Archive of Our Own ^beta

The rosy fingers of dusk pulled on the horizon, shining brilliant hues of gold and pink on the individual snowflakes fluttering down upon the people of Ninjago. The rays of the setting sun bounced off the building windows blinding those who couldn’t handle it. Tourists popped in and out of stores all trying to find the best and most unique souvenir whereas the locals were rushing to finish last minute holiday shopping. The tourists who weren’t spending money on a new fridge magnet stopped to listen to the street violinist playing a melancholy tune less than a block away from Nya and the big titanium statue of Zane.

It was a symbol of hope for most people who lived in Ninjago, but it served as a painful reminder for Nya and the line of work she involved herself in. She lost count of how many times one of them came close to dying. Almost everyone in the city died just a few months ago when the Crystal King attacked.

Nya loved being a ninja, but it didn’t change the fact that it was difficult. 

“Stop! What if it’s not her?” Three teenage girls stood in a circle a little ways down the path that encircled the statue, clearly trying to hide the fact they were looking at Nya.

“Are you kidding me?” One of them said. She stood with her hands on her hips. Nya guessed her to be the leader of the group. “Who else would wear a light blue ninja suit?”

“It’s called a gi,” another girl chimed in. She seemed to be the shy one, her shoulders were hunched and she spoke quieter than the others. If Nya hadn’t had stealth training and learned to read lips, she wouldn’t have known what she said.

“She could be a cosplayer! Do you know how embarrassing that would be if I thought a cosplayer was her ?” The first girl said. She held a pad of paper and a glitter pen with a bright yellow pom-pom placed where the eraser would be.

“Come on,” the leader groaned. “You’re overthinking it. Let’s just ask!”

“What?!”

“No!”

The leader walked over to Nya, the other two girls following close behind. “Are you Nya the Ninja? Elemental Master of Water?”

Nya smiled and pretended she didn’t hear the rest of their conversation. “Yes, I am.”

Three pairs of eyes lit up. The leader turned to them and mouthed, “I told you.”

“Can I get your autograph?” The girl with the pen blurted out, holding it out to her.

“No problem.” Nya took it and signed her name, the tail of the ‘a’ creating a symbol of a wave at the end. “What are your names?”

“I’m Taylor,” the girl with the pen replied, now holding the pad as if it were a priceless artifact that would break if she held it too tight. 

“I’m Naomi,” the leader said, then motioned to the shy one. “And that’s Imani.”

“You’re my favorite Ninja,” Imani piped up.

Nya felt her own eyes light up. Usually Kai was the favorite, or maybe Lloyd. “I am?”

“Of course!” Taylor exclaimed. “You saved my life in the Attack by Wojira.”

“You’re a huge inspiration,” Naomi confirmed. “We all started taking martial arts classes because of you. We’re the only girls in our class,” she said proudly.

Nya’s heart swelled with pride. It was easy to only focus on her mistakes, but if she could inspire just a few girls to follow their dreams, then that made it all feel worth it. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. “Really.”

The girls snapped a selfie with her before running off excitedly. Naomi was saying, “Just wait until everyone at school sees this!”

“Can I get your autograph?” A familiar voice flirted. Nya chuckled and turned to find Jay sitting on one side of the city bench and patting the spot next to him. 

Nya’s heart skipped a beat. They had been together for years now, yet every time he looked at her with those eyes as vivid as lightning or smiled at her with his cheeks embellished with freckles, her stomach filled with butterflies. Especially right now. With the shine of the setting sun, Jay’s ginger hair glowed. Snow fell carefully on top looking like sugar. “Hey, Handsome,” she said, sitting down.

“Hey, yourself.” He interlocked his fingers with hers. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Nya rested her head on his shoulder. “Well, you found me. I…have a lot on my mind.”

Jay sucked in through his teeth. “I’m not very good at giving advice, but I can listen.”

“I’m fine.” She gripped his hand a little tighter. He was almost taken from her in the attack by Wojira and Nya had been powerless to stop it. She remembered pulling every last bit of power she had in attempting to remove the water from his lungs and still failing. No one wanted to say it, but they all knew Jay was lost from them. She had never been more scared of anything than she was of never seeing his smile or hearing his laugh again in that moment.

“Are you sure?”

Nya’s heart ached at the memory. She gave everything up in that moment to save him. “It’s just, well, what if I lose you?”

Jay was silent for a moment. He rubbed his thumb over hers as his eyes clouded. Finally, he spoke up, “I think about that almost every day.”

Part of Nya was relieved that he understood. “You do?”

“All the time,” Jay confirmed. “I thought I lost you several times. You sacrificed your own life for mine when we were stuck in Prime Empire, and again when…” he swallowed and wiped his eyes. “When you became one with the ocean.”

“But you found me.” She kissed his knuckles. “Every time. I trust you, Jay.”

He gave her a tired smile. “You’re right. And I trust you too. I know you would find me if I needed it.”

The honey colored sun fully dipped beneath the farming hills beyond the city skyline of the place Nya loved to call home. The sky grew darker and they were left sitting in the warm, amber light of the streetlamp decorated with the intricate crest of the royal family. Snow began to grow thick and fell in delicious chunks. The streets fell almost silent as people began to run indoors to where it was warm. There was still the soft hum of a few tourists who were finishing their shopping and the romantic tune of the violinist who didn’t seem to mind that no one paid her any more attention. She was simply content to play on such a wonderful night.

Nya stood with an idea and gave Jay her other hand who looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Can I have this dance?”

“Here?” His eyes darted between all the people who still decided to brave the cold. “Now?”

“Jay Walker, I would dance with you any time, anywhere. If it’s you I’m dancing with then it doesn’t matter who else is around.”

Jay laughed. His adorable, genuine laugh and took her hand. She pulled him up and held him close, sure to keep their fingers interlocked. They swayed back and forth to the music, barely moving. Snow decorated his lashes perfectly framing his electric blue eyes.

And as they moved to the rhythm, it was as if all of Nya’s anxieties that had been building in her chest were taken from this moment. They were stripped to the core of their relationship. They were partners who saved the world almost every day. They were each other’s other half and saved one another far too many times to keep track. Many backs had broken from lesser weight, but they did it all together. They were stronger together.

Nya ran her long, thin fingers through his curly hair and watched the water in the snow respond to her emotions. Flakes came together and rose in two long ribbons which spun around them both before meeting at the top. The city lights shimmered and refracted through the water creating a colorful glow swimming on the pavement. Rather than let herself be embarrassed, she took it as a sign and pulled Jay down for a kiss. His lips, wet with snow, met hers with an electric heat. The tourists and the traffic fell silent in Nya’s ears and the only sound was the magical one of the violin encouraging them.

After years of struggling to find a way to fix her anguish, she realized she never would. Just as Jay still gave her butterflies, she was never going to stop feeling the torture over the idea of losing him. It didn’t matter if they were risking their lives saving the world or sitting in matching armchairs in front of the fire, old and slow. She was never going stop worrying about losing him. And maybe that made everything that much more beautiful. The fear meant her love was true. And no matter how many times they lost each other, Nya was confident they would always find a way back together.

Nya broke the kiss, suddenly realizing how out of breath she felt. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too, Nya Smith.” He brushed his lips against hers. “I promise that I will love you until time itself loses track and forever afterward. I will love you after every star in the sky has burned out. I always preferred the look of your eyes anyways. My love will stand long after everyone else is gone and has moved on. This life is full of change, but you will always be my constant. You will always be my Yang.”

Nya placed her head on his chest, feeling for a moment the small kisses of the snow. “And you will always be my Yin.”

Jay rested his chin on her hair and Nya listened to the pounding thump of his heart so full of life and love.

Maybe she still gave him butterflies too.