A/N

I sometimes feel lonely as a writer here. I'm not trying to discredit anyone else, I just miss reading new things and chatting with other writers more frequently. I'm still eager to make some readers happy though, so there's that. I hope that the fluff fandom will be revived now that *REDACTED SPOILERS*.

Hope you still enjoy, even after all this time.

♡♡♡

"Nya?"

Their laughter quickly stopped at the sound of her brother's voice. The tickling only made her want to chuckle more, but even her laugh hid panic within it.

Jay let her go almost instantly, dusting himself off as quickly as he could. He cleared his throat and shrunk back, frozen like a statue next to her.

She tried to meet his gaze, but he only looked at the ground in shame. When his eyes formed a glare, however, she followed their trail to find their target.

And when she did, she glared too.

"Thank you for telling me," she could hear Kai whisper to him before he approached her.

Unlike other times, his gaze looked more... stern. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

It took her too long to realise he wasn't looking at her, however.

"Don't you dare step near her ever again," he told Jay, who tried to seem unfazed as he looked him in the eye.

"What are you even talking about?" she tried to step in, but someone grabbed her arm.

"Let's just go home and let your big bro handle this, 'kay Nya?"

Try as he might, Lei couldn't hide the smile forming on his lips; one that she wanted to slap off his face so bad if it were the right time.

"Don't touch me," she simply hissed at him, yanking her arm away. She turned to Kai. "What's all this about?"

"I gave you one rule, Nya. And you went behind my back and did all... this with him?" Kai hesitated to finish, almost as if he were gagging at his words.

"What this? What are you even talking about?"

His voice lowered, as if it were only for her ears. "Lei and the others saw you by the lake. They saw you..." He cut himself off to shake off an intrusive thought. "We'll talk at home."

"No, we'll talk now. What was so bad about what we did? It's not like you haven't done worse!"

"Even I don't go that far, Nya."

"You know, maybe you shouldn't believe the person who makes fun of you behind your back," Jay stated, crossing his arms.

"You're one to talk. If you dare to step into this village again..."

"Don't worry, we won't."

It was hard to hear, but her heart shattered at his words.

The back door swung open to reveal the Cole and Zane, each carrying a suitcase and a mop.

"Dude, where were you? Get inside cause I am not gonna be the one to pack your underwear."

The blue-clad boy himself reddened at his friend's words, but Nya's cheeks couldn't help but heat up as well at the image those same words brought.

No, she was getting invasive again.

Lei stepped forward, raising an eyebrow. "And here I thought you guys didn't like Jay during our hangouts."

"Well, when you want to fit into a friend group for the purpose of spying, you ought to make your personality and tastes match the people you're with," Zane popped in from behind with an innocent smile.

Cole facepalmed. "Zane..." He groaned. "You know what, you're right. You guys are obnoxious."

Lei smirked and shrugged. "Good thing you won't have to see us after today."

Cole stepped closer to the group, getting between Jay and Kai. "Yeah, maybe you should go now."

To his surprise, Kai stepped back.

"We were just leaving, right Nya?" said Lei, putting his hand on her shoulder. She managed to push it away, luckily, and she wasn't the only one that glared, for Kai was shooting daggers at him with his stare as well.

Jay's blood boiled, but he stood his ground, his gaze alternating from Nya and Cole.

"I'm sorry," Nya mouthed to him as they left, turning her head just enough to face him without it seeming obvious.

"It's okay," he mumbled back. When no one else was looking, he made a little heart shape with his hands, and she could barely contain her giggle as they walked away.

And out of everything else in the world, that was the thing that made his lips stretch into a big, dumb smile.

♡♡♡

"Oh, come on. You know I care about you two, I wouldn't miss a chance to help." Nya cringed at Lei's words, but luckily, Kai stopped him from following her into the house.

"We'll talk later," her brother said and closed the door on his face.

Nya sat on the dining chair, sulking as she tapped the table rythmically. Her taps began to get harsher and faster as anger built up in her veins, however.

Kai sat down across her, trying to collect his thoughts.

When he looked up at her again, though, it hit him.

He raised an eyebrow. "What are you wearing?"

She zipped up the jacket, crossing her arms.

She ignored his question,opting to look away instead. "So me and Jay like each other, big deal."

"He doesn't like you, Nya! He just wants you to go with him and that old man!"

"That old man may be our only way out of this situation, Kai," she said, finally catching his attention. "For how much longer will the village be helping us? And besides, there are so many dangers out there that..."

"Nya, dragons aren't real; skeletons aren't real."

She didn't look him in the eye; she sunk into the chair, looking away with a huff.

She wasn't used to pouting; that was so unlike her. Perhaps she should apologise, or even maybe...

"It wouldn't hurt to exit your fairytale land from time to time."

A few bombs went off in her brain.

"Maybe it's better to live in that land when everything else sucks!" She stood up, raising her voice. "I love Ignacia, Kai; I wouldn't want to leave with a bunch of strangers either! But once you get to know them..."

"Know them how? By kissing them?"

"I never even kissed him!"

He sat back down, pondering in his shock. Resting his chin under his cupped hands, he took a few breaths to calm down.

"Lei said you guys did. He said you did... more than that." He was almost terrified at his own words, as if he had a specific image in his head.

Nya wasn't having it, however. "And you chose to trust the one spreading gossip all the time instead of your sister. Good one, big bro!"

"Lei's my friend, he wouldn't lie to me about these things; you know he cares about you."

"Real friends don't gossip about you and your little sister to the entire village every day!" she said. "And real brothers defend their sisters."

"That's what I'm trying to do, Nya! You're the victim here! You just have a crush that got into your head, that's all. But you have to understand that running off with some stranger alone in a place that nobody knows maybe isn't the best idea!"

She sat down. "Okay, I'm sorry."

He looked at her in shock as her voice lowered.

"I'm sorry I took him to the lake," she continued. "I know that's a special spot for you."

"That's not what I'm mad about, Nya." He sighed. "Lei and the others know about the lake now. Everyone does thanks to that dumb photo. But I'm just saying, if you had gone there with a stranger like him alone, then who knows what could have happened to you... I couldn't live with myself if something were to happen, you know that."

"Jay's not a stranger. He's the closest friend I've ever had. And now he's leaving, just like everyone else..." She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, her eyes watering slightly. When realisation hit her, however, the feelings were quick to go away.

"Wait, what photo?"

Kai shook his head, frowning. "Lei borrowed his mum's camera and took photos of you two asleep together by the lake. I guess they must've followed you there or... I don't know. I told them not to do it."

"You did a real good job of stopping them, then," she shot back. "After stalking me and Jay, having no solid proof other than a dumb photo, me telling you of their behaviour, you still consider these people your friends?"

Kai stayed silent.

"Call them what you want, but Jay and his friends actually cared about us; about you as well." She grasped her door's handle tightly, looking at him one last time.

"Jay's right, you do need better friends."

He lowered his head in shame.

She looked up at the ceiling, and when she closed the door, she slid down against it, letting her head fall as she cried.

He went to the other room, wrapped the pillow around his ears, trying to drown out the sound of her tears.

He wasn't successful, however, for he started to cry as well.

♡♡♡

The walk towards the village's entrance was slow, tough, and agonising.

The looks she didn't care about just a day before had come back to haunt her; wherever she went, whichever turn she took, people would be whispering.

Others felt sorry for the girl while others shook their head in disapproval. There was no doubt in her mind that the moment the gossip reached Lei's mother, the entire village would be filled in.

No one cared to question its legitimacy; most evidence people had was the photo in their grasp, one slightly blurry and taken from afar, a few leaves blocking the way as if they had been hiding in the bushes.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind, however; for that past month, whenever you would see Nya, you would see the stranger as well. It was as if their hands were glued together, inseparable.

Her reputation had been ruined. One man described her as a victim, the lady next to him called her promiscuous. Had the rumour gone that far?

She walked faster.

As their figures took shape in the distance, doubts filled her mind.

Perhaps he really was just pretending to like her. Or maybe he did, but he was giving up on her because of her brother; it wasn't a first for someone to back out because of him.

Would he really send her letters, or would he move on to the next girl? He had better chances of finding someone better in the city.

Or perhaps he didn't want a girlfriend at all; being a ninja was tough work, surely he didn't have time for romance, right?

"Nya?"

At the sound of his voice, she couldn't help but smile.

She gave a nod to greet everyone around him, including the old man she had come to know as Sensei Wu.

"We still have extra space if you want to come with us..." he said awkwardly, gesturing at their suitcases.

Despite everything that had happened, she couldn't say yes.

"I can't leave Kai alone. Sorry."

His face fell a little, but his smile didn't leave. "I get it... Sensei Wu gave me this map, though."

When he gave her said map, she immediately noticed a big 'X' on a hill of sorts.

"That's where the Monastery is," he said, pointing at the hill. "If you ever change your mind or even want to visit... You know where to go."

She bit the inside of her cheek, frowning as she closed the map.

Before any tears could escape in front of him, she pulled him into a hug, hiding her face in his shoulder.

When he wrapped his arms around her, she felt shivers running down her spine.

"I'll miss you," she said, not paying mind to the rest behind him.

He cradled her a little before letting go. "I'll miss you too," he said, trying not to cry himself. "I'll send a letter as soon as we arrive, okay? Just take care of Echo for me."

She nodded slowly, smiling.

Right as he made his turn to leave, she took his hand, her face as red as her cheongsam.

She kissed his cheek.

And when she pulled away, she could only show an awkward wave to the teasing men behind them. They waved back, gathering a speechless Jay along with them as they walked away.

Jay could only give her another smile, one that, coupled with his wink, only made her blush more.

However, the feeling of sorrow was quick to settle in.

As they walked further away, Jay took a deep breath, approaching his Sensei slowly.

"Sensei... With all due respect, but why did we have to leave now?"

"Because I trust that Kai will make the right choice," he simply said, continuing his walk without a care in the world.