(A/N) Hello again, everybody! I have chapter one finally done! This fic has already officially broken a personal record! Most reviews on one chapter! If you like this one, you should check out my Nightprowlers series. It does have a lot of OCs, but I think they are a lot better than this. These chapters are probably not going to be very long, especially not as long as some of my other chapters in Nightprowlers. This fic is written in a similar fashion to the show, as opposed to my Nightprowlers universe, where I give it my own personal flair. This may sound unappetizing, especially for non-OC people, but I did get a whopping total of 60, yes, 60 reviews on Nightprowlers Book 2: 21st Century Ninja. So… yeah.

Okay, enough talk, read!


Chapter One

Ever since Jay and Nya had suddenly and inexplicably gotten back together, the press had been nagging the Ninja constantly for an explanation. And Nya was getting quite sick of it.

"So, Nya," the talk show host began at yet another late night show interviewing herself and Jay. "Just how did you make the decision to choose Jay over Cole?"

Nya took a deep breath to keep her cool. "Like I have said before to so many people," she started firmly, "I simply made up my mind."

"Reeeaaallllly? Was it thaaaaat simple?"

"Yes, it was. Right Jay?"

"Yeah," Jay agreed. "It really was that simple."

Both of them knew they were lying though. It had not been that simple. Quite the contrary. The decision involved pirates, a forced wedding, and Nya dying, but there was no way they were telling the public that. The only people they had told were the Ninja, Sensei Wu, Misako, and Cyrus Borg. After hearing about Echo, Zane had become intrigued and even asked when he would be able to meet his "little brother". They had decided to wait until the rage about the ninja died down a little more, because the last thing they needed was a headline about Zane's long lost brother. Having observed what was presently going on with Jay and Nya, Zane had felt very opposed to the idea of the press being centered in the same way on him.

Cole's reaction was a lot more understanding than they had thought it would be. First they had to explain all about the conflict that had happened between himself and Jay, since Cole had absolutely no memory of it. When told about the reflection in the First Spinjitzu Master's tomb, he merely asked why Jay had not told him what he'd seen before now. When Jay said it was because he didn't want to ruin their friendship, Cole forgave him saying that the past was the past and if this was what both Jay and Nya wanted, then he wasn't going to get in the way because of some silly love triangle that he couldn't even remember happening anyway.

"What about Cole?" the talk show host asked, still trying to get them to talk more about Nya's decision. "We asked him to be here, too. Were you worried he would get angry?"

"Cole had other plans," Jay answered, trying to keep his temper from showing. These talk show hosts were almost as bad as the reporters. At least this time he was telling the truth, partially. Cole was investigating a new report of vandalism. The case seemed too minor to send the whole team, so the earth ninja had gone ahead to see if it was really as urgent as the police had said it was. Knowing Cole, though, volunteering to be the one to go was probably a clever way of getting out of the talk show. And Jay didn't blame him. The media seemed not to believe him when he said he didn't remember the love triangle, and seemed to be even more determined to get a better answer out of him.

Suddenly a man in a black suit came out from backstage and whispered into the talk show host's ear. He frowned for a moment, but quickly put on another smile and said to the cameras, "Alright, folks, we'll be back after a brief commercial break! See you in a bit!" The crowd clapped. Jay looked at Nya with a confused expression. Usually they were kept up on the stage a lot longer than this. What was going on?

That question was quickly answered by the man from backstage. "We just got a call from Mister Wu. There's a situation. They need you."

Nya let out a small sigh of relief. At least they could get out of here. She and Jay shook hands with the talk show host and quickly left the stage.


Back on the Bounty, everyone was gathered in the bridge. Jay and Nya raced in to see Cole's face on the large screen.

"Jay! Nya! Good, I can see you all are here," the black ninja said. Jay noticed his voice seemed slightly worried.

"Now that we're all together, Cole," Wu began, "let's hear your full report."

"Yes, Sensei. Alright, guys, listen up. This case seems a little out of the ordinary for vandalism."

"What do you mean, Cole?" Lloyd asked.

"Jay, Nya. You said all the events that happened with the pirates is now in an alternate timeline, right? None of it happened in our timeline, right?"

"Right…" Jay answered slowly. "Why?"

"Well, the 'vandalism' the police were talking about is a message on the wall of the entrance hall in this house that's supposed to be haunted."

"What does that have to do with the alternate timeline?"

"I'm getting there. The message says, 'my love was gone, and then he was back. Bring me the one who took him away from me, or else.' The house used to belong to a woman. This woman lost her love and her family and died of grief in this house. They say she still haunts the place to this day."

"I still don't see what this has to do with-"

"The woman. They call her Dilara."

The room became so silent one could hear a pin drop.

"So what you're saying is," Jay started slowly, "that the spirit of Dilara... wants revenge on me?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Cole answered seriously.

The second silence was broken by Kai. "How do we know for sure that it was the spirit of Dilara? It could be some group of kids having a laugh."

"My servers say that is the most logical explanation," Zane added. "But my senses say otherwise. This is most unusual for me."

"Well, I think we should still check it out," Lloyd decided. "More often than not, Zane's senses are more accurate than his logic."

"Well, Lloyd, you're the leader," Kai shrugged. "So, where is this haunted house?"

"The Arabian Isles," Cole informed. "They're in the East Ninjago Sea."

"I'll set the course," Nya stated, and rushed over to the control board. "Next stop, Arabian Isles!"


Meanwhile, in a dark, cobwebbed bedroom, a woman sat at a table with a hand mirror. As she gazed into it, warped images started to swirl into view. She could see a figure, a young man dressed in blue. The woman smiled. Soon, very soon, she would have her revenge.


Hours later, the Bounty landed on the beach. They had reached their destination. When everyone stepped out onto the deck, they all gasped.

It was like they had landed in the middle of a painting. The desert was beautiful. Rock formations in a multitude of shapes rose out of the dry earth in many different shades of red and orange. To the east they could see rising sand dunes that looked almost like waves of the ocean. To the west, the sun was beginning to set over a rusty red mountain range. To the north was a small town built out of tan stone. And to the south was the rolling sea.

Just then they were snapped out of their trance by a familiar voice. "Well, look who's here!" The ninja turned and saw Cole walking toward them down below. They all hopped off the deck to meet him. The black ninja removed his mask and took a deep breath in through his nose. "Ahh, would you just smell that dirt! Always wanted to come here. The postcard pictures don't do it justice!"

"The temperature feels nice," Kai commented.

"On the contrary," Zane panted. "My internal fans are working overtime."

"How about we get the ice nindroid inside before he melts?" Jay suggested.

Zane cocked his head. "I cannot melt in this temperature, Jay. My titanium body has a melting point of approximately 3,034 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1,668 degrees Celsius."

"Uhh, what?" Jay asked, thoroughly confused.

"Guys, let's just go and see what this is all about," Lloyd interrupted. "Cole, lead the way."

"Gotcha. This way, everyone."

They were traveling along the sandy beach for what seemed like forever until they finally reached a stone stairway leading up the dunes away from the water. Cole led the way up it until they came to the top of a plateau overlooking the sea. Ahead of them, on the edge of the cliff, was a house that looked very old. It was made of cracked white stone, and had three stories. The curtains in the windows looked tattered, and the door was in bad shape. Police officers were standing outside. Two approached the newcomers.

"Well, lookie here! The ninja!" one exclaimed. "Boy, are we glad to see you!"

"So, what's all this about a message on the wall?" Lloyd asked.

"Eh," the other shrugged. "It just seemed too weird to not call you guys. Come and have a look."

The ninja followed the officers into the house. When they got inside however, they didn't see any messages on any of the walls. That wasn't to say the room wasn't unimpressive. The entrance hall was obviously once quite grand. Dusty but ornate pieces of furniture sat on the edges of the room, detailed rugs hung from hooks on the walls, a tall grandfather clock stood in the corner, and a grand staircase led upstairs. "Uh, where is it?" Jay asked.

"Any minute now," the first officer said, looking out the window at the setting sun. "It only shows up at night." Just as the sun slipped below the horizon, the wall on the left began to shine. Green glowing words appeared carved into the wallpaper. Before they could start reading them though, they stopped glowing, and they were plunged into darkness.

"Hold on, hold on," an officer said. A flashlight came on. He pointed it at the wall. "Hey, that's not what it said before," he said, perplexed. Now a different message was showing.

WELCOME, NINJA. YOUR PRESENCE IS MOST APPRECIATED. I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU. ESPECIALLY ONE OF YOU.

Jay gulped. Before anyone could say anything, the front door flew open, and the officers were pushed outside by some unseen force. The door slammed behind them, and a click of a lock echoed into the hall. Without the flashlights, they were once again in the dark. Lloyd and Kai used their powers to make a light source.

"Is everyone okay?" Lloyd asked. Everyone nodded. "Good. Any ideas on how we get out of here?"

Before anyone could reply, the wall behind them glowed once more. A new message had appeared.

BRING ME THE BLUE ONE, AND THE REST MAY LEAVE.

"We'll never give you Jay!" Kai yelled at the wall. The message changed yet again.

IF YOU WILL NOT BRING HIM, THEN I WILL TAKE HIM.


(A/N) Oooooooooh, things are getting spooky now!

If you've read Nightprowlers, be sure to vote on my poll on who your favorite Nightprowler is! And don't forget to check out my facebook page, INFJ writer! Review please!

P.S. The melting point for titanium really is 3,034 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1,668 degrees Celsius. I wasn't making that up. XD