A/N: Hi Everyone! This is my first Fanfic so I hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago.
Chapter One: A New Day
The sun rose over Ninjago City in spectacular orange and pink hues. Locals hurried down the crowded streets on their way to work. Eager shoppers scanned the storefronts, looking for a bargain. The stillness of night had been broken, marking the start of a new day.
A little ways to the northeast, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Destiny's Bounty lay anchored patiently in Ninjago's forest, waiting for distress calls about rouge skeleton warriors that had been roaming Ninjago ever since Lord Garmadon was banished to the Underworld.
At first glance, the ship seemed deserted. But, upon closer inspection, signs of inhabitants could be detected: misplaced swords and armor, candy wrappers and pizza boxes strewn across the floor, and faint voices coming from below deck. Following those voices down a flight of stairs and through mazes of passageways below deck, there was a small door, slightly ajar, opening into a spacious room with vaulted ceilings and two balconies with terraces. In the center of the room, huddled around a flat screen TV and small gaming system, were four teenaged boys, deeply engrossed in some sort of multi-player battle game.
"That power-up's mine!" yelled a boy who had on a red T-shirt, faded jeans, and unruly, spiky brown hair with a fiery personality to match. He maneuvered his avatar toward a glowing emblem on-screen.
At that same moment, another avatar swooped down and grabbed the power-up before anyone else could reach it.
"Actually, Kai," said the boy sitting next to him, "I believe that Jay has gotten to it first." He spoke in a cool, even tone and was wearing a gray and white sweatshirt that matched his denim jeans. His hair was a light tan buzz cut, and his eyes were icy blue.
"Ha, Ha! That's right, Zane! I get double weapons and firepower for the rest of the game!" replied a slightly younger looking ginger haired boy clothed in a white shirt with a denim jacket over top and jeans. His stormy gray eyes danced with electricity as he spoke.
The only one seemingly not having fun was the eldest of them all, a tall boy with long black hair that almost covered his hard charcoal eyes. He had on a dark gray hoodie and tan cargo pants.
"Can we please just all stick to the plan?" he asked, his voice solid and unwavering. "The final boss is coming up, and we won't be able to beat him unless we all work together."
Jay sighed in exasperation. "Loosen up, Cole. You're always so serious!"
"Yeah," added Kai. "Just because you're our leader in the field, doesn't mean you can boss us around in video games, too."
They paid no attention to the young girl sitting behind them on the wrap-around couch, reading a thick novel. She was obviously trying very hard to ignore the boys and their rowdy game. In fact, she was sitting so still, she looked like a statue. Her short black hair framed her face, and she had the same mischievous, fiery eyes as Kai. She was wearing a simple scarlet tunic and skirt, patterned in lacy gold trim.
"Hey, sis? You you wanna join? We have an extra controller," Kai called over his shoulder, his eyes still glued to the screen.
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure, Nya?" Jay asked.
"I said I'm fine! That game looks about as much fun as banging your head against a wall. All you do is run around destroying things!"
"I know, right? What could be a more perfect game?" exclaimed Kai.
"That's not what I meant and you know it. You boys are all the same – so dense!" sighed Nya, turning back to her book.
"Suit yourself," said Kai, and he continued playing the game.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"I. Am. So. Bored!" complained Kai.
"Kai, we just played Fist to Face 5 for like, ten hours," said Cole. "What more do you want?"
Kai replied, "I know, I know. It's just that we haven't had trouble with Lord Garmadon and the skeleton army for weeks! I need some excitement around here before I die of boredom!"
"Well, then you're the only one," said Jay.
"Yes," added Zane. "I personally appreciate the time we have to relax."
"Just my luck," muttered Kai. "I get stuck on a ninja team full of slackers."
Suddenly, there came a soft knock on the door. Everyone froze. Even Nya looked up from her book. The ninja weren't used to getting visitors, since the Destiny's Bounty was usually either flying or anchored in a remote forest.
"Hey, Kai?" Jay said slowly. "I think that's your excitement knocking."
The four ninja cautiously approached the door, all prepared for the worst. When they opened it, a tall girl was standing there, about their age. She had on a white tank top, jeans, and tennis shoes. Her long caramel hair was gathered into a ponytail, and her hazel eyes that wandered from face to face, studying the ninjas.
Kai was so surprised that before the girl could even get a word in, he blurted out, "Who are you? How did you find this place? Are you a friend, or an enemy? If you don't start talking, I'll be forced to use Spinjitzu on you!"
"Whoa, hold on," she said, holding up her hands. "I'm Anna, and I don't know anything except Sensei Wu told me to be here."
"Wait, you know Sensei Wu?" Cole asked, amazed.
"Know him?" Anna answered. "He practically raised me! See, Sensei and my dad were the best of friends. Together, they were two members of an inseparable and unbeatable trio that kept Ninjago safe from Garmadon's dark forces."
She paused, and her face fell. "I was only a few months old when, one day, my dad suddenly disappeared without a trace. Even though Sensei Wu and his partner were very distraught, they knew they still had to keep fighting for all of Ninjago's safety. They had to work twice as hard now that their team was missing a member, but despite all their efforts, the dark forces seemed to be getting stronger than ever. As if that wasn't bad enough, a few months later Sensei's partner suffered a terrible tragedy and had no choice but to retire from his adventurous life. After that, Sensei Wu became a solo fighter and I haven't seen him since."
"So," she concluded, "when I got his letter, I was so excited at the thought of seeing him that I came straight here."
Kai tried to concentrate on what Anna was saying. It wasn't that he didn't care; rather, he just couldn't shake the feeling that he'd met Anna somewhere before. And her voice...he knew he recognized her carefree tone.
"But the better question is, who are all of you?" Anna's question brought Kai back to reality. "I don't remember Sensei mentioning he took on a baby-sitting job..."
"Hey, what did you just say?!" yelled Kai outraged.
Cole groaned. "Seriously, Kai, calm down. She just asked a simple question."
Kai was clearly ignoring him. "If she wants a fight, I'll give her one!" he said, half to himself and half to Anna.
"Bring it on, then!" Anna yelled back.
There could have been a fight right then and there if the Sensei hadn't walked in at that very moment. As soon as she saw Sensei Wu, Anna completely lost her resolve to fight Kai.
"SENSEI!" she exclaimed as a grin spread across her face. She ran straight over to him, and he enveloped her in a hug.
"It's been a while, Anna." Sensei Wu's stern features softened at the sight of her.
"Oh, Sensei, I've missed you so much! And there's so much that's happened since you've left! Like my mom got a new job teaching in Jamanakai Village! And my older brother, Bryce, just disappeared one day without a single trace, besides a short note. Most importantly, I have a new little brother! He's about five years younger than me, and sometimes he can be a pain, but he's turning out to be just like Bryce – I never would've guessed!"
Sensei's face hardened again. "Anna, I wish the only reason I had called you here was to see you and catch up on old times, but the real reason is very serious indeed."
"Well, why am I here, then?"
"I need you to join my ninja team."
There was silence in the room, followed by outbursts of "What?" and "Sensei, why didn't you tell us?" and "Being a ninja is for boys only!" and so on. However, the loudest reply came from Anna herself.
"What? Are you kidding me?!" she said, shocked. "I can't be a ninja! I don't even know how to use a weapon, let alone fight! Just because my dad was a great fighter doesn't mean I automatically inherited his skills."
"That may or may not be true, Anna, but I sense great potential in you as I did in your father," Sensei Wu insisted. "This is why you must be trained in order to bring out the power of your true element."
"Okay, now I seriously have no idea what you're talking about. But, if you really think I could do it, I trust you. Somehow I have a feeling that it would make my dad proud," Anna decided.
"Hold on, Sensei," Kai interrupted. "How can you expect Anna to be a part of our team? She has no experience, she'll probably just slow us down on missions, and she doesn't even have an element or a golden weapon!"
"Silence!" Sensei Wu commanded, and the room became quiet. "Anna will decide for herself whether or not she will accept my offer."
All eyes were on Anna, and it seemed as if everyone held their breath until she spoke again.
"I accept," Anna said with deadly seriousness.
No one knew what to say, until Sensei broke the silence. "It is settled. Nya, will you show Anna to her room?"
"Sure thing, Sensei," Nya answered. Then to Anna she said, "Follow me." Nya quickly led Anna up a flight of stairs to the balcony where the separate boys' and girls' rooms were, leaving the four ninja standing there dumbfounded.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
As the evening wore on, everyone retired to their rooms to get ready for bed. The girls quickly fell asleep, but back in the boys' room, an argument was in full swing.
"Doesn't it seem strange to you that a random girl just waltzes in, claims to know Sensei, and boom, just like that, she's a ninja!?" Kai argued.
"Aren't you being a bit harsh? I mean, give Anna a break!" Cole retorted.
"I would advise staying out of this," said Zane.
"Yeah. Wouldn't want to interrupt the two hot-heads," agreed Jay, yawning.
"Why should we even trust her?" Kai went on. "For all we know she could be a spy from Garmadon just waiting for the command to lead the whole skeleton army right to our base for an ambush!"
"Since when does Lord Garmadon work with humans? The only creatures that live in the Underworld are skeletons," Cole pointed out.
Kai just shrugged. "Anything is possible, you know. Plus, a ninja can't be too cautious, can he?"
The argument went back and forth like that for a few hours. Jay and Zane tried to get some rest, but it was nearly impossible with all the yelling Cole and Kai were doing.
"It's late, Kai. Can we please just forget this and go to bed?" Cole pleaded.
"She may have fooled all of you, but I know she's up to something," Kai warned. "I'm keeping an eye on her."
On that note, the arguing finally died down and everyone fell asleep.
A/N: So what do you think? Please review so I can improve, but no flames! If there's something you don't like, use constructive criticism. Anyways, I'll try to update once a week, so stay tuned and have a great day!
~ Shadow