A/N: Chapter Two! Yay! I hope you guys like it, because it was really fun to write!
I do not own Ninjago.
Chapter Two: The Date
When I arrived at the courtyard, I hurriedly scanned the area for Kai. The courtyard was particularly crowded tonight. Then I remembered – today was Saturday, meaning classes got out earlier than normal. Many couples probably had the same idea as me and Kai. To just hang out and spend the night together until classes resumed tomorrow morning.
Since I didn't see Kai anywhere, I decided to take a seat on one of the benches that wasn't taken already and wait for him.
Within a few minutes of sitting down, the other people in the courtyard started staring at me, wondering what I was doing out here all alone.
I started to get annoyed. These people had no right to judge me, especially if they knew who my date was. So after getting a few stares, I just started sending death glares at whoever stared at me.
That did the trick. No one else bothered me after that.
After what felt like forever, I finally spotted Kai running out of the doors on the other side of the courtyard. Even from here, I could tell he was pretty frazzled. I didn't mind, though. At least he had come.
Kai strode across the courtyard, then took a seat next to me on the bench.
I couldn't help but notice how good he looked. Although he was only wearing a faded pair of jeans and a red sweatshirt, he was still hot. Literally. Kai was the Elemental Master of fire, after all.
I could once again feel all eyes on me. This time, though, I didn't mind.
That's right, I thought. Your Sensei Kai is my date. That'll teach you to judge me!
Kai then took my hand, which snapped me out of my internal cheering.
"Sorry I'm late," he said. "The class I was covering for Jay went overtime, and then I had to get ready, and-"
"It's okay, Kai," I interrupted. "There's no need to apologize."
Kai sighed deeply, then dropped his head into his hands. "Oh, that class was a total disaster! You wouldn't believe the trouble I had. I barely got out of there alive!"
I laughed softly at Kai's exaggeration. "But you're here now," I reminded him, putting an arm around him.
"Yeah, thank the Lord for that." He looked back up at me and flashed a grin.
We sat there for a while longer, mostly just making small talk, until Kai asked me, "Hey, Star. You want to go somewhere else? It's pretty crowded here."
So he had noticed the stares we were getting, too.
"Sure," I replied. What place do you have in mind?"
"I don't know, maybe just a walk around the campus, or something."
That gave me an idea.
"I know the perfect place," I said, grinning mischievously. "Follow me."
Without waiting for an answer, I grabbed Kai by the arm and started dragging him back inside.
"Star! Where are we going?" Kai protested with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I spend my entire life cooped up in this stupid building!"
"Just trust me, will you?" I said back. "Since when have I ever been wrong about anything?"
Kai snorted sarcastically in reply, but I chose to ignore that. I knew he'd love me once we got to the place I had in mind.
Together, we raced down the mostly deserted hallways, past all the identical dorm rooms. Finally, I slowed down and stopped Kai in front of an old, weathered door at the end of a hallway of dorms.
"Here we are!" I said excitedly, waving my arms at the door.
Kai didn't seem as enthusiastic as I did, however.
"Okay, I was skeptical at first, but now I'm really doubting your judgment," he said, placing his hands on his hips. "Of all places, why did you drag me to the supply closet?"
I hesitated. I knew it seemed kind of weird, but there really was something in there I wanted to show Kai. If I told him, though, it would ruin the surprise.
So I just rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Like I said a million times before, just trust me!"
I stepped up to the door and turned the knob.
Locked.
"Shoot," I muttered under my breath.
Noticing my distress, Kai said, to no one in particular, "You know, I do have the keys that unlock the supply closet."
I immediately spun on my heels to face him. "You do?"
"Duh, of course I do! I work here!" Kai said in exasperation. "I guess, if you really need them that badly, I could lend them to you..." His voice trailed off as he reached for his belt loop, unclipped a keyring, and tossed it to me. The bunch of keys jangled against each other as they landed in my hands.
"It's the one marked 'supply closet'," he told me, "if you didn't figure that out already."
I rifled through the keys until I found the right one. Then, I inserted it into the closet's lock, and, sure enough, it was a perfect fit.
As soon as I turned the knob, the old wooden door creaked open.
"Ladies first," Kai said, gesturing to the dark room.
"You're such the gentleman," I said, my voice heavy with sarcasm.
I stepped into the supply closet and ran my fingers over the wall, fumbling for a light switch. I finally found it and flipped it on. On the other side of the room, a bare bulb handing down from the low ceiling hummed to life. In its light, I could see towers of boxes stacked all around me, coated with thick layers of dust. More dust floated in the air, making me sneeze.
"Bless you," said Kai.
I turned and saw that Kai had followed me into the room and closed the door behind him.
"Wow, the supply closet. This is so captivating," he deadpanned.
I exhaled in frustration. Why does he constantly have to doubt me?
Without saying another word, I pushed my way past old cardboard boxes until I reached the back of the room.
Once I got there, I reached up to the ceiling and pulled on a thick cord that was attached to one of the ceiling panels. Instantly, the panel gave way and swung down, revealing a section of the night sky.
I took a step back, smirked at Kai, and let him take a look at the panel.
"Okay, a trap door," Kai observed, excitement rising in his voice. "That's new. How did you find that?"
"Long story," I laughed, remembering the incident. "A while back, a few of my friends got really ticked off at me for spilling one of their secrets to someone else. So, they decided to lock me in here as revenge."
"Wow, nice friends you got there," Kai commented.
"Yeah, well, let's just say they're not my friends anymore," I explained. "Anyway, while I was trapped in here, I got pretty bored, so I started snooping around and found this trapdoor. I used it to escape, then went to find my friends. Let me tell you, they were...surprised, to say the least."
"And probably hating your guts right about then, too," Kai added.
"Yeah, that too," I agreed. "But, I never told them about the trapdoor or how I used it to get out."
"Okay, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Kai asked, grinning.
"Definitely. Why else would I show you this?"
Kai rummaged through all the old supplies until he found a small wooden ladder propped up against the side wall. He helped me position it in the trap door so it was stable. Then we both climbed out into the night.
As soon as my head came through the opening, I took in a deep breath of the crisp air. It was cool, but not too cold – the exact temperature a spring night should be.
Once I pulled myself through the hatch, I moved over to a different spot on the roof so Kai could come up, too.
When he reached the opening, Kai gasped.
"I know, it's amazing, right?" I said, noticing his surprise.
Kai came over to where I was standing, and we both sat down on the roof, carefully positioning our feet on the shingles so we wouldn't fall.
"I take it all back now," Kai apologized. "This is pretty awesome."
I was a little shocked at Kai's words. Kai almost never apologized to anyone. He was too stubborn for that. So, I decided to take advantage of this rare opportunity.
"See, I told you so, but you wouldn't listen!" I teased.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kai muttered.
We both sat there in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company.
Then, changing the subject entirely, Kai said, "This school sure has come a long way."
I nodded in agreement. I could recall all the stories of how this building used to be an evil establishment called Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys. After that, it became a regular elementary school. But, not enough students enrolled, so it was quickly bought by the ninjas and turned into Ninjago Academy.
"And so have you," Kai continued. "I remember back when you first came here, you were the worst sword fighter in my whole class!"
"Yeah, but now I'm so good that you even agreed to give me private lessons," I countered.
"You still can't beat me," Kai taunted, smirking.
"Oh, you just wait," I said in my best threatening voice. "Next lesson, you're going down!"
We both cracked up at my failed attempt to be serious. After a few minutes of laughing, we both quieted down.
I took the break in our conversation to observe the scenery. The academy was fairly secluded and surrounded by forests on all sides. Kai and I sat on the roof about halfway up the academy's pagoda-style building. Because we were so far away from the glistening lights of Ninjago City, the numerous stars sparkled brightly over our heads. They were so entrancing that I could spend hours just gazing at them.
"The stars out tonight are so pretty," I mumbled, but loud enough for Kai to hear. "I don't think there's anything in the world more beautiful than them."
"Except you." Before I even had a chance to react, Kai leaned over, pushed a loose strand of blonde hair away from my face, and met my lips with his.
At first I was too startled to do anything, but once I got control of my nerves, I relaxed a little. I wrapped my arms around Kai's neck and kissed back.
Then, as suddenly as he had started, he pulled away, still gazing intently at me.
"I love you, Kai," I whispered, smiling.
"I love you, too, Star," Kai whispered back.
We leaned back against the roof and eventually drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, with nothing but the stars to watch over us.
A/N: So... Star's more beautiful than the stars. See what I did there with the names? Yeah, I didn't even notice that until I was done typing XD
Reviewers! You know who you are, but I'll mention you anyway. Darkrainbow and Iluvninjagothenextstepgirl. Thank you both SO much!
Response to Reviews:
Darkrainbow: Yay! I'm so glad you like it! I tried really hard to make Star just like you described her. And, thanks for the cookies. :)
That's it guys! Review, Follow, Favorite, and I'll be back soon (When I say soon I mean probably next week, but who knows?)
~Shadow
