Ninja vs Samurai [COMPLETE]

Trust Issues (Part 2)

As you've probably noticed, so far the POV has always alternated between Nya and Jay's. And it will go back to this rhythm from chapter 13 onwards, but this part and the next one (btw, by the end of this chapter this book will have reached the halfway mark, according to my story plan!) will be written in two different POVs.

Trust Issues (Part 2)

PIXAL watched with great interest as Nya and her boyfriend were servicing Jay's motorbike together. The auburn haired young man probed to be a rather skilled mechanic, and he very obviously enjoyed spending time with his girlfriend here.

Nya's emotions were a bit more complicated though. The red Samurai had been rather nervous when the couple had arrived here earlier this morning, and she had still been very tense when they had returned to the workshop following their tour of the back rooms.

And Jay must have noticed this as well, for he was constantly giving her small compliments or cracking little jokes to cheer her up as they were working together. His girlfriend obviously meant the world to him, and he just wanted to make her happy.

And his approach appeared to be working. Nya's vitals indicated that she was relaxing more and more with each minute that passed. And each time she glanced at her boyfriend, her lips curled into a small but affectionate smile.

PIXAL realised that she too had started to like the blue Ninja a lot - not in a romantic way, of course, but as her friend's boyfriend and maybe as a new friend for herself.

On the few occasions they had interacted with each other, in particular during their dinner last night, Jay had presented himself as well-mannered and polite. And, unlike most people she had met (not counting her own team), he had immediately treated the female droid in a very friendly and respectful way. Also, he was a good friend to Zane, meaning he was certainly not prejudiced against robots.

Zane...

Sure, PIXAL knew that she wasn't supposed to be friends with one of the Ninja. And she certainly shouldn't even consider getting 'romantically involved' with another one of them.

But this was not going to stop her from visiting the white Ninja for lunch today.

"Okay, I need to go now." Jay remarked as he raised himself from the floor in front of the bike, stretching his arms. "Don't want to miss the bus."

"You sure?" Nya asked in a rather disappointed voice. The raven haired girl had stood up as well and was helping her boyfriend get out of the disposable white overgarment.

"Oh, I'd love to miss the bus and stay here with you." He replied with a fond smile. "But my professor might not like it if I miss the lecture. And as much as I'd like that, this here doesn't count as work placement."

He went to wash his hands at the small sink in a corner, checking the mirror to make sure he didn't have any smudges of grease on his face.

"I'll see you tonight?" He then asked Nya as she handed him his helmet and college bag.

"I'll come over after my class." She nodded. "And I'll bring the bike, it's almost done already anyway. Thanks for your help."

"Not at all, it was fun." Jay replied. "And I hope you'll give me a staff discount on the service..."

"I'll see what I can do." Nya winked at him. "I'll definitely add an oil change for free."

"Sounds great." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Love you."

"Love you too." She smiled. "Miss you already."

"Bye, PIXAL." Jay waved at the droid on his way out.

Nya watched silently as he left the garage to walk to the nearby bus stop.

"Jay is very good." PIXAL remarked. "A lot better than for example Skylor."

"Yes, he is. And I've really enjoyed working with him." Nya sighed. "But he's a Ninja. What am I doing? I was so worried that Misako or one of the other girls would turn up while he was here, or that he'd notice something... but I still didn't want him to leave."

"This may come as a surprise to you, but I can understand your problem." PIXAL blushed. "Despite me knowing about his secret occupation, I am very much looking forward to seeing Zane again later. A-and to visit the tea shop, of course." She added.

"Hope you'll be a better spy than me." Nya said. "By the way, I-I couldn't get the data from Jay's laptop, h-he wouldn't leave me alone for long enough."

The increase in her heartrate as well as hints of perspiration on the palms of her hands suggested that Nya was not telling the truth here, but PIXAL didn't want to further upset her friend.

"That is fine." She comforted her instead. "It would have been useful to find out what the Ninja know about the Serpentine, but we are smart enough ourselves and we will manage without these data."

"Thanks." Nya gave her a weak smile. "I just couldn't take the risk. At least, Jay didn't seem to suspect anything when I showed him the training room. He wasn't even that interested in the tour anymore after he'd heard about Lloyd..."

"You have told a Ninja about Misako's family?" PIXAL gasped. It was one thing bringing her boyfriend here but another revealing one of their team's biggest secrets.

"He saw the photo on the desk." Nya explained. "And I didn't tell him everything, just that her husband and son are missing. Of course, I didn't mention that Garmadon was also an Elemental Master and that he disappeared during an expedition to the Dark Island which was somehow related to the Golden Weapons. And that this is why Misako hates the Ninja and she can never know about us..." Her voice broke as she burst into tears.

"Shh, please do not cry." The droid gently rubbed the shorter girl's back. "I understand that this is hard for you."

"And it is just plain stupid." Nya sobbed. "The Ninja fight the same enemy as us, so why can't we work together instead of against each other? It's a waste of time and energy on both sides."

"It is true that we would be more efficient if we combined our knowledge and powers, but Misako has her reasons not to trust them." PIXAL stated. "And we have to trust her."

"I know." Nya agreed. "But it's hard to not trust the Ninja when my brother and my boyfriend are two of them. How can I work for someone who hates the two people that I love the most?"

"I am 99.7% confident that Misako does not hate Kai and Jay personally. Or Zane..."

"Well, she'd better not." Nya muttered.

"And our friends are most likely are not aware that the powerful weapons they wield are to some extend responsible for a good woman losing the two most important people in her life."

"But I know about that."

"And so do I." PIXAL said. "Which makes it even more important for us to deal with the Serpentine problem rather sooner than later. Once Ninjago is safe from them, we can go back to our primary mission - locating Lloyd - and we won't have to deal with the Ninja anymore."

Nya sighed "Alright. Let's just focus on the job." She smirked. "But you're still going to see Zane, right?"

PIXAL blushed. "Having lunch with him certainly is not a waste of time."