A/n: Does anyone else ever get paranoid when home alone? I sure do, and that's how I got inspired to write this story. It takes place when Kai and Nya were kids, after their parents disappeared.
He watched from a distance as all of the little kids got off the bus. After a full day of school, the small children were tired, and parted ways as they all started walking home.
He looked around, searching for his targets. Finally, he spotted a little boy and a little girl. They were siblings, but did not look like it. The boy had spikey, brownish red hair, and dark brown eyes. He wore a plain red shirt, and brown pants. On his head sat a little red baseball cap.
The girl had black hair that had been cut short, so it barely came down to her shoulders. She wore a little red kimono, and her blue eyes sparkled in the light.
Yes, these were the kids. He had been watching them for years, and soon, they would finally be his. He would take the children soon. Then, no one would ever hear from them again.
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Kai and Nya had been left home alone plenty of times before, so they weren't worried when their Aunt, who took care of them after their parents' disappearance, told them she'd be leaving to go to Ninjago City for a day. In fact, Kai really enjoyed having free reign over the house.
After all, he was ten years old, now. That meant he was double digits, and he got to be in charge whenever his Aunt wasn't home.
The one thing Kai didn't like about being home alone was the fact that he and Nya didn't have a phone. There was no home phone in their house, either, so if something happened, they had no way of contacting anyone for help.
Not that he thought anything would happen. They lived in a small neighborhood near the wheat fields. It was one of the safest places in the village, and nothing ever happened there. Did it?
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They Blacksmith shop was closed for the day, and Nya was upstairs playing with her dolls, so Kai decided to watch some TV. He switched on the TV, which was currently playing cartoons. He watched those for a while, mesmerized by the superheroes, and their powers.
Then, the TV started playing a show about a ninja who had to defend a princess and her castle from evil villains. Feeling inspired, Kai switched off the TV and went upstairs to see if Nya wanted to play with him. She agreed, and they went into the living room, where they often played pretend.
"Nya, you can be the princess, and I'll be the ninja who protects you." Kai told her, setting a crown on her head.
"But what if I want to be the ninja, and you be the princess?" Nya asked.
"We can't do that!" Kai exclaimed, shocked that his sister would even think of such a thing.
"Why not?" The eight year old girl inquired.
"Because I'm a boy, and you're s girl!" Kai told her.
"So?" Nya asked.
"Boys can't be princesses, and girls can't be ninja, silly!" Kai said.
"Well, you can be a prince!" Nya smiled, "And I'll be the Samurai who protects you!"
"But I don't want to be the prince!" Kai pouted.
"Well, I don't want to be the princess, either." Nya replied.
"No one cares, Nya." Kai told her, "Just suck it up and be the princess. You can be the Samurai next time."
"Fine." The future master of water pouted.
Before long, the two siblings were having a blast. Princess Nya had been kidnapped by the evil skeleton king, and now, Kai, the heroic ninja, was taking a journey through the underworld to get her back. He was just about to use his magic sword to cut the chains and free her, when there was a knock at the door.
Both Kai and Nya froze. They had been left home alone before, but not once had anyone ever knocked on the door. Kai instantly assumed that there was a murderer outside.
"What do we do?" He whispered to Nya.
"See who it is, duh!" Nya told him in a painfully loud voice.
"Shh! Nya, don't be too loud. We don't know who's out there, and we don't want them to know we're here." Kai ordered. He stood up, and walked to the door. He was about to look through the peep hole, when the person outside knocked again.
Kai fell backwards, almost crying out, but managed to stay quiet.
"What are you waiting for, chicken?" Nya teased. Kai shushed her again. He got back up, and looked through the peep hole. There was a man standing outside. He wore all black clothing, and even a black mask. He raised his fist to knock again, and Kai stepped back.
This time, the knock was more of a bang, as if the man was trying to break the door down.
"I don't think we should let him in." Kai whispered.
"Oh, for crying out loud, who's out there?" Nya asked, walking over to the window and pulling back the curtains. When she looked out and saw the man, she let out a little scream, and stepped back.
"I know you're in there! Open up!" The man's muffled voice shouted, followed by more banging.
"What do we do, Kai?" Nya inquired.
"You're asking me?" Kai exclaimed.
"Yeah, you're the one in charge, here!" Nya told him, "You're double digits, remember?"
"Right. Um, do you think we should hide?" Kai asked. The man outside banged some more.
"I think that would be best." Nya replied. The two siblings ran upstairs, searching for a place to hide.
"Should we split up, or hide together?" Kai inquired.
"Let's stick together." Nya whispered. They both went into their parents' old room, and locked themselves in the closet.
For some reason, that room made them feel safer. Maybe it was the scent of their parents, or the memories they had in that room, but either way, it helped a little in this situation. After a few minutes, the banging finally seemed to stop.
"Is he gone?" Nya asked.
"I don't know." Kai admitted, "I'll go check."
"Be careful." Nya told him, "You're the only family I have, I don't want to lose my big brother." Kai smiled, and left the closet.
He looked around. Seeing that the coast was clear, Kai carefully walked to the window, opened the curtains, and peaked out.
To his shock, the man was still standing there, and this time, he was looking right at Kai. The little boy barely held back a scream.
"Come out, little boy!" The man called, "Or I'm coming in!" Stepping back, Kai almost fainted from fear. The man banged on the door even harder than before, and Kai ran back to the closet, closing the door behind him.
"What's wrong?" Nya asked.
"He's still out there." Kai told her.
"Did he see you?" Nya inquired worriedly.
"Yeah. He definitely did, and I think he's going to try to break in." Kai whispered.
"Maybe we should tie these around our mouths?" Nya suggested, holding up two scarves she'd found in the closet.
"Why?" Kai asked, giving her a disgusted look.
"Because what if he comes looking for us? If we get too scared, we might scream and blow our cover. These will help stop us." Nya explained.
"Good idea." Kai said, taking a scarf and tying it around his mouth. Then he helped Nya with hers. They waited in silence for a few minutes, before Nya pulled down her scarf and spoke.
"Kai, I'm scared." She whispered.
"I know." Kai told her, pulling down his scarf, "But it will be okay. Don't worry." Nya nodded, and put her scarf back up.
"Alright. If you're not coming out, then I'm coming in!" The man outside shouted. Kai and Nya heard a loud bang, and the door fell down. They heard footsteps beneath them, and evil laughter. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" The man called.
Kai and Nya didn't move. There were thundering footsteps as the man ran up the stairs. Nya whimpered, and Kai hugged her.
"I know you're here." The man said in a sing-song voice. Then there was a moment of complete silence, and Kai wondered what he was doing. "I see." The man said, "Hiding in your parents' room, are you? Hoping they'll protect you, even though they're gone?"
How did he know where they were hiding? Kai was suddenly grateful he'd locked the door, but he knew it wouldn't hold for long against the man. He stood up, and opened the closet door. Nya gave him a questioning look, and Kai put a finger to his lips. He closed the door, and walked to the middle of the room.
"Knock, knock!" The man called, banging on the door. Kai took a few steps back, and opened the window. If worst came to worst, he could always jump out. It would hurt, but it wasn't high, so he'd probably survive. A minute later, the man had broken down the door, and was staring Kai down.
"So, how's this going to go?" Kai asked. He hoped he didn't sound too scared.
"Here's how. You and your sister are coming with me, and you're not going to put up a fight." The man smirked. He started walking forward, and Kai's fear overtook him. He climbed out of the window, and jumped.
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The next thing Kai knew, he was lying in the snow outside of his house. It was cold, but it had helped break his fall.
"I'm coming for you, kid!" The man yelled at Kai. He stood up, and ran. Kai didn't look back. He would've run forever, but he couldn't leave Nya with that psychopath. As much as he didn't want to, he had to go back for her. First, though, he had to find an adult. Someone who could help.
No one was working the wheat fields today, because of the snow. All of Kai's neighbors were gone, too. Where could he find help? The village was half a mile away, and by the time he got there, that man could have killed Nya.
Kai plopped down in the snow.
"Think." He told himself, "Think, Kai! What would Mom and Dad do? What would Aunt Perla do? THINK!" He put his head in his hands, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"What troubles you, Kai?" A man's voice asked. Kai looked up to see someone dressed in a white beard standing in front of him. He had a long white beard, and wore a straw hat atop his head.
"My-my sister." Kai said.
"What about her?" The man asked calmly.
"We were attacked by a man in all black, and she's still inside of our house." Kai explained, "Can you help me?"
"Why can't you help yourself?" The man asked.
"Because I'm only ten. I can't defeat someone like that!" Kai exclaimed.
"Only ten, hmm?" The man said, stroking his beard.
"Yeah." Kai told him.
"But aren't you double digits? Didn't your aunt leave you in charge?" The old man asked.
"Yes, but…" Kai started.
"But what? That man is scary, so you've decided to run away?" He asked.
"No." Kai replied, "I just need help."
"You have everything you need, Kai. Now, go and save your sister." The man told him. Kai nodded, and started walking back towards the house. He stopped, realizing he should thank the old man.
"Thank-" Kai started, but when he turned around, the man was gone. The little boy shrugged, and continued towards the house.
He was going to save Nya, just like the ninja who saved the princess.
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When Kai got back to the house, the man in black was standing outside with Nya. He was holding her scarf around her neck, ready to choke her at any time.
"Hello, Kai. I knew you'd be back. You just couldn't leave your little sister behind, could you?" He asked.
"No, I couldn't." Kai said, "Now let her go!"
"Or what?" The man asked.
"Or I'll defeat you; just like the ninja did to the skeleton king!" Kai exclaimed.
"Oh, yeah?" The man laughed, "You and what army?"
"How about my army of fists?!" Kai shouted, running forward with his fists raised.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." The man said, tightening the scarf around Nya's neck.
Kai stopped short. He couldn't let anything happen to Nya.
"Stop that!" He shouted.
"The only way to save her is if you both come with me." The man said, tightening the scarf even more. This time, he cut off Nya's airway, and started choking her.
"No!" Kai screamed. He could see the life leaving Nya's eyes. "DON'T. HURT. MY. SISTER!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.
Suddenly, fire began bursting from Kai's hands, and his eyes lit up red. He could feel his hair on fire, and he smiled. This was it. This was when he saved his sister. Seeing the frightened look on the man's face only fueled Kai, and made his powers stronger. By now, he could no longer contain them, and he let the fire shoot out, burning the man. However, Kai was careful not to harm Nya.
The man let out an ear-piercing scream, and let go of Nya. He ran away, and jumped into the snow to put out the fire. Looking back at the kids, he smirked.
"This is not over yet!" He told them, "I'll be back! Then you'll be sorry!" He then ran away, leaving only his footprints.
Kai's eyes went back to normal, and he ran to Nya.
"Nya, are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah." She told him, "You really are the heroic ninja, aren't you?"
"Yeah." Kai replied, "I guess I am."
A/n: As always, please review! I LOVE hearing your thoughts!