Do you remember? (A Ninjago Jaya fan fiction)

Chapter 15 - Some have gone and some remain

A/N: Title from The Beatles - In my life
Video: Beta Radio - Brother, sister

Some 4 years before

Kai's point of view

"It's so refreshing! Kai, Come have fun in the waves with me !"

"You're bonkers, Nya! Come back here! It's way too dangerous! You could drown !"
"Don't forget I'm the master of water, am I not?" She mocked me.

"The waves are too powerful today! Zane told me the odds of drowning at sea were no joke!"

"You're such a chicken! Haha! See you later loser!" Nya kicked water in my direction and hopped away with a childish laugh without a care in the world.

"What did you say?" I ran closer to her but quickly sprang back as the white foam was about to creep on my toes. "I'm no chicken! I am good at evaluating hazard and that's ranking pretty high on my personal list! Listen to me!"

I was hollering but Nya was already out of hearing, shrieking her head off out of joy, jumping in the rollers, disappearing behind them, emerging back again soaking wet, her long ebony hair sticking to her forehead and across her face, spewing water, hopping on and about to meet another breaker with gleeful anticipation.

Since our parents went mysteriously missing 10 years ago, the task befell me to take care of Nya and to protect her from any danger coming her way. What I had not foreseen is that SHE would actually be the one running head first into the most perilous situations, ignoring my warnings and the most logical survival instincts.

When I got recruited by Master Wu , I did not imagine she would follow me as far as earning her place into the team. Due to our upbringing she proved to be extremely resourceful and soon made her strategic thinking and her mechanical skills indispensable, and I might add her acommon sense, which we boys were totally lacking in more occasions than I wanted to admit.

However I was fully aware that danger could take various shapes and forms, the most obvious, in our world, being one of a skeleton, an evil spirit coming from the depth of the earth or a stone warrior. (Don't even ask). To name a few of the most common ones.

As I was standing on the beach, shaking my head in disbelief at Nya's recklessness, a much greater threat arose, one I had always dreaded but wished I'd never come across.

The boys were playing Beach Volleyball in the sand in few metres away.

"Pay attention to the game, will you ?" Throwing his hands in the air, an exasperated Cole marched up to his partner whose eyes were glued to the object of his absentmindedness. Geez, if only I could stick all my fingers up his stupidly gawking blue orbs !

"What the hell are you looking at anyway ? Keep your eyes on the ball or you'll get knocked out for the fourth time!"
"Actually, next time will be the fifth." "Oh shut it Zane!" The black-haired player sporting the fruitiest exotic bathing trunks was frantic, circling his partner in an ineffectual attempt to rip his teammate's gaze away from its absorption. No amount of huffing and puffing, arm-raising and confused gesticulation could get that scatterbrain back on the sand pitch.

The robotic inflection of our steel comrade intervened again, still unasked for: "Article 9.2.1 of the Official Beach Volleyball Rules, I quote: the ball may touch any part of the body. End of quote. Therefore, his hits with the head were valid, though out the four times."

Cole rolled his eyes and pointed at the other team behind the net. "Do you really want to lose to those jerks ?"

"Hey, who are you calling jerks ?" Lloyd whose face was glistening from the thick layer of white sunscreen protested, to no one actually paying much attention to him.