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When the sun shines
We'll shine together
Told you I'd be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath, Im'ma stick it out
Till the end

Now that it's rainin'
More than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella

~ Rihanna, Umbrella

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Nya shivered as the dark clouds rumbled overhead. Starting from right above her, the noise roared and growled till it traveled farther over to the meadows. The guttural rumble was deep and angry as if an infuriated storm god was punishing his servents in the heavens above the gray clouds.

Pitter, patter.

The girl sat huddled on the step that jutted out of the monastery's gate, hugging her knees tighter. The soft pattering of water sounded all around her. Though, she had always welcomed rain as Nature's lullaby, today's events made everything seem dull and annoying.

Pitter, patter.

She lifted her tear-stained face to observe the tiny rain drops that descended from the gray skies in a steady rhythm. Not making much of it, she sighed and buried her head in between her knees once more.

Lightning flashed, splitting the sky for a second before disappearing again. Nya waited for the thunder that would soon follow, ignoring the increase in the speed and the amount of the downpour.

Water seeped through her gi, creating dark spots on the fabric. Her wet ponytail drooped lower from the water that hung from her hair.

In a matter of minutes, the concrete step was completely soaked, becoming dangerously slippery for anyone who came prancing upon it.

But the Master of Water disregarded all these changes in her environment.

Her fight with Kai had led her to come to a crossroad that was split between staying a part of the team or running far away. Both the options had their pros and cons but something inside her tugged her towards the second.

The girl sniffled, trembling in the cold as the fight replayed in her mind.

"Look, you're older than me. I have to respect you. So, I'm politely asking you to stop worrying your head off after me."

"No! I will not stop worrying about you! You know that! Why did you leave the monastery?"

"It was only a little trip to the city. I needed to get a few things for the mech."

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Don't raise your voice, Kai!"

"Answer my question!"

"I don't have to tell you everything. I'm seventeen. I'm not a child anymore!"

"Stop being difficult! You're immature and naïve and it's my job to make sure you don't end up in hot water 'cause of it."

Slap!

Thunder claps followed the sound of the slap the memory played. She didn't know what had come over her. Her hand had just moved of it own accord . . . and she had slapped her brother.

Everyone had been shocked. Unable to move. Unable to think. Even Master Wu had been at a loss for words by what she had done. After giving a glare to her brother's hazel eyes, she had stormed out of there.

Jay had tried to prevent her from exiting the room but she had yelled at him too, forcing him to let go of her arm.

Tears streaming down her red cheeks, she had rushed out of the building and had crumbled down at the mouth of the gates, her sobs turning into hurt cries.

Hate.

She felt nothing but hate for Kai. How dare he call her immature? She was clearly one of the most responsible ones of the team. If anyone deserved to be treated like a helpless animal, it was him!

"Jerk," Nya hissed, attempting to swipe away her damp bangs that were now clinging to her forehead.

A chill traveled up her spine, her body shuddering with shivers and prompting her to release a powerful sneeze. Groaning in vexation, she intensified her hug around her knees, resuming her ignorance of the stormy kerfuffle.

"Gesundeit."

It was a familiar voice. It sounded sweet, caring. It warmed her as if she had just taken refuge in front of a cheerful and cozy fire after wrestling with the chilling winds.

She wanted to stand up. She wanted to run to him and hug him tight. She wanted to stay in his arms for the rest of eternity. But she didn't do anything except for ignoring the remark and remaining crouched on the freezing cold concrete.

That's when she realized that the rain had stopped falling on her. Noticing the circular shadow around her, Nya dared to twist around and look up at whoever had decided to disturb her sulking.

And her gaze met a pair of vivacious and electrifying blue eyes that seemed brighter than the lightning that cracked through the clouds.

"I brought an umbrella," Jay mentioned with a proud smile, shaking the said item that he held over both of them. "And a shawl so that you don't catch a cold."

Nya couldn't help but direct a faint, thankful smile at the caramel coloured woolly shawl hanging from Jay's arm. She turned to face the stormy world below the monastery as the ginger moved to sit down beside her, taking care not to let the umbrella off their heads.

Contrary to Nya's intentions, her entire self shivered violently as Jay's warm body brushed against her. Crinkling his forehead, the blue ninja placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Oh, gosh," he whispered in astonishment, "You're soaking wet!"

Giving a reluctant Nya the umbrella to hold, Jay reached for the shawl on his lap. He pulled it open to its full size and advanced to drape it over the drenched ravenette.

After a few moments of adjusting the shawl, Jay retrieved the umbrella from the girl and gave her a scolding look which she minded with an amused tilt of her lips.

"You gotta take care of yourself, Nya," the boy chided, scooting closer and wrapping an arm around the water master in an attempt to warm her further. "No wonder Ka- he's always so worried."

Nya simply rested her head on Jay's shoulder, snuggling into the shawl as the two of them sat under the roof of the umbrella in the middle of the rain.

"I have you to take care of me, don't I?" the girl murmured, stretching an arm across Jay's chest.

She was certain that a pinkish tinge was creeping up her boyfriend's cheeks for he had responded in a stammer.

"Uh, y-yeah. Of c-course you do."

The next few minutes passed in silence as the couple enjoyed each other's company along with the music of the rain.

Nya always appreciated these moments of silence to ponder on things, but it was rare for Jay to be quiet for a long period of time. So, she was grateful when he finally broke the muteness.

"What are you doing out here . . . all alone . . . in the rain?" Jay drew out slowly with pauses, becoming more and more concerned as he realized that this was the most peculiar place to sulk about stuff.

"Oh, nothing," came back the bored reply. "Just . . . connecting with my element."

This was followed by a slight change in the direction of the downpour as Nya's powers mastered the rain. At that moment, lightning flashed again, comparatively brighter than before.

To this, Nya added, "And yours."

Jay chuckled, nudging the ravenette with his toe. "Lightning and water," he sighed in bliss. "We do make a powerful storm, don't we?"

"One that can blow away all the haters and bullies," Nya annexed, driving them both to laugh. "I do know one in particular."

And suddenly, the cheerfulness vanished, replaced by the sourness of the event that had happened earlier.

Jay thought it would be best to let Nya know how hurt her brother was from her actions. He knew the fiesty water master had bigger anger issues than Kai (and would sometimes lead to burning arguments between the two that always ended in destruction) but a bond a person has with their siblings is rare. It's something you can't allow to rot or waste away.

It was something the other Ninja never had. So, they had commissioned themselves to alleviate matters between the Smiths whenever things got out of hand and to make them both meet each other halfway.

"He's not a bully, Nya," Jay finally managed to whisper. The girl didn't move but he knew she wasn't ignoring him so he went on. "He's your brother."

"He's more like a cruel master than a brother," Nya scoffed, her soft tone turning acidic and waspish. She lifted her head from the boy's shoulder and resumed her scowl, tugging the shawl tighter around her.

Jay winced internally. Nya definitely wasn't in a mood to be corrected. But that didn't mean her sulkiness could keep him in the dark forever.

"Why are you really out here?" Jay made a pass at the question again, hoping this time he would get to hear a more legitimate answer.

"Aren't you gonna tell me?" he pressed when he got nothing but silence. "We're friends, right? More than friends. You can tell me anything."

It was still a few hesitant seconds later that Nya replied.

"I . . . I'm thinking about dropping this whole water ninja thing and becoming Samurai X again."

"What?" Jay didn't want to sound hurt or betrayed but his voice quivered all the same.

Nya nodded. "I'm sure Pixal and I can make a great duo. I'll have my own base. I'll have my own missions. My own identity without overbearing guys hanging off my shoulders!"

Jay wanted to say no. He couldn't let Nya give up like this. The team needed her. He needed her. He had to controvert her decision of leaving the gang and dragging Pixal along with her.

The ginger really didn't like aiming at his girlfriend's soft spot but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"What about me?" he murmured quietly. "You're just gonna leave me? Am I overbearing too?"

"No!" Nya gasped, mentally kicking herself for not choosing her words wisely. "Of course not! You can never be overbearing. You're the sweetest guy I've ever met. But . . . I don't know . . . I just don't wanna be with Kai anymore."

The rain continued in all its severity, beating a ruckus on the umbrella as the couple fell silent once more. The noise of the droplets, as they collided with the umbrella fabric, caught Nya's attention. She had forgotten about the canopy that kept them both dry.

"Why'd you bring the umbrella?" she questioned in a dull tone. "You know I can handle myself, Walker. I'm the Master of Water and everything."

"Wha- this?" Jay spun the umbrella around, smiling as the water slid off of it and making it look like a garden sprinkler. "This isn't here to shield you from the rain, water lily."

Nya raised an eyebrow at Jay as the blue ninja bumped her nose with his thumb. "It's actually here to let you know that we are under one roof. We're in the same boat. We need to be there for each other regardless of the extreme conditions."

He rested his hand on Nya's freezing one and absentmindedly began playing with her fingers. "You are my Yang. You're my other half. And I can't bear to see my other half battling the storms of life on her own."

He traced her knuckles with his thumb, feeling his heart flutter as the girl slowly put her other hand on top of his.

"I'll always let you under my umbrella," he continued, staring back into Nya's eyes. "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you."

Letting the warmth take over her body again, Nya allowed her lips to spread as much as they could. "When you start talking like that," she mumbled tenderly, "there's no way I can leave."

"Believe me, Nya," Jay sighed, "Kai's words are as soothing as mine. They just have a hard shell of responsibility around them, that's all. I know he may sound like a bossy commander imposing strict rules on you but deep down, he's your best friend who's trying to keep you under his own umbrella of protection."

"But why all the anger?" Nya hissed, her eyebrows knitting together. "Why the rudeness?"

Jay raised his hand to clear Nya's forehead of her stringy hair, tugging them behind her ears. "Because he knows that no matter how harsh he sounds, you'll always be there to put out his angry fire."

Nya opened her mouth to protest but thought against it, choosing to listen to what Jay had to say instead.

"You're like his comfort pillow," Jay laughed, compelling Nya to grin too. "The pillow you punch when you're angry, the pillow you dance with when you're overjoyed or the pillow you hug when no one else is there."

Nya ruminated on all the things Jay had dictated to her, smiling slightly at the pillow analogy her boyfriend had devised.

"Maybe you're right," she spoke, looking down at her feet. "I'm overreacting. He's as much of a hot head as me. I guess our similarities just . . . clash with each other."

Nya gave the ginger a side glance, a loving look in her eyes. "Thanks for being there for me, blue bird. I love you."

"I know," the lightning master claimed.

"Aren't you gonna say you love me back?"

"Don't you believe that I do?"

"Completely."

They forgot everything; the rain, the winds, the lightning. What mattered now was their desire to be close to one another. The two of them leaned forward, closing the space between them till their lips touched. Sparking tingles ran through their bodies as they shared a sweet moment under the shade of the umbrella.

"Ewwwwww!"

The couple immediately broke apart, turning around to see Lloyd and Cole glaring at them from the door of the monastery.

"Smoochies in the rain?" Lloyd shook his head, disgusted. "You're gonna make the clouds sick!"

"You guys are gonna catch pneumonia kissing in the rain like that!" Cole hollered over the sound of the thunder, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Mind your own business!" Nya shot back, an amusing smirk adorning her face.

"Anyway," Lloyd said, stressing on the word to reduce the awkwardness. "Zane's busy trying to knock some sense into Kai. We need you two to come back inside so that we can put all this behind us."

"We'll be waiting," Cole warned, shooting a suspicious look at Jay before pulling Lloyd inside after him and sliding the door shut.

Jay rolled his eyes, moving away from Nya to stand up. "Ready to patch things up with your big bro?"

The girl hummed in thought, tapping a finger on her chin as if Jay had given her a complicated math problem to solve. "Hmmm, maybe later."

She pulled the shade of the umbrella lower to hide them from peeping eyes as the two moved closer to connect their lips once again.

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