So, as ya'll know, this is my first fanfic. I hope you enjoy reading it, and know that constructive criticism is always allowed. I don't own Ninjago, or the characters of the show. I only own my OCs. Now, without further ado, here's Chapter 1 of 'Warriors of Steel'!

Chapter One: The Burn

Kai had one thought on his mind. His hands ached, his head hurt, and his legs felt like they were about to break away from his torso, but his mind stayed the course of one, simple thought: "This sucks!"

The man next to him, in the same stretched out position as Kai, shot him a dirty look. "Shuddup man! The Drill Sergeant's gonna hear us!"

Kai scowled, looking back. "At this point, I don't really care if the Sergeant hears us. I'm about ready to pack up and head back to Jamanakai." He shook his head, which was currently inches away from the solid earth that tormented him endlessly.

"And what would that do for you? What would that do for your sister? You know what's gonna happen. And if we heard correctly, it's gonna happen soon. Do you really think you can single-handedly protect your shop, your sister, and Jamanakai Village?" He said, his voice lowered to a whisper.

"And do you think Nya can single-handedly run the blacksmithing business? I told you how crowded that place gets!" Kai hissed back, pushing his arms upward and moving his face away from the dirt. He was tired. Real tired. He didn't know how the other men around him could keep the pace as well as he could.

"Based on the letters that she sends you, and the pictures, then yes. I do think she can run the blacksmith shop by herself." Replied the second man, his own arms close to collapse.

Kai spit in the dirt, not as a derogatory statement, but because there was too much saliva forming in his mouth. "You didn't grow up with her, Dan. Everything you know is just based on some pictures and a few letters I read for you!"

"Private Smith! Private Tally! What did I say about talking during push-ups?!" A loud voice boomed out, as a man's footfalls kicked up dust, causing the other recruits to hack and cough.

"Sorry sir," they said in unison. They looked up to see Sergeant "Polly" Poleson, standing over them at 6'5. It's rumored that he played basketball in High School, but got kicked out when he broke another player's balls with his sneaker. Kai questions the authenticity of the rumor, but Dan and most of the other recruits took it as fact.

"What's the matter? You two not get enough of each other in the bunks?" This comment earned a snicker from the rest of the troops, but they quickly quieted down when the Sergeant looked around at them.

"No sir," Kai replied. "It's probably just the heat. We're dying out here, sir. Our backs, our arms, our legs. Everything." He knew this comment would most likely not be taken well by the Sergeant, but it was the truth.

The Sergeant looked taken aback for a moment, then leaned down and wickedly smiled at Kai. That smile seemed to put a lot more pressure on Kai's back when he went down. "Well, if you don't die out here, then you'll most certainly die out on the battlefield, boy." The grin slid off of Poleson's face for a moment. "I would know…"

Kai remembered that the Sergeant had fought in the first war against the Dark Island 20 years earlier. Now, weeks after Ninjago's presidential election, trouble was stirring up again with them, and Ninjago was beginning to prepare for another war.

"Sir, we need a break. We're burning here."Kai tried to convince the sergeant, but the sergeant was not a man to be convinced.

The smirk quickly returned to Poleson's mouth, his jaw pushing upwards to an almost un-human position. "What, Smith, you don't like the Burn?" He said in a sharp and mocking tone.

"The… the Burn, sir?" Kai said, now clearly confused. He heard a phump! to his left and saw that Dan's arms had gone out. The private had collapsed against the dirt in a sweaty, messy, fleshy heap.

Poleson frowned at the private, but turned back to Kai with the same grin as always. "The Burn, private, is the heat inside you, and the reason for why we fight. Every man has something to fight for. Some men fight for their families. Some for their homes. Some for their nation. Some men fight to save their own skins." He leaned down real close to Kai, and things got quiet. So quiet that Kai could hear his own heart beating rapidly against his chest. "What do you fight for, Smith?" And with that, the Sergeant stood up and moved back down the line, continuing his regular routine.

Kai thought about that question for the rest of the day. That question stayed with him until he was fast asleep in his bunk. And the next morning, when he got up at 4:30 for a weapons drill, the question still remained with him.

He could practically hear the Sergeant's words echoing in his brain. "What do you fight for, Smith?" 'Well,' Kai thought as he slurped down some Captain Soto's Cereal, 'I fight for a lot of things. I fight for… I… I fight for Nya. I fight for the Shop.' He stopped and looked at the cereal. He didn't know if that was it. Nya was a huge part of his life, and the shop was what kept the Smith's alive since Kai Great-Granddad had founded it 130 years earlier.

He moved a piece of cereal through his mouth, thinking harder. Would an average man have more than two things to fight for? Less? He became indulged in the question. Every thought in his brain went to that one goal. Finding out what he fought for.

He became so interactive with that one question that he didn't notice the sound of a tray being placed next to him and someone sitting down.

"Yo man, you trippin'?" A voice spoke from his left, causing him to utter out an "Hm?" In reply. He glanced over to see Dan grinning back at him. "Are you tripping balls?" He repeated, with the same grin plastered on his face.

"Nah, nah man. I was just thinking." Kai said. He wiped something wet off his chin. Saliva. He gave a look of disgust, before returning to his bowl of cereal.

"Ah, I know what you're doing! Kai, you dog!" Dan shouted, a little too loud.

"Keep it down, will you?" Kai hissed, trying to make his friend shut up. "I think they heard you on the freaking' Dark Island!"

Dan leaned into Kai's ear, making Kai feeling like a schoolgirl at lunch talking about the latest gossip. "You were admiring Skylor Chen, weren't you?" He continued to grin, a little more mischievously.

Kai looked at him like he was telling him that the world was flat. "Who?" Kai said.

"Y'know, Skylor Chen!"

"No, I don't know Skylor Chen."

Dan grinned. "She's one of the newer recruits. Apparently her father was running an illegal slave ring and held a sort of gladiatorial tournament every year. She cut off all ties to her crooked Papa and came here." He sat back on his stool, stirring his fork around in his bowl of cereal. "At least, that's what I heard."

"Skylor Chen, eh?" He moved his gaze towards where Dan began pointing. She was sitting four tables away from them, talking with another recruit. She had long, flowing red hair that almost hit the small of her back. Her features, Kai thought, were perfect. No visible facial scars. No makeup, which was required by the Army of Ninjago. Kai thought he liked her better without makeup. He thought that her natural beauty was so great, that makeup would only bring it down.

"Uh, dude? You're drooling again." A voice cut off his fantasy. It was Dan. Stupid Dan, always interrupting Kai's sweet privacy and thoughts. He wiped his chin off once more.

He sighed. Now he knew why Jay acted the way he did around his sister. He smiled, hoping that his friend was doing better wherever he was, before getting up and throwing out the rest of his cereal.