Daughter of Darkness: Pilot Episodes and Mini-Movies

by The_Pink_Ninja

Summary:

Rose is forced to be part of a team only a few years after losing her best friend and becoming afraid to trust. To protect herself and her broken heart, she pretends to be a boy. But masks come with consequences. To strengthen the bond between the team, someone has to take the first step to push past the wall she built.

 

I am a Christian, and that will show in all my fanfictions, including this one and the ones to come after it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago. If I did, Rose would be a canon character.

Notes:

As I said in the summary, I am a Christian, which means that in my fanfictions, it will come out. The characters will be Christian (certain ones of them anyway), and there will be Christian songs, Bible verses, and (most often) prayer.

Gallery for DoD: (I couldn't figure out how to post images directly onto the chapter, sorry) https://docs.google.com/document/d/14w_Dn1BU6hm2lRNCfdl54iUh2yzQUas1e_xa-MUxt3A/edit?usp=sharing

Chapter 1: The Difficulty of Change

(Rose’s POV)

Sunset.  One of my favorite times of day.  Father and I always meditate together then.  He used to do it at sunrise, but as I grew and became notably less of a morning person, he adjusted the schedule to fit a time that we could both handle.  It’s a peaceful time of day, as the world slowly falls asleep and the creatures of night begin coming out as the last rays of sunlight stretch across the indigo sky.  It’s normally peaceful anyway.  After all, it’s only me and my father, and we live in a rather secluded place, not to mention that place is a place of peace.  The Monastery of Spinjitzu.  The only true home I’ve ever known.

My name is Rose Lishah Wu, adopted daughter of Sensei Wu, Master of Darkness.  Or to be Master of Darkness, rather.  I have not learned to use my powers as of yet.  I’m fine with that.  I have never needed to use my Element, and I am a skilled enough fighter without them.

At a meaningful hum from my father, I remember to clear my mind, grounding myself in the warm stone of the courtyard, the fading light I can sense beyond my closed eyelids, the unmistakable scent of tea that always hangs about my father, the sound and feel of a gentle breeze passing over the mountain and ruffling my hair…I stop myself before my mind can wander again.  Normally I do not have so much trouble focusing while we meditate, but I have sensed my father is restless, troubled by something.  Several times today he seemed about to tell me something before stopping, either changing the subject or continuing on his way.  It’s not normal behavior for him, so I suppose I have felt restless as well.

Father sighs next to me.  I open my eyes to look at him questioningly.  His old, tanned face seems even more elderly than usual; the wrinkles more prominent as he thinks.  I can see the worried emotions swirling behind his gray eyes.

“Father?”

The gray wells focus on me before he breathes in, “There is something I have not told you, Rose…”

I search his wearied expression, concern pooling in my chest.  I’ve never seen him struggle so much to tell me something, “What?  What is it?”

“I am…going to form a team.”  When I don’t react outwardly, he continues, likely aware of the wariness that’s now taken the concern’s place, “I need to bring the Masters of Earth, Lightning, Ice, Fire, and Darkness together.”

“ What ?” I strain to keep from snapping or shouting it, but it still comes out stretched, spoken through gritting teeth.

“Daughter, you must listen, I have a reason-”

“I don’t want to hear it,” I look away abruptly, “You’re just playing some sort of cruel joke.”

“I am serious about this, Rose,” he objects softly, “Things cannot go on as they are, no matter how much I wish they could.  Circumstances are changing, I need to-”

“I can’t , you hear me?!” I never lose my temper with my father, but my stomach is churning; I can’t properly register my surroundings as blood rushes in my ears, and it grows difficult to breathe.  “I can’t be part of a team , Father!  You of all people should understand that!”

“Rose, compose yourself.  I am not doing this because I wish to.”

“I don’t care about that,” I stand abruptly, head spinning, “I’m not going to be in a team.  Not now, not ever .”  Before he can respond, I flee the courtyard, seeking refuge in my room.

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(Wu’s POV)

I remain in the courtyard until night has fallen, hoping that with time, she will have calmed, and perhaps the arrival of her preferred time, night, will have helped as well.  It’s with a heavy heart that I reflect on the conversation, moving inside and towards my daughter’s room.  I truly hadn’t wished to ever need to break that news to her.  A part of me had hoped that Garmadon would remain in the Underworld, that he wouldn’t make a move for the Golden Weapons…but no such luck.  Destiny was never kind to our family; I couldn’t possibly expect it to change its mind now.

I reach Rose’s room and stand in front of the door for a brief moment.  Heavenly Father, I beseech you, ease her mind and be with her throughout this time that will certainly test her, will certainly be a burden and trial.  Help her to accept what must come to pass, and so soon.  Tomorrow I leave to seek out the Master of Earth…by then she will need to accept it.

Sighing, I lift a hand and knock, before sliding the door open.  My daughter lies on her bed, back facing me.  I find it doubtful that she would be asleep now, but I close the door anyway, closing my eyes.  I truly am sorry, daughter…

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(Rose’s POV)

I run up to a boy with jet black hair, a peculiar green streak running through it, “Morro, wait up!!”

He pauses and turns, grinning when he spots me hurrying up behind him.  I smile back, “Where are you going?  Can I come too?”

Something in his green eyes shifts, but his smile doesn’t waver, “No, don’t worry about it.”

“When are you coming back?”

“I don’t know.”

I blink, “What do you mean by that ?”  The wind blows a bit harder, the Monastery darkening.  Suddenly I feel like both of us aren’t kids anymore, but at the same time he still looks like he did the last time I saw him.  “Morro, where are you going?”

His face is suddenly overcome by fury, “I’m going to prove that I’m the Green Ninja!”

“But you’re not!  That path is destined for someone else, why do you have to insist it’s yours?!” I frown, “You don’t need to be the Green Ninja.”

“You don’t get it,” he growls, “You probably never will.  But I am going to be the Green Ninja if I have to destroy the world to get there!”

“Morro, no!”  A particularly strong gust of wind blows my words away, whipping my hair about my face as the Monastery disappears, replaced by a desolate mountainous terrain.  Morro disappears.  I spin in a circle, searching for him, or something else, I’m not certain what, when a scream splits the air.

“ROSE!”

I whirl, running towards my best friend’s voice, then see him hanging onto a cliff, but slipping, “Morro!  Hang on!”  I slip down to the cliff’s top and lay on my stomach, reaching out for him, “Come on!  Grab my hand!”

He looks at me for a second, his expression indiscernible, then starts to reach up.  I bite my lip.  He hits my hand away, his features contorting into a scowl, then he pushes off.

“NO!  NO, WAIT!” I scream, but he just smirks, not the playful one that always came before a mischievous move or sassy comment, but one I don’t recognize, don’t like.  “MORRO-!”

I sit bolt upright, gasping.  My heart hammers against my chest, and the cold, mountain night air makes the hot sweat on my forehead and hands cool down.  Some of my hair sticks to my forehead and face, I brush it away, taking a deep breath and hugging my knees to my chest.  Groaning, I let my head drop onto my knees.  It’s been years.  Okay?  That was just a dream, just a nightmare.  None of that ever happened.  He never did all those things.

.

.

.

.

.

.

But he did leave.

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Come morning, I remain in bed much longer than I would normally.  I had barely gotten any good sleep last night, so here I am, staring at the rafters with droopy eyes, a heavy heart, and the overwhelming sense that I’m living out a nightmare in real life.  How could he even do this to me? the question takes on a hopeless and tired tone.  I don’t reply to myself, not trusting my own thoughts.

Figures that as soon as I’m happy, destiny decides to tear my world apart for the…I don’t know… Eighty thousandth time????

.

.

.

.

.

Okay, so maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration… I admit to myself, forcing myself to sit up, pushing my unruly black curls out of my face.  Who knows, maybe that was all a bad dream anyway, and I just imagined that happened.   I stubbornly ignore the part of me pointing out that what Father had told me was very real.  My necklace slips out of my jinbei top when I straighten.  I clasp the pendants and put it underneath the neckline again without a second thought.

Releasing a small breath, I move to the door and slide it open.  I silently make my way down the hall, the late morning light filtering through the paper doors.  I reach the dining room and…yep, Father already made his morning tea.  I pour myself a cup and sip it, moving to the kitchen.  A small pot of steamed rice rests on the primitive stove.  I scoop some into a bowl and grab some chopsticks before taking my breakfast to the table and sitting down on the bench to eat.

A part of me wonders where my father is, normally he would remain here until I woke, but most of me is just relieved to have a bit longer to process.  I still don’t want to believe what he said was true.  I don’t want to believe he was telling the truth yesterday.  I can’t go through that again.  The last friend I had…Now he wants me to be part of a team …?

I finish my rice and tea, wash my dishes up and put them away, then go in search of my father.  Might as well get this over with now instead of later.   I approach his room and knock on the wood.

“Come in, daughter.”  I push open the paper sliding doors, letting my gaze wander around the room.  The walls are also paper.  Opposite the door is a wooden closet.  In the left wall is a window, but it’s currently screened.  Against the other wall is a small, red cabinet where he keeps the last Sacred Flute.  In the room’s center sits a small, orange seat cushion, and a small table with a teapot, cup of sugar cubes, and teacup sitting on top.  Hanging from the wooden beams that hold up the roof is a black lamp.

I can’t put it off any longer.  I force myself to look at my father, registering that he is just finishing up packing a small bag.  I hesitate, “Father?  What are you doing?”

He sighs, straightening and turning to me, “I am going in search of the Master of Earth.”

I tense up slightly, “So…you meant it.  You’re really putting together a team…”

“Yes.”

That’s it… I realize, He’s actually serious about this…   I feel like the training course just hit me in the chest full force.  I look away.

“I shouldn’t be gone long,” he picks up the bag and his staff, approaching me and placing a hand on my shoulder, “I do not know how long exactly it will be, but it should not take too long.”

“And when you get back…?”

“I’m going to let you do this on your own terms,” he replies simply, “I won’t speak a word of you to any of them, and I’ll let you reveal your part in this however you wish, but you will have to be a part of this.”

I chew the inside of my cheek and nod, not sure I can speak.  He pats my shoulder and smiles slightly, “I think things will turn out better than you realize.”

As we walk to the gate, and he starts down the mountain, I can’t stop my mind responding bitterly, There was once a time I thought nothing could tear my life apart.  But then it was.  In my experience, ‘friends’ and I do not mix.

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I try not to worry as the days stretch on, and my father doesn’t return.  After all, he did say he was uncertain how long exactly he would be gone, merely that it shouldn’t be overly long.  I suppose I should enjoy the time I have before he returns with the Master of Earth the best I can, but it’s difficult.  I can’t stop worrying about this whole thing.  I can’t even pass time away training, singing, dancing, or reading.  Training doesn’t feel the same without my father there, and everything else doesn’t seem like it passes time as well as it did before, and after a while, you run out of chores.  I come to the realization that the Master of Earth should probably have a room to stay in, so I spend one day cleaning out one of the spare bedrooms and making it livable .

I also spend time musing over how many people I’m suddenly going to be in a team with.  Four other people who I’ve never even met.  It’s been years since I’ve even seen anyone other than my father or the villagers whenever we go to Jamanakai for food.  Not long after Morro had left, Father gave up teaching his other students in a sort of despair.  After all, the young Master of Wind hadn’t just been my best friend, Father had treated him like a son, though he never adopted Morro the way he adopted me.  I’m not the only one who was affected when Morro left.

I shut down my train of thought in irritation.  I’ve managed to keep my thoughts away from that for years.  I can keep doing that.  Just because some four random people are going to be invading my life doesn’t mean I have to lose focus.  So stop thinking about that.

I put down my cup of tea and push my miso soup away.  Suddenly, my appetite is gone.

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It’s been two weeks.  I twirl my right sai.  Two weeks since Father left.  The other sai knocks down the dummy.  Two weeks since he started the search for the Master of Earth.  I flip up and over, landing on a pole and using the momentum as it shoots up to flip over the rest.  Two weeks of uneasy fear and worry churning in my stomach at every time of day and night.  I release a frustrated shout and storm off the training course, pushing the button to deactivate it.  In this mood, I’ll only end up wrecking it.  I need to calm down.

I sit down, crossing my legs and closing my eyes.  Attempting to clear my mind, I try to ground myself, bringing my focus to the cobblestone beneath me and the air cooling my hot face.  There’s no sound but the occasional breeze and distant bird for a long time, and then I hear something.  A voice.  Two voices.  The first is unfamiliar, but the second…

“A monastery…?”

“The Monastery of Spinjitzu, yes,” my father responds.  I hold back a gasp, leaping to my feet.  I grasp the roof’s edge and flip up and over, hiding behind it as the gate creaks open.  I press a hand against my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.  It’s happening.  This is actually happening.   I feel like I’m in a bad dream that just reached the worst part.

“But aren’t monasteries places of peace, Sensei?”

“Yes, Cole.  I do not expect you to fight here, understand…Here is where you will train .”

A brief second of uncertain silence follows before the boy responds, “Um…but how?  How do I train here?”

Finally I manage to calm myself enough to turn and just barely peek over the top of the roof.  A teen boy with shaggy black hair and bushy eyebrows looks around the Monastery courtyard.  He’s wearing some climbing shorts and has a cloth or something draped from his shoulder to his waist, and a knapsack is slung over his shoulder.  I wouldn’t be surprised if my father made him climb up the mountain instead of use the stairs.  He looks like he could handle it though.  The guy seems somewhat confused, also a bit curious, but his mostly neutral expression makes it difficult to tell for certain.

I duck down again, deciding I’ll just listen instead of watch, still a bit startled by their sudden appearance.

“First…show me what you can do.”  I hear my father activate the training course.

“Wh-” Cole breaks off as it appears, “Whoa…”

“Now, go through the training course, then I’ll let you get settled in.  I could use a cup of fresh tea after that journey,” a hint of humor laces his voice.

The amused tone Cole takes on next tells me he’s already caught onto my father’s obsession with tea, “Yeah.  Okay.”

“Here.”

“A…a stick.”

“A staff.  Use it to help you get through the course,” is all Father offers by way of explanation.

“Alright…”

“Begin.”

Cole starts to move through the course, but I can’t really tell how well he’s doing since all I can hear is the training course whirring, and him trying to get past.  Though, since he wasn’t smacked off right off the bat, I guess the guy’s not doing terribly.

I put my head in my hands, letting my mind wander until my father’s voice brings me back to the present, “Hm, well done.  But you rely too much on strength and brute force.  You will need to learn to pay more attention to your feet and to control that strength.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

I smirk slightly, That’s Father for you…he doesn’t sugarcoat things.

“Come.”

The doors slide open and closed.  I let out my breath, closing my eyes and leaning back.  There is no way I’m gonna be able to do this.  Well…this is going to be………interesting…I guess… I give myself a shake and stand, silently walking along the roof until I reach the trapdoor.  It blends in with the rest of the roof perfectly, and right now, I’m quite glad me and Morro had accidentally discovered it once long ago.  It’ll make it much easier to sneak around with this plan brewing in my mind.  I spot the shingle that’s just a tad brighter than the rest and press it.  The trapdoor opens.  I lift it up and climb onto the rafters below, then pull it closed behind me.

I slip through the rooms until I’m next to the one I got ready for the others, concealed among the shadows as I peek in.  Cole looks at the three beds as the pair enter, “When are the others going to come?”

“It won’t be long, but I’ll give you a start on training before going for your teammates.”  Is it just me, or did Cole seem to relax a little? I wonder briefly, before less patiently wondering when my father will leave Cole so I can speak with him.

“Oh,” the teen places his knapsack on one of the beds, “Alright.”

“Ah, and Cole…” Father pulls out a thin rectangular box, “This is your ninja gi.”

The dark-haired boy takes it, but doesn’t open it right away, staring at the box with an unreadable expression, “Thank you, Sensei.”

My father nods and leaves the room.  Finally .  Without a second glance at my teammate-to-be, I travel to his bedroom.  He’s already made it there, and is sipping some tea while studying some notes.  I jump down behind him.

Father turns and smiles gently, “Daughter.  It is good to see you again.”

“I’m glad you returned safely,” I reply softly, “and…that you succeeded in your purpose.”

He shakes his head, eyes dimming slightly, “Yes, I have, but I am beginning to believe it may be a bit more difficult to find the rest than I expected…”  I do not ask why.  He changes the subject, “When will you-”

“Reveal myself?” I look to the side, not wanting to meet his gaze, “I…I’m not going to.  Not until the last minute…I just…I’m still not okay with this whole thing and…I still need to get used to other people even BEING here before interacting with them.”

“You are putting it off,” it’s not a question, or an accusation, merely a statement.  However, his voice fills with disappointment.

“Yes,” I reply firmly, refusing to let myself feel guilty.  After all, he’s letting me play this on my own terms, just as long as I actually do become part of the team, and the fact is that I’m just not ready for this.  I’m not sure I’ll ever be, but at the most I can leave off needing to interact with them for as long as is possible.

“How will you hide from them?” Father questions, raising a brow, “You will all live in the same Monastery, after all.”

“If I’m going to be a Ninja, I’m going to need to be stealthy, right?” I point out, allowing a small smirk to slip onto my face, “I think I can hide.  We both already know I can fight, after all, consider this a test of stealth.”  My father nods slowly; he knows I’m not wrong.  I’ve never had to be stealthy before, unless I was playing a hiding game with someone.  This will be a good chance to practice that, as well as challenging.  And I never say ‘no’ to a challenge.

“Fine then,” he sighs, “I will be helping Cole begin his training for a week, but then I will go in search of the Master of Lightning.”  I nod.  “I cannot say how long it will take…It certainly took me longer than I expected to find Cole, but one can always hope that I will not be gone long.”

“Of course,” I smile slightly, sitting down next to him and looking at the notes scattered across his little table on top of a map of Ninjago.  “What’s that?”

“It has been years since I was in contact with the other Elemental Masters,” my father sighs, “but this is where they were living the last I was aware of.  Lilly, the last Master of Earth, had settled in Baketsu with a man named Lou Brookstone.  Cole is her son, but he…was not at home.”  He falls silent for a moment.  I watch him silently, not probing for the reason, but a little tendril of curiosity slithers into existence.  I stamp it down.

“Anyway,” Father gives himself a shake, the troubled shadow leaving his eyes, “the last Master of Lightning, Libby, settled down with a movie actor, Cliff Gordon, around here,” he taps a small forest on the map, “The next Master of Ice lives in the Birchwood Forest, and the next Master of Fire and his sister live in Ignacia.”

“So you’re going to look for the Lightning Master next,” I confirm.

“Yes.  But like I said, I’m going to start Cole off right first,” he nods.  Footsteps come down the hall, so I quickly flip up to the rafters and make my way to my own room as Cole knocks on my father’s door.

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The next few days, I wake up to breakfast sitting in my room.  Thanks, Father.   It would be interesting to figure out how to hide from Cole if we were both eating in the dining room.  Of course, that would be an interesting challenge.  I spend less time training now, and more time watching the training from the roof.  I also spend a lot more time reading or quietly dancing in my room to pass time.  No singing.  After all, the walls aren’t exactly soundproof.  It’s interesting to watch my father teach again at any rate.  He doesn’t train Cole quite the same way he trained me, Morro, and his other students.  He’s a bit less…….hard?  Well, he makes Cole work as hard as we did, but he’s not quite as stern as he used to be.  I wonder if it’s because he thought that was a mistake or if there’s something else to do with it.

Cole spends a fair bit of time trying to beat the training course, but Father also teaches him to control his strength as he fights, and helps him with his footwork.  He even spars with Cole one day, and wins, but I don’t think any of us expected Cole to beat my father on the first try.

The last day they’re just meditating, so I end up sitting on the roof and reading a scroll.  I’ve started to actually like it up here.  I can feel the wind better than when I’m inside the Monastery walls, and it feels like…a place I could get away.  I don’t know why I never came up here before.  I should have.  I’ve really been missing out…   I open my scroll about the Serpentine Wars.  If I’m going to be in a team made of Elemental Masters, I may as well study previous ones, right?  And the most recent was the Elemental Alliance, which, granted, consisted of more Elemental Masters than are gonna be in the team, but it’s better than nothing.  Forty years ago…my own father and uncle fought in it before he turned evil.  I still remember that night…peeking out the door as they clashed in the night.  Father struck Uncle Garmadon into the Underworld…that was the last time I ever saw him.  Or Aunt Misako.  She had left with Lloyd, my cousin, the day after.  We only got one letter from her since, saying Lloyd was at a boarding school, and she was working her arms off.  Lloyd I’ve seen a few times since, just brief visiting the boarding school, but it’s not often.  The last time I saw him was months ago.  I hope he’s doing alright…  His big dream is to be exactly like his father, an evil lord intent on taking over the world.  Not exactly the best dream job in my opinion, but I suppose that’s what happens when you grow up in a school called ‘Darkley’s Boarding School for Bad Boys’...  Yet, even in that place there’s still good in him.

He’s actually genuinely a sweet kid, when he’s not trying to be evil and therefore being kind of a brat.  I just wish he could have some better guidance than what he gets at that place.

With a start, I realize my mind had drifted before I even started reading.  All this uncertainty about the team is making me scatter-brained… I grumble, focusing on the words.

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I watch from my selected perch on the roof as, for the second time, my father leaves the Monastery.  Cole leans against the gate, eyes also locked on him for a moment.  Once my father rounds the bend, he sighs and goes back inside, pushing the gate closed.  Well, now begins the test to see if I can keep my presence a secret to someone living in the same place…

Cole turns on the training course, and begins to go through it.  A couple times I notice him trying to utilize some of what my father has taught him already.  At least he’s taking this seriously, I figure.

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It takes me a fair bit of thinking to figure out how to get myself food without him noticing anything.  After a while, I decide to just have occasional small snacks whenever I feel hungry.  There’s enough in the fridge that he shouldn’t notice if something goes missing.  And if I feel particularly hungry, I guess I could risk swiping anything he makes, or try making something myself at night.

I have to admit though, that whatever he made for his dinner tonight, smells terrible .  I think it burned.  Actually, looking down at the pot from the rafters, I’m not entirely certain what he was trying to make.  Is that… rice ?

I glance towards the dining room.  Cole’s back is to me.  I swing upside down and pluck a few of the charred grains.  I hesitantly taste them, and just barely contain a gag.  If it was possible for something to taste like gooey ash, this is it.

How in the sixteen realms is that even possible? I wonder, heading back in the direction of my room, And how can he even eat that??

I am definitely sticking to making my own food after he goes to bed.  Probably just an easy to make (and quiet to make) salad.  At any rate it’ll get this awful taste out of my mouth.

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The next day is rather monotonous.  If this continues on, I’m probably going to end up memorizing every single scroll my father owns.  On the plus side, there is one way to pass the time.  I’ve discovered it’s rather enjoyable to run an internal criticizing commentary on Cole’s training.  Yes, I know I’m leagues ahead of him and probably the others too.  Yes, I know he’s actually quite good for a beginner.  Am I still bitter over the whole team thing?  Yes.  Am I being unfair?  Probably.  Am I letting that stop me?  No way.  It gets boring after a while when you have next to nothing to do and no one to talk to, so I’m taking every bit of entertainment I can find.

Sorry, Cole, I apologize, still not regretting it in the least.

It takes every ounce of willpower in me to not fall off the roof cackling when the poor guy tries to flip over a sword but ends up faceplanting into a pole.  From experience, I know how painful that can be, but I have to admit, it looks hilarious when you’re not the one doing the faceplant.

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A few days later I’ve run out of things to criticize.  Except for his cooking.  Somehow he managed to turn vegetables into………a mess deserving of the name ‘glop’.  Actually, I think it’s some sort of cross between vegetables and porridge…or…something.

Anyway, I could continue criticizing his training, but I’d be going in circles.  I realized I was doing that halfway through yesterday, and that kind of took the fun out of it.  So now I’m back to scrolls.  Scrolls on the roof, scrolls in my room, scrolls, scrolls, scrolls.   By the end of the second week, I bet I beat the world record of hours spent reading scrolls.  I already have one of them memorized.  The whole.  Roll.

I let the scroll drop from my hand to the floor in boredom.  Wonder what earth boy is up to…if he’s cooking again then I’m going to just give up on life and die because it should be illegal to be that terrible at cooking.   I hop up to the rafters for what feels like the one thousandth time.  At this point it feels like they’re my personal hallway.

I make it to the room next to Cole’s and glance in.  He’s sitting on the floor and leaning against the bed he claimed as his, a sketchbook in his hand.  The drawing on the paper is actually…surprisingly good.  It’s a woman’s face, and I can see a resemblance to Cole, so I guess that’s his mother.  Lilly, was it?   In any case, I slip away again, feeling like maybe there was a story there that was meant only for certain ears and eyes.

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Four weeks…

How I managed to survive four weeks like this, I’ll never know, I cock an eyebrow at the two figures finally approaching the Monastery on the stairs.  I ignore the tiny part of me that mentions I did a whole lot more meditating in the last two weeks.  I’ll admit, though, the Master of Lightning looks very different from Cole.  For one, he looks smaller, and not quite as fit.  That’s the wrong way to put it…  I wouldn’t guess he was a mountain climber.  That’s better…   I’m not entirely sure what it would be called, but…he looks like he’s wearing a sort of one-piece suit that’s not zipped up the whole way.  Not like a onesie, that would automatically place him in the ‘weird people I don’t want to strike up a conversation with’ category.  His hair is short, straight, and reddish-brown in color, and he seems to be talking a lot .  Much unlike Cole, who didn’t say much when he first came here, and nothing since Father left.  Unless he’s been talking to himself.  I wouldn’t blame him if he was.  I’ve been sorely tempted to strike up a verbal conversation with myself just to pass time.

“Phew, these are a lot of stairs, how many exactly are there-  You know, it would be a lot easier to get up here if there was an elevator or something, did you ever think about that?  This is exhausting, and whoa we are SO HIGH UP -  Hey, I wonder if my invention would work better here since there aren’t so many buildings to cr-”  The new boy finally looks up and notices the Monastery of Spinjitzu, “WHOA.  Is that a monastery ?!  I’ve never been to a monastery before, what’s it like-”

“Perhaps, Jay, you would get to see if you would cease gawking and keep walking,” my father remarks with a chuckle.

“ Ohhhhhh , yeah, that’s a good point,” Jay pulls a suitcase up the rest of the stairs, giving it an annoyed look and mumbling something under his breath.  I raise my eyebrows and just change my position so he doesn’t see me if he looks up, and so I can see into the courtyard that they are now entering.

Cole is in the middle of control training when they enter.  He pauses, looking in their direction, then bows, “Sensei Wu.  You’re back.”

“Yes, I am.  I apologize for how long it took to return,” Father gestures to the auburn-haired boy next to him, “Cole, this is Jay.  Jay, this is Cole.  As you two are to be teammates, I hope you will both make an effort to get along.  I’m going to go make myself some tea.  Cole, help Jay settle in.”

“Yes, Sensei,” Cole nods.  He turns to the doors, motioning for Jay to follow.  I jog along the roof and slip into the trapdoor.  It would seem that Jay began talking again as soon as the door was closed.  I conceal myself in the rafters and watch in mild amusement as the two boys enter the room.

Cole’s expression is neutral, while Jay just animatedly chatters behind him, “-long have you been here, anyway?  Is it cool being a Ninja?  This place is awesome, I mean, that training course-  How does it work?  Is it always just there like that or is there some way to move it out of the way so it’s not crowding the space?  Is that a ninja suit?  Is it comfortable or is it too itchy, cause if they’re itchy then I don’t want one.  Wait, am I getting one?”

“It’s a gi…” Cole corrects absently, “And no, they’re not itchy…and I think you’re getting one…You’re gonna be a Ninja, right?”  He shrugs.

“Well…yeah, that’s true,” Jay pushes his suitcase against a wall.  Cole raises an eyebrow.  The smaller boy flushes, looking away, “Oh, uh…my parents…if the house could’ve fit they would’ve made me pack it too…”

“Oh,” Cole leans against the wall.

Jay shakes his head, opening the suitcase to unpack, “A-anyway, you never ans-”

I decide that Father probably finished brewing his tea and retreat before my ears can start ringing.  I think that’s the most I’ve heard anyone say in one breath in my entire life…

Father enters his room just as I drop down from the wood beams.  I hesitate, “I thought it would only take a couple days…?”

He sighs heavily, “So did I…but there were complications I could never have predicted…and…he was living in the Sea of Sand when I finally did find him.”

“In the-” I blink, “Okay…”  As my father takes a sip of tea, I awkwardly add, “Does he…normally talk this much?”

“Yes,” he affirms, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement.

“Oh…” Well, that’s fun.

“He is not so bad once you get to know him,” my father assures me.  I nod, That’s assuming I even want to get to know any of them…

My father rubs his head, “I will not be staying long…the delay…I need to go after the Master of Ice as soon as possible.  I’ll stay for two days, see if Cole has improved and what Jay is capable of at the moment, then set him on the right track…”

“You can’t stay any longer?” I ask.  Despite my attempts to sound indifferent, some of the grief that made its home in the pit of my stomach leaks through anyway, and my shoulder sag a bit.

My father pulls me into a rare hug.  I release a breath and cling to him, burying my face in his shoulder.  A fresh, marine aroma from his tea hovers in the air around us, helping to clear my head somewhat.  “I missed you…” I mumble, blinking the tears back.

“And I, you,” he replies, placing a hand on the back of my head, “I hope you know that I did not want any of this to happen.”

“I-I know…” I breathe in shakily, “I know.”

He pats my back before I pull away reluctantly, “Do not fear, I will try not to take as long when I go in search of the Master of Ice.”

I nod, swallowing the things I wanted to say about worry clouding my mind every night since time had started to stretch on, and he didn’t return.  The things about wishing desperately he’d never started to put a team of Ninja together.  The prayers I sent up every night, hoping he was safe and I hadn’t just lost the last person still present in my life.

I swallow all of that as he pats my shoulder, “I should have Jay run through the training course before night.”

“Of course,” I bow my head.  He watches me for a silent moment before turning to the door and leaving the room.

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I stare up at the dark ceiling.  I thought it would be easier to go to sleep when Father returned, so I knew he was okay and nothing had happened, not that I doubt his abilities.  As it turns out, it is not easier.  It’s just as difficult.  It may just be the fact that I’m still not used to hearing Cole’s snores even across the Monastery, or it could be that I’m unsettled by Jay’s…everything, or it could be that Father will be leaving again in two days and I’m getting tired of him just…not being here.

Even when not directly interacting with my teammates-to-be, their presence is still overwhelming.  Cole’s wasn’t as difficult because he was quiet and collected, but as soon as Jay arrived, it felt like silence was an illusion.  …So maybe that was an exaggeration…and maybe I’m being a little unfair because I’m just not used to loud people.  The kind of person who can walk into a room and just their presence feels like trumpets announced their arrival.  I’m not used to that kind of person.

That said, Jay doesn’t seem like too bad of a person, it’s mostly his loudness and constant curiosity about everything that puts me on edge.  I’m not sure I could even try to talk to him comfortably unless there was a wall separating us so that I could breathe.

He does seem to learn pretty quickly.  While he definitely did not get as far as Cole the first day on the training course, he was fast and picked up on things easily.  He was surprisingly good at dodging, though he fumbled quite a bit if he went on the offensive when sparring with Cole.  His footwork was impressive, I’ll admit.  Once Father demonstrated, he seemed a natural.  He’s just a little too timid to go on the offensive and be comfortable with it yet.

Even so…the stark contrast between him and Cole just threw me off.

I turn over, trying to find a position I can fall asleep in, but no matter what I do or how late it starts to become, my mind just doesn’t shut off.  I huff and get off the bed.  Jumping, I grasp one of the rafters, haul myself up, and make my way to the trapdoor.  I push it open and climb outside.  Shutting it behind me, I lie down on the sloped roof and stare at the stars.  Because of how high the mountain is, we’re past the clouds, so there are always clear skies, revealing the thousands of diamonds twinkling in the heavens that stretch on forever.

I manage a weak smile as I whisper a prayer, “...At least You’re always there…at least I have one constant to lean on…but…everything is so different now and…well…I don’t know, everything is so confusing right now?  I don’t know what to do or how to act or what choices to make or…anything.  I-I just…if I ever needed You, it’s now…I really need help…I’m scared.”  I let the confession hang in the air for a second before gathering the courage to repeat it, “I’m scared, Lord.  I don’t know what to do…”

I don’t know what I expect, I know He’s not going to just make Cole and Jay disappear from reality for me, and I know He has a greater work in mind; He always does, and there always is.  But sometimes I wish that it could coincide with what I want.  “I…I don’t know what Your plan is…” I manage after a while, “but…I trust You.”  Even though nothing’s really changed…my heart lightens.

I stare up at the stars, not really seeing them as I murmur, “Thank you.”

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Father stares at me for a beat, “You…are going to pretend to be a boy?”

I nod slowly, “That’s what I said, yes.”  I know I felt better yesterday, but I also did a lot of thinking before I could fall asleep, and decided that when I do have to reveal myself, they shouldn’t know that I’m a girl.

My father, however, seems to think I just lost my mind, “Why…?”

I sigh, “I have my reasons, Father.  I promise .  They’re good ones too!  But right now, you have to go search for the Master of Ice.”  I hand him his pack, “Zane, was it?”

Father takes the pack, shaking his head, “Yes…Alright.”  I smile slightly as he leaves the room.  I promise, I’ll tell you my reasons when you return.

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Jay spits out whatever dinner was supposed to be this time, a horrified look on his face, “Eugh!  Wha-”

Cole blinks at him, then seems to accept the reaction without wondering why and continues eating.  The Lightning Master stares at his fellow ninja in shock, “How are you-  Okay, no offense, Cole, but this is terrible…How are you even eating it?!”

He shrugs, “I’m used to it.”

Jay falls silent for a second.  I have to admit, watching their interactions is an entertaining way to pass time, even if Jay is loud.  Though it also helps me get used to the fact that he is a talkative person without needing to be the person he’s talking to yet.

“Okay, wow, uh…” Jay taps his chopsticks against his plate uncertainly, “Right…”  Another awkward moment of silence passes before he bursts, “I’m gonna be cooking from now on, okay?  At least till Wu gets back.”

Cole shrugs, “Um, okay?  Why don’t we just take turns?”

Jay looks at the shiny blackened substance in front of him, paling, “...Why don’t I just cook till Wu gets back?”  The other ninja simply shrugs again, picking up his emptied plate and going into the kitchen.  Jay hesitates, then peeks into the adjoining room to see if Cole’s watching, then scurries to give the nearest plant the ‘food’ on his plate, and goes after his teammate with as innocent of an expression as he can muster.  I shake my head.

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“What?!  They made me pack him!!”

Trying not to release a snicker, I vault up to the rafters to see what happened this time.  Cole is trying (and failing) not to grin at Jay, who’s holding a blue stuffed animal behind his back, “Yeah, okay, whatever you say, Jay…”  I smile slightly.  When Cole turns his back, Jay rolls his eyes, mouthing random noises as he hides the stuffed animal under his pillow.

The Master of Earth turns the light off shortly after I start back to my own room.  At least until Jay blurts out, “What do you think our last teammate will be like?!”

Cole releases a groan; I sigh, accepting the fact that I will likely not get any sleep tonight unless I sleep on the roof.

Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad, I might just do that.

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“Aw, come on!  Really?!”

My eyes snap open.  Light floods my vision; I hiss in pain and close my eyes again for a second.

“That’s the fifth time!”

I release a long-suffering breath and slowly blink my eyes open.  The sun shines cheerily, as if trying to add to my misery.  I sit up, stretching to get the crick out of my back, and peek into the courtyard in time to see Jay kick one of the pieces of training equipment.

“Ow!!” he grimaces and hops on one foot for a second.

Cole is watching with a raised eyebrow, “You know, Jay, if you would stop kicking it every time you get thrown off, you probably wouldn’t have a sore foot.”

Jay shoots him a look, “I’d like to see you do better.”

“Alright,” the black-haired boy steps up to the training course.  He gets to the ‘dodging the swords’ section before he’s knocked off, but from Jay’s scowl, I guess the Lightning Master hadn’t reached that part yet.

“W-well,” he sputters indignantly, “you’ve been here longer.”

“I know,” Cole replies calmly.

Jay frowns, but for the rest of the morning training, he doesn’t kick the training course.  Well, the rest of what I saw anyway.  Because I may or may not have gone inside to sneak myself some breakfast.

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“Jay, look, you gotta be willing to go on the offensive,” Cole finally brings that particular problem up in the middle of a sparring match, “You can’t spend the entirety of ninjahood just dodging stuff, you’ll never get anything done.”

The smaller boy grimaces, “It’s just-  It’s hard when you’re…eh…outmatched.”

Cole raises an eyebrow, “That doesn’t change the fact that you’re stuck in a rut.”  He steps back and crosses his arms, “Go ahead, you attack me first this time.”

Jay hesitates.  Cole waits.  Finally, the smaller ninja narrows his eyes and strikes.  Cole sidesteps the punch, but instead of being thrown off balance, Jay uses the momentum to turn and deliver a kick.  Cole brings his hands up too late to properly block it and stumbles back a couple steps, then grins and takes a stance.  Jay’s eyes widen in shock, then a wide smile spreads across his face, and he runs at Cole.  The Earth Master blocks the punches and kick that his teammate sends his way, but Jay slips behind him and knocks him down before Cole can turn to block again.

Cole chuckles, “You’re pretty fast.”

Jay’s triumphant smirk turns into a giant grin, “Thanks.”

I smile a little as Cole stands, They’re improving.

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“You’re not paying enough attention to your feet,” Jay suddenly says.

Cole and I both look at him.  The auburn-haired boy tilts his head, “You keep getting knocked off at that point because you’re not paying enough attention to your feet.  You’re too focused on just getting through it, not on taking it a step at a time.”  Huh…Color me impressed that he noticed.

Cole straightens, “I know what I’m doing…”

Jay holds his hands up in a surrendering motion, “Alright…”

After another few tries and fails, the first ninja sighs.  Without looking at his teammate, he asks, “Uh…so…what-what was that about…not paying attention to my feet?”

Jay seems to perk up, standing a little more alertly, “Well, when you reac-”

He shows Cole some better ways to use footwork and demonstrates on the poles.  On occasion, he corrects the other ninja.  I watch interestedly as the impromptu lesson goes on.  When Cole finally completes that section of the training course, a smile briefly flits across his face, and Jay whoops, bringing that smile back as soon as it left.

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Jay is talking.  I’m not entirely certain what about anymore, I kind of zoned out.  But he’s been talking for half an hour without stopping, and I think I’m not the only one somewhat annoyed.

Cole breaks a wood plank on accident and breathes in deeply, “Jay-  Jay , could you…uh…stop for a second?  I’m trying to concentrate.”

“-I was thinking if I angle th-” Jay breaks off, seemingly realizing that he’d been distracting his teammate from training, “Oh.  Oh yeah.  Yeah, sorry.  My bad.”

Cole sends him a grateful look before centering himself again.  Just as he starts to punch, Jay yelps, “Oh!  I wonder if it was the wing shape that was the problem-”  Cole’s concentration is broken and instead of being able to stop himself, another board is splintered.

Jay squeaks, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Cole’s voice comes out slightly strained, “I’ll just…work on that later.”

“Okay,” the smaller boy fidgets as Cole begins to clean up.  “So…”

“Yeah…?”

“What was it like when Sensei brought you here?  For me, I had to ask Mom and Dad first, obviously, or they’d freak out, but then I had to bring so much stuff, and they wouldn’t stop talking while Wu was there, and I was kind of worried that they’d say something embarrassing before we could leave, but it turned out okay.  They weren’t a huge fan of the idea of me being a Ninja at first, but then they were pretty excited about it which was a relief cause I really didn’t want to try to convince them, and now I’m here!  What about you?”

Cole tenses, “What about me?”

“What do your parents think about you being a Ninja?” Jay asks.  It was an entirely innocent question, just born out of the genuine want to get to know his teammate.  Neither of us could’ve expected how strong a negative reaction it would trigger.

Cole’s face darkens from where I can see it.  Jay, being behind him, cannot, “Cole?  Buddy?  Um, did you hear me?  You okay?”

“Yeah,” the response comes through gritted teeth, “I’m fine.”

Jay blinks, “Whoa, uh, I just asked-”

“I know what you asked,” he starts in the direction of the door.

Now Jay really looks concerned, “Wait-  Cole-  Cole, wait up-  Are you alright?  Did I say something wr-”

“What do you think ?!” Cole sends him a stony expression.

Jay winces, “Oh, I-  Sorry, I didn’t-”

“Stop, just…Stop talking, okay?” Cole turns away, grimacing.  Jay freezes.  He takes a step back, then his face turns neutral.  The Master of Earth seems to realize Jay actually complied too late and looks at him.  Jay avoids his eyes; that seems to make Cole realize that something he’d said was taken the wrong way, “Jay?”

“No, no…it’s fine,” Jay responds dully, “I get it.”  He brushes past Cole and enters the Monastery.

I sink down and stare at the sky blankly, Things are going so well…

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It’s not till later that day that I hear both their voices again.  I don’t listen in though.  This is something they need to work out on their own, and if anything private comes out, well, I don’t want to invade their privacy.  I’m just glad one of them is making an effort to fix what happened earlier.  So I continue reading.

It’s not until I hear laughter that I decide to check on them briefly.  The two of them discovered a spare room and set up something Jay’s parents must have made him bring.  I shift to see better and realize they’re playing a video game on a tv.  I shake my head.  I may not understand the point of those things, but at least they made up.

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I hear the Monastery gate open, and Jay and Cole’s cheerful greetings, “Sensei Wu!”  I jerk, falling off my bed, but shrug that off in favor of getting outside.

Sure enough, my father stands in the middle of the courtyard, returning his students’ greetings.  A tall, skinny boy about Cole’s height stands behind him, gazing around the Monastery blankly.  He’s wearing a black and white suit.  It looks warm.  His blond hair is in a flat-top hairstyle with sideburns.

“Cole, Jay, this is Zane,” Father introduces the three, “Zane, these are your teammates, Cole and Jay.”

He blinks, “Greetings.  It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”  The two ninja share a glance, but don’t comment on the formality of his speech.

“Hey,” Cole replies, nodding.

Jay’s greeting is slightly more enthusiastic, “Hi, Zane!  Come on, I’ll show you our room!  Where did Wu find you?  Do you like video games?  Are you excited to be a Ninja?-”

Zane follows the ecstatic Lightning Ninja with a mildly bewildered expression plastered on his face.  Cole sends him an apologetic smile before the doors close.  I shake my head and head inside to greet my father.

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Zane is a fast learner.  He probably had about the same level of experience as Jay when he first showed up, but all he needs to get things right is one or two demonstrations from someone who knows what they’re doing.  I’m impressed.  And from their reactions, I’d say Jay and Cole are too.

There are other things, however, that he does not understand quite so easily.

“What shoes do ninja wear?” Jay smirks, waiting.

Cole rolls his eyes, “No idea, what?”

“ Sneak ers,” is the proudly proclaimed answer.

Cole snorts, “I feel like you can do better than that.”

Zane tilts his head quizzically, “But they are called tabi.  We do not wear sneakers.”

Jay gives him a blank look, “It’s a joke , Zane.”

“A…joke?”

His humorous teammate’s jaw drops, “Wait……you do know what a joke is…right?”

Zane blinks, “Um…no.”

Cole stands abruptly, “Welp, that’s my cue to get outta here.”

A second later, I understand why he left so quickly. “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT A JOKE IS???????”

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I watch from the roof as Cole, Jay, and Zane all train together, now wielding weapons.  Cole has the scythe, Jay has nunchucks, and Zane holds shurikens.  They don’t understand the importance of the specific weapon they were each assigned yet.  That aside, they’re naturals at using them.  Cole looks like this is the one thing he’s been waiting for his whole life, Jay is having a ridiculous amount of fun trying out different tricks, even when they don’t work, and Zane, while taking them seriously, seems to be enjoying himself as well.  It’s only been a few days, but they’re already quite adept at using the weapons.

Father watches approvingly before tapping his staff on the cobblestone, “Students.”

The three instantly line up and bow, “Yes, Sensei?”

He produces three packs from nowhere, “I have one last test for you all.  You three need to learn how to work together outside of training, outside of the Monastery, and without me there to guide you.  This will teach you to rely on each other completely.”  He gives each of the boys a pack.  “You will camp in the Forest of Tranquility for an undisclosed amount of time until I send for you to return.”

I raise an eyebrow, then head to his room.  It’s not long before he enters, having sent them off.  “What about the Fire Master?” I question before he can speak.

“I am going to bring him here to train while they remain in the forest,” Father is already slinging a packed bag over his shoulder.  “Time is of the essence, and I am going to need to train him differently than I did the other three.”

“Why-”

“I do not have the time,” he interrupts me, “I promise this trip will take no more than two days, and if I have not returned with him by then, then you may worry, but I do not have the time to explain anything now.  Just trust me.”

I close my mouth and nod once.  He breathes a sigh of relief, “Thank you,” and rushes out the door.

I stare at it for a second before mumbling, “You’re welcome…Goodbye, Father.”

Chapter 2: Way of the Ninja

Summary:

Flashbacks.

The last member of the team is recruited.

Explanations.

Rose is officially going through with this.

(Rose's POV)

As I wait for Father to come back with the soon to be Master of Fire, I try to meditate or do anything to keep myself distracted from how close it’s getting to the last stage, when I finally have to reveal myself to the team and interact with them.  But it’s suddenly so much more difficult than it used to be.  I’d gotten so used to watching or listening to Cole, Jay, and Zane’s antics when I needed a distraction that it’s nearly impossible to keep my mind from jumping all over the place.  I feel my breath come quicker, realizing I’m already struggling not to let myself become attached.  I…can appreciate their weirdness without actually liking them…right?  Right…?   I can’t let myself get used to this; I just can’t.  It was hard enough the last time when it was only one person.  This is three people, with a fourth possibly on the way at this very moment.  I can’t let myself become attached or I won’t ever be able to piece myself back together again.  I’m fully aware my thoughts are beginning to lead in circles, but I decide that the mental mantra is better than whatever I had happening in my brain before.  At least it’s keeping me focused on something.

Of course, said mental mantra feels weaker each time I go over it, and when a gentle breeze ruffles my hair…?  It takes me back.  Tears sting the back of my eyes.  I put my head in my hands, allowing the memories to come.  I just want this all to be over…

I wasn’t born in Ninjago.  No, it wasn’t my destiny to be born into a world of light and laughter, like some children.  Instead, I was born in a place of darkness, a place where every speck of dirt and every breath of air was infested with evil.  I never knew my mother.  She left me and my father almost as soon as I was born.  My biological father raised me for a few years on his own, if you can call it raising.  He pushed me harder and farther than any child could ever go, made me do things no toddler could physically handle.  The first memories I have are not of warmth and smiling faces, no matter how I long to know what that would be like.  My first memories were instead haunted by grating laughter and almost constant pain.  It didn’t last, however, thank God.  He drove me away when I turned five, hoping I wouldn’t make it in the harsh world.  He had never liked me, and treated me more like a slave than a daughter.  When he realized I would be of no use to him the way he wanted, he got rid of me without hesitation.  For a whole year , I was completely alone.  I lived on the streets and outside villages.  No one ever took me in.  Any food I got was scavenged from the wilderness or stolen from vendors, occasionally I got some by begging.  Begging was a last resort however, the reason being that a child could only take so many hits and blows before vowing to keep contact with other humans to the absolute minimum.  I often went without food and water for days.  Once I fainted from lack of it.

When I woke up, though, the trees, grass, bushes, and sky were all gone.  I was in this Monastery.  The Monastery of Spinjitzu.  A man named Wu had found and rescued me.  Little by little as I was nursed back to health, he managed to pull bits and pieces of my story out of me.  Later, he ended up adopting me.  He had many other students staying there, and I soon joined them.  I enjoyed training alongside them.  It was so different from what I’d experienced before.  For the first five years of my life I had no contact with humans whatsoever, then the following year, the only contact I had with them was anything but positive.  This time though, I was engaging with other kids my own age, and for the first time in my life, I was having fun .  I was still pretty wary, but they were all friendly and welcoming and it did not take long for me to feel like maybe I’d made some friends.

But of all the boys and girls I could've been real, true, and best friends with, I bonded the most with a boy sporting jet black hair and a green streak.  Morro.  Master of Wind.  Morro and I had been the closest of best friends for all the five or six years we had grown up together.  We trained together, we played together.  We were the definition of inseparable.

Then Father told him he could be the Green Ninja from the prophecy, and it changed everything .

All Morro could think about was the possibility of being the Chosen One.  He became nothing short of obsessed with it.  All he ever wanted to do was train, train, train.  He never had time to play anymore, no matter when I asked.  In training, he was rougher than before, like I was a villain.  Once he nearly knocked me unconscious and demanded I get up and keep training.  Father had stopped him, but now I have a small scar on my hairline as a reminder of the incident.  Not long after, Morro left without telling me where he was going, or why, and without even saying goodbye.

"Father, I can't find Morro.  Do you know where he is?"  My adoptive parent turns to me with a saddened expression.

"I'm sorry, Rose, but he's not here.  He left."

It takes a moment for the full meaning of that to sink in.  "He...left?  But-but why?  I thought we were friends !"  Tears fill my eyes as my father kneels down and hugs me gently.  "Couldn't you stop him?  Where is he going?"

"No, I'm sorry, daughter.  He……didn't say."

"Why did Morro leave?" I try to deny in my mind what he’s telling me, knowing it’s true, but wishing it isn't.  Oh, so desperately wishing it was all just a cruel prank or nightmare.

He hesitates before answering heavily, "He…wants to prove he's the Green Ninja.  The Weapons have denied that he is."  My head spins, my father’s face blurring as more salty tears sting my eyes.

"The Weapons...The Green Ninja...But we're friends..." I shake my head, trying in vain to blink the traitorous liquid away, but more keeps coming.  "He didn't leave!  He couldn't!  He promised he wouldn't leave!  He promised !"  I break away from my father’s arms and run out of there.  The halls and faces blur together before I burst into the room  Morro and I used to share.  I stumble and crash into my bed, all the strength fading out of me as I shake with sobs, the sheets growing damp against my skin.  "He didn't even say goodbye...Wh-why didn’t he say goodbye-?"

A couple tears squeeze out from under my eyelids at the memory.  Another shoves it out of the way, unbidden.

"Where are you going, Morro?  Don't leave me behind!" I beg, running up to him.  Morro turns under the Monastery’s gate, his green eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Don't worry, Ro.  I'm not going far, just to get something."

Curiosity takes over.  "What is it?" I ask shyly.

"I can't tell you.  It's for your birthday tomorrow and Sensei made me promise not to ruin his surprise."

"What if you get lost?" I worry, recalling the way that I was never able to tell where I was before being found by my adoptive father.  I’d wandered aimlessly, and if I revisited the same sites multiple times, I could never tell.

Morro hugs me, his hair brushing against my cheek as I return it instinctively, "I know my way around, Ro.  Don't worry!  I promise I'll never leave you behind like you mean.  And if I ever need to, I'll always come back.  You're my best friend."  He releases me and runs down the steps, waving.  He came back.

I take a shuddering breath and wipe my cheeks.  "And then you didn't," I whisper to the air, "You promised you would.  You promised .  You said we were best friends."

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A couple hours later, after I managed to compose myself and regain my dignity, I whip up a small lunch of ramen.  Even so, I can’t bring myself to feel light.  Who am I kidding, I haven’t felt cheerful since Father said the te-   I break myself off as a tiny voice contradicts me, No, you haven’t felt truly cheerful since he left.

I lean my head on my hand, absent-mindedly stirring the noodles around in the bowl.  Be quiet, I mentally order it.  It was supposed to sound stern.  I feel myself deflate further when it sounds overwhelmingly wearied instead.

Someone screams wildly outside.  I barely pay attention to it before remembering.  The boys aren’t here.  They didn’t do that.  I push the invasive voice into a mental box and shove it into the farthest corner of my mind before standing and going to the doors.  Peeking out ever so slightly, I see my father sitting in front of the screen door, a boy lying face-down on the ground in front of him.  He shakes his head dizzily and looks up at Father.

Putting a cup on his lap, he speaks to the spiky-haired boy, "Complete the training course before I finish my tea.  Then we will see if you are ready."  The boy watches in complete and utter confusion as my father drains his cup, then looks at him stoically.  "Today you failed.  Tomorrow you will try again."  Father starts to come inside.  I scurry out of sight, still watching the brunet.

He leaps up, shocked, "Failed?!  But I didn't even start to-"  Father closes the door behind him.

" Patience. "  Father turns, catching my eye.  An amused twinkle dances in his eyes.  I smirk slightly.

Voice hushed, I ask, " That's the Master of Fire?"  My eyebrow raises, but it’s more at the odd way my father has decided to train his newest recruit than the boy himself.

"He's impatient, but yes.  He's the one."  A concerned expression takes over as he studies me.  "Is something wrong?  Did something happen while I was gone?"  He always seems to know when something has been bothering me, even when I hide it.

"Well, yes and no," I sigh, "It's difficult to explain."

"Come then," he leads me through the halls and into his room, closing the door firmly behind us both, "Now, tell me everything.  What's on your mind?"

"It's just...I’m still not sure about this whole thing…I can’t…" I falter, not entirely sure how to explain.

Father raises an eyebrow at me, “I thought we came to an agreement on it?”

"Yes but…I can’t stop…I can’t stop thinking about it," I manage to whisper, looking down, “about…about the last time…”

He immediately knows who I’m referring to.  "Hmm," he stands and goes to the window, then sighs, “I have been fighting with this myself, Rose.  He was my student after all."

"I still miss him," I confess, folding my hands and squeezing them.  "It still hurts.  The last time I made a friend, it blew up in my face, and only once we were close enough that it left a hole.  Now you want me to make four more ?  To be part of a team ?  What if that happened again?  I don't want to risk being hurt that way again, or hurt even worse."  I close my eyes, “I…I know this all has to happen for some reason but…I don’t understand why.  Why can’t we just keep going on like before?”  Father turns to me, then sits down slowly.

"I didn't get to tell you my reason for doing this before, Rose, but I will now.  The world is at stake.  My brother is…somehow in charge of the Underworld; he has been ever since I banished him, and he is searching for the Golden Weapons.  That is why I am doing this, and choosing the wielders of these particular elements.  The Elements of Fire, Ice, Darkness, Earth, and Lightning."  He pauses, gazing at me intently, sorrow flickering beneath the look, "I don't want you to get hurt any more than you do, but I'm afraid that the safety of all Ninjago must come first.  I had promised my father I would do all in my power to protect it and the Golden Weapons.  You understand, right?"

I release my breath, turning the words over in my mind.  Then I take a deep breath and square my shoulders, "Yes, Father.  I understand."

His brow furrows slightly as he adds, "What is more, Kai lost his sister only yesterday.  She was taken by the Skulkin.  This is his only hope of finding her and saving her.  Even if I could forsake my obligation as a protector of the land my father created, I couldn't refuse to help him now."  I frown.  I never had a sibling myself, but I do know what it’s like to lose someone you care about, even if it wasn’t in the same way.  Poor Kai.  He must feel awful.

Father searches my face uncertainly, "Are you still planning to pretend you're a boy?"

I nod firmly, "Just until I've proven that I can take care of myself.  It’s nothing against them, but it’s the way that God made us.  Boys tend to have an instinct to protect girls, it’s just nature.  But if we’re all going to be a team, we need to be able to trust each other to take care of ourselves in critical situations, and I don’t want to possibly cause a danger to anyone because they hadn’t gotten the chance to wrap their minds around the fact that I’m not a ‘damsel in distress’ as it were.  I have nothing against them or anyone else…that’s just the way things are."

Father chuckles half-heartedly, "I suppose that is true…but Rose is hardly a boy’s name.  Is there one that I should call you in front of them instead?"

"Roan.”  He nods.  Before he can ask any other questions, I vault up to the rafters and retreat.

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For the next few days, I find myself nothing short of impressed as Kai keeps going at the training course, simultaneously working on his swordsmanship.  While he’s nowhere near the level of my father (who is other than my uncle?), he also clearly has experience, and the guy doesn’t give up .  He barely takes time to eat or rest, and he’s getting better, despite how many times Father says he failed.  You gotta hand it to him for being determined… I shake my head, watching as the spiky-haired boy straightens from where he’d been tossed into the wall and gets right back to work.

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"Kai has finally finished the training course," Father tells me.  He seems impressed.  "His final test comes tonight.  Wake me when the other ninja arrive."

I choke on my food briefly.  That means the team will be fully formed tonight.   "Yes, Father."

He takes a sip of tea and adds, "Oh, and your new ninja gi and sai are in a box in your room."  I immediately gulp down the rest of my rice, wash the bowl and chopsticks, and make my way to my room.

Sure enough, two flat, rectangular boxes rest on my bed.

Opening the first box, I remove a pair of sai.  The metal prongs glisten in the fading light from the window.  The handles are securely wrapped in black leather.  Also inside the box are simple sheaths of black leather and cloth that will go on my back.  I spin the sai a few times, testing their weight and balance and letting myself get used to this specific pair.  I feel the ghost of a smile tug on my mouth’s corners, falling into the familiar motions and rhythms.  It’s been too long since I’d trained with the weapons.  But as my room darkens to the point that I need to light the lamp, I force myself to put the sai down and open the second box.  The gi is simple, nearly all black with the exception of the belt, which is gray.  I take a deep breath.  Here goes…everything.

I wrap my chest with the white cloth Father also stuck in the box before wrapping the black cloth over my torso and neck.  I take the gi’s shirt and pull it on as if it’s a jacket.  I wrap the right side across my torso and tie the little strings together so it stays, then I wrap the left side overtop and tie it just as securely.  I pull on the pants, pick up the belt, and tie it over top, checking to make sure the knot is secure.  I sit on my bed to tug on the tabi socks, then the actual tabi shoes over top.  Flexing my feet to get used to the new shoes, I pick up the gloves and pull them on.  I wiggle my fingers and find myself relieved that the cloth is smooth instead of scratchy.  I lift the sai sheathes from their box next.  It’s a bit of a struggle to attach them to the gi’s back, but after several tries, I manage it.  Last of all, I pick up the black mask.  After a puzzled moment, I figure out how to attach it to the back of the gi.  I wrestle my wild hair underneath the mask as I pull it on.

I turn to the mirror and stare for a moment.  I actually do look like a boy.  I barely recognize myself; I wouldn’t if it wasn’t for my dark purple eyes peering back at me.  I look away before I can decide what emotion it is swirling inside of them and inside of me.  Or maybe it’s several.  I feel completely empty, but at the same time as if a million different thoughts and emotions are creating a storm inside of me.

I shake off the intrusive thoughts before I can read into them.  I just have to remember to keep my hood on and deepen my voice a bit.  That shouldn’t be too hard, right?

Soft footsteps, nearly silent, pat across the roof over my head.  Three people.  Cole, Jay, and Zane.  I breathe in slowly.  The other Ninja have returned.  It’s time.   Grabbing my sai and shoving them in the holders on my back, I silently slip my door open and go into the hallway.  Just in time, too, as I hear the three make their way through the rafters to Kai’s room.  I silently walk down the corridor until I reach my father’s room.

Notes:

The Daughter of Darkness gallery/artbook thingy has been updated.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14w_Dn1BU6hm2lRNCfdl54iUh2yzQUas1e_xa-MUxt3A/edit?usp=sharing

(I really need to figure out how to just post pictures onto chapters..... ._.)

When Rose gave Wu her reason for pretending to be a boy, it wasn't the only one, but it was the one she kept telling herself and him. It's still true, it's just not the main reason, and it wasn't me hating on either boys or girls, in case anyone took that the wrong way. It's just part of nature that that's part of how we all in general react to things. So yeah.

Chapter 3: The Golden Weapon

Summary:

The team finally gets together, all five of them, and Rose officially goes through with her plan.

The boys are oblivious.

She's struggling to adjust.

They're all working stuff out.

Notes:

Disclaimer: The portion of the song in this chapter is not a song that I wrote.

It is a song called 'My Arms' by Ledger.

(Rose's POV)

My father nearly jumps out of his skin when I wake him.

"Don't worry, Father.  It's me," I whisper.  He shakes his head, looking me over briefly.

"Good, you’re ready," he tilts his head.  I can hear sounds of fighting and he smiles, amused.  "I had better put a stop to that before they break all of each other's bones."  I force a weak smile under my mask and follow him to the door leading in the courtyard.  My stomach is churning so badly that I feel as if I’m about to throw up.  I can’t hide my existence from the boys any longer, and it terrifies me even more now that it’s time than it did before.  I place my hand on the wall, breathing in, focusing on the wood beneath my gloved hand, the cloth against my face.  I breathe out, forcing myself to relax.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  I flex my hands, still not used to them, however comfortable the gi is.  In.  Out.  I listen to the boys fighting outside.  We reach the double doors.  In.  Out.

Before going out, my father briefly rests a hand on my head, giving me a knowing, but comforting, look.  He must have seen my fear.  In.  Out.  I nod.  He waits as I flip up to the rafters.  I climb onto the roof through the hole in the roof that must have been the result of my soon-to-be-teammates’ squabble, then I lie flat, listening and watching the scene below me.

The doors slide open to reveal my father, a stern expression schooled onto his face.  "STOP!"  The three black ninja below quickly get off Kai and bow in unison.

"Yes, Sensei."  Kai stares at them in shock, then turns to Sensei.

"Wait a minute, they're your students too?"  My father nods slightly and Kai's face brightens in realization, "This was my final test, wasn't i-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" one of the ninja throws his hands in the air.  And there’s Jay . "You never said anything about a fourth.  It's always three."  Boy are you in for a surprise.   "Three Blind Mice, Three Musketeers, Three-"

"Uh," the ninja closest to me interrupts.  Cole. "-what he's trying to say, Sensei Wu, is that the three of us have trained together.  We're solid."  So the ninja farthest from me is Zane.  Got it.  Didn’t want to mix them up with each other.

"Didn't look so solid to me," Kai folds his arms.

"I'm not adding one to your team..."  For a brief second, they all look relieved, "but two."  …And there’s my cue.   I take a last deep breath to calm my nerves, then vault off the roof and land next to Cole.  Their eyes widen; Jay squeaks.  I merely glance at them sideways, straightening.

Zane is the first to recover, looking to my father, "Master, what is the meaning of this?"  You could have changed the wording somewhat.  I feel insulted.  Then again, he’s oblivious to most social cues, so I guess I’ll let it slide.

My father points at us in turn, "Each of you have been chosen.  Each in tune with Elemental properties.  But first: Ninja, go!"  He whirls into a golden tornado and moves to encompass each of us at a time.

I focus my attention on my father when I stop spinning, tuning out the others’ exclamations of surprise when they notice they're wearing new gis.  I only briefly glance down at mine to see what color I am.  Dark purple, the secondary color black.  Nice.

I watch as Father approaches Kai, "Kai, Master of Fire.  It burns bright in you."  You got that right.   "Jay is blue, Master of Lightning."

"Heh, that's not all I'm the master of," Jay boasts.  Here he goes...  "I do a little inventing.  A dabble in model building.  A touch of cooking.  A little poetry."  Hey, motormouth, I comment internally, stealing Cole’s nickname for the ninja, I'm not listing all my talents.

Next to me, Cole sighs, obviously annoyed, "More like 'Mouth of Lightning'."  I allow myself to smirk.  My thoughts exactly, Cole.  My thoughts exactly.

As my dad approaches him, Cole quickly regains his focus, "Black Ninja is Cole, solid as rock, Master of Earth."

Cole whips out his scythe, looking between me and Kai, "Nice to meet you, kids.  I got your back, and for the record, there ain't nothing in this world I'm afraid of."

"Except for dragons," Zane calmly points out.  I grimace.  That could be problematic.

Cole interrupts my train of thought, "Dragons aren't from this world, Zane.  I said in this world?"  You wish… I see my dad going over to Zane.

"White Ninja is Zane, Master of Ice, and seer with sixth sense."  Zane spins his shurikens, then they vanish.  How'd he…?  Okay, I admit, that’s kinda impressive.

"I sense these two take things a little too seriously," Kai whispers, looking at me and Zane.  What?!  I'm just being respectful by not talking while my Father is, flames for brains!

Zane turns to look at him, "You too have the gift?"  I tune them out again as I focus on my dad approaching me last.

I feel myself tense further as he stops in front of me.  The warmth and reassurance in his eyes causes me to relax a little, however, "The Master of Darkness, Roan.  My son."  Thank you, Father.   I bow my head as he turns.

"Wh-what?" Kai's head whips around.

Jay nearly shrieks as Cole and Zane stare at me.  Cole's eyes are wide, "You're his son ?"  I nod slightly before turning my focus to Father.  Again .

"Pay attention!" Father scolds them and they quickly look at him, "You five are the chosen ones who will protect the Five Weapons of Spinjitzu...from Lord Garmadon."  My uncle.  That feels so weird and wrong.

Kai suddenly points his katana at my father,  "But what about my sister?!"  I allow myself to give him a sympathetic glance.

Jay gasps excitedly, "We're saving a girl?!  Is she hot?"  My dad raises an eyebrow at me; I roll my eyes and keep myself from sighing in exasperation.  Yep.  That right there is exactly why I'm pretending to be a boy.

"Jay..." Cole warns him, glancing awkwardly at an infuriated Kai.

"I-I just wanna know what we're getting ourselves into!" he tries to defend himself before leaning closer to Kai, "Does she like blue?"

Kai grits his teeth, "Back.  Off."  Jay snaps his mouth shut, which, I realize with a start, I can now actually see.  Actually, now that I’m paying attention, I'm the only one still wearing my mask.  Awkward.

"When we find the Weapons, we will find your sister," Father tells Kai, who still looks a little ticked.  "It is time!  We must go to the first Weapon!"

Cole steps forward, "Whoa!  Hold on a minute.  You said you were gonna teach us Spinjitzu."

"Spinjitzu is inside each and every one of you, but it will only be unlocked when the key is ready to be found," he explains.  I notice a sudden twinkle come into his eyes, "Come!  My feet are tired.  We will take the horse carriage."  He turns and goes inside.  Horse carriage?  But we don't have horses.  We didn’t even have them when I came here.  I honestly don’t know why we even still have that old thing.   Still, why the horse carriage if...   I look at the guys, then it clicks, Oh.   We're gonna pull it.

I tune back into their conversation, Jay is complaining because of course he is, "Now we have to find a key?"

I resist the urge to smack something or someone.  "Not a literal key, Jay," I tell him, disguising my voice, "That would just be weird."  They all look at me.  Oh no, did I just give myself away?  How-?

"So you can talk," Jay smiles triumphantly.  Oh.  Phew.  Wait, what?

I frown, "I'm not sure how to take that."

He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, "It was a joke , Roan.  Yeesh, you're as serious as Zane."  I huff, deciding not to reply to that.

"Aren't you gonna take off your mask, Roan?" Kai changes the subject.

Aaaaaaand there it is.   I fidget, glancing away, "I-I'd rather not."

"Why not?" Cole asks, brow furrowing slightly, “I’m not going to lie, they’re a tad uncomfortable.  At least at first anyway, we’ll probably get used to them…”

"I-..." I struggle to find an explanation, almost unconsciously walking backwards, "I can't.  I mean, I can, but I don't want to.  I could, but," I shake my head frantically and attempt to stem the panic deciding to make itself at home in my chest, What am I saying?   "I just-" The guys look immensely confused.  "I gotta go," I finish in a rush, turn, and sprint inside after my father.

My father turns as I catch up.  He blinks, then concern washes over his face, "Rose, is something wrong?"  I take off my mask as a million different things that are wrong flash through my head.

The tears come unbidden as I hide my face in my hands, "I do not think I can do this."  I didn't realize I was shaking until now.  There's nothing wrong with the guys, exactly… at least not that I know of.  I think there's something wrong with me .  I'm not ready for this yet.  I probably won’t ever be.   But none of that comes out of my mouth.

Father pushes my head up to look at him, "Daughter, you must trust in the Lord Jesus.  He will carry you through any trial you go through."  I swallow, blinking back the tears.  He's right.  I know he’s right.  I know I have to have faith.  But sometimes it’s just…so hard .

"I'm sorry, Father.  I-I know.  I will," I promise, I’ll do my best anyway.   He smiles, strokes my hair briefly, then moves into his room to continue getting ready for the journey.  Hearing someone walking up the hall, I quickly put my mask back on and take yet another deep breath.

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(Cole's POV)

"Well that was...weird," Jay remarks after Roan practically slammed the door shut.

"I agree," Zane tilts his head, "It was most strange."

Yeah…it was…   I hesitate slightly, then start towards the door.  "Just a minute, guys.”  I wonder why he reacted like that?  Well, in any case, I'm not gonna force him to do anything.  What kind of leader would do that?  A bad one.   I hesitate, not knowing where Roan's room is or where he went, then I hear voices down the hall.

"You must trust in the Lord Jesus.  He will carry you through any trial you go through," Sensei's voice carries.  Trial?  What kind of trials is Roan going through?  Ugh, Cole, you shouldn't be hearing this, you shouldn't be eavesdropping.  But I want to hear more, and anyway, I need to talk to Roan.  Eavesdropping is wrong and you know it.  Oh, great, now I'm having a conversation with myself in my head .  You're just trying to change the subject.  Ugh!

"I'm sorry, Father.  I know.  I will."  I recognize Roan's voice, but it sounds different somehow.  Maybe he took off the mask?  We always do sound more muffled with the cloth covering our mouths…  A second later, Sensei Wu passes me, heading down the hall to his room, most likely to prepare for going to the first Weapon.  He glances at me.  There’s something unreadable about his expression, but at the same time it’s not even close to being neutral.  Whatever that was passes as he disappears into his room.  I hesitate before continuing on and seeing a purple gi come into sight.  Roan's back is to me, wearing his mask.  He must’ve put it on again.

I clear my throat awkwardly, "Roan?"  He turns.  In the light, I can see the part of his face not covered by the mask a little better.  His deep purple eyes match his gi, but they look...sad?  Or worried?  "Are you okay?"  I notice a tear streak under his eyes.  He's been crying?  Why?

"Yeah, I'm fine," Roan’s gaze wanders around the hall, looking just about everywhere but at me.

I fold my arms and raise an eyebrow at him, "Really?"  His shoulders slump a little.  That’s when I realize he’s just about as tense as a bowstring.

"Well, not really.  I'm just stressed.  I've never been part of a team before.  I'm...not entirely sure how to…do people, I guess.  Don’t know how to explain it," he admits.  He seems to shrink back a little.

I recall what had caused his sudden departure from the group.  "I'm not gonna ask you to take your mask off if it makes you feel uncomfortable."  He finally looks up.  I can see relief in his eyes.

"You won't?" I can tell from the way his eyes drop that he hadn't meant for it to come out that way.

I smile at him, "Of course not.  We're all a team, so we should be trying to help each other, not the opposite.  We should respect everyone else's privacy."  He blinks, then looks up again.  His eyes soften noticeably.

"Thanks, Cole," his voice sounds a little strange, sort of twisted.

"I'll talk to the guys for you.  Kai didn't mean to make you feel awkward when he asked you to take your mask off, you know," I tell him, offering a slight smile.

"Oh, I know.  I somewhat expected it," he forces a tiny laugh.  "I just failed to prepare myself to actually give a response...It's okay."

I grin, "Well, in any case, I'll make sure the guys let you decide when you want to take the mask off, not them."

He hesitates, but nods, blinking, "Thanks a lot, Cole.  That means more than you know."  I nod.

"No problem," I turn, intending to keep my offer of talking to the others.  Before I leave, I give him another slight smile.   He just needs time to adjust.  If he’s Wu’s son, and he’s lived up here pretty much alone his whole life…I can see how it would take getting used to, just randomly being thrown into a group with four other people he’s never met.

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(Rose's POV)

I retreat into my room after Cole leaves, take my mask off, and breathe in the unrestricted air.  I really have to get used to this, considering I'm gonna wear it all the time .   I look at the door, turning what had just happened over in my mind.  I’d already lowered my guard a couple times during that conversation.

I really need to work on that.

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(Kai's POV)

How Sensei managed to rope us into pulling this thing, I'll never know.

I grimace under my mask when Jay imitates me, "'Sign me up'.  Way to go, spark plug."  Well, it's true.  I'd do anything to get Nya back.  I don’t regret it either.

I study Roan, who's running in-between me and Zane, "Did you know this is what Sensei was talking about last night?"

He just raises his eyebrows at me, "We used to have horses.  Before I came."

"That doesn't answer my question," I point out.  His silence is all the answer I need, "Ugh.  Maybe warn us next time you know something we don't."  Something flickers across his masked face.  Doubt?   I start to ask what he's thinking about when Zane interrupts.

"I sense this is some strange form of team-building."

"Just keep pulling," Cole glances back at us, "We have a long way to go."  I decide it’s probably nothing.

Changing the subject, I ask, if only to break the silence that feels really oppressing, "So, where did Sensei find you four?"

Cole looks back again, "Let's just say if it wasn't for Sensei Wu, I don't think we'd ever been seen together.  I was testing my limits."

" I was testing my invention," Jay reports proudly.  No surprise there.

"And I was testing myself," Zane humbly finishes.

I glance at Roan, “What about you?"  Roan blinks and shoots me an indignant look.  What did I do?  Oh, wait.   "No, I meant what was it like at the Monastery, not where are you from...We know you’re sensei’s son."  He rolls his eyes and doesn’t respond.  Yeesh, he's like the polar opposite of Jay.  The only thing he's said since we left the Monastery is 'We used to have horses.  Before I came.'  And at the Monastery, he hardly said anything at all.  I wonder if he even wants to be part of this team, or if Sensei forced him into it.   I decide to keep the conversation going deciding silence has gone on long enough, "You're right, if it weren't for Sensei, none of us would-"

"Shh!  Stop!" Sensei Wu orders.  We abruptly skid to a stop.  I put my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.  I’m not even sure how long we’ve been running, just that it’s been for hours, and everything is burning.  Roan just walks over to a rock, seemingly unaffected by the long run.

"Roan, aren't you tired?  Or hot?" Jay gasps, wiping his forehead before remembering his mask.  He doesn’t bother to remove it, just rubs his eye tiredly.  Turning, Roan meets the Blue Ninja’s gaze and frowns slightly, as though he doesn't comprehend Jay's meaning.  It doesn't even look like he's sweating.

"Not really.  I've been training under Father since I was, I don’t know…Six or seven?" he shrugs, "I guess I'm a little out of breath, but I've learned how to even it out.  You know, how to get it back quickly."  I stare at him for a moment.  That's probably the most he's said since we all met, and the most he's told us about himself.   But he doesn't keep talking.  Instead, he tilts his head at something beyond the large boulder.  We go over to see what it is.  Oh...the Skulkin.  They're already here.   My shoulders slump.  What if they've already found the Scythe?  What if I don't ever get Nya back?   I close my eyes for a second.  God, please help me right now.  I'm really scared for her.  I don't know where she is or if she's okay or anything.  Please keep her safe.

I look at Sensei, then feel someone's eyes on me.  Turning my head, I catch Roan watching me.  Before he turns his head away, I saw something in his masked face.  Concern, I'm sure of it this time.   He must have seen me praying.   I tune the others out, What's taking them so long?  If they're this close to the Scythe shouldn't we try to get it before the skeletons do?   I wait for another two seconds, Ugh, this is taking too long.   I flip over the rock and feel a tug on my gi.  Roan is frantically shaking his head at me.

I pull away, "Sorry, Roan, but I can't wait anymore."

I jump down hearing him hissing at me from behind, "Kai!  Get back here!  K-ugh."  I glance back in time to see him literally hit his head on the rock, on purpose.  He winces and rubs his forehead.  Weird guy.   I turn away and keep going.  Then I feel a tap on my shoulder.  I whirl, fully expecting to come face to face with a skeleton, but instead there's a purple hood and eyes staring back at me.

I yank Roan out of sight, "What are you doing ?!"

"Uh, following you," he raises an eyebrow, "What did it look like?  Like I was tightrope walking in full view of the entire Skulkin army belting out a song at the top of my lungs?"  I just manage to keep a straight face.  Oddly specific.   He gets serious, "You shouldn't be alone.  That's why I followed you.  It's too risky.  In fact, from where I'm standing, I think I should be asking you what you are doing."

"Okay, fine, just...just stay out of sight," I caution him.  I'm certain he's smirking.

"I'm a Ninja.  That's kind of the whole point of being one," Roan comments.  That’s true...   I glance around quickly, grab his arm, and race to another support beam.  Roan shimmies up it to keep from being spotted.  Peeking out at the largest tower-thing, I spot Samukai on the balcony...and a somewhat familiar bit of parchment in his bony hands.

I tap Roan's foot to get his attention and he looks down at me.  "The map!" I point, he follows my gaze and nods.  We manage to make our way to the tower without being spotted.  I cup my hands, Roan puts his foot in them, and I boost him up to a point where he can climb easily.  Twisting around, he holds his hand out, the other holding tightly to a support.  I take it; he pulls me up next to him, then we climb up onto the roof.  We look down through the hole in said roof.  Probably meant to be a skylight.  Suddenly, Roan yelps and covers his mouth; at the same time I feel someone slap the back of my head.  The others have caught up and are glaring at us.

Having slapped us, Jay hisses, "What's the matter with you?"  I hold a finger to my mask where my mouth is, then point down at Samukai and the map.  He laughs and leaves it on a table.  Jay's eyes widen, "It's upside-down.  They're digging at the wrong spot."  He's right.  That means we can get the Scythe long before they know the actual location of it.   Relief wells up inside me.

"The Golden Weapon is near," Zane shows us a shuriken attached to a rope, then uses it to grab the map without Samukai noticing.  I study it briefly, pinpointing the right location.

"There's no time to waste."  I leap down, hearing Roan bang his head on the roof like he did on the rock.

"Not again," he mumbles.  I ignore the equally annoyed noises made by the team behind me and sneak into the caves where the Golden Weapon should be.  Catching sight of an abnormally large and round boulder, dash over, and attempt to push it out of the way.

"Hey, before you race off again, you need to remember that we're a team," Cole reminds me in a hushed voice as the four catch up.

"Yeah, whatever," I breathe.  They join me, placing their hands on the boulder and straining.  Together, we're able to roll it out of the way, revealing the cave behind.  It’s illuminated by a golden glow coming off the weapon stuck in the mouth of a Dragon statue, other statues carved into the walls.  The Scythe of Quakes.

Jay shouts, "Wow!  That is so cool !"  I wince.  Great.  Now the entire Skulkin Army probably knows we're here.   I shoot him a glare.

Cole retrieves the Scythe and frowns at Jay, "Not so loud."

"Come on.  Don't be paranoid.  We're totally on the opposite side of the caves," Jay waves him off.

Roan gives him a look, "We're actually not that far away."

Jay looks like he's about to say something but Cole beats him to it, "Zip it, okay?"  Accompanying his words is a glare.  Jay stays silent but rolls his eyes.  Cole tosses the Scythe to me after wrapping it in a cloth.  I stick it in the holder on my back, switching it out for my katana.  "Now that we got the Scythe, let's sneak out while those boneheads are still busy."  Boneheads.  No kidding.

Cole turns to face us, "Alright, team.  Everyone stick together.  The way out is right around the corner."  He turns around the corner, us right behind, and finds himself face to face with Samukai, the entirety of the Skulkin army behind the general.

There’s a beat of silence, then Samukai unsheathes his four knives and grins, narrowing his eyes.  We leap into battle stances and pull out our weapons.  Or, the others do.  I’m already holding my katana.

Charging forward, we knock skeletons aside, hoping to reach the exit.  There’s so many though, that it doesn’t take long for us all to be separated.

"Two points!" I hear Jay cheer from somewhere behind the wall of skeletons that just cut me off.  Why are they all after me ?   I look at the Golden Weapon.  Oh, right.

"Kai!"  I hear Zane's voice and spot his white hood beyond the sea of skulls.  "Throw it here!"  I throw it to him and see most of the Skulkin turn their heads in his direction.

"Going long!"  Cole's voice rings out, racing past.  The Scythe flies through the air as three Skulkin jump at Zane.  I chop one of the Skulkin's arms off then back cut off its skull, which starts jumping around near my feet.  Deja vu.   I kick it away, shaking my head.  This is just weird .

"Here!  Over here!"  The Scythe sails over my head.  Roan catches it, stumbling backwards.  He blinks at the sudden tide of Skulkin after him.  I slice the legs off one, then turn and back up near Roan to give him some help.  He looks at me gratefully.  Even so, there are too many for the two of us to handle.  Scratch that, there’s too many for all of us to handle.  We’re just five people against a literal army of dead- undead? -warriors.

"There's too many of them!" I call.  Even as the words leave my mouth a sudden wave of skeletons pushes us to the point where me and Roan are fighting for our lives with our backs pressed to the wall.

"Let me handle that," Jay somehow manages to plow through the skeletons like a thunderbolt, while saying literal nonsense that I can’t even attempt to decipher.  I block a thrust aimed at an occupied Roan, then duck under a skeleton's sword.  The Skulkin take the opening and surge between us, separating us.  Roan catches my eye and throws the Scythe at me just as he disappears under or behind the skeletons.

"Roan!"  I slash at the Skulkin now attacking me.  I’m forced back far enough that I must be at least halfway across the cavern from the Purple Ninja.  I scan the cavern for any sign of a dark purple hood.  Instead, I spot a blue one.

"Hey, guys!  It's just like the training course!  Over the planks, dodge the sword, here comes the dummy!  Cha-ching!"  Glowing blue sparks rise around him before a glowing vortex of blue springs to life around him in a clap of thunder, lightning sparking from it and zapping any Skulkin unfortunate enough to be too close.

"Spinjitzu," I breathe in shock.  I’d expected it to look the same as Sensei Wu’s, which was shiny and golden, but instead it looks like this .  Jay tears through the cave, taking out startled Skulkin left and right, "Jay!  What's the key?!"

"I'm just going through the motions!" Jay shouts, "This is what Sensei must have meant when he said we already know it!"

A skeleton throws himself at me; I flip over his head, "Over the planks.”  Turning quickly, I parry a blow from another skeleton, throwing him to the side.  “Dodge the swords.”  A third skeleton charges at me, bony weapon held high, “Here comes the dummy!"  I spin, lashing out with my katana.  Heat piles up beneath my feet, a reddish-orange glow appearing, and before I know it, I’ve been encompassed by a tornado of flame.  The skeleton is thrown away before he knows what hit him.

I smirk, taking out several more.

"RETREAT!" Samukai yells somewhere nearby.  As the Skulkin turn tail, I whirl to a stop and see the brown, white, blue, and black Spinjitzu tornados around me also stop to reveal Cole, Zane, Jay, and Roan.  The Purple Ninja seems like he might be beaming beneath his mask.  Wait, did he even know Spinjitzu before now?   Being Sensei’s son I would have thought he would, but…maybe he didn’t.

"Huh!  Guess they didn't want a second serving!" Cole jokes, flexing his muscles.  Roan makes a disgusted face.  Or I assume he's making one.  "Good thing they didn't check out the merchandise in the back!"  Cole turns around; the rest of us ignore him to celebrate amongst ourselves.

"Alright!" I grin.

Jay cheers, "Woo hoo hoo!"  Roan simply exists, eyes softening slightly as he shakes his head.  Zane frowns, thinking.

"Didn't Sensei say there was a guardian protecting the Weapons?" he inquires after a brief second.  We glance at Cole, who’s oddly silent, then notice his wide, terrified eyes, and the way he’s trembling slightly.  His gaze is fixed on something behind us.  Turning, I freeze.  No way.   An enormous, reptilian creature rears up, lifting its claws menacingly and spreading its wings.  They reach to each side of the cavern, its head barely below the ceiling.  Its dark eyes narrow at us as it rumbles threateningly.

Cole's voice holds an unfamiliar tremor, "Is...that...a...That's not what I think it is.  Is it?"  Well...

"You mean a dragon?" Jay asks nervously.

"Uh, that sure looks like a dragon!" I fail to keep my internal panic out of my voice.

"It's a dragon," Roan reassures us in an oddly calm tone.  Very.  Helpful.

Zane steps back, "I sense we won't be able to spin our way out of this one."  The Dragon breathes out sand and dirt at us, roaring in righteous fury.  We jump clear, but I still stumble and fall from the force of the Dragon using its power.  Jumping back to my feet, I see the Dragon getting ready to attack again and sprint away, the others right next to me.  Its earth breath cuts us off, forcing us to turn in another direction.

"I thought Dragons weren't from this world!" Cole screams as it jumps closer, growling.

"They are!" Roan tells him, “Sort of!  It’s complicated!”

I look at him suspiciously, "Did you know about this?"

"I did," he admits, refusing to meet our eyes.

"Well why in Ninjago didn't you tell us?!" Jay shrieks.

"I forgot!" he protests.

I narrow my eyes at him, "You know, you have a bad habit of not telling us things."  I soften when I see his reaction.  The boy looks completely miserable.  It's not completely his fault.  He really did just forget.  Anyone can make a mistake like that.  Even so, there's no way out.   I look at the Scythe in my hands.  Unless I can make one.   I take the cloth off the Scythe of Quakes.

Jay grips my arm, trying to hold me back, "No no, Kai!  Bad idea!  Sensei told us not to!"  Sorry, but I didn't actually hear any of that so...

"Then you better keep your mouth shut!" I snap.  He draws back, wide-eyed.  A twinge of remorse tries to guilt-trip me, but I push it down.  First, I need to get us out of here.   I run toward the Dragon.

"No, stop!  No!" Roan's voice fills with fear.

Cole screams at me, "Kai!  DOOOON'T!"  I ignore them both and slam the Scythe into the ground.  The ground trembles, rocks falling from the ceiling.  The Dragon barely manages to avoid a large boulder.  Turning, we all take the opening to get farther away, but the Dragon pursues us, even if the boulders tumbling from the ceiling are slowing it down.  The ceiling cracks open, a crevice growing before my eyes.  Something pushes past me.

I point up at the opening, "We got our escape!"

"We'll use Spinjitzu!" Cole decides quickly.  We whirl into our tornados and escape through the opened ceiling.  When we whirl to a stop amid laughter and excited shouts, I look around, making a quick head count.

I miss a certain purple ninja, "Hold up, where's Roan?"

Cole’s eyes move to the crack in the ground that we just burst out of, "He didn't come out with us.  He's still in there."  I remember feeling something brush past me.  It was a some one .  Oh no.  He did not -!   Cole breaks into a sprint, heading for the entrance, "I'm going back in to look for him!"  Jay starts panicking and rattles off a long stream of nonsense that I don't listen to.  Zane looks worried.  I feel terrible.  Roan's still down there.  Who knows why or what could happen to him, what might already have happened to him...and it's my fault.   I'm vaguely aware of an infuriated Wu approaching us and yelling something.  Jay points at me and Zane says something that sets Sensei Wu off again.  I don't need to hear him to know what he's so worked up about.  I recognize the mixture of fear, worry, and anger.  It's how I feel about Nya, and Roan is his son .  I hang my head, wryly commenting to myself that this is why I prefer going solo.  There’s a lot less people you have to worry about.

Please, God, please please let Roan be safe.

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(Rose's POV)

When I reach Rocky, jumping up behind his wing and pressing a gloved hand to the Dragon’s neck in an effort to calm him and lead him away from the dangerous area, he stumbles back from a falling stalactite.

“Rocky, hey, hey -!  Come on, boy, you gotta work with me here,” I shout over the noise.

The Dragon’s head tilts, recognizing my voice with a confused and scared whine.  I look at the crumbling stone around us, “We have to get out of here.”  He rumbles in agreement, making a break for the only dragon-sized exits  The cracks in the ceiling spiderweb, shooting ahead of us and already beginning to crumble.

I hold on to the Dragon tightly, “Hurry, Rocky.  You can do this!”

The ceiling starts to cave in.  Rocky suddenly skids to a stop.  I pitch forward, over his shoulder, out of the corner of my eye, a tail whacks into my side, sending me flying towards the opening.  I can’t even call out to the Dragon because a stone smacks into my stomach, sending me to the ground and rendering me breathless.  My head knocks against a stone, and everything fades into black, Rocky’s roars echoing in my mind.

A faint voice begins singing, drowning out the roars.  A woman.  Her voice is a little raspy, but gentle all the same.  She sounds strangely familiar.  But I can't see who it is, or tell what direction she’s in.  Everything is pitch dark.  I can barely see my hand an inch from my face.

"When did the scars over your heart become your hiding place?  When did the stars become so dark?  You couldn't find your way.

"The light inside your eyes is fading out, but I'm not gonna give up on ya now.

"Don't be afraid!  I know you think you're on your own, but you'll be okay!  You don't have to go through it alone!

"Fall into my arms.  Fall into my arms..."  The voice fades away.

“Wait…” I manage a choked whisper, only just realizing that it feels like my chest is being slowly crushed.  “Wait, don’t- don’t g- please…stay-”  With the singer gone, the silence is as suffocating as whatever is pressing against my chest.  Two pinpricks of reddish-purple light appear somewhere above me.  They look like twin stars.  But despite their existence, I feel as if the darkness around me is becoming solid, pushing harder, harder, pulling the air from my lungs.  I gasp for air, but nothing comes.  My lungs slowly start to burn.  Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t-   My body refuses to listen to my mind, beginning to hyperventilate.  With every breath that is dispelled from my body as I begin to pant heavily, not even the tiniest bit of air enters my lungs.  My lungs are burning so badly I wouldn’t be surprised if they were on fire, and I half expect to see said fire’s light.

All too familiar laughter echoes in my ears, the darkness materializes into a hand pushing down on me and trapping me in place.  No.  No, no, please , no-

Suddenly air rushes into my lungs, a distant voice dispelling the nightmare as real, true daylight filters into my line of sight.  I can move again.

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(Cole's POV)

All the Skulkin are gone, so I head straight for the cavern we were in, keeping an eye out for any sign of a dark purple gi.  Come on, where is he?   I burst into the cavern and pull up short; the cave-in had been worse than I thought.  A huge mound of dirt and rocks greets my eyes.  I catch my breath, Lord, please tell me he's not under there.   A flutter of purple cloth catches my eye.  No.  No no no!   I run over and pull off the stones covering the smaller boy.  Roan.   He's lying unconscious.  The weight of the landslide had been crushing him.  I can't tell if he's breathing.  A distant rumble makes me pick him up and leap back.  Just in time too, a shower of rubble crashes down where we just were.  I let out a breath of relief.  That was a little too close.  I adjust my hold on him, running back out of the cave into the sunlight and setting him down.  I check his pulse.  It's there.  It's weak, but it's there.

I sigh in relief, then shake his shoulder slightly, “Roan, hey.  C’mon, buddy, stay with me.”  Roan suddenly gasps desperately and starts breathing.  He groans and his eyes blink open, wincing slightly at the sudden light and pain.  Catching sight of me, the boy sits up abruptly, eyes widening with a panicked look, then he grimaces and gingerly touches the back of his head.

"Hey," I put a hand on his shoulder gently, softening my voice in hopes it’ll help, "Slow down."  Roan looks ready to argue, but then he sighs and relaxes.  Until then, I didn't even realize he was tense.  "You okay?"  Roan looks at me for a moment, then nods.

"Y-yeah.  I'm fine.  Just a little...breathless," he shakes his head, tries to stand up, and slips, falling right back down.  I put a hand out to steady him.

"Hold your horses!" I shake my head, "You were being suffocated under a landslide , you're not exactly ready to go charging into anything.  The team's not going anywhere."

He stares at me for a brief second, then mumbles, “A…landslide?”

“Yeah.  The Scythe kinda caused a cave-in back there when Kai used it,” I study the glazed over look in his eyes, my stomach clenching slightly, “Are you alright?”

For a moment he doesn’t answer, then he nods abruptly, taking in a deep (shaky) breath, “Yeah.  Yeah I’m okay.  Just gonna probably have a lot of bruises.”

"If you say so…" I hesitate a little.  He shifts, then slowly stands up, letting himself get his bearings this time.  I straighten as well, keeping my arms at my sides, but ready to catch him if he suddenly faceplants.  “We should head back to the team.  We were worried when we realized you hadn’t made it out with us.”

Roan nods a bit, “Okay.”  I sigh, leading the way back, but glancing at him often.  He seems pretty steady on his feet now.  His eyes are distant though.  He furrows his brow at the ground, apparently thinking hard about something.  What exactly happened to him back there?   I end up shrugging it off inwardly, making a mental note to think about it later when we approach the team.  They spot us, Jay jumps to his feet, relief taking over his expression.  Zane smiles a little.  Sensei Wu strides over, placing a firm hand on Roan’s shoulder.  The father and son share a look; our teacher relaxes, his worried expression softening into a small smile.  Kai glances at Roan, guilt and relief briefly flitting across his face, then it’s neutral again.

Roan looks at him.  The Red and Purple Ninja stare at each other for a tense moment.  Roan slowly, cautiously offers Kai a nod.  Kai’s shoulders seem to lose some tension.  He returns it, then looks away.

I quietly release a breath.  I’m not sure if that was a good sign or not at this point.  I just know that as a team, we all really need to work on our teamwork.  We can’t keep running off like this anymore.  Today proved that’s only too risky.

We start heading back to the carriage.  I glance at my teammates a couple times.  The air isn’t exactly thick with tension.  But it’s not being filled with laughter, jokes, or even just talk.  It’s not a normal sort of silence either.  I’m not even sure what this is.

I guess, all I really know right now, God, is that we kind of really need Your help with something, and I don’t even know what it is.

Notes:

Here is a playlist of all the songs that were and are a great inspiration in creating this story. Some of them may show up in the story itself, such as 'My Arms', and others may not.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOb1Pk59d2WQIllG2cjE0uj7VNvcUoquu

Chapter 4: King of Shadows

Summary:

The rest of the Golden Weapons are collected by the Ninja. The Shurikens of Ice, the Sai of Night, the Nunchucks of Lightning, and the Sword of Fire.

Turns out, Rose knows the Dragons.

A scene that I inserted that really should have shown up in the Pilot Episodes because Kai literally went from not wanting to be on the team and running off without them to acting like they were all besties. AKA, a few complicated emotions surface and the team comforts him in a bonding moment, and he subconsciously adopts them all as his brothers :D

As well as all the shenanigans from the Pilot Episode King of Shadows, yay.

(Zane's POV)

I watch Roan curiously.  He's strange.  Granted, we all are, but he’s strange in a more noticeably different way.  He never takes off his mask, and he rarely talks to any of us, excluding Sensei.  But then, I would expect him to be more comfortable around his father.  And , I remember, he ran toward that dragon when we were going for the Scythe of Quakes, as if he was scared for it and not for himself.  That in itself is quite odd when it had just been attacking us.   He didn't say anything when he and Cole had returned, but he’d seemed tenser than usual, and he’d glanced back multiple times as we left.  Cole had also mentioned in undertones that the boy had been nearly flattened under the cave-in caused by the Scythe of Quakes, but that was it.  I wonder what exactly happened to him.  It doesn’t make sense that he would be near enough the entrance to survive the collapse long enough for Cole to find him when we were in that huge cavern with that Dragon blocking the way out.

In the present, Roan is sitting against the boat’s sides, sometimes looking at the floor, sometimes staring off into space.  His eyes are glazed over.  I hadn’t realized someone could look so distant.  I wish I knew what he was thinking about.

"I spy something...white!" Jay's voice breaks through my train of thought.

Cole sighs, "Could you try to be quiet for once?  This ain't easy."  The boat bumps into something, making the Black Ninja hurriedly return his focus to safely steering us through the icy waters.  Roan grasps the railing as the impact jarrs the ship and shakes his head, glancing around.

Jay groans, "I spy something broken."  Roan blinks at him for a second, confused, then turns his gaze to me.

"Did I...miss something?" he questions.

I hesitate, then decide to be honest with him, "You've missed everything that's occurred in the past hour.  Which isn't very much but…you've seemed...distracted."

"Oh," he glances at Jay, still puzzled.  Even as I watch, however, his eyes slide off the Blue Ninja and rest on the floorboards, dimming.  I sigh.

Kai shivers, rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm up.  He frowns up at where our teacher is standing on the boat’s prow, "If Sensei knows the way to the next Golden Weapon, then why isn't he steering the ship?  We've been drifting aimlessly for miles."

"Sensei's wisdom is beyond my own," I tell him.

Kai looks at Roan, "What about you?"  He doesn't get an answer.  He waves a hand in front of the Purple Ninja's face, but the boy still doesn't react.  He doesn't even blink.  Kai stares at our teammate then looks at me questioningly.  I shrug, just as puzzled.

The red-clad Ninja shakes his head, hugging himself again as he mumbles, “I’m starting to wonder if he hit his head back in the caves…”

Sensei suddenly turns, "The most powerful move in Spinjitzu can only be accomplished when all five Elements are combined."  He does a few moves, demonstrating, "Earth!  Ice!  Darkness!  Fire!  Lightning!"  I notice that now Roan is listening with rapt attention to his father.  Selective hearing?

"Uh, what happens when all of them are combined?" Jay inquires, walking down to join us on the lower deck.

Sensei turns to him, "The Tornado of Creation.  The power to create something out of nothing."  As he speaks, he moves his hands in a circle, and a teacup appears in them.  I blink.  Where did that come from?   Kai tries to imitate the positions our Sensei had demonstrated.  Incorrectly, I might add.   "No, Kai!  If done incorrectly, it will lead to disastrous consequences."  I glance at Roan, who appears uncomfortable and ready to drift off again.

"Disastrous consequences.  Right," Kai pauses for a second before continuing, just as the boat crashes.  We're all thrown to the floor.  Above us, the sails turn white, ice encasing them.

Next to me, Roan sits up and shakes his head, dazed, "Wh-what…?"

"Uh...wasn't me," Cole shrugs, coming out from behind the steering wheel and staring at the sails in bewilderment.

Kai looks at his hands, "Did I do that?"

"No," Sensei walks to the side of the boat, gazing at the shore we crashed into, "We are here."  Roan's head snaps up.  I get to my feet and join our sensei.  Ice is all I can see.  Large, icy arches similarly structured to parts of the monastery line the narrow path up to a glittering blue mountain.  Swirling clouds hang in the sky above as large snowflakes fall softly to the earth and rest there, or fall to the ocean and dissolve.  The top of the mountain seems to let off an icy blue glow that every surface seems to reflect.  If it weren’t for that light, I can guess the place would easily be shrouded in darkness.  As it is, the scene has a cold beauty.

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(Jay's POV)

Sensei chooses to stay with the ship, leaving us to climb up and hike up the path toward the Ice Temple.  I rub my hands together to warm them a bit, glancing back at the five sets of footprints left in the snow.  Not for the first time since we came to the Frozen Wasteland am I glad that these gis are surprisingly warm.  Otherwise I’d probably be a Jay-cicle.  It’s not until we’re right outside the temple that I realize how big this mountain really is.  I feel like an ant.  What, did giants build this place or something?

Surprisingly the inside of the mountain is warmer than the outside, considering the whole place is, y’know, made of pure ice .  Then I realize that it’s probably because there’s no wind.  There wasn’t much outside either, but there was enough of a breeze to make a difference.

Dotted around the temple are frozen Skulkin.

"Whoa.  Looks like someone's already been here," Cole points them out.

Roan's eyes suddenly go wild, "If they were already here, the Shurikens-!"

I grasp one of his shoulders, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down!  I'm sure that they're right somewhere around-"

"The Shurikens!" Zane interrupts me.  Roan relaxes, following the White Ninja’s gaze to the two golden weapons suspended midair and giving off a soft glow.  Above them hangs a stone-still dragon, its scales blending in with our icy surroundings perfectly, its claws sharp and a gold that matches its eyes.

Glancing at Roan, I smile under my mask, "See?  They're right there.  They aren't going anywhere.  You don't need to worry about it."  We gather beneath the Shurikens and stare up at them for a moment.

I finally open my mouth, “So…uh…how are we getting them down?”

In the end, Kai and I end up letting Cole stand on our shoulders, holding tightly to his ankles, and Cole has Zane stand on his shoulders and reach for the Shurikens.  Roan stands nearby, ready to catch it if one of us slips and potentially causes a chain reaction.  I stare up at Zane as he tries to grab hold of the Golden Weapons, or rather, at the Dragon above him, Is it too much to hope that that one is just a statue?   Zane grabs the Shurikens, and suddenly is a whole lot heavier because as soon as his hand came in contact with the gold, he was frozen from the feet to his head.  The Dragon moves.  Ice starts falling from the ceiling.  We share a look, then quickly let Cole drop and catch our frozen buddy.

“WATCH OUT-!” Roan pushes us towards the exit just as the Ice Dragon lands where we were a second before.  It would seem that it was too much to ask.  Just like that, we all seem to snap into action, sprinting away from the much larger beast which now has it out for us.  We run out the exit barely in time for the Dragon to get stuck there instead of make one of us its lunch.  By one of us slipping and then the rest of us tripping over him and each other (I honestly can’t tell who did what anymore) and a series of chaotic acrobatics, we somehow all end up on top of the Zane-cicle and slide back down to the ship on him as if he’s a sled.  My eyes widen when I see the dead end ahead.  Roan gulps a split second before we crash.  The ice encasing Zane splinters apart right before we all fall on top of the poor guy.

He groans, "Ow."

I grimace, being stuck under my other three teammates as well, “Eugh, sorry buddy-”

Roan pushes at the other two, making them roll off and lie in the snow for a second, then gets off himself.  I stand as well, then help Zane, who’s somehow still holding the two Shurikens, to his feet.

“That was something…” Cole shakes his head.

Sensei Wu, who was watching the whole thing calmly, now pulls the map out of his pocket and unrolls it, “Next we go find the Sai of Night.”

“There’s another Scythe?” I blink, “I’m confused now-”

“Not scythe,” Roan rolls his eyes and pulls out his weapons, “ Sai .”

“I, uh, I knew that.”

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(Rose's POV)

I bump into someone ahead of me in the darkness.  Jay 'oof's.  I wince, "Sorry, Jay.  I can't see anything down here."

"I can't either," he reassures me, "It's darker than the middle of the night in this crazy cave.  We must be in the middle of the mountain by now."

"Why didn't we think to bring a light?" Kai complains.

I smirk under my mask, "You're only just now asking that?"

"Well, it would be nice.  I feel like I'm being smothered," he retorts.  I don't respond.  I, for one, don't feel like it's smothering me; it feels more like a gentle hand guiding me.  Or like arms hugging me close and keeping me safe.  Like an old friend once did.  I'd been really sick and scared.  Morro didn't care that I was sick, when he saw how scared I was, he hugged me.  I try to make myself stop thinking about him, but lately everything reminds me of him.

I don’t realize I sighed until Cole's voice breaks through the dark, "What is it?"

"Nothing," I quickly assure him.  The silence that follows tells me that he doesn't believe it, but he doesn't pursue the subject.

"Hey, does it feel a little bit different all of a sudden?" Jay questions.

I lift my head, sensing more than feeling the draft.  The air around us suddenly feels cooler, lighter, "Yeah, actually."  I sniff.  It's crisper too.

I take another step, then am suddenly blinded by light.  The others stop as well, letting our eyes adjust.  The light isn't really that bright, but after the pitch black at first it seemed bright.  The reason for the change in the air was because we'd entered a gigantic cavern.

A couple torches sputter on each side of the entrance, then they go out.  I expect it to go back to the pitch darkness from before, but it doesn't.  Instead, a faint, silvery light remains.  I look up and draw in a breath.  The ceiling of the cave is covered in little glowing white specks.  They look like stars.  Pools of water around the cavern reflect them, making the light just that much brighter.  And in front of us is a large circle that gives off the same cold, clear, silver glow.

In-between the moon-like orb and us are two round steps going up to a pedestal.  The pedestal looks like it's made of tree branches tangled together to support the round surface.  As I walk closer I can see that it's really black marble sculpted into that shape.  I step up to it and look down at the Sai resting in an imprint in the marble.  The gold contrasts strongly against the black and silver in the cave, but in a way that’s beautiful.  The handles resemble dragons and the prongs start out looking like the cloud-like substance coming from the dragons mouths, but then straighten out.  In place of the Dragons’ eyes are twinkling amethysts, and another few of the gems rest near the handles’ ends.

I pick them up carefully.  As soon as I come into contact with the Golden Weapons, the darkness seems to curl towards them and swirl around the prongs and my hands.  And I can feel it.  I can feel the presence of my Element more keenly than ever.

A deep rumble makes the whole cavern shiver.  I raise my eyes.  A pitch black dragon descends from the ceiling, where she had been perfectly camouflaged with the small silver scales scattered here and there on her body and head.  Her wings seem to block out all light, or more accurately, they seem to suck all the light in the area into the black void where I know her wings are.  She bares her teeth and releases a roar that echoes around the caves.  Jay squeaks.  Someone grabs my arm and pulls me toward the only exit at a run.  Cole releases my arm so we can keep running.  I look back in the Cloud’s direction as another furious roar really makes the team take to their heels.

I take the opportunity of being in the back to turn around and face her, slowly walking towards the enormous room again.  She bares her teeth, a low, threatening growl rumbling in her throat.

I remove my hood so she can see my face clearly, "Cloud, it's just me.  Rose.  You remember, right?"  Her growl cuts off at the sound of my voice.  She pulls herself up and cocks her head, studying me with a quizzical expression on her face.  Deciding it really is me and not an impostor, she lies down and nudges me gently with her snout.  Her near black eyes sparkle.  Feeling a smile take over my face, I rub her forehead, right where the silver scales in the shape of a star rest.  I'd always thought she was the prettiest dragon to ever live.  Smaller than the others, she makes up for her size with her wings.  It's hard to make them out, they're always veiled by a black mist.  They're what give her most of her imposing look.  All she has to do is spread them, and it seems like a portion of a storm cloud is falling on you.  "I can't stay, Cloud.  I'm sorry."  Her head droops.  "But I promise, it won't be long before you see me again."  She perks up at that but then looks at the Sai in my hands.  Doubt clouds her eyes.  I understand why: she's their guardian, supposed to protect them, but now she can't.  I reach out and stroke her between the eyes again.  "Don't worry, Cloud.  I'll take care of them, I promise.  You don't need to worry about them any more."  I smile teasingly, "They're my problem now."  She snorts playfully as I turn and run to catch up to the team.

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We make camp in the forests between the Dark Mountain and the Floating Ruins for tonight.  Father meditates near the campfire.  I mimic his position opposite the flames, but I don’t try to meditate and just watch the coals shift and the sparks float into the air.  Jay, Cole, and Zane are all talking in the background about something.  I wouldn’t know what, not really paying attention.  Kai had walked away after starting the campfire and is now sitting with his back to a tree.  I realize with a start that if it wasn’t for my father, I would probably be isolating myself in a similar way.

I glance at him subtly.  The Red Ninja isn’t looking at any of us, instead he’s staring at the sky with an unreadable expression.  After a moment he lifts his katana, which had been resting on the ground beside him, and balances it on his knees.  Pulling off the sheath, he fingers the blade distantly, then sighs and puts it down.

It takes me a second to realize that I’m no longer the only one watching the brunet.  The rest of the team’s chatter had pretty much died out.  Jay stares at him unabashed, Cole and Zane just continually glance at him with concerned expressions.  It doesn’t take much to notice that they’ve been aware of Kai’s distance as well.

I personally don’t mind it.  I’m not in this to make friends after all, and if he doesn’t want to be all buddy buddy either then I’m not going to bother him.  Apparently, the others do not share my views on this subject.

Jay glances at them, and for once his voice is lowered enough that it shouldn’t carry to the Master of Fire, “What do you think his deal is?  He’s been kinda distant ever since we met him.  I mean, yeah, he’s talked to us a bit, and he did stop running off without us but…”

Zane shrugs, “I am not certain.  But his behavior is somewhat concerning.”

Cole shakes his head and sighs, “Guys, remember, he lost his sister to the Skulkin.  I know we’re all single childs but if either of you did have a sibling, wouldn’t you be worried if you were in his shoes?”

Jay hums, looking back at Kai, “I guess.  Yeah, I probably would be…”  His brow furrows slightly.

I follow his gaze to see Kai wrap his arms around himself and bow his head.  I can’t tell if he’s just cold or if something else is bothering him.  Maybe a mix.

Jay seems to be thinking along similar lines, cause he suddenly calls out to the Ninja, “Hey, Kai!”  Kai glances up.  “Why don’t you come over here?!  It’s warmer!”

Kai just shakes his head and looks away again, “I’m good.”

The other three Ninja share a look, and then they’re walking over to him.  I hesitate, not sure if I’m supposed to follow or not.

The Red Ninja looks at them sharply as they settle down around him, “...What are you doing?”

Jay shrugs, “If you’re not gonna join us then we’ll come to you.”  Kai doesn’t seem to know what to say to that, so he just looks forward again.  The Blue Ninja tilts his head though, intent on pulling his teammate’s walls down, “What’s eating you?”

Kai stares at him incredulously for a brief second, then shakes his head, “I’m just worried about Nya.”

Zane speaks up, “If it is any consolation, we will help you find and rescue your sister.”

Kai shifts, “You don’t…have to do that.”

Cole raises an eyebrow, “What are you talking about?  We’re a team.  That’s what we’re here for.”

Kai’s face hardens, “I…No.  No, I- We’re a team right now, but it’s not gonna be that way forever.  I’m only here so I can get Nya back.  Once that’s done we’ll go home and get out of your way.  You don’t need to worry about me.”

They glance at each other, seeming to communicate with their eyes, before Cole cautiously asks, “Is…that what you think?  That you’re in our way?”

Kai’s brow furrows, “Well, I mean, yeah, none of us even knew we were gonna be forced into being a team right before going for the Weapons…”

“Kai…” Zane tries to look him in the eye, “Yes, we were a bit startled, and perhaps a bit uncertain about the idea of having new members after we had just gotten used to each other, but that doesn’t mean that we were not willing to welcome you.  You are one of us now.”

Kai stares at him.  His expression betrays a lot of things I don’t feel comfortable reading into.  Jay nods, “Zane’s right.”  Kai’s eyes snap to the motormouth, growing more and more bewildered.  “It was kinda weird at first, the idea of having more people here, but now, I can’t really imagine it any other way.  I don’t want it any other way.  At first when I came, I was…Yeah.  Yeah, I was really nervous.  I wasn’t sure if any of you guys would accept me, and I kinda felt like I was intruding on some personal space.  But I’m still here and now I have the best friends I could ask for.”  Jay smiles a bit.

“What the Mouth of Lightning is trying to say,” Cole hides a grin when Jay scoffs in offense, “is that we want you here, Kai.  You’re welcome here, and we’re not gonna push you away.”

Kai blinks, opens his mouth, then closes it again, looking very much like a fish out of water.  He swallows and looks away from the three, “I…Y-yeah…Right.”

“We are your team, Kai,” Zane continues, “And even if you choose to leave after all of this is over, we are here now, and we want to support you.”

Kai releases a breath and leans back against a tree, still not looking at him, “R-right.  Cause…cause that’s…what a team does…”

Jay raises his eyebrows, “You good?”

Kai huffs a strangled laugh, “Yeah, I just-  Nya…Nya’s all I’ve got.  I…uh…” He fidgets, and suddenly I feel like I may not be the only one on the team who has a whole load of things I’d rather not let people know about my past.  “Yeah…” he trails off weakly, clearly not sure how to continue or even if he should.

I sigh, then get to my feet and walk over.  The four look up at me, somewhat startled, but then a couple of them smile.  I sit down on the grass, “You don’t have to explain.”  Kai’s eyes meet mine for the first time since the Caves of Despair.  “There are some things that are too hard to talk about or that we don’t know how to talk about, and that’s okay.  Whether or not you tell us anything won’t change how we act towards you.”

“Yeah,” Cole nods in agreement, “We won’t push you.”

Kai’s shoulders loosen.  He doesn’t say anything, but it seems like there’s a slight smile on his face that wasn’t there before.

None of us head back to the fire that night.

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(Jay's POV)

We try to climb up the Floating Ruins, searching for the Nunchucks of Lightning.  There’s so much electricity in the air that as soon as we came I could feel every hair on my skin standing on end.  If I wasn’t wearing my mask, my hair would probably be a mess.  I glance down at the others, pausing for breath.  Of course the floating ruins the Nunchucks are hidden on are shaped like giant nunchucks.

Zane waves a hand to get my attention, "We're being followed."  I spot the Skulkin near the bottom of the Ruins.

Roan meets my eye, "Hurry!"  I remember how frantic he'd gotten when he thought the Skulkin got the Shurikens.  Better not let them get the Nunchucks, to keep Ninjago safe, and to keep Roan from having a heart attack.

"Now let's go!" I turn and climb faster.

I reach the top first, something I consider a personal achievement considering I was able to beat the rock climber of the team.  The Nunchucks float in the center of the platform, glowing and connected by a chain of pure electricity.  Whoa!   "Heh, alright!"  I grab them and start to turn to show the others and leave.  A flash of lightning on the platform blinds my eyes and is accompanied by a roar.  When the dots fade from my vision, I find myself staring up at a dark blue Dragon, its glowing blue eyes trained on me.  NOT TODAY.   I turn and leap off the ruin.  My team does the same right behind me.  I activate my glider, the makeshift wings bearing me up.  Seeing the others activate their own gliders, I grin.  Looking back, the Skulkin are left behind with no way to follow except on foot, and that will take them ages.  Ha!

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(Wu's POV)

In the Forest of Tranquility, I watch my daughter carefully after the ninja team is done setting up camp.  They work well together, but once the work is done and they start celebrating, she isolates herself from them.  She makes no move to offer friendship.  I’m not sure if she’s realized she’s doing it, or if she meant to do it, but her choice to pretend to be a boy means she’s put walls between herself and her team that are a long way from being taken down.  And when I speak of these walls, I mean them in both a literal and a figurative sense.  The mask she constantly wears around them is a physical wall separating her from her team, and she has been building an emotional barrier ever since that one day…one that lies even between us.  I sigh, Perhaps if she had chosen to be best friends with someone other than Morro, this would have been easier for her.  Well, what is done is done.  The past is the past, but there is always the future.  With time that wound will heal, maybe a long time, but with time.

"Come on, Sensei.  Join us!" Kai interrupts my thoughts.

Startled, I snap a bit, "There is still one weapon left!  We must get our sleep!"  I close my eyes again.  Of course, there's no reasoning with teenagers.

Jay proves this, "Aww, Sensei.  Look, you gotta admit, we're totally beating them!"

"Get up here.  Show us some moves!" Kai insists.  I sigh.  Ruefully, I think of Rose when she's like this.  This is what I get when I bring a whole team of teens under my care.

"I guess I could," I stand up reluctantly, "Now this move is very special."

Zane speaks up, "But if done incorrectly, will it lead to disastrous consequences?"  His teammates laugh.  I notice even my daughter's eyes have a slight twinkle in them.

"Zane, is that a joke?" Kai manages to gasp out, "A sense of humor, you found it!"  I begin dancing.  The Red and Blue Ninja laugh before joining in.  Zane merely smiles as Cole resumes playing the two drums he has.

Rose stares at the three of us for a moment before declaring, “That is not dance, that is abuse to my eyes.”

Cole snorts, and the twinkle in her eyes returns, this time staying.  I take it as reason to hope that perhaps her walls will come down sooner than I thought.

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(Kai's POV)

" Kai...   Kai..."

I frown, the darkness of sleep receding as the voice cuts through the previous silence.  I open my eyes and look around camp, but there’s nothing out of the ordinary, “Huh?”  I thought I heard Nya… That’s impossible though, right?

"Kai..."

I raise myself up on my elbow, "Was that...?!"  A shadow by a tree moves; I recognize my sister’s silhouette.

"I have to go," she runs away.  I scramble to my feet and run after her.

"Nya!  Wait up!" I gasp, trying to keep sight of her through the trees, "Slow down!  Why are you running so fast?!"  She bursts into a clearing ahead of me; I follow, but she’s disappeared, "Nya!  Where are you?!"  Making it out of the trees, my eyes widen at the sight of the Fire Temple.  The red temple is built directly into an active volcano, I can feel its heat from here.  Smoke billows from the mountain’s top, and a reddish-golden glow leaks out of the temple doors, one of which creaks open.

My sister’s soft voice breaks the stillness of the night again, coming from the Temple, "Kai..."

I hurry up the steps, the heat growing with every step I take, "Nya?"  I slip inside, a wall of heat crashing into me, and stare around at the cavernous room.  Lava pools on the ground, a stone walkway rises above it to reach the Sword of Fire held right in the center of the Temple.  Nya stands in front of the Sword of Fire.  I feel a relieved smile take over my expression and step forward, "Nya!"

"Don't worry, I'm right here-" her form and voice begins to change, turning dark and transparent, her eyes turning red as the shadow grows, voice deepening.  I stop in my tracks, realizing who it really is.  "-brother."  Garmadon laughs evilly.

My eyes narrow, "Garmadon."  I reach for my katana, but all I feel is air.  Oops .

"Forgot something?" he taunts me.

"You can't hurt me here.  You're banished!  Trapped in the Underworld!" I remind him.

"And that is why you are going to remove the Sword of Fire for me."

I glare at him, "I don't think so!"

"Are you sure about that?" he moves so fast all I can see is a flash of black, then he’s gone.  Chains clink from somewhere across the Temple.  It then swings into view, an all too familiar ravenette tightly tangled in it.  I gasp.  She sees me at the same time that I catch sight of her.

"Kai!"

"Nya!"  Her expression is one I haven’t seen in years, she hasn’t looked this scared that I can remember since our parents passed.  Then I realize she's chained above lava.  If the chain broke...  I don't allow myself to continue that train of thought, clenching my fist.

Garmadon's voice booms through the space, "If you don't remove the sword, how else will you cut the chains to save your precious little sister?"  I look at her, I don't think I've ever felt so helpless.  On the one hand, I can’t just leave my little sister to die .  Not when I’ve spent every year of my life trying to take care of her.  Not when she’s the reason I’m alive.  But on the other hand, I can’t let Garmadon of all people get his hands on the Sword of Fire.  There was a time I wouldn’t hesitate, I’d rather him get what he wanted than lose Nya, but…let’s say I regained my moral compass.  Nya waves me back and struggles to get out of the chain.

"You know it's a trap.  I can...free...myself," she pauses, "Okay, that's tight."  The chain lowers her closer to the lava, and she screams.  That sound makes my hair stand on end.  I’m not sure I’ve actually heard her scream like that.

Without thinking, I take a step toward her, "Nya!"

The taunting voice of Garmadon fills the Temple again, "Tick tock.  Tick tock."  I close my eyes, coming to a decision.  I flip and grab the Sword in midair, pulling it from the rock and perform Spinjitzu barely before I land on the ground again.

"Ninja, go!"  I cut the chain and catch my sister when she falls, hearing Garmadon laugh.  I grit my teeth, I may have taken the Sword, but there is no way I'm handing it over to you .   "Stay close," I warn Nya, helping her to her feet.

She willingly complies, keeping right behind me, her eyes wide, "Trust me, I'm not going anywhere."  Garmadon’s shadow looms in front of us.

I look up at him, "You can't hurt us!  You're only a shadow!"

"Even shadows have their uses," he disappears again.  What does he mean by that?   I glance at my sister.  Her eyes are wide with fear.

"Kai!  Look out!"  My head snaps around, only for me to see my own shadow standing in front of me, Garmadon’s red eyes peering back at me from it.  How did he...?!

"Stay back, Nya."

Sounding annoyed, she backs behind a large rock, "Stay close, stay back.  Make up your mind!"  I try to attack my shadow, but instead I float through it.  I gasp when it kicks me back, growing bigger.  I land next to Nya.  "That's not fair!" she complains.  I groan and sit up, rubbing my head.

Garmadon's soft voice echoes around us, "Oh, am I being too hard?"  I watch my shadow duplicate itself multiple times.  Great .  I stand up and try to fight them, instead stumbling into their midst.  They turn to me.  Oh boy.   The breath is kicked and punched out of me before I can blink, and the Sword flies out of my grasp.  I end up lying on the ground, wincing and regaining my breath.  The Sword lies a couple feet away from me.  I reach for it, but then a shadowy hand closes over the golden handle.  It looks like lights out as it raises the sword, but then I see a familiar figure appear on the wall and attack them.  Sensei's shadow...but that means...   I turn my head, catching sight of Sensei Wu seemingly fighting the air.  His shadow makes quick work of my shadow’s duplicates.  It makes sense.  Only a shadow can effectively fight another shadow.   He knocks the Sword of Fire out of the last shadow’s hand, flips up, and grabs it, landing on our side of the cave.  I stand up and look at Nya behind me.  At her confused face, I chuckle slightly, We're safe.

Garmadon's shadow appears again, "Brother.  I see you protect one , but what about the other four?"  My heart stops, The team .  If anything happens to them, it will be my fault.

Sensei defies him, "They are safe!  Far from your grasp, Garmadon!"

"I wouldn't be so confident," a purple vortex swirls in his shadow, then clears.  I recognize the clearing we had been sleeping in.  Cole wakes up to see a Skulkin warrior in front of him and reaches for his scythe, only to see that a rather familiar Skulkin general is holding it.  Another is standing on Zane, Roan, and Jay, who are tied up.  Samukai is holding the other three Golden Weapons, and the entire clearing is surrounded by skeletons.

He smiles evilly, "I believe these belong to Lord Garmadon now!"  The Skulkin cheer, and the picture fades.  My throat feels dry.  The guys are in this mess because of me .   Why is it that I always have to choose between two things important to me?!  Can’t it ever be simple ?!?!   Sensei leads us toward the exit.

"My brother must not unite the Four Weapons.  We must keep them apart!" he warns us.  Garmadon's shadow looms over us.

"Awaken, guardian of the deep!  They're stealing the Sword!  You must not let them escape!" he screams.  Sensei jumps onto the red and yellow head of a Dragon as it rises out of the lava.  He realizes what's happening and backflips off as the Dragon roars, the blast of heat sending us all back a couple inches.  Nya screams in shock.  Its tail lashes out, breaking off some boulders, which fall and seal off the only exit.  I step in front of my sister as the Dragon roars again.

"There's no way out!  He's taken away all our options!" my eyes frantically search the Temple for another opening, but there is none.

"All but one."  I turn to Sensei, confused.  He jumps away from us onto a small rock outcropping.

"Sensei, what are you doing?!"  He uses the Sword of Fire to slice it clean off of the safer ground.  It starts to float away.  Realizing too late what he’s doing, I try to grab it, but it's already out of my reach.

"No, you fool!" Garmadon screams.

Sensei sits down on the rock, "If he is to bring the other weapons here, then I will take the Sword of Fire to the Underworld.  It is my sacrifice to pay."

My head is spinning, "No!  It's mine!  I shouldn't have come on my own.  You don't have to do this!  There has to be another way!"  Sensei merely pulls a teapot and teacup out of nowhere, pours himself a cup, and drinks it before falling from sight.  "No!"  I collapse on the ground.  Have I found my sister only to lose my sensei?

Garmadon hisses, "Then I will see you there, brother!"  He disappears for the last time.  I look back up at the place I last saw Sensei.

"This is all my fault.  Sensei won't be able to hold up for long."

Nya's voice wavers beside me, "Forget Sensei.  What about us?"  I turn slowly, standing.  The Fire Dragon came out of the lava and is now towering over us, head and wings barely brushing the top of the cavernous room.  It roars.

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(Zane's POV)

Hanging upside down is not entirely comfortable.  I struggle, listening to the Skulkin celebrate.

"To the Fire Temple!" Samurai orders.

"Yeah!" the Skulkin Army cheers.

Samukai looks at the tire of one of their enormous trucks, then turns back to the Army, "Uh...change of plans.  To the Underworld!"  The Skulkin cheer louder, appreciating the prospect of heading back to their home realm.  That is even worse.  We can't follow them there even if we get out of this.

When they leave, Cole coughs, "Great.  Now what?"

I see Jay pull out a sword out of the corner of my eye, "Now, we get outta here."  Um...I can see this ending badly.

Cole shares my uncertain thoughts, "Uh, Jay.  Before you do that, you might wanna-"  Jay cuts the rope, Cole and I hit our heads, and we all end up in a pile.  Roan ends up on the bottom, Cole next, then Jay, and then me on the top.  Ow.   Cole groans, raising his head, "...warn us."

Roan’s voice is muffled, but I can tell he’s saying something along the lines of, ‘Get off me.’

I stand, allowing the others to untangle themselves, "Let's go!"  They get to their feet, and all of us minus Roan pull on our masks.  Luckily, the Skulkin haven't crossed over to the Underworld yet.  Well, at least not the vehicle with the Golden Weapons in them.  They're going fast, but we manage to catch up, taking to the trees.

"There they are!" Cole points out, leaping from tree to tree.  Jay flips down onto the road and begins to run, impressively being able to keep up the fast pace.  Roan skips a tree ahead of us, falling farther down the next.  From there he doesn't pause to go to the next tree, he jumps straight down to a Skulkin motorcycle and kicks off the driver, taking control.  Cole jumps down and grabs a chain on the Skull Truck, then digs his heels into the ground, slowing it enough for me and Jay to get on.  We each knock off two warriors.  Samukai looks at me, so I wave.

"Get them!" Samukai yells angrily.

The other Skulkin drivers level with the truck to get on.  Roan makes a few crash.

Jay does Spinjitzu to knock two back off, "Ninja, go!"  Roan brings the motorcycle alongside the Truck and changes vehicles with a flip, knocking off a Skulkin in the process.  He punches another skeleton off and points Jay to the back of the Truck, where the Golden Weapons are.  He nods and goes back while we hold the Skulkin off.  By now, Cole's boarded the Truck and joins us, knocking his scythe into both the Generals’ heads.

I approach the driver, "Greetings-"  Samukai bumps into me harshly.  I barely manage to grab onto the front and avoid being crushed by the truck’s rather formidable teeth.  However, Samukai takes control of the wheel.  The truck accelerates.  I try in vain to hold on, but the wind is too strong, I loose my grasp and fly through the air.  My face comes in contact with the dirt road.  I groan, my body aching.  With a flash, the Truck disappears, having crossed to the Underworld.  I raise my head, seeing the fire and dent in the cliff, the last signs of the Skulkin’s presence.  Jay rubs his head.  Lightning flashes.

We all stand up, dirt smeared over the front of our gis.  Cole and Roan have several scratches on the visible parts of their faces.  Roan rubs some of the dirt in his eyes off, wincing.

Jay tries to say something, but his voice is strained and noticeably quieter.  I make out something along the lines of, ‘We didn't stop them.’  He touches his throat and grimaces.

Cole sighs, "You don't need to say it.  I know.  We've lost."  He's right.  There's no way to go to the Underworld.  We can't retrieve the Weapons now.   Roan brushes himself off, then raises his head.

His eyes are startlingly hard, determination shining behind the purple irises, "No."  The others stare at him uncertainly.  "No.  We've lost the battle, but not the war.  We'll get the Weapons back, but we’ll need help."  What?

"Who do you mean?" I inquire.  He doesn't answer directly.

"Let's find Kai.  Something tells me that he will know who I mean," he turns and begins walking back where we came from, "You'll know too, when we find him."  What does he mean?   I look at Cole and Jay, but they look as dumbfounded as me.  Jay wheezes something.

Then Cole shrugs and follows Roan, mumbling, “I’m starting to see the family resemblance,” under his breath.  Jay and I look at each other, then hurry after them.

Chapter 5: Weapons of Destiny

Summary:

Rose knew about the Dragons this whole time.
The others are shocked.

The Pilot Episodes really didn't show them with injuries even though those falls they took would absolutely have left them with some.
I decided to fix that.
They're all okay, but not in the best shape, that's all.

(Rose's POV)

I race up the steps to the Fire Temple ahead of everyone else.  My father and Kai have to be here, we have to get the Weapons back before it's too late.   I pause for a moment, letting the others catch up.

"Kai!  Sensei!" Cole calls out.  An uneasy silence follows his shout.  Come on, they’ve got to be here!   Zane removes his hood, revealing his grave expression.

"The Sword of Fire was here, as well as our friends," he tells us, "but I only sense loss.  We are too late.  The Elemental Weapons have left this realm and are now in the Underworld.  The end is drawing near."  No.  They're here.  The Sword is too.  Zane has to be wrong about this at least!   I stare up at the gates.

Cole's shoulders slump, "Ugh, great.  The one place no mortal can cross over."

Kai's voice comes from inside the temple, Yes!  Thank you!  " We might not be able to cross over..."  The entire Fire Temple opens up, revealing Kai and an unfamiliar girl riding Flame.  I knew it!   "-but a Dragon can!"  Cole screams and hides behind a pillar.

The girl grins, "Our father used to tell us stories about the Dragons.  That they were mystical creatures that belong to both worlds and ferried between them."  Our father?  Wait, that must mean she's Kai's sister!?

Cole laughs nervously, "Are you insane?!"

Shaking my head, I explain, "They're not insane, Cole.  The Dragons are harmless, really.  All the Dragons you've met, they were just trying-"

"-to protect the Weapons," Kai finishes, "You knew the entire time ?"

"I also knew the Dragons," I nod.

“Of course you did,” he shakes his head, dismounting, "Well, once this guy realized that we only trying to protect the Sword, he actually became quite a softie."  Flame nudges him, almost knocking him over.  Kai laughs, "Knock it off."  Kai's sister giggles as I walk up.

I pat the Dragon’s cheek, "Hi there, Flame.  Long time, no see, right?"  I earn a nudge similar to what he gave Kai.

Kai looks at me and raises an eyebrow, "Flame?"

"That's his name," I explain, "Flame."

He nods and looks at him, "Flame, it fits him."

Jay tries to say something to Nya but ends up coughing.

Zane interprets, "He cannot talk, but he wants to know if you like blue."

"It's my favorite color," she nods.  Jay quietly celebrates.  I roll my eyes and ignore him.  Kai shakes his head in annoyance; his sister climbs down.  Wait a second… I glance between the two.

"Where's my father?" I ask Kai.  A cloud passes over his face and he turns to Flame, away from me.  That can't mean anything good.   "Kai?"

He takes a deep breath, "He's...not here.  He took the Sword of Fire to the Underworld."  No.

Zane takes one look at me and pats my back, "We'll find him, Roan."  I just nod.

Kai turns to his sister, "Nya..."

Her smile dims, "This is goodbye, isn't it?"  Kai nods slightly.  "Come back to me in one piece, okay?  I don't wanna have to run the store on my own."  She forces a smile again.

"I promise I won't be gone for long," he tells her.

"I'll keep a candle lit outside our shop until you return."

Jay and Zane hop onto Flame.  I shake my head at them, They don’t really think we can all fit on one Dragon, do they?

Cole waves us on nervously, "You guys go on ahead.  There's not enough room for all of us on that...thing."  Flame snorts disdainfully.

"You're right, Cole," Kai admits, "But we got a way to fix that.  Right?"  He winks at me.

"Don't worry, Cole," I tell him, smirking under my mask, "You get to ride Rocky."  He gulps.  And I get to see Cloud again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"E-easy...not so fast..." Cole clings to Rocky's saddle tightly.  The Earth Dragon seems somewhat annoyed by his rider’s lack of enthusiasm for anything to do with Dragons.  I flick Cloud's reins and she willingly picks up speed, zipping past the Black Ninja.  I whoop.

"I forgot how much I loved this!" I pat the Darkness Dragon, "I've missed it, right, Cloud?"  She rumbles in response before tucking into a barrel roll.  I laugh at her antics.  Cloud lets out a small roar, lifting her head and closing her eyes.  I know just how you feel, girl, there's nothing quite like flying.   Not to mention the poor thing was forced to guard the Sai of Night underground in a mountain for about seven years without getting to stretch her wings.

"Yes.  This is quite fun," Zane agrees with me.

Cole looks over at me, "So how do the Dragons cross over to the Underworld?"  I start to respond before Cloud dives sharply, the other Dragons right behind us.

"I think we're about to find out!" Kai yells.  A black, Spinjitzu-like tornado forms around me and Cloud, then we appear in a tunnel seemingly below ground.  Rocks jut out from the sides and streaks of glowing purple brighten the space.

"Is it over?" Cole's eyes are squeezed shut.  I roll my eyes.

"Hardly!" Kai tells him, "I hope these dragons know what they're doing!"

"They do!" I assure him, "Just trust them!"

Three separate tunnels appear ahead of us.  Cloud dives down one, the other four splitting up in the other two tunnels.  Spouts of fire start coming out of the walls before we all rejoin, the amount of flames increasing so that the tunnels are no longer lit by the softly glowing purple stones, but by the fire.

Cloud speeds ahead; I lie flat against her back, ducking my head against the wind.  Kai shouts behind me, "They're speeding up!  Hold on!"  A blinding swirl of black, blue, gray, white, violet, and gold encompasses my vision before everything snaps to black.  Then in the distance, the faintest of lights comes into view, sort of bluish, and oddly close in appearance to a cave tunnel.  Before I have time to think about it, we’ve already reached it, the Dragons crashing into the ground with so much force that I tumble into the air.  I faceplant right into stone, the impact jarring my whole body.  Ouch…that’s the second time tonight…though before it was a dirt road…   I sit up shakily.  Note to self, keep a better grip on the reins next time we realm travel.

Cole raises his head, "Solid ground.  We made it!"  I stand, my eyes already searching the Underworld for my father.  I sigh when I don't see him, Though, of course I wouldn’t see him, he’s a sensei, he would know how to keep out of sight.   The Underworld itself is a mix of impressive and disturbing.  From the ceiling, at our eye level, sharp stalactites hang down, some of which split and curve like giant hands, pointing to the floating islands that make up the Underworld.  Each island is connected to the others by rope bridges.  Faint purplish-red torches serve to light places where the darkness is deepest.  The largest island holds the fortress, decorated by bones of some enormous creature that I don’t dare guess the name of.  From another island flows a lavafall that joins the rest of the lake of lava far, far below, the light only just reaching high enough to light the undersides of the lowest islands red.  Steam and smoke hangs below the floating islands, resting above the liquid fire in a forbidding way.  Several of the Skulkin’s vehicles are on the largest island, along with the most Skulkin.

Zane points at the fortress, "Sensei's inside."

"They're expecting us," Kai observes.  I watch as every Skulkin warrior is searched before being allowed inside.  One of the generals manages to knock off everything that was on the cart being inspected.  Knuckleheads.   Not seeing any other way, we all take a leap, grabbing onto the stalactites.  Cautiously leaping between the hanging stones, we start in the direction of the highest and most devoid of Skulkin island visible.  Just as long as none of us slip and fall onto a Skulkin warrior, we should be okay.   Kai grabs onto one and pulls himself up a little higher.  A bit of stone falls off, plummeting towards the islands.  He breathes in before continuing.  I carefully calculate my next jump, then push off the stalactite I’m currently hanging from and grasp onto the thin one I’d been aiming for.  Quickly grabbing onto another thin one next to it, I manage to stop myself from swinging and release my breath.  Jay suddenly starts waving his arm around frantically, swinging wildly as he hoarsely tries to speak.  I gulp, If he loses his grip...

"Can I be the first to say it's been an absolute pleasure since Jay lost his voice?" Cole asks Kai.  The Red Ninja starts to nod, then the stalactites move.  I look up and find myself face to face with the largest spider I’ve ever seen, nearly entirely black except for the white skull symbol on its abdomen and its skull-like head, complete with enormous, razor sharp fangs, and shining red eyes.  A Spykor.  NOT TODAY, I relinquish my hold on its legs.  The others let go as well.  Though of course that means we’re all falling fast, hard, and I forcefully bite my lip to keep from screaming.  An odd metallic taste fills my mouth.  Ah, great, now my lip is bleeding, I think right before I faceplant for the third time tonight onto the stone.  I cough, my entire body screaming in pain.  The visible part of my face is really stinging, in particular, from getting scratched up and then slammed into stuff repeatedly…I’m not sure how I haven’t broken my nose yet, actually.  Ugh...I hate this so much.

I slowly push myself up, then, as the pain in the rest of my body subsides, I grow aware of the burning in my right wrist.  It sharpens as I put my weight on it, so I quickly shift, standing up without the use of that hand.  Figures.  I have an injured wrist now.   Glancing around at the others, I notice they seem a bit out of sorts as well.  Cole’s gingerly holding his left arm, Jay’s avoiding putting weight on one ankle, Zane in general looks disoriented, and Kai’s rubbing his head and wincing.  

"NINJAAAAA!!!!!!"  I whip out my sai, the team doing the same with their weapons as we quickly stand in a circle.  I ignore the violent protesting from my wrist.  Injuries can wait.  We’re in a tough position and don’t really have the time, so CALM DOWN, APPENDAGE.   I steel myself against the burning in my wrist and grip my sai a tad tighter, ignoring the way my fingertips grow numb.

"I count ten boneheads to every one of us.  I think I like these odds," Cole remarks lightheartedly.  The audible grimace in his voice somewhat contradicts his tone, however, and just as he finishes speaking, the Spykors descend from the ceiling, glowing red eyes shining with hunger.

"How about now?" I snap, brandishing my sai.  He doesn't respond.

"Anyone got any bright ideas?!" Kai gulps.  After a second of silence from us, during which the inhabitants of the Underworld continue closing in, he repeats himself, "Any ideas?  I'm all ears!"  He attempts to slice a Skulkin with his katana, the skeleton steps back as Kai hurriedly backs into the circle again, eyeing the army warily.

Jay turns to face him, hoarsely saying something that’s more air than sound and is quite impossible to understand.

Kai stares at him, "Huh?"

"You feel a weird sensation?" Cole raises an eyebrow.

Jay shakes his head, repeating himself.

"You ate an odd crustacean?" Zane guesses uncertainly.

He tries again, eyebrows drawing together in annoyance.

"I got it, I got it!  Two natives on vacation.  Huh?" Kai looks at him.  Jay sighs heavily.

"Tornado of CREATION!!!!!!!!!" he practically screams, his now returned voice echoing through the cave.

"Oh..."

Zane pats the Blue Ninja’s back, "Welcome back."

I frown, "But my father said-"

"-it could lead to disastrous consequences," Cole finishes, looking as unsure as me.

Kai turns back to the Skulkin, "We're about to have a disastrous consequence."

I look at the army, then nod, “Alright.”

Cole’s eyes narrow, "Let's do this.  Earth!"  He uses Spinjitzu, the brown, dusty tornado appearing around him.

"Fire!" on my other side, Kai’s flaming Spinjitzu casts a brighter light, the Skulkin beginning to back away.

"Darkness!" I spin around, the now-familiar black tornado whirling around me, brief violet flashes accenting the dark color.

"Ice!"

"Lightning!"

"Ninja, GO!"  We merge our Spinjitzu together, forming the Tornado of Creation.  The tornado springs up high over our heads, flashing white and gold and red and blue and brown and black and violet.  I can't believe this is actually working.   The Skulkin’s panicked clamor faintly reaches my ears over the wind, a few screams actually finding their way to me.  Bones, Skulkin, and vehicles alike are sucked into the Tornado and enveloped by the light, even the fortress itself is dismantled with surprising ease.  When we all separate, I don't take time to look at the result, instead sheathing my sai and running to the only staircase I can see leading down.

"Roan!  Wait up!" Kai's voice is behind me.  I don't wait.  They'll catch up quickly enough.  I jump down, Zane following my lead and the other three just running down the spiral staircase.  Amateurs.   Before us, my father is battling Samukai, who wields the Weapons the Skulkin stole from us, and my uncle is watching from a throne of bones.  I start towards them but Kai holds his arms out, stopping me and the rest of the team.

I try to duck past, but he grabs my arm, shaking his head, "No.  This is Sensei's fight."  I look toward my father.  He's right...it is.   I nod, but without taking my eyes off the battle.  Father blasts flames out of the Sword of Fire, but misses.  Samukai uses the Shurikens of Ice to freeze the Sword, and by extension my father, in place.  I unconsciously start forward, but Kai holds me back again.  Samukai shoots lightning at him, accidentally freeing my father, then uses the Scythe of Quakes to split the floor open.  It cracks three ways, the stone slowly sliding outward, the bridges that connect the island to safe ground falling away.

Somehow Jay is eating cotton candy.  Kai elbows him with a glare.  Samukai uses the Sai of Night to envelop his battle with Father in a dark cloud.  A second later, lightning flashes.  My father flies out of the cloud, which dissolves.  The Sword is lying on the ground before the Skulkin general.  Samukai approaches it; my father inhales sharply.

"Bring me the Five Weapons," my uncle tells him.

Samukai slips the Shurikens over the Sai, then lifts the last Golden Weapon.  A diabolical grin spreads over his face; he whirls to face my uncle, "No.  You will obey me now!"  Uncle Garmadon laughs mockingly as a wind starts blowing through the cavern.  The Weapons start waving around, reacting to being united.  Father flips up next to me.

"No one can handle all of their power at once," he tells the doomed skeleton.

"Selfish fool," my uncle growls at him, "Did you think I wouldn't plan on your betrayal?"

"What's happening to me?" Samukai's voice quavers.  I actually feel sorry for him.

"You've fallen right into my master plan," Uncle Garmadon gloats, "Not even I can handle all of their power!  But now that they're combined, it'll create a vortex through space and time, allowing me to finally escape this ghastly place!"  No.

"Uh, oh..."  Samukai rises into the air, spinning, screams, and explodes into dust and smoke.  Even that vanishes from existence as the Golden Weapons clatter dully on the ground.  My uncle flips over the gap between his throne and the island, just as a blinding blue and white vortex cracks into life before us, flashing and flickering so that my eyes begin to water.  I blink it free of my eyes, but the salt water makes the scrapes and burns on my face smart more than ever.

My father holds a hand out to him, imploring him to stop, "Father would not want you to do this, brother."

My uncle whirls, blood red eyes flashing.  "Father is no longer here!" he hisses, I shield my eyes, my face starting to feel like it's on fire, "Good and evil, there has always been a balance.  Where I go, the balance can be destroyed.  Soon I will be strong enough to possess the Four Weapons so I can recreate the world in my image!"  His voice, which had risen to a scream, lowers again and is filled with hate, I manage to peek enough to see the vortex growing unstable, the light brightening as lightning crackles around it, "You!  You were always his favorite.  One day, brother.  One day, I'll get my revenge, and what is most precious to you, will be mine."  I shiver.  Uncle Garmadon turns and stalks through the portal, just before it closes.  We all flip over to the Weapons

My father's voice is heavy, "He is gone, but he will return."

"Then we'll be ready for him," Kai assures him, hoisting the Sword of Fire.

"And keep an eye out in case he has any more of his evil plans," Cole adds, gripping the Scythe of Quakes with one hand, the other carefully resting on the handle below it.  I pick up the Sai of Night, once again ignoring the twinge of pain flashing though my wrist.  Cloud will be glad to see them safe again.

I turn to the man who raised me, "That's a promise, Father."

He smiles a little, "Then I have done my part.  The balance has been restored.  For now."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Kai's POV)

We land in front of Four Weapons.  My feet have hardly touched the ground before Nya bursts out of the shop and hugs me, "Kai!"  I smile at her.

Jay jumps down, "Hey, my turn!"  Nya runs over to him.  Oh well.   I grin as the villagers celebrate our return.

"I'm so happy you're back," my sister beams.

"For now…” I frown a little, “but it's not over.  Lord Garmadon will return."  Roan's eyes glaze over as the villagers' excitement gives way to worry.

"And we'll be ready for him," Cole grins.  Roan looks up a little, and then I realize for the first time that Lord Garmadon is his uncle .  Okay, that must be awkward.

We bring out our Golden Weapons and clash them together, causing a blast that sends us all flyinge back.  I sit up, "Okay, we gotta remember not to do that again."

Cole groans, "Good idea."

Jay groans too, "Yeah, we'll stick to high-fives instead."

"I second that," Roan stands.

"Agreed," Zane looks rather solemn.  We all laugh.  "Was...that a joke?" he questions hesitantly.  Roan looks around at us and tugs at the edge of his mask unconsciously, appearing uncomfortable.  I pull my own mask on, noticing how the look dims.

I shoulder the Sword of Fire and look at Nya, "Ready to see the Monastery of Spinjitzu, sis?"  She lights up, and I smile.

Notes:

I will be extending this to include some of the mini-movies that occur before Rise of the Snakes. :D

Link to the Artbook: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14w_Dn1BU6hm2lRNCfdl54iUh2yzQUas1e_xa-MUxt3A/edit?usp=sharing

Chapter 6: The Start of a New Life

Summary:

The Ninja help each other with their injuries.

Rose discovers something she has in common with Kai and has a talk with him.

(Zane’s POV)

We’d returned to the Monastery a few minutes ago.  We just finished getting the Dragons settled and are now entering the place that I’ve cautiously started to call home, if only in my head.

Nya stares at the building with wide, curious eyes, “ Wow !  This is-  Wow!”

“Wait till you see the training course,” Jay grins, starting to bounce like he always does when excited, but then winces and shifts his weight off his right ankle.

Sensei Wu shakes his head, “Kai, why don’t you show your sister around.  The rest of us need to attend to some things.”

“Yes, Sensei,” Kai places a hand on Nya’s shoulder and guides her inside.

“Zane, you have not sustained any notable injuries, correct?”

I shake my head, “No, I have not.”

“Would you mind helping Cole and Jay with their injuries while I help my son?”

“Of course not,” I notice the way Cole holds his arm a bit stiffly as well.  Both of my teammates, now that the adrenaline has worn off, actually are starting to look quite exhausted, and are beginning to take notice of their injuries.

Roan follows Sensei inside, holding his wrist carefully.  He glances at us briefly, but only briefly, and then ducks inside.  I turn to my teammates, somewhat uncertain of how to help.

Cole glances at Jay, presses his lips together, then looks at me, “Help Jay out a bit first.  I’ll clean up my face in the meantime.”  I glance at the scratches and slight roadburn that was the result of his fall from that Skulkin truck the previous night.  I nod.  He heads inside, then I turn to Jay.  He’s still favoring his left foot, so I step next to him and support him so he doesn’t have to put much weight on his right until he can sit down.

Helping my noticeably subdued friend inside and to our shared room, I glance over him.  Jay’s not protesting the help, but again, once the adrenaline crashed, exhaustion seemed to have entirely taken over.  He looks like he could fall asleep on his feet.  Though, I admit that I feel somewhat tired as well.  Come to think of it, I would be a bit more concerned if any of us were not ready for a nap.

I let Jay practically collapse on his bed and search for the first aid kit we’ve learned to keep handy for any training mishaps.  Finding it, I approach him again.  The Blue Ninja cracks an eye open and pushes himself into a sitting position, blinking somewhat dazedly.  I carefully pull off his tabi boots, noticing the way he winces and bites his lip.  The sock comes off next, and I wince at the bruising and swelling around his ankle.

“That looks painful,” I mutter, partially to him and partially to me.

“Yeah, it kinda is,” he grimaces, “I didn’t really notice it a whole lot before but…”

I cautiously touch it; Jay doesn’t react other than shifting somewhat, “When did it happen again?”

“After we fell from the Underworld ceiling,” he huffs.  I wince at the memory.  While I did not sustain any injuries, which is honestly a miracle, I still feel sore after falling from that height.

“Was there a noise when it happened?”  Jay’s brow furrows a little as he looks at me, confusion written on his face.  I take notice of his somewhat unfocused state and make a mental note to check him for a concussion after dealing with the ankle, “Did you hear a snap or break when you fell on it?”

“Oh…Uh, no, I don’t think so.”

His ankle doesn’t look misshapen, so I’m inclined to think it may just be a bad sprain, and if so, Jay’s lucky.  Sprains mend much faster than broken bones.  Still, it’s best to be certain, “Does it feel numb?”

“What?”

“Your ankle.  Does it feel numb?” I repeat slowly, trying to make sure he’s understanding.

“No,” he shakes his head, wincing, “It hurts a lot.”

I touch the spot directly over his ankle, watching his reaction.  There isn’t really one, he just watches me blankly.  I shift to touch the softer part of the ankle, and then he flinches a bit.  Definitely a sprain then.

I hum, thinking out loud, “Do we have an ice pack…?”

“An ice pack…?” Jay frowns.

“It’s sprained, you need ice,” I elaborate, trying to recall if there were any in the old freezer.

“Aren’t you the Master of Ice?” he questions, “Can’t you just, make some?”

“I do not know how yet,” I remind my friend.

“Oh.  Right.”

“Just a moment,” I stand, “I’ll see if I can find some.  Don’t stand up or anything, you’ve aggravated it more than enough.”

“Okay.”

As it turns out, we do not have any ice packs, but there is some ice in the freezer.  Likely for if Sensei Wu wanted ice in his tea.  I find a hand towel on the kitchen counter nearby, decide it will work, and wrap up some ice in it.

“Wait a second-” Nya’s voice comes from a room as I pass it, “Kai, what did you do to your head?”

“Uh- I fell.”  Ah.  I suppose it was too much to ask that he walked away unscathed as well, I reflect, smiling slightly as Nya groans.

“Brother, last time you hid an injury from me, you ended up with that scar, so let me see-”

“Okay okay-”

I decide to keep walking and meditate on Kai’s apparent tendency to hide injuries later.  Cole joins me on the way back, his face much cleaner, though now the scratches are a lot more obvious.  I doubt any of them will scar, however.

“How’s Jay doing?” Cole asks.

“His ankle is sprained, and I suspect he may have a concussion, but otherwise he seems fine,” I shrug.

As we both enter our shared room, he looks at the towel weirdly.

“There were no ice packs.  I put some ice in a towel instead,” I explain, kneeling down and gently pressing it to the Blue Ninja’s swollen ankle.

Jay hisses slightly, his eyes focusing a bit more, “That’s cold.”

“I would be more concerned if it was not,” I feel a tiny smile.

“Yeah, Jay,” Cole grins, “It is ice after all.”  Jay makes a face at him, but due to his tired state, it amuses Cole more than anything else.

I tap Jay’s shoulder to regain his attention, “Jay, why don’t you lie down.  This will need to sit on your ankle for the next fifteen to twenty minutes.”

“Of course it does…” he sighs, but shifts and lies down without any more complaint.  It’s not long before his breaths even out.

Cole huffs slightly, “He’s not going to sleep at all tonight.”

I smile somewhat, “He needs the rest.  We all do, for that matter.  But may I see your arm?”

He winces, “It’s broken, I know that much.  I heard it snap when we fell and it’s all numb and tingly.  And it’s ridiculously swollen.”

I grimace, “Ah…”

As I start pulling the stuff for a splint out of the first aid kit, Roan appears in the doorway.  He glances at Jay, still sleeping, then at us, taking in the first aid kit and Cole’s arm and face.  The Purple Ninja himself is sporting a splint on his wrist, lightly letting his hand rest on his shoulder, and the road burn on his face is now covered in bandages.

“Anything I can do to help?” he inquires, a bit uncertainly.

“Not really, Roan, but thank you,” I smile at him.  Cole nods in agreement.  Roan hesitates another second, but then nods and leaves.  As I start wrapping my teammate’s arm up in a splint, I glance at the raw scratches still evident on his face, “You may want to put a bandage on some of those.”

“Yeah, I know.”

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(Rose’s POV)

I look around for Kai and Nya with the intention to make sure neither are sustaining any injuries.  After helping me patch myself up, he headed to the kitchen to make a batch of tea, though I suspect this one isn’t just for himself.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he offered each of the others a cup of tea once it’s done.

Finally I hear Kai and Nya’s voices in what is Kai’s room.  Though it’s likely going to be converted to Nya’s room…Father mentioned something about wanting the boys to live together.  Aka, all in the same room.

I start to knock on the door, but pause.  I didn’t mean to hear what sounds like a personal conversation, and now I’m not certain if I should reveal my presence by walking in, but here I am.

“-stay here?” Nya’s asking, “Our lives would be so much better, and you know it.”

“I do know it, X,” Kai sighs, “I just- I don’t know…I don’t know if we should stay here or not and…”

“You want to though, right?”

“More than anything.”

“Then why is it so hard a decision to make?”

“I-I don’t know-  I guess it’s just…easy to remember and…harder to move on,” he sounds somewhat torn, “We’ve spent our whole lives in Ignacia, in Four Weapons.  You can’t tell me you’re not a little reluctant to leave it behind.  It’s all we had before now.”

“Well…yeah…that’s…that’s true,” she mumbles, “I know what you mean, but it’s obvious what we should do, right?  I know it’s hard to say goodbye to all of that but…”

“It’s also because I don’t really feel like I belong here.  I mean, yeah, the others have all thoroughly assured me that I do but…I don’t know…Cole, Jay, and Zane all trained together for so long before Sensei just dropped me on them like a bomb, and while they didn’t know about Roan either, he’s Sensei’s son .  They don’t know me like each other and…I don’t really have a good reason to stay here.”

“Other than that you want to.”

“It’s not good enough…”

A silence.

I hesitate, but finally raise my hand and knock.  The siblings shift inside, probably looking up at the door.  “Uh- Come in,” Kai’s voice trails off uncertainly.  I slide the door open, but don’t go inside.  I feel too invasive already.

“My father wanted to know if you were hurt at all,” I say quietly.  Kai’s looking at me steadily, and I would never have suspected they’d just been having a private conversation from his expression if I hadn’t overheard it.  I glance at Nya briefly.  She’s watching Kai more than me, her eyes sort of distant.

“Oh…Um…No.  Not really.  I had a bump on my head and it was bleeding a bit but Nya’s already helped me with that…” he shrugs.

I nod slowly, then glance at his sister, “What about you?”

“Uh- what?” Nya starts a bit and turns to me.

“Are you hurt at all?  I don’t want to bring up any bad memories, but you were held captive by my uncle.”

“Oh, that,” she shakes her head, “No.  Got a couple bruises but that’s it.  Nothing major.”

“Alright,” I hesitate a little, Lord, please give me wisdom and show me what to say and do , “...Kai, could you…help me check on the Dragons?”

He hesitates a bit, glancing at Nya, “What about the others?”

“Jay’s out like a light, and Zane’s helping Cole with his arm.  Father’s…well, he’s making tea.”

Kai snorts, “Of course he is.  Yeah, okay.  I’ll help you out.”  He glances at my broken wrist.  “You don’t look like you can use both hands at the moment anyway.”

“Not really,” I shake my head.

“I’ll just…be here,” Nya laughs awkwardly as her brother stands.

I shrug, “You’re allowed to go where you like in the Monastery, Nya.  So don’t feel like you have to stay here.”

She smiles, “Thanks.”

Both Kai and I are silent as we make our way through the hall.  It’s not until we’ve gone outside that I venture to speak, but cautiously, “You got your sister back.”

“Yeah,” he glances away.

“What are you planning to do next?”

He hesitates, “I…”

I watch him for a second before murmuring quietly, “You’re a part of this team, Kai.  Whether you stay here or go back home, that’s your call, just know that we’ll never consider you to not belong here.”  He looks at me sharply.  I hold his gaze calmly until he looks away, swallowing with some difficulty.

“Part of me wishes everything could go back to the way it was before,” he admits, “I’m not…used to all this.  Any of it.  I miss when it was just me and Nya.”

“I wish everything could go back to the way it was before too, you know,” I tell him truthfully, “It was only me and my father here for years.  I wasn’t ready to be part of a team yet.  I’m still not.  But I’m doing my best, because things…for me they can’t go back to what used to be normal.  My uncle is after the Golden Weapons, and in some other realm of darkness.  And…that’s why I’m willing to keep trying.  Because if he gets his hands on the Golden Weapons, I don’t want to think about how many innocent lives and ways of life will be destroyed because of him.  My life may no longer be what I want it to be, and it will probably never be that way again, but at least I can do my best to keep someone else’s life safe and secure.”  I stop on the steps and turn to face him completely, “Whatever you choose, Kai, don’t forget who you are, or the possible outcomes of the path you can take.”

I don’t give him a chance to respond, turning and going the rest of the way down to the Dragons.  The rest of the time we spend down there, taking care of sore wings or letting them roam free or giving them food, we spend it in silence.  I’m silent to let Kai have time to think, and he’s silent because he’s taking that time to think, brow furrowed almost the entire time.  I don’t know if what I said helped him or not.  I don’t really know how to act around him, or any of the others for that matter.  But I can always hope.

Chapter 7: Flight of the Dragon Ninja

Summary:

The Ninja race their Dragons.

Rose serves them a helping of humility.

(Rose’s POV)

Just as I close the door to my room behind me, four pairs of footsteps make their way down the hall.  I roll my eyes, already knowing what they’re up to before I even have to turn around.

“Roan!”

I turn and lean against the wall, raising an eyebrow, “Yes?”

“We’re going to race our Dragons again,” Kai bumps Jay’s arm, “Cause somebody is getting a little too egotistical about his victory yesterday.”

“You’re one to talk,” I remark sarcastically, ignoring Jay’s offended noises at Kai’s jab, “Your point?”

“We were wondering if you would like to join us,” Zane humbly explains.

“And by that, he means that we’re probably going to pester you until you do join us,” Cole translates, grinning.

I release a long-suffering sigh, Of course…why not… “Well when you put it like that …”

“Great!” Kai chirps, altogether too cheerful for this early in the morning, “Let’s go then!”

As the four start towards the courtyard doors, I rub between my eyes and sigh, I barely recovered from the race yesterday , and they’re already doing this again?  I’m never going to understand these guys.

“Roan, come on!” Cole calls.  I reluctantly follow them outside in time to catch Jay mid-boast.

“Why must we go through this again?  I’m clearly the best,” he flips up onto the dragon statue in the courtyard’s center, striking a pose, “I mean, look at me!”

“Impressive, thunder cracker, but may I remind you we all have Dragon suits,” he gestures to the gi he’s wearing.

“ Gi ,” I correct him, knowing full well he’ll just ignore me like he always does, “They’re called gi , Kai.”

Sure enough, he ignores my reminder, “So what’s your point?”

Jay turns, raising a finger, “Well, I-”

“Jay’s only point is that he won last time,” Cole cuts him off, smirking at Jay’s annoyed look, “so obviously he thinks he’ll hold the title of Dragon Master forever.”

“Which, by the way, is not a title you all made up and is one that should not be taken lightly,” I grumble as Jay hops down from the statue, sulking.

“This is highly irrational,” Zane comments, “We should be training.  If Sensei finds out-”

Kai opens the gate, but turns to him, grinning innocently, “Well, technically, riding your Dragon is kind of training.”

“Why are you all so irresponsible,” I deadpan, brushing past him and starting down the steps to the Dragons’ pens

Jay laughs, “Why are you always so serious?”

“I don’t know, maybe I just don’t want to get in trouble with my dad, but I also don’t want to be followed around all day by some certain teammates who won’t take no for an answer.”

“Ooh, he got you there,” Kai laughs.

“I was talking about you too, firecracker.”

Cole grins, “Ouch, the Master of Fire just got burned.”  Kai makes a face at him.

Ignoring their antics, I push down the lever that opens the Dragons’ pens and walk into Cloud’s.  She greets me with a friendly nudge, purring loudly.  A Dragon’s purr can’t really be called that, I reflect subconsciously.  It’s much too loud and bordering on a growl to really be one, but there’s no other word that fits it.  Maybe I should make one.

I adjust the saddle on her back and climb up, leaning down to rub her neck, “Ready to put these guys in their place, girl?”

She rears her head, anticipation running through her as she stands.  I’d be lying if I said her excitement wasn’t a tad contagious.  She leaps off the mountainside along with the other Dragons and their riders.  Jay whoops.  I just smile, letting the cool air penetrate my mask and wake up the parts of me that stubbornly remained asleep.  Cloud tucks into a barrel roll, roaring gleefully as we make our way to the place we normally start at.

Drawing level, Cole speaks up, “So we all agree, whoever wins this one will be the new Dragon Master for a month.”  Despite not really caring about the whole thing, I nod along with the others, “Ready?”

“Ninja, go!” the boys cheer, their Dragons speeding ahead.

I glance down and smirk at Cloud, “Let’s go.”

She dives below the clouds and early morning mist, weaving between the mountains when necessary.  The boys’ Dragons may be faster, but we have the advantage of knowing the terrain like the back of our hands, or in Cloud’s case, claws.

We reach the forests; I rein her up to fly above the trees unhindered as the Monastery of Spinjitzu comes into view.  Cloud tosses her head, wings quivering as we reach our home and glide up the side of the mountain.  I wave at the Postman briefly as we pass, and then we swoop right into Cloud’s pen.  I dismount and offer her some chicken as a treat, then I sit down in the entrance to wait.  Cloud settles down as well, a smirk obvious on her reptilian face.

Soon enough, the familiar roar of Dragons drifts up the mountain, along with their laughter and cheers.  I glance outside, seeing them all landing on the Monastery, Rocky and Cole in the lead.

The Black Ninja grins, “Way to go, Rocky!  We are an awesome team!”

“Nice run, bro,” Kai pulls his mask off, smirking, “but we’ll get you tomorrow.”

Cole stares at him, “Tomorrow?  We agreed that the winner was gonna be Dragon Master for a month!”

Jay laughs silently as Zane smiles innocently, “I don’t recall agreeing to that.”

Cole shakes his head, frowning, “Nah-uh!”

“Oh, brother,” Kai grins, dismounting from Flame.

They continue bickering as they walk up to the pens with the Dragons.  Cloud rumbles, greeting her friends.  They pause before returning the greeting, but the boys stare at her in complete shock, then notice me sitting here.

“Wh- How- When-” Kai stammers, blinking.

“When did you-” Cole is just as startled, as well as somewhat ruffled.

I shrug, “Pro tip, spend less time slowing each other down and more time finding shortcuts.”

“Aw, man!” Jay complains.

“I demand a rematch,” Cole crosses his arms, grumbling.

I raise an eyebrow, “And you’re the one who was protesting that the winner was Dragon Master for a month.”

He opens his mouth to argue, but hesitates slightly, “I…”

I stand up, brushing myself off, “And on that note, I’m just going to say that I heard and saw all of you agreeing to that, so I’m not going to participate in any more races for exactly a month, no matter how much you pester me.”

A chorus of groans is their unanimous response behind me as I climb up towards the Monastery.  Nya, who was just coming down the opposite way, laughs when she hears them, “What happened this time?”

“I put them in their place,” I respond.

She grins, “About time.”

“ Agreed ,” I reply fervently, and enter the Monastery to begin the morning’s training.

Chapter 8: The New Masters of Spinjitzu

Summary:

Rose witnesses Kruncha and Nuckal's failed attempt to use the Golden Weapons, and discovers that tired Kai is pretty much blind.

(Rose’s POV)

“Aren’t there Five Weapons, not just four?”

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I think it was just four.”

“You’re just saying that cause you don’t want to find where the fifth ninja is sleeping.”

“No, there were definitely just four.”

I sigh, rubbing my forehead.  Of course a couple Skulkin would try to steal the Golden Weapons.  Why not?   I stand and Spinjitzu into my gi, taking the Sai of Night and flipping up to the rafters.  A moment later, the door slides open and one of the skeletons peeks in.  Nuckal.

“See?  This was the last room.  I told you there were only four.”

“Huh…” Kruncha grumbles under his breath, “I guess.”

I raise an eyebrow.  These two really are literally boneheads.  I follow them outside, but don’t bother taking the Weapons from them just yet.  Let them learn a lesson on their own first.

So I lean back against the Monastery wall and watch as they begin celebrating, jumping and holding the four Golden Weapons in the air.

“Yeah!”

“We’re the Masters of Spin–” Nuckal is cut off when the Nunchucks of Lightning, which he had been spinning, begin letting off a storm of sparks, and then he’s sucked into what looks like Jay’s Spinjitzu.  Zipping to the side, he bumps into the button for the training course.  It activates, and the Skulkin warrior ping pongs around the courtyard until heading towards Kruncha.  The general runs away but is knocked into the training course, then he stumbles into the spinning poles.  They quite literally decapitate his entire body, leaving him a pile of bones on the ground, then Nuckal charges through with a Lightning charged tornado, and rebuilds his ally before ping ponging again.

“Oh,” Kruncha looks at himself in surprise, “I’m okay!”

Nuckal circles back around and sucks the other skeleton into his Spinjitzu.  Suddenly, right in the middle of the courtyard, the Lightning Spinjitzu evaporates, and the two fall on their faces next to the Golden Weapons.  Nuckal squeaks in pain.

Kruncha grabs the Sword of Fire and waves it threateningly, “Oh, I’ll get you for that!”  The Sword bursts into flames and pulls him into an out of control Spinjitzu reminiscent of Kai’s, which proceeds to bumble around the training course the same way Nuckal’s had.

Nuckal cackles at Kruncha’s misfortune, right before the fire tornado heads his way.  The Skulkin jumps back and continues laughing, but then the punching bag on the training course slams into him and throws him into Kruncha’s Spinjitzu anyway.  As they make their way around the course, he proceeds to attempt to leap out of the Spinjitzu, repeatedly yelling ‘ow’.

He jumps up again and is caught by the spiked mace that swings around with the bag, his boot in flames as he whimpers.  Kruncha’s Spinjitzu goes under him and sucks him back in again.  They keep bouncing around the course until Kruncha finally gains the presence of mind to drop the Sword, releasing the Spinjitzu.

Nevermind, Kruncha only dropped the Sword to attempt to strangle Nuckal, so he’s still a bonehead.  I can’t help but wonder why that would be effective.  He’s a skeleton without lungs or a windpipe.  He’s already dead.  What’s the purpose of strangling him?

The Monastery doors slide open, revealing a half-asleep Kai, rubbing his eye.  The two skeletons freeze, eyes glued to the Red Ninja as he walks down the steps, past them, across the courtyard, and to the training course button.  He deactivates it and starts back across the courtyard, obliviously passing the skeletons a second time.

“Jaaaayyy!  The training course turned itself on again!  You really need to fix it!”  As the Red Ninja goes inside and closes the doors, I catch Jay’s tired reply.

“Aw…I’ll do it tomorrow!”  I shake my head.  Note to self…Kai is really unobservant when he’s tired.

The two Skulkin separate from each other and turn to stare at the Golden Weapons laying on the ground.  The Sword of Fire is still flaming, and the Nunchucks of Lightning are still sparking uncontrollably.

Kruncha turns to Nuckal, “I don’t think this is gonna work.”

I push away from the wall and go to stand in front of them, “Maybe you should’ve thought of that earlier.”

Nuckal screeches and hides behind Kruncha, who taps his bony fingers together awkwardly, “Um…we were just…uh…”

“You do realize I was watching this entire time?”

The Skulkin General falters, “I- uh…oh.”

I gesture to the Golden Weapons, “Return them.”

“Yeah, yeah okay.”

I wait as they go inside to return the Weapons to their rightful places, and then they come out again.  I nod, “Thank you.”

The two go out the Monastery gate, Nuckal bumping Kruncha, “See, I told you there were five.”

“What?!  No, you said there were four!  I’m the one who said there were five of them-”

“No, you-”

“Ye-”

The two proceed to scream incoherently at each other for the rest of their trip down the mountain.  I just close the gate and return to my room.  I’m out.

Notes:

So, sadly, this is the last update for this book before my family's school year starts (we always start a month early), and I'm not allowed to post during the school year. However, I will be free to post on breaks, then I'll officially be back in summer. :D

All this just to assure anyone who's wondering, I am not dead and I am not discontinuing this book, merely putting it on hold until I can update again XD

Chapter 9: Battle Between Brothers

Summary:

Flashbacks :o
XD

(Rose’s POV)

I lean against the Monastery wall behind my father, arms crossed.  It’s nice out here, being outside the Monastery with just him.  The others can be…kind of loud at times.  I miss the tranquility from before they came.  It never triggered memories.  It was much easier to exist in the present instead of dwelling on the past.

Zane pushes the gate open, walking out, and pauses, looking at my father.  Or rather, looking at my father’s kimono.  “Ooh, Sensei Wu, your kimono is most extraordinary.”  Instead of wearing his white robes, my father had chosen the black ones of his youth, the ones embroidered with golden characters.

My father smiles wryly, “Thank you, Zane.  Yes, it is quite extraordinary.  Its symbols act as a protection spell against evil.  But ultimately it serves to remind me of the night that Garmadon was cast into the Underworld.”  His eyes gain a faraway gleam as he speaks.  I know that look, it is one I’ve worn many times after all.

I, too, remember that night, though my father never realized that I was there when it happened.  I had been supposed to be preparing for bed after all.

I shriek, throwing my arms up to shield my face from the water before laughing, “Hey!”

Morro grins mischievously, “What?”

“You splashed me!”

“No I didn’t,” his grin widens.

I huff, cup my hand under the running water in the sink, and throw it at him.  He ducks, laughing, “No, wait, I’m sorry-”

“Should’ve thought of that before attacking me then, huh?” I hurl more water at him as he tries to dodge but ends up with a faceful of water anyway.

He sputters, shaking his now wet hair out of his face and glares at me.  I only have time to squeak before he uses his power to collect the water into a blue tornado and dumps it over my head.

“Ack!” I spit out the water in my mouth, pushing my hair out of my vision, “No fair, you used your powers!”

“Whoever said there was a rule about that?” he retorts with a smirk.

I open my mouth to shoot back a snarky reply, but my father’s voice rings through the monastery, “Don’t be a fool!  Father warned that their power’s beyond beyond any one man-”

“ Father was the fool!!” Uncle Garmadon shouts.  Morro and I stare at each other for a second.  His green eyes are wide with surprise, as are my own.  I’ve never heard my uncle insult the First Spinjitzu Master before.

Morro suddenly runs out of the bathroom.  I dash after him, not needing him to explain to know that he’s going to go spy on them.  Sure enough, he jumps up the wall and pushes off, grabbing onto a rafter and pulling himself up.  I copy the action, and we follow their voices to the room where the Golden Weapons are kept.

“How dare you speak so lowly of Father!” my adoptive father’s tone fills with rage, “We made him a promise.  These Weapons shall not leave this Monastery!”  I peek inside the room to see him facing my uncle, who carries the Sword of Fire and the Nunchucks of Lightning.

“Then I shall destroy it,” he growls, “and all who stand in my way!”

Morro’s eyes widen.  “What…What happened to him?” he looks at me.

I bite my lip, “It must be the venom.”  My uncle shoots a ball of fire at my father, who blocks it with his staff.  It snaps in two, but deflects the fireball.  The other three Weapons are struck so that they fly off the wall and land next to him.  My father quickly discards the now useless staff and picks them up, slipping the Shurikens of Ice over the Sai of Darkness’s handles and clicking them together.  Uncle Garmadon charges, bringing the Sword down towards my father, who looks up and blocks it with the Scythe’s handle.  Uncle Garmadon strikes again, but Father dodges and brings the Scythe down between them, sending my uncle crashing through the wall.

My father walks through the hole, “Put those Weapons down!”  Morro and I share  a look, quickly clamber down from the rafters, and peek through the hole worriedly.

“You mean…like this?” my uncle leaps into the air, striking at Father with the Nunchucks, who deflects the blow with the Sai.  He strikes again with both Sword and Nunchucks, and Father likewise defends himself with the Weapons in his grasp, straining.  The Five Weapons spark and brighten so much that I have to shield my eyes.  The force is enough to blast the two brothers apart.  A bright blue bolt of light shoots up at the sky and implodes.  Thick, dark clouds instantly cover the sky, blocking out all the remaining light from the sunset as thunder crashes.

Uncle Garmadon gets to his feet and approaches my father, who turns over, “Goodbye, brother.”

“Garmadon!  Do not do this!” he reaches out as my uncle raises the Sword of Fire for the finishing blow.  Morro suddenly pulls me back and blocks my line of sight, grasping my hands.  I only just realize how badly I’m shaking when he does.

A bright blue light shines from behind Morro, and a giant lightning bolt strikes with a deafening clap of thunder.  I cover my ears, wincing.  Morro freezes, staring at what I can’t see.

I slowly peek around him, afraid of what I might see.  The symbols on my father’s kimono are glowing.  The Sword of Fire and Nunchucks of Lightning lie on the ground, flickering, and my uncle’s form is crackling with electricity as he stumbles backward, his skin and hair turning a charred black even as I watch.  The lower part of his kimono and the sash remain, but the shirt tears apart and his ribs protrude, starkly white against the black skin.  His eyes remain blood red, but his face changes, growing gaunt, thin, and wrinkled, and his hair stands up on end.  A chasm breaks open the courtyard ground behind him.  My uncle teeters on the edge, flailing his arms in a desperate and vain attempt to regain his balance.  Father leaps to his feet, running and trying to grab his brother’s hand…but Uncle Garmadon tips back and falls, my father just barely missing.

“NOOOO!” he screams.  Thunder booms distantly, but otherwise the courtyard falls silent.  The chasm remains for a few moments as my father falls to his knees and stares inside, face frozen in disbelief and shock.

A soft gasp or sob breaks the stillness, but it doesn’t come from my father.  It comes from the courtyard’s doorway not far away.  My aunt Misako stands there, watery green eyes wide, mouth open.  She hugs my young cousin, Lloyd, to her chest, shielding his eyes from the scene that just took place.

My father looks up, noticing her for the first time, and his eyes fill with dread, “Misako-  I- I-”

She takes a shuddering breath and shakes her head, “You didn’t…intend for that to happen, Wu…I…I was just…I hadn’t known he- That the venom…”

“Neither did I…” my father replies quietly, looking down at the gaping chasm again.  It suddenly cracks and grinds closed, sealing itself up as if it had never been there.

“The Underworld,” my father breathes out, closing his eyes, “He’s in the Underworld now…”

Aunt Misako bows her head, letting the tears run freely down her cheeks.  She caresses the back of Lloyd’s blond head.  The three year old grips her shirt and stares at her face with wide eyes.

“Mama…?” he raises a hand to her cheek, wiping a tear away, “Aw oo sa’?”

She smiles sadly, folding her hand around her son’s, “...Yes, Lloyd…I am…”

I pull back and drag Morro behind me until he stops abruptly.  I turn to look at him questioningly.  “Are you okay?” he asks in a hushed voice.

I hesitate.  Uncle Garmadon was amazing, and while I knew about what the Devourer’s venom had done to him, I hadn’t actually expected it to one day take over and turn him into…into that.  I still remember the way he had smiled at me only just yesterday, the way he would playfully argue with my father or embrace his wife and son, or give Morro helpful pointers when Father wasn’t looking during training.  I shake my head, hugging myself.  Morro pulls me into a hug himself only a second later.

In the present, I blink away the moisture causing my vision to blur.  That day I’d lost the first member of my first real family.  It hadn’t seemed real at the time.  But I was forced to accept it only the next day when Aunt Misako left with Lloyd.  I hadn’t seen her since, but one day a letter had come telling us that Lloyd was now at Darkley’s Boarding School for Bad Boys.  I’d visited him whenever I got the chance since.  But still, I’d lost three members of my family in one day, and it…hurt.

I avoid Zane’s curious gaze.

My father speaks, coming out of his own memories, and I mentally thank him for his timing, “After Garmadon’s fall, the balance of the Elements was restored, and Ninjago enjoyed many years of peace.”

“WOO HOO!” a joyous Jay breaks the peaceful atmosphere as he wildly swoops overhead with Wisp, “SENSEI, LOOK!  NO HANDS!”  The two narrowly avoid us and the Monastery, causing Father to duck and Zane to step back.

The White Ninja looks bemused, “Apparently those days are over.”

My father laughs, “More or less.”

Notes:

Sooooo, here's a little update. :D Thought I may as well. XD

Chapter 10: A Secret Revealed

Summary:

So you know how Rose has been masquerading as a boy?

 

Yeah, she looses her mask in front of someone accidentally.

Just read it, Ig

(Cole's POV)

To Dad,...

I stare at the blank page for a while.  I hate to admit I’m running out of ideas.  I can only make my letters so convincing, and after a while you run out of material to work with.  I can hardly tell him I’m a Ninja.  Rock climbing would’ve been bad enough, not to mention wandering all over Ninjago taking up what jobs I could find.  But being a Ninja?  He’d never take it well.  Besides, I’ve been keeping up this charade for nearly two years, I can’t exactly tell him the truth now.

An owl hoots somewhere below the Monastery.  I glance out the window, realizing how dark it’s gotten.  I’d taken a lantern to the dining room earlier so the others could go to sleep, but the sun had just been setting.  Now it’s completely dark except for the moon and stars.  I should probably go to sleep before Sensei Wu gets after me… I sigh, fidgeting with the side of the blank letter.  Though I do need to send him something …it’s been a while since I last did.  It’s not like I can get to sleep with it on my mind anyway.   I stare at the letter for another moment before deciding: I hate all this so much.

Before I can put paper to pen again, light footfalls move across the roof.  I straighten, staring at it.  That wasn’t my imagination, right?   I have to strain to hear it, but then I catch them again in the stillness.  They’re almost completely silent, and grow even fainter as they move away.  I quickly put the lantern out and get to the courtyard’s door.  Passing the others’ rooms on the way, all lights are out except for Sensei’s.  It’s not likely that it’s one of them up there…but then, I’d rather confirm it first.

Sliding the courtyard door open as softly as I can, I peer up at the Monastery roof.  A figure silhouetted against the stars walks along it, long hair blowing in the wind.  Right, that’s definitely not any of the guys, Nya, or Sensei.

I step forward cautiously, “Hey!”

The figure starts, slips, and tumbles backward, sliding down the roof.  Her foot catches, leaving her dangling upside-down.  She gasps sharply, fumbling with her…her hood?  It falls to the ground, leaving her panting and staring at me nervously.  I look at the hood.  It looks purple, and…it’s cut like a Ninja mask.  I look back at the girl sharply, beginning to recognize the gi she’s wearing.

“...Roan?” I ask, “Is…Is that you?”

She swallows with difficulty, “C-Cole.  I…um…”  What on earth?

“You’re…a girl?”

She struggles for a second, then sighs, “Does it look like it?”

“Well…yes.”

She grimaces, “Yes, I’m a girl.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”  I pause, “Wait, don’t answer that yet.  Do you need help?”

She scowls, “No.”  I wait as she tries to free herself for a few moments.  Finally she releases a sigh and rubs her face, “...Yes.”

I shake my head but climb onto the roof and help dislodge her foot.  She tucks smoothly into a roll, breaking her fall.  She stands up as I jump down.

“So…why?” I ask. “Why did you hide…” I struggle for the right way to say this, “Why did you hide that you’re a girl?”

“I wanted to prove I can take care of myself first.  Prove my worth.”

I shake my head, “...Why?”

“Did you see Jay’s reaction when he first heard about Nya?” she folds her arms.

I blink, thinking back, “...Fair point.  So this is why you never take off your mask?”

“Yes…You won’t tell the others, will you?”

“No,” I reply after a moment, “No, I won’t.  But I would like to know one thing.”

She eyes me warily, “What’s that?”

“Is Roan your real name?”

She relaxes a little and shakes her head, “No.  My real name is Rose.  You can probably see why I’ve been going by Roan.”

I nod, smiling a bit.  I glance down, then bend to pick up her fallen mask and brush it off.  “I’d suggest keeping this on from now on,” I give it to her, “ even when you think nobody’s around.”

She smiles wryly, putting it on, “Noted.  And…thanks.  For not telling anyone.”

“I haven’t even gotten a chance to,” I point out, “don’t thank me yet.”

Rose rolls her eyes, “Yeah, yeah.  You know what I mean.”

“That’s true.”

She hesitates, brow furrowing slightly.  She looks away and fidgets with her sleeve, “Well…um…Goodnight.”

“Night,” I smile at my teammate and head inside.  Definitely not what I expected to find when I went out there, I’ll admit.  I would never have guessed Roan was actually Rose.  Guess life really can surprise you.

I start to reach for the door to my shared room, then remember the unfinished letter I’d left in the dining room.  I hurry to get it and the pen and lantern.  I’ll have to finish it tomorrow…

As I pass a window, I realize Rose is still outside, sitting on the roof and hugging herself.  Somehow I feel like there’s more to her choice to hide herself from us than what she told me.  I shake my head.  If it’s important, it will come up when she’s ready to share.  Maybe with me, maybe not with me.  At least right now, I can support her by keeping her secret.  And while I didn’t really want to have another secret to keep–I finger the folded paper in my hand–as long as her secret doesn’t harm the team, I’m fine with keeping it.  After all, even Sensei Wu let her do this, and there’s no way he could know, considering she’s his…uh…daughter.  I shake my head, Focus, Cole.  Just put this stuff away and get to bed.  You don’t want a lecture from Sensei after all.

Notes:

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the end of the Pilot Episodes and Mini-Movies. Don't worry though, it's. not THE end. The next part, Rise of the Snakes, will be posted during Christmas break.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Daughter of Darkness