The rift called to her, just like the entire everything about this day had. The Day of the Departed.
She'd known Cole had gone.. elsewhere, of course she had. But she'd thought he had gone to his dad, not to Sensei Yang!
And now there they were, Sensei Yang and Cole, talking and fighting on top of the temple, The Rift wide open in the sky.
“I'm going in, someone take over.”
No one heard her, just like they hadn't heard Cole, but still Zane and Jay stepped forward, both ready to take over steering the Bounty. Was it like a whisper, or just subconsciously knowing the wheel needed steering?
(Had anyone noticed, the way they all failed to focus on Nya too? Would they notice now, when she was so much more ghost than she'd been since before her death?)
Taking a breath, Nya jumped off the boat, letting the airjitzu the Sensei down below had invented lead her down. But only until she was out of sight, from the Ninja, from Sensei Yang and Cole, from anyone.
In the middle of the air, she stopped, tugging on the feeling of acid across her chest and letting it wrap around her completely, translucent green skin and acidic burns where dark tan and serpent scales had just been. A second later, she tugged on the feeling of acid again, willing herself to disappear completely.
Invisible, intangible.
Just like Cole had been to anyone else. But this time, Nya hoped she was even more invisible as she quickly began to fly up, up, up, towards The Rift. The strong winds blowing right through her, intangible as she now was.
Would it fix this? Remove this ghost of herself and return her like she'd never died at all? Or would make her a full ghost, doom her to a life of being invisible?
Nya didn't know, and she didn't stop. Not even as Cole and Sensei Yang began to fly up towards her and The Rift from below, as Sensei Yang pushed Cole up and he himself fell.
Instead, she went through The Rift only moments before Cole did, knowing deeply in her heart that this would not change them in the same way.
It would not change them in the same way.
…
It did not change them in the same way.
To describe what The Rift did to her? It was everything, yet it was nothing. It was fog, it was water, it was poisons and wishes and time. An implosion of colours and magic, soaring straight through her chest and nestling into some kind of thing inside, right from where she pulled on the transformation.
It was magical. It felt like being whole. It hurt like a bitch. It… It was so much and Nya couldn't think.
Then, as soon as it had started, it was over and Nya was falling, translucent and green. Without thinking twice, she once more pulled on the acid to make herself invisible, but this time there was… something more. Fog, like she'd felt that very first day, yet so much more.
She crashed into the floating island before she could think of it any further, tumbling into the walls of Sensei Yang’s temple. Distantly, she thought there must be a thick line in the ground from where she'd fallen and landed.
Okay, OW.
Had the others heard? Had they seen? Did they know? Did they know didtheyknow didtheyknow?? DIDTHEYKNOW HADTHEYHEARD-
Something yanked her backwards, through the walls and inside the temple, a hand covering her mouth and shushing her. A moment later, she saw Kai and Cole - wonderfully wonderfully human and alive - through a nearby window, going towards where she had crashed.
It wasn't until Kai and Cole appeared in the window again, going back from where they had originally came, that the hand over her mouth left and Nya at last moved.
Behind her, where none other than Sensei Yang.
“Before you attack, I want to make amends. Let me help you and you can fight me later.”
[“Why?”]
Nya blinked, surprised at the noises that had left her mouth. What did that mean now??? But Sensei Yang only nodded, responding in the same frequency of weird noises.
[“They don't know, do they? And you need someone to teach you how to SPECTRAL, right? I can help you. Let me help you.”]
[“...No, they don't. I can't tell them. It- It didn't HAPPEN. They DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING-”]
[“Have you had none at all?! Dear child!”]
And Sensei Yang seemed horrified for her. What an odd reaction. What an odd revelation. She shook her head, looking out the window she'd seen Kai and Cole through.
[“Do you even know what you are?”]
[“..No. I know I'm.. dead.. and I know I'm alive, I guess? Why are you helping me?”]
[“Because I really do want to make amends, child. What you are, child, is a Halfing. Half ghost, half living. The bridge between our very existences. The one who can see the deceased and talk to the living.”]
[“..What?”]
It came out weak, Nya's legs nearly giving out on her in the face of all this. Of the truths - was it? Did Sensei Yang truly speak the truth this time?- and of the confirmation she truly was both dead and alive.
Outside, Cole called her name, followed by Kai and Lloyd.
[“Tomorrow night.. come to the roof and I shall take you somewhere where you can learn. I know no more than simple rumours and legends of the Halflings, but if you will accept my help I will do all I can. But now, you must return to the living, to your friends.”]
Nya nodded, stepping back as she pulled in the acid back into her chest, green translucent skin disappearing like a fog until she stood there once more, as human as she'd always been. And just like that, when she spoke next her voice was right back to normal, not a trace of the weird static and noises that had been a second ago.
“I will consider your offer, but if you try any tricks I will not hesitate, got it?”
“Of course. Go now, child.”
Sensei Yang faded back into the walls, bowing to her as did. And so she was there, all alone in a haunted temple.
(But was it she, or Sensei Yang who truly did the haunting?)
Outside, Jay joined in the calls of her name and finally, with one last full body shake, Nya left the temple to return to the others.
“There you are! Where were you?”
“Checking out the temple, now that it's no longer haunted. If we're moving in, I've already found the room I want!”
“Hey, that's cheating! I wanted first dibs on rooms!”
“Too bad, too slow!”
“Master Wuuuuu, Nya is bullying us!”
“Wojira forbid a woman has hobbies!”
“Master Wuuu!”
“Now, now, settle down. Please.”
(From the top window, Sensei Yang looked down upon the living, the newly returned and the one tipping the very line. Cole had taught him a valuable lesson, and perhaps he could now repay the favour to Nya.
The girl had much to learn, yet already stronger than a normal ghost her age should be. Such is the way of the Halflings.)
the animal on her clothes WAS A PHOENIX.
Phoenixes have a whole thing of coming back to life from death.
THE CREATORS HAVE BEEN WARNING US SINCE THE PILOTS.
also there's the fact that both seasons Nya died in had bound in their name.
Bound typically means to restrict, and restriction is the opposite of freedom.
And the sky is associated with freedom and flight, and PHOENIXES FLY.
Insert that meme about not connecting shit because honestly I think I might be making something out of nothing.
and if I'm right, I feel like they could've played harder into the rebirth aspect associated with phoenixes by having nya come back altered permanently when she was separated from her element.
@usagi-has-nightmares I know you said quick…and I took like a month and a half before working up the motivation to actually record it…I’M SORRY—*is pointed and laughed at*
In my defense. School.
anyways, here ya go!
Sorry for the many pauses in my playing (BAR CHORDS WHEN I CATCH YOU BAR CHORDS—)
