Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first one-shot in our collection! This was submitted by Jono0727, and it takes place after the Battle of Ninjago City, when Kai's about to head back to Ignacia. I hope y'all enjoy it!

Before I Go

Kai was ready. He had double- and triple-checked his equipment, had brought along his phone for the plane ride, and had memorized exactly what he was going to say to Skylor when he went.

He looked around at the kiosk that had been turned into his sleeping quarters for the two days after the Battle of Ninjago. All around, he had seen men and women heading into the planes that were sending them back home, to their families. And he had also seen many a civilian cry when they learned that their loved ones weren't coming back, weren't going to be home for another Christmas, or Valentine's Day, or Birthday.

Kai was lucky; he didn't lose any of his close friends or family in the fighting. But maybe it was just God giving him a break. After all, he'd lost so much already in the first war, and he'd done so many awful things in the second war, so it seemed only fair that both High Command and the Man Upstairs give him a little time off. Which is exactly what had happened to him.

He stood up and checked his watch. '8:20 PM.' He thought. 'Ten minutes until my plane begins boarding.'

He took a look around at the airport that had housed him for the past 48 hours. It had been a target for Darese artillery attacks when they retreated north and out to sea, but all in all it wasn't heavily damaged. There were papers scattered around the floor and a few overturned chairs here and there, but otherwise it looked to be fine.

He glanced up at the sign above him. 'TERMINAL B', it read in large bold letters. 'SERVING PLANE RED, DIVIDED AIRLINES, AND NORTHEAST.'

Kai glanced down at his ticket. "Terminal B, Northeast Airlines." He said to himself, and took a seat near the boarding station.

He closed his eyes, and tried to get ten minutes of sleep before his long journey.

"Psst. Hey buddy. Psst. Hey buddy. Psst. Hey-"

Kai's hand shot forward, slamming into the face of Lars Panrocka, who stumbled back into the chair opposite of Kai.

"Jesus, man! What the hell was that?!" The Ranger asked, clutching his nose tightly.

Another familiar face stepped over. "That, my friend, is what happens when you poke the bear." She said, her mouth curving upwards into a slight grin.

Kai looked up at her, and smiled. "Good to see you, Skylor. I thought you were catching the plane to Ouroborus."

Skylor plopped down next to him, shaking her head. "Well, I thought about it, and I decided that I didn't have anything to do there. No connections, no money, nothing."

Kai's smile slowly began to fall. He knew what this meant. "So… you're staying?"

Skylor continued to smile weakly. "The army's my life now. Fighting is what I do best. I can't even imagine getting out anymore."

Kai slid back into his chair, trying desperately to find a way to convince her to go. He didn't want to see her die, to be killed by a lucky shot from a sniper or be blown to bits by a hand grenade.

"Well, on the bright side, I'm going home!" Lars said, smiling.

Both Kai and Skylor glanced over at him, causing him to squirm in his seat.

"I'll shut up now." He said, turning back to his duffel bag.

Kai turned his attention back to Skylor, who was still upholding her weak smile. "Look Kai, I know you don't want me to stay, but I'm my own person. I think it's best that I stay as far away from my father as possible, and the only way to do that is by staying here."

Kai nodded slowly, looking at the floor to avoid her gaze.

"Do you understand?"

Kai continued nodding. "Yeah, I understand."
Skylor reached over and took his hand in hers, grabbing it tightly.

The loudspeaker began to blare over the terminal. "Now boarding Terminal B, Divided Airlines."

Lars stood up and brushed off his uniform, which was a little dusty. Kai and Skylor stood as well, facing their friend.

"This is my flight." Lars said, smiling. "It was… nice, hanging out with you guys. Maybe, some day, we'll meet back up. Maybe I'll come back and fight with the Rangers on the Dark Island. Who knows?"

He threw up a salute, straightening up. Kai and Skylor did the same. "It was an honor serving with you guys." He smiled.

"Same to you." Skylor replied, before all three dropped their salute and Lars walked over towards the boarding area.

Kai sat down. "I really am going to miss that idiot." He said, smiling.

"You and me both."

They just sat there in silence, watching the people go by, one by one. Skylor opened up a packet of graham crackers, and began to eat them.

Kai checked his watch. "8:30. I should probably head over to the boarding area."

He tried to stand, but was stopped by something tugging at his sleeve. "Kai, wait." Skylor said, releasing his shirt.

He sat back down, looking over at her.

She set her graham crackers on the chair next to her, and bit her lip. It seemed to him that she was deciding whether or not to do something.

Finally, she leaned over and kissed him, throwing her arms around his neck. Kai was caught off guard, but quickly caught on, shutting his eyes and returning the kiss. She tasted like cherries and, unsurprisingly, graham crackers.

Kai tried to break off for air, but Skylor refused, still clutching him tightly in her grasp.

"Now boarding Terminal B, Northeast Airlines." The loudspeaker blared again, causing Skylor to finally break away.

They both sat there, clutching each other and panting.

"I…" Skylor started, but was stopped short by Kai.

He grinned at her and said, "I know." before picking up his duffle bag and walking towards the Terminal, leaving a star-struck Skylor behind him.

As he sat on the plane, watching the unlit skyline of a rebuilding Ninjago City go by beneath him, he closed his eyes, and began to will himself to sleep with one thought on his mind.

'I love you too.'

And that's the first one-shot completed! Next one will be coming out, as always, next Sunday! Until then, Adios!