her as her eyes peel open, blinking groggily against the morning light flooding the room. Once again, she's overslept, but today she's too tired to care. Her head pulses, begging to return to bed. Maybe she's really still asleep, and everything that happened last night was just a crazy dream. Maybe any minute now, she'll wake up for real, and she'll go get dressed and help her mother make breakfast, then go sell their tea for the day. There won't be any tension or secrets between them—just laughter and lighthearted banter, like every day.
It's wishful thinking, but it brings her comfort for the smallest of moments.
Kira groans again. She rolls over—straight off the edge of the bed—and lands hard on her face. She lies there for a few moments, contemplating her existence. It's not until the bedroom door creaks open that she lifts her head again.
"Rough night?" Aimi stands in the doorway, already dressed for the day. Kira doesn't miss the way her voice sounds stiffer than usual.
"Mm."
"I see. Well...I'm going to set up shop. There's leftover breakfast downstairs. I'll see you later."
Kira mumbles in acknowledgement. The door closes and she's left alone. A while passes before she exhales, finally dragging herself to her feet and grabbing her clothes. It feels as if there's a weight sitting in her gut, slowing her down as she trudges to the bathroom to get dressed for the day. Like every morning, she bathes and dresses quickly, then brushes her hair and fixes it in the half-braided style. She stops to study her reflection after. A massive bruise has begun to bloom on her forehead, turning the skin a hazy red. She huffs.
Good job, Kira. Very attractive.
She ignores the bruise and looks closer.
When she looked in the mirror just a day ago, she saw nothing but a village girl—simple and plain, sure, but familiar. Normal. She isn't sure what to think anymore. Somewhere deep inside that girl is raw, untapped potential, waiting to be unlocked. Her gaze shifts down to her hands. If Wu is right about her, those very hands are capable of extraordinary things. There's power at her very fingertips, and that knowledge alone makes her brain feel like it's frying.
YOU ARE READING
moonlight | ninjago
Fanfiction❝ Don't you get it? I'm not like you. ❞ ❝ You're right. You're like you. Ever thought that being you is enough? ❞ Kira Desarin has never imagined a life outside of home. A teen from Jamanakai, she's never seen herself as anything more than a simple...
