Kai inched forward, his brown eyes fixed firmly on the Fangblade. Just a bit further! He flexed his fingers, releasing a string of curses when the silver handle remained just out of his reach. "Ugh," he grumbled. "Why won't my powers unlock!"
"Kai!"
The fire ninja twisted around to locate the source of the cry. Lloyd was stranded in the middle of the lava. Although the dark hood hid some of his face, the boy's wide eyes and raised eyebrows clearly showed his terror.
"Help me!" he shouted.
"Uh, yeah! Just hold on a minute!" Kai turned back to the Fangblade. Panic flared up in his chest as the weapon dipped closer towards the magma. No!
The fire ninja steadied himself, exhaling slowly. Ok Kai, you can do this! He shifted his weight, being very careful to not topple over. Being the fire ninja did not necessarily mean that he was immune to burns, as he'd found out the hard way. Kai stretched out his hand. His fingers grasped empty air. He muttered profanities.
Now would be a really good time for me to unlock my epic green ninja powers, the fire master thought in agitation. Then I could just command rocks to create a path so I could grab the stupid thing, use lightning to fly out of here, and freeze the entire volcano over while Lloyd cheers! He smiled at the thought.
"Kai! I'm sinking!"
The yelp from Lloyd startled him from his daydreams. The red-clothed teen tore his gaze from the silver weapon and focused his mind back onto the present situation. It was true; the boy's slab of rock was almost completely submerged.
Kai's eyes darted back and forth from the black-garbed kid to the Fangblade. Stop Pythor, or help Lord Garmadon's brat of a son?
His pupils rested on the blade, which was touching the surface of the lava. If I grab the Fangblade I'll become the green ninja. I could defeat the serpentine. I'd be famous, important, special. Not just 'the blacksmith's son' or 'the girl's brother' or even 'one of the ninja'. I'd be the green ninja, the one destined to defeat Garmadon!
But then he looked back at Lloyd. The poor kid was clinging onto the rock for his life, his eyes pleading with him. I can't just leave him here to die! Even if he's the son of the dark lord. No one deserves to die because of a grudge between two different people. I've got to save him. It's my duty as a defender of Ninjago.
Kai straightened. "Hang on, Lloyd!" He spared one last glance of longing at the Fangblade, before leaping nimbly across several chunks of stone. He seized the boy by his cloak and pulled him off the rock. "Come on, we need to get out of here."
"But what about the Fangblade?" asked the child.
"Forget it," Kai ordered. "This place is gonna blow!" He spinjitzued towards the entrance until flames blocked their path. A spray of magma leapt up around the pair, encircling them in a ring of fire.
"I'm sorry Kai," Lloyd said, burying his face in the fire ninja's kimono. "If I'd never gone to Ouroboros, you wouldn't need to be rescuing me!"
"It's ok," the red ninja consoled. He pushed the younger boy away in order to look him in the eyes. "I should have been looking after you, instead of leaving you alone while I obsessed over being the green ninja. You're way more important than some fancy title."
Lloyd pulled abruptly away from him. "Kai! What's happening?"
The fire ninja's eyes had begun to glow amber while he talked. Now his body seemed to hum with energy and power. He turned to face Lloyd, who was backing away from him with a startled expression. "Don't worry," he shouted. "It's my true potential!"
A green light radiated from the red ninja's body. The rocky platform rose as magma pushed it up towards the crater. Ice cooled down his chest and arms so he wouldn't burn the boy. As the lava exploded out of the temple, he pulled Lloyd close to himself and teleported to The Bounty.
Kai collapsed to the deck as soon as his feet touched down. He heard cries of alarm -or was that astonishment?- but he really couldn't tell. He felt the deck vibrate as people rushed around and steered the ship away from the erupting volcano.
Kai stood up, albeit shakily, and brushed himself off. Then he groaned and stretched his arms, before turning to the others. They were each staring at him with various stages of shock. Umm, what do I say?
Thankfully, he was spared an awkward explanation. Lloyd shot past him in a black blur as he hurled himself into his father's arms.
"Dad! Is it really you?" He peered up at the blood-red eyes which were framed by charred skin.
"Yes son," the Dark Lord responded, gently stroking his son's back.
"Um, Dad?"
"Yes Lloyd?"
The hooded boy raised an eyebrow. "Why do you have four arms?"
"He's gonna be okay!" Cole cheered.
Kai watched as Lord Garmadon shifted his eyes from Lloyd's to his own.
"Thank you," he said sincerely.
Kai smiled back and nodded his head slightly. He really is a nice man... Once you get past the creepy eyes, arms, skin, and teeth.
"But how did you survive?" asked Zane. "How did you discover the key to unlocking your powers?"
"Yeah, I think you owe us an explanation," added Jay.
The red-clad ninja grinned. "I knew when I had to make a choice. I wanted the Fangblade so badly, to prove I was talented enough to become the most epic ninja in the universe!" He turned to look at the younger Garmadon. "But then I saw Lloyd across from me, stuck on the rock. Something inside me clicked. I realized that being the green ninja wasn't all about having cool powers or a crowd of adoring fans. It was to protect those who couldn't protect themselves."
Kai could almost see the wheels turning in everyone's head. His sister was the first to come to a conclusion.
"But that would mean..." Nya trailed off, stooping to pick up his discarded sword. She reached over and plucked the golden nun-chuks off Jay's back. Zane and Cole seemed to catch on. The three of them carried the weapons over to where Kai was standing, away from everyone else, and placed them in front of him.
The weapons reacted immediately. A green lightning field connected them as the four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu floated and circled around the red ninja.
Sensei Wu gasped. "Kai is the green ninja!"
Fabro does not own Ninjago. If I did, do you really think I'd be writing AU's?