I won't say I'm in love

                                    

                                          
Nya was very eager to see her brother. Now that she was the revered thread-mage, she didn't get to visit her old home often. The last time she'd been back was for Day of the Departed, when she always made time to visit Kai and honor their parents.
Her childhood home was a tiny village called Ignacia, an hour away from the town that Mei Tao's home was just outside of. And that was by wagon. Nya had to pack a bag small enough to carry, as she stood on the road leading out of town, waiting for a wagon going out to Ignacia to buy food from the farmers there. Then she would flag it down, and plead to ride along and visit her brother. Most drivers were kind and would let her hitch a ride in the back, which suited her just fine. Sometimes she wondered if it was because they were truly sympathetic to her cause, or just because she was the thread-mage. Of course, when she left town, she took off her silk finery and donned a simple yukata, in her signature red color, of course. But there was still her hair, cut as it was in the style that only the thread-mage wore.
But that day, after she jumped out of the wagon and ran to her brother, after they exchanged the usual greetings of two siblings who hadn't seen each other in three months, he took her by the hand like he used to do when she was little, and they walked home the long way, through the rice fields. She should've known something was up. She should've, but she didn't. So when he cleared his throat and stopped, she was surprised at his words.
"Nya... look, I wanted to talk to you about- What I mean to say is, are you- Do you have a..."
"A what? Goodness, Kai, just spit it out! What are you trying to ask me?"
"Do you have... a sweetheart, I guess, a beau? Because there've been rumors."
"Rumors! Good heavens, don't believe rumors! Doesn't everybody know that the thread-mage must swear off all romantic and sexual relationships?" Nya was indignant, her face flushing red to match her clothes.
"I'm sorry, Nya. But people kept saying they'd heard my sister was being visited by a boy!"
"Oh, Kai, it's not like that!" Nya said. She should've known rumors would spread. She should've just told Jay to stay away the first time. "You know I don't even have any friends, let alone a sweetheart! The boy people saw was just a repeat client. A difficult case. You wouldn't understand."
At least that was true. He wouldn't understand. No one would ever understand this, not until she found the next poor girl cursed with the same power she was. 
He sighed. "I'm sorry, Nya. I should've known you wouldn't break your vows. Just forget I said anything. Come on, let's go. Some of my friends are hanging out tonight–a little party, sort of, to celebrate the new year."
The party was nice, but Nya couldn't enjoy it. Firstly, she didn't know most of the friends, and besides, she didn't like to think about how many friends her brother had. It made her feel sorry for herself, which she thought was selfish, especially considering that Kai had made friends with them because they worked alongside him in the fields. It was hard work, she knew, and she was lucky to have her estate and the endless income from her clients. And, lately, food from Jay's mother's kitchen.
She felt bad about the last part, of course. It wasn't like it was going to a good cause–she was well fed, most times, and she wasn't able to give anything in return, not even her own heart. She didn't know how to refuse his gifts, though–she'd tried to, but although she could be quite stubborn when she wanted, she didn't know how to do it without hurting his feelings. Besides, it wasn't his fault that he liked her–and he clearly did. But then again, she wondered if he was aware of it. She was pretty much out of the question for him as far as possible girlfriends went.
And he was out of the question for her–she shouldn't forget that. But she couldn't deny that she liked him, even if he didn't reciprocate her feelings. And it wasn't just because she knew he was her soulmate. She'd tried to ignore it before, but even from the first moment she'd seen him, he was somehow special to her. And she was in way over her head. Recently, she had noticed that whenever he smiled, her heart had developed a habit of jumping around and fluttering.
But if rumors that they were together had reached all the way to Ignacia, surely she would have to tell him to stop coming to her house. She couldn't have a scandal like that–she just couldn't. It would damage her dignity, and her clients' trust in her. No, she should have turned him away long ago. She'd have to just be straight with him, and tell him never to come back. 
The thing was, it wasn't so easy. She didn't know how she would get rid of him, and she didn't know if she had the heart to. Maybe she could just tell him to come at another time–the evening, maybe, when people weren't out so much. And she could say he was her gardener, so they'd be even less suspicious. And she could also use this as an excuse to stop him from bringing more gifts. Last week he had brought her a bouquet of greenery after all. What if he decided to bring flowers come spring? That would only enforce the thought that they were sweethearts.
She wished she could talk to Kai about everything, but she knew she couldn't. No one must know about this awful dilemma of hers. She hated to lie to him, but she had to. And to make things worse, she couldn't even ask him now what he knew about the rest of Ninjago, because he might realize that she was daydreaming of escaping. He was smart enough to know that outside of the Serpent Kingdom, she could be just a normal girl.
"Nya? Is that you?" Someone asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.
She looked up, and smiled at the sight of the familiar face. "Zane! I didn't know you were here."
"Well, you certainly didn't look very hard." The blond boy quipped. 
"I suppose not." She said. "Sorry, I'm a little distracted. But how are you?"
"I'm alright." He said. "The farm work's as monotonous as ever, but you know that." He sighed slightly. "Sometimes I wish I could leave the kingdom." He added in a low voice. "I'd really love to see all the technology they have, especially in Ninjago City. And farming in the cold makes my joints so stiff I may as well be an unoiled machine."
Nya's first instinct was to tell him not to say such things, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Speaking of Ninjago City . . . do you know anything about the Brother Emperors? It's okay if you don't, I'm just curious, that's all."
He sat down next to her. "Well, they're supposed to be very fair, and loved by the people. When their father died, they held an election to see which of them would rule in his place, but they were both so beloved that the people suggested they share the power. And," Here he lowered his voice even further, "People say they used to know our queen. Apparently she tried to take over their empire, and when they found out about her powers and her plans, they turned on her and banished her."
"That's interesting." Nya said, trying to hide her excitement. "Thank you. It's nice to see you." She gave him a hug. 
"Of course." He said. "I've got to go now, but I hope we can talk again before you leave."
She watched him go, the beginning of a plan already forming in the back of her mind. She was glad he'd been there. Unlike the rest of Kai's friends, she felt comfortable around Zane, probably because she'd known him since before she was the thread-mage. He and Kai had been friends since childhood. At first, they'd each thought the other was a little strange–a fair assumption, considering how opposite they were–but they'd eventually become fast friends. And in that moment, Nya was very glad.
Note: Sorry for the abrupt ending, but I need to get on with the story, after all! Don't want it to drag on like a certain other one. Also, happy Lunar New Year! Today (the day I'm posting this) is actually the Lunar New Year, which is funny since that is what they were celebrating in this chapter. Most of you guys probably don't celebrate it, but we do in my family :)
Anyway, hope you all have a great day!