Hey fans and followers of my small writing works :)

MasterofCupcakes: I shall be taking a different turn on Kai's training here, so you can be excited :) Yep, I thought I should turn Wu's staff into a somewhat deadlier weapon, to fit in with this story's 'darker' theme.

RandomDragon2.0: Haha, that made me laugh! :) I'm so glad some people like this, aww thanks :)

QueenoftheJordan: Not to brag, but I agree :)

Cerenda: I guessed :). Yeah, I decided to update Wu, he's quite a bit younger, and seems to be based off... old Han Solo? I swear the image in my head matches something! My updating schedule is more regular than most writers, I don't know why, I'm just really fast at writing for some reason, but I do try to slow the updates down as the end nears.

Wow, I've never gotten this many reviews this early on in a story, let me know what you think of this one :)

His head burned, then it spread to his shoulder, and then everywhere. He groaned, and tried to open his eyes, but his lids were too heavy. Come on Kai, he muttered inside his head. You need to get up, you have to work, to feed Nya. She's everything to you.

She's gone.

His eyes somehow became wet enough for him to slide them open. Everything was blurry, but he could make out a face at the corner of his vision, so quickly blinked the tears away and the room became more focused.

It wasn't a room he remembered.

"Huh?" Kai moaned as he turned his head and took in his surroundings. He was in a wooden room, lying in an immensely comfy bed, comfier than he'd ever been in his life, the pillow supporting the back of his neck perfectly, barely any pain now that he was awake. Better than every morning he had ever woken up to...

Nya.

"Nya?" Kai cried suddenly. "NYA!"

"Calm down Kai, you'll do yourself further injury." Came a calm voice. Kai turned to see Wu sitting by his bedside, the old man frowning down at the teenager. A large, long plaster covered the cut on his face. Kai scrambled away as much as he could. He almost fell out of the bed, but there was more room there than he'd realised. It was a big bed, bigger than he had ever experienced. Nevertheless, he wanted to get as far away from Wu as he could.

"You!" He exclaimed. "This is your fault, you bastard!"

"Calm down!" Wu exclaimed. "I showed up in time to save your ass."

"You didn't save her, though, did you!" Kai snapped. "I would have gone instead, I would have..." Kai realised. "I would have died instead."

"Now, now, your sister is not dead." Wu told him. "But the Skulkins are deadly, she does need rescue sometime soon, at least they'll be able to bust that locket open, and that'll keep their leader happy, at least, if the map's in there." He frowned.

"Map? Map to what?" Kai demanded. "You and the Skulkins keep going on about that bloody map, but not whatever the hell it's for!"

"Well, that is tightly sealed information." Wu said, sitting back, and Kai (trying not to be noticed doing so) edged a little away from the edge of the bed. "Unfortunately, it's not in the radar for the public to know."

"What!" Kai exclaimed, feeling like kicking the wall, or Wu, preferably Wu.

"Well, unless you join Elemental Force, that is." Wu told him. "Me showing up in your apartment was not coincidence, Kai. I was there... in search of you."

"Me!" Kai exclaimed. "What, how, what's so special about me?"

"Elemental Force's leader has put me in charge of recruiting fresh members, from, should we say, agreeable heritage. As I told you, your parents used to be in Elemental Force, but left after they found out that they were pregnant with you. We let them go, we're not total barbarians."

"Yeah." Kai muttered. "Totally." Wu shot him a look and he shut up.

"I came in hope of recruiting you and your sister, well, I didn't know she existed at that point, but for now, I only have you."

"Forget it." Kai spat. "I'm getting Nya back, my way." He attempted to swing his legs out of the bed, but was suddenly struck by a sudden bout of dizziness that he stopped and groaned.

"And what way would that be?" Wu asked in amusement. Kai growled, but he was too weary to think straight.

"Face it, Kai, there isn't another way to rescue Nya safely. And after she is saved, you needn't stay with Elemental Force, you can go back to... do you even call it a home? With your sister."

Kai scowled, but he knew Wu was right. He wouldn't get very far on his own.

"I just don't want to join up with a bunch of total criminals." He admitted.

"It's not like you live very legally." Wu said. "But there is a... large financial reward, should I say?" Kai gasped. That money could sort out his financial situation, he could get a real job, move to a nice place. Nya could go to school. But Kai didn't really want to seem so desperate for money in front of this man.

"Fine." He said grudgingly. "I bet I'll be the youngest there, though." Just like work, he thought.

"On the contrary, you shall be the... second oldest? Yes, second oldest out of our new recruits." Kai couldn't help but snort.

"They sent you out to recruit criminal gang members and you come back with a bunch of kids!"

"As I said, all of you have had heritage with Elemental Force. But most left after the Chen event..." He trailed off for a minute, then shook his head, collecting himself. "Your parents were a particular asset to the gang, I would urge them to look up to you." Wu told him, standing up. "I fixed up your arm, but I wouldn't take it out of that sling for a while." Kai looked down at his arm in a sling he hadn't noticed before.

"Hey, who took my shirt?"

"It was covered in blood, I washed it, it's over there." Wu pointed. He went to the door. "I'll give you ten minutes to get sorted, then I'll take you to meet the others."

He left, leaving Kai with a stomach filled with gloom and dread.

...

Kai opened the door to find Wu waiting on the other side.

"Good, you're punctual. Come this way." He turned and marched off down a long corridor, and Kai (wondering if it had really taken him ten minutes to put on a shirt and wipe his eyes) followed.

"What is this place?" Kai asked, looking around the long, wooden corridor they were walking down. "Some kind of headquarters?"

"The official Elemental Force headquarters is in the city, where we are currently not." Wu told him. Kai gasped. This was his first time out of the city, and he hadn't even realised!

"So, where are we?" He asked.

"An abandoned old pirate ship somewhere out in the desert." Wu said, stopping outside a wooden door, from which strange noises were coming. "It's sort of my personal headquarters, I fixed it up with electrics, it's quite homely now, and hard to find, may I add." Kai tried to ask something else, but Wu held up a hand. "Behind this door are your future teammates, who know about your arrival, but not your situation or sister. I should urge you all to be polite to one another."

"Whatever." Kai muttered, and Wu opened the door.

It was a rather small room, but noisy and filled with life. There was a battered green sofa along the wall with the door, opposite a large TV which was streaming a noisy, two player video game. There was a small coffee table in front of the sofa, and three teenage boys.

Kai looked at his future teammates for the first time. One was sat on the sofa, reading a small, leather bound book, oblivious to Kai, Wu and the noise from the video game and other boys. They were sat clutching controllers, right in front of the screen, shouting and calling out in delight.

"Yes, DIE you snake filth!"

"No, Jay, come back, don't... ARGH!"

"Goddammit!"

"You're on fire, what-" The boy speaking suddenly noticed Wu and Kai in the doorway and cleared his throat. The boy reading put down his book and looked over immediately and noticed Wu and Kai. But the other boy at the video game didn't notice a thing.

"YES, Cole, look, I can still shoot, Cole, what-" He looked round and hit pause the moment he saw Wu and Kai. "Erm, hello Wu. This the new guy then?"

"Yes." Wu said, and the three boys came over, giving Kai a chance to look at them properly. The one who had noticed Wu first seemed threatening for a teenager, with long, thick black hair and dark eyes. He was very tall and muscular, and outshone Kai in that category with ease. Kai didn't even want to look him in the eyes, so made his own eyes wander to the other game player, who was shifting from foot to foot. He was shorter than Kai, and far skinnier, with a shock of bright auburn hair and a lazy grin. His eyes sparkled and he smiled at Kai. Kai didn't smile back, and looked at the third boy, the one who had been reading. He was also skinny, but slightly taller than Kai, with mousy blonde, combed hair. He gave Kai a small smile. Kai looked at the floor.

"Cole, Jay, Zane, this is Kai." Wu said, and attempted to place a hand on Kai's shoulder, but the teenager ducked away, so Wu put his hand behind his back instead. "He is the fourth and final member of the new Elemental Force."

"Wait, what" Cole gasped. "The new Elemental Force, but, what about everyone else?" He was deep voiced, which seemed to suit him.

"Elemental Force still has lower members who basically ask for a badge and go steal things." Wu told him. "But proper members have been far, far between, since the Chen event, over a decade ago. We need more of that type, which is who you shall train to be."

"And rescue my sister." Kai reminded him angrily. Jay gasped.

"We're saving a girl! Is she hot?"

"Jay!" Cole exclaimed. "Shut up!" He gave the smaller teen a shove.

"Hey, easy big guy. We just need to know everything about-" He stopped immediately when he saw Kai's face.

"Back off!" Kai snarled. Wu smiled.

"I'll leave you to get acquainted." He said, and left.

Sorry it took forever, but this week's been busy as hell, and it's about to get worse! ;)