Hi, it's Kiwi. And this is a new story. It has my OC in it. Sorry if that disappoints you. However, you don't really need to read my other books to enjoy this one, so that's good, right? It's an AU fic. Expect things that never happened in the show to happen.

Also, this story follows three separate storylines at once. Each chapter alternates between a different storyline, so the first three chapters are basically all introductory chapters. Enjoy.


Chapter One: Darkness

Dark clouds blanketed the entirety of the sky as a steady rain fell upon Ninjago City. Every building appeared grey, some crumbling and decaying; the aftermath of countless battles fought along the streets. The world seemed to be falling apart at the seams. There was nothing stopping the Overlord from spreading his newly found reign across the land. At one point in time there were several heroes that tried to stop the unforeseen entity of evil from winning. They could not lose. Good never lost when there was something important on the line, especially not the legendary ninja; definitely not the green ninja.

A hooded figure quickly made his way down the deserted street. The events of the day that everything had changed stuck clearly in his memory. It was impossible to miss the enormous dragon that had been constructed of pure darkness and malice sitting atop the highest point in Ninjago, constructed from a terrible doomsday device. The fear that settled within his heart had been unmistakable as several of the odd people made from stone approached. A rush of cold air whipped down the street, blowing the onyx cloak that adorned the figure harshly. He grabbed hold of his hood, keeping his face out of the dim light, and brought his mind back to reality. That was all in the past. This was happening right now. This terrible world that now existed could not be changed.

Rhythmic pounding slowly sounded from down the street. Heart ricocheting, the figure quickly scanned the area and bolted towards the nearest alleyway, squatting down in an attempt to further blend in with the shadows. He stiffened indefinitely as he was pulled back into the past once more. There had been so much hope in his heart as he watched the ninja scale the tower. If anyone could put a stop to something as unexpected and dark as the Overlord, it was the ninja. The stone men continued to approach quickly, the sound of their footsteps sounding as if they would crack the fading asphalt. Pulled out of the past once more, the figure pushed himself back against the dilapidated bricks. It seemed that his memories were melding with the present as a small horde of stone warriors stalked past the alley. Holding his breath, the person waited until the startling pattern of their gait retreated into the distance. It was time to leave the dark, for now.

A streak of lightning shot across the sky as a bought of ear shattering thunder followed. "No," the figure whispered desperately, getting to his feet and peeking out from the alley. "Not now. Please not now." Seeing that the coast was in fact clear, the figure raced out onto the street, traversing in the direction opposite of where the stone warriors had come from. They were so predictable, the Overlord's minions. Always traveling in groups and never back-tracking an area they had already searched. Shaking his head, the lonely stranger continued on, keeping their footfall silent. Why was the Overlord still searching for people? He had already consumed the entirety of the land; the entirety of the population. "Well, not me. I'm not quite done just yet."

The crackling of thunder seemed to rip the sky apart, causing the stranger to flinch briefly. It was not as safe as he would have liked it to be. If they were starting to patrol, then he had to find a decent place to hide out for the night, quickly. Everywhere the hooded figure turned, the doors of the buildings that lined the street were boarded up. He silently cursed under his breath as he found yet another alley to duck down. The wind howled behind him, sending chills up his spine. There was a subtle pounding that was beginning to grow louder with every step he took. Feeling the anxiety building up inside of him, the stranger froze, waiting for the pounding of what he believed to be footsteps to cease. After minutes of standing in silence he finally realized that there was no one following him.

It was only the sound of his heartbeat.

"I really need to pull myself together," he whispered to himself softly, sinking to his knees. As the days slowly slipped away, he felt as if he was losing his mind and, in turn, losing himself. He did not have much time left anyways. Before long the Overlord was going to find him. The Overlord always found everyone who had not been turned by darkness. It was painful, watching as every member of the rebellion he had started lost themselves; lifeless grey zombies with burning purple irises. He shuddered at the memory and suddenly stood, keeping his eyes on the ground. Something tight gripped his shoulder and, fearfully, he glanced up.

There was a slight smirk on his face as his violet eyes narrowed deeply. "Got you," Cole stated plainly, tightening the pressure on the stranger's shoulder. Breathing harder, the figure used his left hand to awkwardly grab a knife from a pocket he had sewn into his cloak. The grip of the polished, wooden handle did not feel as comforting as it normally did. No, this could not be happening. He could not get caught, not now. Not ever. "Nowhere to run," the black ninja continued, forcing the stranger backwards. With his other hand, Cole grabbed his captive by the small fastener that kept his cloak secured around him. The hood slipped back off of his head and Cole just nodded briefly. "So it really is you. We've been looking for you for a while now. Didn't know where you'd run off to. Doesn't matter now though; I caught you and the Overlord will be pleased."

Breathing uneven, the stranger jabbed the knife upwards, into the underside of Cole's forearm. The ninja grunted in pain, but his grip did not yield. Shaking from adrenaline and fear, he attacked his captor once more, hitting the same area. Cole dropped him to the damp ground, crying out in pain. Pulling the hood back up over his face, the figure made a run for it, back out into the street. He was vulnerable now and there was no doubt in his mind that the other ninja would be on their way to see what had happened. Well, all except one. The memories were flooding back. "No," the stranger complained, feeling a slight pressure well up in his skull, "now is not the time to get lost in the past."

He was staring up at the ninja as they climbed the tower that used to be Garmadon's weapon of ultimate destruction. Plumes of wavering darkness continued to fall from the highest reaches. Despite the distance between him and the ninja, he could see as they each fell one by one. There was only the green one left. Straining to get a clear visual on the situation, the stranger attempted to get closer, but was held back by strong arms. The Overlord was terrifying, much larger than the poor ninja. Every effort was being put into combat to protect his friends; to protect Ninjago. The green ninja seemed to be slowly gaining an upper hand, the sky illuminated briefly by the green light of an energy blast. In the blink of an eye, the ninja had changed. Golden now, the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master, just as the prophecy had foretold. There was no way the Overlord could win this fight now. At least, that was what the stranger had thought as he watched on.

"I can't dwell in the past," he urged, gritting his teeth. The dull streets of Ninjago city were back once more as he consciously became aware of his surroundings. Back flat against a brick wall, the hooded figure attempted to get a better bearing on his surroundings. There was angered shouting in the distance and he was not going to stick around to see who it belonged to. Running was all he seemed to do now. Staying in Ninjago City had been a mistake. He should have just left when the entire world fell into ruin. At least he could have been happier in the Forest of Tranquility. A single tear began to slowly fall down his right cheek as he defiantly wiped it away. The city held too many memories for him; memories of hope and light. If there was anything he missed most of all, it was the light.

A hand shot out of a small alcove, grabbing the reminiscent stranger by the wrist and yanking hard. He stumbled, using his only free hand to keep the hood secured on his head. There was a sense of protest within him that was about to burst into a string of angry words just as he was pulled into the alcove. Another hand was now pushed firmly against his mouth. A small voice in the back of his mind was screaming. This situation was extremely dangerous. Not only could he not speak, but he was being detained. Frightened, he squirmed against the person holding him back. "Take it easy there, buddy," an unfamiliar voice whispered into his ear. "Just keep quiet and wait for a few minutes."

The pounding began to return, more unmistakable than ever before. If his heart continued at this rate it might just give out completely. He reached up; attempting to pry the hand over his mouth off, but it was no use. There was not much that could be done with just one free hand. "Keep cool for just a little while longer," the voice reassured him. "I'll let go when I feel it's safe." He could hear footsteps slowly approaching in an almost menacing fashion. The individual detaining him stiffened and dragged him back further into the alcove, closer to the back wall. His body was shaking now, the breathing through his nose quite noisy. "Shhh, just keep quiet and don't make a sound." So this weird person really was trying to help him, but why?

As quickly as the footfall had made its presence known, it retreated. He felt his body go limp with relief, the person behind him finally releasing his right wrist and mouth. Whipping around quickly, he took a good look at the person who had probably just saved him. It was a guy, most likely around his mid twenties with sandy blonde hair that was cut short, almost buzzed. "That was a close one, wasn't it?" the guy laughed lightly, placing his hands on his knees and inhaling deeply. "Good thing I was rooting around in the dumpsters around here looking for anything that could be of use to me and my group. You could have been caught by those guys." Realizing that what the man was saying was true, the figure gave a quick nod before turning back towards the main alley and heading out. "Whoa, wait! I just saved you, man. Aren't you gonna tell me why the ninja were chasing you? I mean, you don't see them around too often, just looking for people. It's usually those stone dudes."

Shaking his head and shrugging, the hooded individual ignored the questions of the man and prepared to press onwards. A strong force wrapped around his wrist once more and he internally sighed. So this nosy man was not going to let up. "Why so mysterious? I can't see your face, you're being chased by the ninja, and you didn't even thank the person that just saved your life." He tugged against the strong hand around his wrist before kicking backwards, making contact with the man's knee. Although he fell to the ground, he dragged the hooded figure down with him. Both sprawled awkwardly around one another, the man managed to grab hold of the mystery runner and pin him to the old concrete. "I'm going to regret helping you if you're a bad person ya know. Just tell me what's up!" Anger welling up inside, the man ripped the hood away from the stranger's face.

Bright, red hair stuck up at odd angles, cut extremely short. The features on the face were hardened by obvious burden and time, yet still seemed to be delicate. A pale blue eye stared back at him while the left was hidden beneath a crudely crafted eye patch. "You're a girl!" the man eventually said, feeling a bit embarrassed for being so rough with her. Slowly releasing her, he sat against the brick wall behind him, just staring at the person he had unmasked. "Um…sorry," he apologized, clearing his throat. "Didn't mean to startle you or make you feel threatened. It's just…um…I'm Adam." He extended a hand to the girl who just glared at it. "So I feel like you're not much of a talker. I can take you back with me to the little camp we call home. There's more of us there, survivors if you will, just like you." Her expression lightened as he mentioned there were others. "Does that interest you? Then that's cool. I just want to know one thing before I take you there: what's your name?"

She sat up quickly, placing the hood back over her head. So this Adam fellow had others that had not yet been found by the harsh darkness of the world. It was almost like the rebellion that she herself had started back when everything had initially taken a turn for the worse. Despite the voice in her head telling her that this could all just be a clever trick, she desperately wanted to see normal people again. Her voice was soft and quiet as she answered Adam's question.

"My name is Elizabeth."


Hope it's interesting enough. I can guarantee the next chapter won't be as interesting, but it's supposed to be that way.
If at any time at all you are
ever confused about anything please don't hesitate to shoot me a PM or talk about it in your review. I'm happy to try and explain things, though hopefully without spoilers.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you guys next week. :)