-----

~ Chapter Two ~

SOCIAL POLITICS AND FIST FIGHTS

-----

"It was nice meeting you Jay!" Was all the young teenager could manage to say before she was whisked away into the empty hallways of New Ninjago High School. Her older brother kept a protective hand wrapped around her bicep, urging her onwards and past many green lockers lining the corridor.

Nya could understand his urgency, the desire to not impose a bad impression on their first day a gentle buzz in the back of her mind as well, however, in her mind, that didn't excuse his rude behavior. She was simply helping out a clearly miserable student in his time of need when no one else seemed to want to offer a hand. It irritated her, and she was no stranger to speaking her mind.

"Kai," Nya snapped, puling her arm from her brothers hold, "Stop dragging me, I am perfectly capable walking to the principal's office on my own," She insisted, stopping her footfalls to force the older sibling to turn and face her.

Kai did so in a huff, his arms crossing over his chest, "I know that." He claimed, his eyes trailing away from her face.

Nya raised a singular brow, "Then what's with the attempted kidnapping?"

Kai's eyes flicked back to his sister, "I just don't want to be late is all." He shrugged, arms falling to his side, "Mom and Dad put me in charge of you. That means-"

"I know, you feel responsible of me," Nya said, placing a hand on his shoulder in understanding, "But that's not an excuse to be rude."

Kai sighed, "I know" He breathed, "I just don't want to have to move again. Ever since we got kicked out of Ignacia High School, Mom and Dad have been on at me about being more mature and acting my age. I just don't want to disappoint them."

Nya smiled slightly, "You're not a disappointment Kai," Her smile turned into a sly grin, "Maybe a little rough around the edges and lacking in patience, not to mention hot-headed and being way too over protective-"

"You've made your point."

Nya grinned at her brother, "Good." She took a step towards him, "You're not a disappointment okay? I mean just look at us. Living alone in the biggest city in Ninjago. I couldn't have done that without you."

"Yeah because you're not 18 and can't live alone."

Nya scoffed, "You know what I mean. I think we're very mature."

"Well, I am at least."

Nya hummed "It's good to see your humor is still intact," She rolled her eyes, walking past her smirking brother, "Now, shall was get to that meeting?"

-==*==-

Despite having a few minutes before the Smith Siblings scheduled meeting with the Principle, they still somehow managed to arrive late. Truth be told it wasn't their fault. This labyrinth of hallways combined with the fact that this school seemed to have an aversion to signage proved to be a deadly blow to the brother and sister who just wanted to find the reception.

Whoever designed this place seriously had a vendetta against new students.

The pair only managed to stumble upon the office by pure chance. Thank the first Spinjitzu Master that Kai stopped by a water fountain for a sip of the crusty school liquid, otherwise they wouldn't have found the office door merged between some lockers. It was an odd place for the head of the school to reside, if this Sensei Wu was anything like their old head master, he should be in an office space that quite literally smelled like money.

"Come In" An old voice calls from the other side of the door after Nya rapped her knuckles against the wooden framing thrice.

Kai sent one last reassuring smile to his younger sibling before reaching a hand out. His fingers curled around the golden handle, pressuring it down and pushing the door with his shoulder. He gestured for Nya to go first, following after quickly and shutting it behind the pair.

The old man that met Nya's eyes was both exactly what she was expecting, while simultaneously surprising her greatly. His silvery grey beard hung low, his moustache mimicking the former in length, the frail strands mixing together the further down they went. His kind eyes were bright – so bright in fact, Nya couldn't quite determine the color of them – and almost obscured from her own by the numerous wrinkles dusting across his face, drawing deep lines and showing his age in startling apparency.

He wore a simple white kimono with golden edges and embellishments. Across the large obi was what appeared to be a tapestry of some sort, a story, Nya realized, depicting the creation of Ninjago. It was beautiful, intricate, a real eye catcher.

The older man sat behind a desk with sparsely anything on it. A picture frame faced off towards the gentleman, hidden from her viewing pleasure. A golden plaque reading his name his dark, sensible font. A notebook squarely in front of the head master, his arms resting on the edges and not a single piece of technology in sight – a very welcomed surprise for the siblings. His walls were simple as well, the only thing remotely interesting was the three katanas displayed to the left and a large painting to the right.

Somehow this room and its occupants were simultaneously boring and incredibly intriguing.

"Ah," The older man broke the silence, "You two must be the Smith Sibling. Kai and Nya? Correct?"

Kai answered with a verbal confirmation while Nya simply nodded.

Sensei Wu looked down to a clock attached to a small chain. Once his eyes rose to meet with the two new students, a mischievous twinkle sparked in his eyes, "You appear to be late. I believe our meeting began at 08:15, it's currently 08:21."

Kai was quick to take the lead, "Um, yes, that would be my fault." He began, earning a glare from Nya who had no desire for her brother to take the fall for what was ultimately her blame. Not that she regretted helping Jay, she knew what she was doing and wholeheartedly accepted the responsibility of tardiness to be on her shoulders.

However, before either sibling could say anything, the older man lent back in her chair, examining the siblings with a critical eye, "No matter." He says with a wave of his hand, "Punctuality is only the virtue of the bored."

Nya blinked and shared a look with Kai. Neither understood.

"Please, take a seat," Sensei Wu began again, his hands laced over his stomach. Nya hesitated slightly, but after Kai moved to sit, she followed his lead. "Well, I must say," The older man continued, his eyes still examining both teenagers in a way that almost scared the pair, "Your previous school sure has quite the colorful statements about you both." He sat up straight, pulling a sheet of paper out from a draw, before leaning back down in his seat with his eyes dancing over the contents, "Young Mr. Smith is an abrasive individual, allowing his anger to get the better of himself and interfering with his studies. Perhaps a juvenile detention center will be better catered to his needs." Sensei Wu looked up to meet with Kai's amber eyes. The older sibling shrunk slightly at his glance.

Wu's gaze returned to the paper, "His sister, Miss. Smith has quite the opposite in adversities. Her ability to concentrate lacks any form of stabilization. While starting out as a promising student and skipping an entire grade, she, as of recently, finds that instead of academic prowess, she appears only interested in doodling and being the torchbearer of dangerous and disruptive activities." Wu's gaze flicked to Nya, "Disruptive activities." He mumbled, "What entails a 'disruptive and dangerous activity'?"

Nya gulped. She wasn't a dangerous person by any means, in fact any of her old friends would have fought tooth and nail for that statement to be redacted. "I um... I began an activist group. Just me and some friends. We um, we would protest certain policies we seemed were unfair."

"Like?" Wu pressured.

Nya looked to her brother who was giving her a stern look. Sure, most of the reason why they got kicked out of Ignacia High was because Kai picked one too many fights with his peers and back chatted the teachers, not to mention his grades were appalling, but the straw that broke the camels back was Nya's relentless fight for injustice. Or more so, her methods of doing such.

"Umm," Nya hesitated at Kai's silent order, but found herself unable to keep quiet, "There was an assault... In our last school. The principle didn't do anything about, he claimed there was no proof." Nya wet her lips, "Except there was. Not a single student in class hadn't watched the video, yet the head teacher still turned a blind eye."

Wu sat silently, but with a quick gesture of his hand he urged her to continue.

Nya refused to look at Kai who was mentally preparing himself for the scolding video chat with their parents once the news of their rejection from this school reached their ears. 

"I'm not one to sit around and do nothing." Nya nodded slightly, "I knew the girl, she was a friend. I rallied people together in a protest, got the local newspaper involved, forced the head teacher to do something about it. He didn't like me much after that, less so when some people vandalized his house with spray paint and eggs, which he then blamed on me and my influence. There was also environmental issues I objected to, tied myself to a tree in the quad so it wouldn't get torn down. Um... Stuff like that."

"Interesting..." Wu nodded, his gaze turning back to Kai, "And you? What were these claims about a juvenile detention center about?"

Kai stuttered, "Err... I just have a short temper."

"The fire burns within you, Kai." Wu stated.

"Thanks...?" Kai replied with uncertainty.

Wu sat in completive silence for a beat. His eyes trailed away from the two teenagers to the odd-looking painting framed on the wall. Nya followed his gaze and examined the painting as well. It looked to depict a battle scene, one with ten people dressed head to toe in strange garments of varying color. As she looked over the picture she felt weirdly drawn to one of the fighters, their maroon palette resonating deep within herself.

"Well," Wu suddenly exclaimed, pulling out two forms and pushing them towards the siblings. "I believe these are your timetables for the rest of the year, down the bottom you will find your locker combination and location – I made an effort to ensure you both were close to each other – and last here-" He pulled out four cards, handing two to Nya and the others to Kai, "-is your lunch pass and library card. Please warrant extra care over these, there is a fee for a replacement."

Nya glanced over her schedule but made no effort to memories it just yet.

Wu sat back into his chair, his eyes briefly glancing to the picture frame on his desk before back to the siblings, "I do believe that concluded this meeting. If you have any queries, please don't hesitate to knock on my door." He smiled standing up from his seat and offering a hand for the Smith's to shake.

Kai stood first, "That's it? You still want us to enroll here?" He asked cautiously, his hand meeting Wu's in a firm shake.

Wu head tilted, "Would you prefer I turn you away?"

"No," Kai shook his head quickly, "No, I'm sorry, thank you."

"Mr. Smith I am an old man. I have much wisdom and knowledge, and from firsthand experience I believe that you should never judge a person by the words of another. I see greatness in both of you, whether or not you see it yourself." Wu then reached to shake Nya's hand, "You two will fit in fine here, perhaps even discover something new about yourselves."

Nya's eyes squinted at the odd emphasis Sensei Wu put on his last sentence, but brushed it off, "Thank you."

"Indeed." Wu nodded, "Now, outside is two of Ninjago City High's finest students, they will essentially be your buddy until you settle in. They have been prepped and informed about all potential problems you may have so I encourage you see them as a friend rather than anything else."

Nya and Kai shared one last look with the principle before leaving his office.

Wu watched them depart once again with critical eyes. As soon as the door closed and he was alone, Wu rustled through his draw, pulling out a photo. It had yellowed over time, the edges frayed and sellotaped to ensure it remain intact, but the picture was still clear.

Now, with the final two pieces of the puzzle under this roof, Wu could only assume things were about to start changing.

-----

word count

2.1k

-----