A/N: Let's see…I should be reaching the climax soon…


Chapter 9

After breakfast, everyone ventures out onto the deck. (That is, of course, after I've assured everyone that I am indeed free of injury.) Given the time of year, it's a little chilly. But nonetheless, this is what I've been waiting for—been yearning for. Dawn has segued into morning with the palest of blues painting the sky. I walk anxiously to the railings on the starboard side of the ship, overjoyed and elated as I peek over the edge and watch the calm ripples in the deep blue waters the Destiny's Bounty had settled in. Ahh…the crystal clear sea of Mikatagahara… I take a deep breath as I stretch my arms over my head, relishing in the warmth of the sun on my skin despite the late autumn chill. The warm breeze caresses my face and plays with my tresses. I close my eyes and sigh in content.

Yes… Lord Leviathan, yes… It's been far too long…

I've only known Ninjago City for the past four years, with its bustling and congested streets and towering skyscrapers. And while it was fun, especially with Jazz by my side, it's a more than welcome respite to be surrounded by nature's most bountiful resource again. Yo-ho! Yo-ho! A sailor's life for me… But with my jubilation comes a touch of melancholy, though. Before coming out here, I had attempted to call home on my brand new…PMS (seriously, Jay…) but had been unable to reach anybody. I should've known, though. It's the start of a new school week, so of course Sophia's already in class and Momma's gone to work at the aquarium. I don't fret about it long, however, knowing I'll be able to contact at least Sophia by this afternoon.

"Alright! Let's get crackin'…" I turn back and watch as Cole plays his leader role to the letter. "Jay! Kai! Take the buckets of bait and start spreading them over the sides! Zane and I will grab the fishing poles! Nya! Take Sasha to the aft and teach her how to ready the net!"

Kai walks towards me handling two large buckets of goggle eyes and threadfin herring from what I can see, while Jay wheeled out two large coolers filled with crushed ice. Zane disappears with Cole along the cabin's port side, and Nya jogs up to me.

"Our nautical radar—"

"AKA Zane," Jay chimes is.

"—said that there was a shipwreck around here a long time ago," Nya continues without missing a beat. I'm not sure what Jay meant by that, but I nod my head regardless.

"Should be a prime location for offshore fishing then, and you guys have gathered some great bait." Kai smirks and starts peppering bait over the side. "It's good that you all know what you're doing."

"Took a lot of trial and error—"

"And the internet!" Jay again, now positioned at the bow.

"—for us to become somewhat competent," Nya says. "Sometimes funds can get low and all we can do to get by is either hunt or fish."

"Not much worry over that now since Cole took over the Bounty's finances," Kai says, still focused on his task. "The guy's frugal as fuck. I swear he can squeeze a nickel 'til the buffalo shitted."

I chuckle at the spiky brunet's words. "Sounds like he's been able to keep everything afloat, though. Nothing wrong with being a little parsimonious."

"Yeah, a little," Kai emotes. "But the guy has us clipping coupons on the weekends. And who the hell wants to clip coupons on the weekends?"

Nya and I both laugh. "You have a point there," Nya concedes, but then nudges me. "C'mon, Sasha, we better get to work before the captain comes back and makes us swap the deck as punishment for our sloth."

With that, we leave Kai to his grumbling and head towards the aft of the Bounty. Rounding the outer wedge of the cabin, I can easily spot the large fishing net sprawled across the floor. I at once help Nya in detangling and readying it to cast. Even though the task is mundane, my hearts pounds with excitement. This is so freakin' fun! God, did I miss this! I look up at Nya eagerly, my fingers still fluidly working the knots out of the net. "Say, do you guys have lobster pots?"

Nya's hands work slowly as she concentrates on a particularly stubborn knot, but stops and looks up at my question. "Huh?"

"Lobster pots," I repeat, working frenetically. "Traps for catching lobsters. Well, the Homarus lobster to be exact. The trapping method varies depending on the species, and I know a sure-fire method for gettin' crabs too! Very good eatin'! Plus, what do you guys do to repel predators? Do you have harpoons stashed somewhere? What about dolphins and porpoises getting caught in your nets? Don't worry, I'll make sure that doesn't happen anymore if it did. Y'know, funny thing about—"

I just can't stop myself. Before I know it, I had worked my way over to Nya's side of the net, unraveled the knot she had been working on, secured it to the aft's hooks and cast it over the back and into the water. A two-man (ahem woman) job reduced to one due to my overzealousness. Nya just gawks at me.

"Um…okay… Excited much?"

I have the gall to blush. "Sorry, I know. I should really calm down. But you just don't understand, girl! I went fishing pretty much whenever I could back home…" I brace my hands on the beams and peer out to the endless blue horizon. "…and even more so when my daddy was alive…"

Even though it's been years, the pain in my heart over my father's passing is still present. Granted, it's not as dreadful as when it first happened. But nevertheless, I guess it's normal not to be able to truly move on after an unexpected death in the family. I still remember how crippled Momma was, and Sophia had cried almost non-stop.

A gentle hand on my shoulder rouses me from my inner musings, and I turn and look at Nya over my shoulder. She smiles ruefully. "I'm sorry, Sasha. But if it's any consolation…I know how you feel. Kai and I lost our father too." She suddenly winces. "Well actually…we lost our mom too…"

I turn fully to face her, slack-jawed. "Oh, Nya…I'm—I'm so sorry. Hey, I-I didn't mean to bring the mood down like this."

She shakes her head. "No, no, it's fine—really. Nothing anyone can do about the past. Death will come for us all eventually anyway, right? So what's the point in worrying about it…?"

I stare at her dispirited visage helplessly. Goddammit, Sasha! Look what you did! I purse my lips angrily at myself. Ah screw it… I don't care if we just met… I reach over and pull Nya to me in a hug. I can feel her instantly tense. But her body gradually relaxes and her hands touch my back in reciprocation. She's a few inches shorter than me—add another inch with my heeled boots—so she only comes up to my nose. She leans her head against mine.

"Great bonding method, huh…?" The light-heartedness was back in her voice.

"Tch! Yeah… Got any dead pets? I had a duck named Taffy. Who choked on…well taffy…"

She giggles as we release each other. "Are you serious?"

"Hell yeah, I'm serious!" We make our way back towards the front of the Bounty side by side. "I was young and it was an accident! And before you ask, no we didn't eat 'im, thank you very much!"

I get another great laugh out of my fellow kunoichi, and we come back to see the men stationed at the bow. Cole and Zane had returned with the fishing poles, and it looks like Cole also has a tackle box. My feet immediately propel me forward. "Net's been cast. Is everything else set?" I move in close in order to get a good look at the contents of the box when he opens it.

Cole looks over at me in surprise. His eyes really are lovely… They catch the light and brighten a bit before smoldering back to their darker shade of green. "Whoa, that was fast…um—yeah. We just have to uh…just umm…heh…" He scratches the back of his head sheepishly, a dark blush filling his cheeks and touching the tips of his ears. I grin at his bashful countenance. To have such an imposing and authoritative aura, he sure gets flustered easily.

"Learn how to form a complete sentence?" Jay quips, looking back at us with a huge, radiant smile. Cole gives him a look that has the latter shrugging nonchalantly. "I'm just sayin'."

Cole sighs. "Anyway, once we get done prepping the rods, we'll be set. We haven't done any decent fishing in a while, so we have to replace the lines on some."

I give him a side-long glance as he frowns down at the tackle box full of fishing supplies. It's easy for me to see that Cole has a predominately serious demeanor. But it's apparent that he also knows when to lighten up and have fun. Such versatility is important, I suppose, in maintaining leadership over such a diversity of people. From what I've gathered so far just from being in their presences, the others respect Cole's command and listen to him earnestly. But in spite of this, the relationships here were conjured from familial bonds rather than military hierarchy. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable. It really does put me at ease around them.

And after pressing him about his earlier subterfuge, I think the air of mystery around him has thinned a bit if not a lot… I guess Nya's aggressive tactic of cornering him worked in my favor after all… Gotta remember to thank her later…

I reach inside the tackle box to retrieve an extra roll of line and the nearest pole that looked in need of a fresh one. I immediately set to work in changing it. "I'll do it, no problem. And for future excursions, I'll have some lobster pots made for use. A net and rods can only bring in so much. Lobster, crab, crayfish, oysters—all are good and plentiful if you know how, where, and when to search." I wink at Cole's wide-eyed expression. "I can pull my own weight in certain areas, so feel free to call upon my expertise about anything pertaining to the sea."

While Cole continues to gawk at me, Zane passes me another rod when I give Kai the one I had finished prepping. "Poseidonia…Ninjago's most prosperous port city, and where the water god, Leviathan, houses it's most devoted followers."

I eye the white ninja appreciatively. "Yeah, that's right. My father was a fisherman—one of the best," I quickly add, remembering all the accolades he had received from the city and all the other fishermen across Ninjago. "And as you can probably guess, he passed on his knowledge to me and my sister. Not everything, of course… But…a lot…" Before my heart can begin to ache, I bring about a new topic. "The Destiny's Bounty reminds me a lot of the Hispaniola—my father's ship. Everything except for the flying part that is."

"Yeah, the Bounty's one helluva vessel," Kai says. "And we never would've found our new home without Zane."

"Oh really?" I say, looking at the tallest of us with surprise. But then catch myself. "But wait…new home?"

Cole frowns, the wind tousling his jet black locks. "Yeah, months ago our old home was destroyed by the Serpentine."

"The Serpentine… They're the enemy we're up against now, right? As well as the ones responsible for the attack at the Marty Oppenheimer?"

He nods. "Right. We've been fighting them for many months now. But despite the travesties they've committed, there's a silver lining for everything…" he glances over at Zane. "…a learning experience."

A shared look of understanding passes between the white and black ninjas, one that peaks my curiosity. Zane regards me with that warmth and congeniality I'm starting to associate him with. "Correct, brother. A better headquarters and versatile home for one, and Sasha joining us for another."

I fight down a blush with an inconspicuous cough into my fist. I clear my throat. "That's uh… That's a very positive mindset to have. And, just how did you find this ship, Zane?"

"Hey, when life serves ya lemons, what else can you do but make lemonade?" Jay says with a shrug. I pass him a rod also. "Plus, you'll soon find out how cooler than cool our brother really is, Sasha." And with that little nugget of sycophancy, all of us soon spread out about the ship with hooks, lines, and sinkers. Somehow I end up between Zane and Cole on the starboard side of the ship, with the other three occupying the port side.

Zane shakes his head with a low chuckle as I look at him expectantly. Hell, who was I kidding? If anyone has an air of mystery around them, it's this guy. "I believe Jay has forgotten that it was my falcon friend that located the vessel, I merely led the way."

"Falcon?" I question, cocking my head to the side.

Zane cryptically points to the sky and I cant my head back to follow his finger. A sharp cry rips through the air as I glimpse at the dark avian circling above us. "Huh, haven't seen the little guy in a while," Cole says, looking up too. The bird of prey glides down and comes to perch along Zane's outstretched arm. My mouth falls open at the close inspection of the uniquely colored bird.

"Wha… What is he?" I know he's too small to be an eagle, but I can't tell if he's a hawk or a falcon due to his plum color scheme.

Zane moves him arm closer to me. "He's a falcon, and he's been my companion for approximately one month now. He is…my only connection to a past life."

I glance from the falcon to Zane. He looks serene, and his voice had held no trace of melancholy. But what did he mean by that? Unsure of what to say, I stay silent and reach my hand tentatively towards the falcon's head. That intense ice-blue gaze penetrates my soul, but he doesn't move. I light my hand gently onto his head and stroke his feathers. I do this several times until he begins to chirp and click in a hopefully content way.

I smile as a thought comes to mind. "The falcon is a solar emblem for success, victory and rising above a situation." I meet Zane's attentive, pure hazel stare. "And for you to have a connection with someone like this, even if it was to a past life… That symbolization will no doubt take into effect in the here and now. You'll be able to overcome anything thrown your way, Zane. I just know it."

His eyes widen by just a fraction, but then he closes them. A look of congeniality taking over his features once more. "Yes, I believe you are right, Sasha." He opens his eyes and regards me kindly. "Thank you."

I stop petting his falcon and return my attention to the water. Over yonder, I can hear the siblings make a row about something. "Well, while we're waiting for the fish to start biting, why don't we engage in a little one-on-one sparring match, Kai?"

"Pft! I don't know, sis. I already beat your boyfriend. You sure you want some of this too?"

"Hey! How many times do I have to tell you? IT WAS LUCK!" Jay yelps angrily.

I turn back to look at them to see the brother and sister already squaring off. Their poles strapped securely to the railings. "Don't worry, Jay," Nya says, cracking her knuckles. "I'm gonna knock him down a couple of pegs…"

"Hmm, this should prove interesting to watch…" Zane straps his pole to the railing also and walks off with his falcon now perched on his broad shoulder.

"Heh. So, Cole? Who're you betting on?" I regard my lingering companion, but stop myself from saying anything more once I take in his profile. With rod in hand poised over the railing, a thoughtful expression adorns Cole's strikingly handsome features. His thick eyebrows are slightly furrowed, giving a slight crease to his brow. And his emerald irises are clouded in seemingly deep contemplation, darkening them into crushed jade. My eyes travel down to his jaw line and see the finely chiseled structure flex every few seconds as he clenches and unclenches his jaw. Undoubtedly spellbound, my gaze lands on full, perfect lips. And unable to look away, I focus intently as a row of pearl white teeth appears and grazes ever so slowly over the bottom, plump curve.

Hnnng… Heat pools in my belly, caressing my arousal and making my body alarmingly hot. …Holy…fuck… My hands start to tremble. And in my shock, my grasp on my rod falters and slips out of my hands.

"Sasha!"

I gasp in surprise as Cole dives out to catch my pole before it can plummet into the depths below, his upper body bent over the railings. He pulls himself up and looks over at me with concern, his bangs mussed enough so that the green can just barely peek betwixt the black. I bite back a whimper.

"Are you okay?" He asks, and I force a shaky smile.

"Oh yeah! Just…just er...a little excited is all…" Oh yeah…a little excitedmy inner, horny voice purrs. Couldn't have said it better myself… Oh, shut up.

Cole looks from me to the rod confusingly for a second before realization dawns and he smiles. "Fishing, huh?" He hands me back my pole and my lips feel like they're about to fall off from how hard I'm forcing them to stretch.

"Yep!" I chirp, making sure to keep my gaze averted from his as I go back to fishing. "As I was telling Nya earlier, it's been a loooong time…" Oh yeah…it been a loooong time… the horny voice taunts. So long since you've been enamored by such a fine, male specimen… I groan under my breath miserably. Why don't you tell him that the fish won't be the only thing biting if he keeps lookin' so sexy…? In fact…I dare you to lean over and bite his neck right now! C'mon, you know you want to…

Oh my god! Why are all my sexual, inner monologues so creepy?! I can just imagine Jazz giving me an exuberant thumbs-up and a push into Cole's chest if she were here. Perverted friend mixed with perverted inner voice. Nope. Not good. But before more infernal purring could start humming in my head again, I address Cole as earnestly as I can. "But anyway, sorry about that." I give him a side-glance, hoping that my blush isn't too apparent. "My nerves just got garbled for a sec there. Heh…but it looks like you were able to save something of mine once again…"

His blush is much more apparent than mine. "Oh uh…y-yeah, I guess so." His hand goes back to rub at his neck, while he eyes me sheepishly. Funny, I think I can hear Jazz screaming in my head at the sight. But in truth…I'm not too far behind her. Yes, I know who he is now. Yes, I finally have a name to match the boyishly handsome face from four years ago. But Leviathan, I've never felt like this before. I mean, I've been attracted to guys in the past, sure. Wouldn't have had any ex-boyfriends if I hadn't. But this… This feeling is something that's deeply-rooted into my core.

This is more than interest. This is more than mere attraction. I'm riveted by him. I'm painstakingly riveted by the boy from my past—that evanescent memory that had flowed in and out of my head periodically for the past four years. And it doesn't make any sense.

My heart throbs unrelentingly in my chest. By the gods… I need a distraction…

No…you need to lose your v-card…

SHUT UP! I look anxiously from my rod to the swishing, blue depths below, hoping desperately for just a little nibble. I work my reel into a familiar rhythm that my daddy taught me. Let's see… Surely I can snag something…

"Hey, uh…Sasha…?" I turn my attention back towards the one that's got me so hot and bothered. He smiles, albeit shyly. I try my damndest to not let it affect me too much. "You wanna…go a few rounds with me?" My eyebrows shoot up. What the fuck does THAT mean?! Is he propositioning me?! But before my loins can implode on themselves, Cole clarifies. "After all, I am supposed to be assessing your combat skills, and seeing how we may have to wait a moment to let the bait stew…"

Ah! A red herring! I quickly jump at the bait. "Sure! Why not?" I strap my rod to the railing and he does the same. "Maybe I do need to pummel you…" I mutter under my breath as I step away. Fishing is one of my favorite past-times. So for it to not bring me tranquility like it normally does is a huge offense to my honor! And it's his fault!

Okay, I'm being unreasonable and petty. But who cares?! My blood is boiling now, and a good sparring session might provide me with the outlet I need to calm down. Furthermore, this will help me in my training to be a kunoichi. A boost of determination enters me at the prospect. Yeah, I'll show him what I can do…

Nya and Kai were still going at it, with the hard smacks of blocked and parried punches and kicks echoing in the air. Both siblings were frighteningly focused, every movement not wasted, every breath controlled and even. And their faces… Damn, are they smirking? Nya's inky, black hair whips about her neck when she twirls out of range of Kai's fierce entourage of attacks, only for her to dance right back in to deliver her own flurry of devastating kicks. In terms of power, it looked pretty even to me. But something tells me deep down, that this is only the tip of the iceberg. This type of training is practiced, albeit rigorous. And I'm immediately sucked into the sweat and adrenaline, remembering my tutelage under Instructor Li in the Brazilian fighting art of Capoeira.

I avert my attention from the brawling brother and sister, and regard my own soon to be sparring partner. Cole stands just a few feet away from me, tall and imposing, the wind at his back and tousling his dark mane. "Okay," I begin easily, "how do you wanna do this, Cole?"

That sheepishness seems to have evaporated from his demeanor, because all that I see before me now is a seasoned warrior. He crosses his arms, furrowed brow and frown in place. "I don't know much about Capoeira, only that it's unpredictable as the fighter looks like they're dancing." He shrugs. "So just come at me however you want. I'll adapt."

My eyebrow instantly arcs. "You'll adapt?"

He shrugs again. "Yeah."

I regard him stonily. Somehow, I feel like he's dissin' me and my fighting technique before we've even started! Or maybe, he really is that strong and is wholeheartedly confident in his abilities, especially his defenses. I give a half-hearted shrug of my own and begin to rhythmically weave my body from left to right. This only means I don't have to worry about his safety… He'll just…"adapt"…

I can distinctly hear Instructor Li's sing-song cadence whisper in my ear. "Display your deadly beauty, Sasha… And show him and all others the power hidden in your dance…"

His arms unfurl themselves and his body shifts into readiness as his gaze locks firmly unto me. The slight rocking of the ship puts me even deeper into the zone and centers my balance. My pulse throbs in excitement, and I can't help but give a smirk. Alright, Cole…let's see if all of those muscles of yours are just for show… With the next sway of my body, I quickly step forward in a twirl and let the power of legs do the talking. The edge of my heel connects with a hand and is swatted away effortlessly. But I'm more than willing to dance and test my new opponent. I go low into a rolling clip, hoping to sweep his feet out from under him, but he counters by jumping back…as expected. Staying low, I move with him and perform a mid-kick that connects firmly to his side.

A satisfying grunt sounds in my ears, but I'm not deterred and press the attack into a combo. Going into a handstand, I thrust my legs up into arc and hit his shoulder and immediately go low and swing my legs in a perfect rotation, while staying balanced on my hands. My attack is successful somewhat as he loses his footing and is forced to retreat again. Only this time, he sidesteps out of view. Feeling rather seeing him, I cant my body into another handstand and flip to my feet, only then to swing my left leg out in another attack. But proving his mettle, he dodges my assault with a well-timed back flip.

Our positions are switched now and he's a good four feet away. He doesn't look winded, but he most definitely looks surprised. "Wow, that's…that's… Wow…" His praise falls on deaf ears, however, as I run towards him and perform a quick flip before launching into another one and sailing over his head and landing behind him. He whirls around, but as soon as he does, my elbow is wedged underneath his chin, exposing his throat. If I had a knife or a dagger of any kind…he'd be dead now.

I grin triumphantly up at him, feeling a drop of sweat rolling down my temple. "What's the matter, hot-shot?" I taunt. "Thought you were going to "adapt"?"

His wide, emerald-green eyes soon constrict to neutral. "Oh, I am…"

Before I can comprehend his words, I find myself thwarted into a tumble, which ends with me flat on my back with him leaning over me, my legs trapped by his and my arms pinned up over my head. What in the royal fuck…? I'm completely flabbergasted. How did he…?

Cole grins down at me. "You're just as skilled as someone with years of training tucked under their belt should be, Sasha. Your form and technique are great."

I huff irritably. "But?"

That grin turns into a self-righteous smirk. "Judo. Your Capoiera is good for keeping your opponents at a distance while still pressing an attack. But as soon as it becomes close-quarters combat and they're able to grab you… Well, game over. Plus, you let your guard down."

"I only let my guard down because I'd assumed you were subdued."

"That's just it. You shouldn't have assumed anything. But hey, I'll let you off with a warning. But next time—"

"Next time," I interject, "you'd do well to fight back. There's a difference between being a teacher and a punching bag. I can't learn that way."

Cole looks at me silently for a moment before leaning down close. And despite my pissiness, heat fills my cheeks at his proximity. "Alright then…next time, we'll go at it together. And then I'll show you what I can do. How's that sound?"

His breath ghosts over my face and I swallow a bit subconsciously. "F-Fine. You do that," I say, trying to muster up enough strength into my voice to get at least some semblance of normalcy. He gets to his feet and holds out his hand, which I take graciously. He pulls me to my feet and I dust myself off.

"Whoa! That was awesome!"

I nearly leap into the air at Jay's joyous shout. I whirl around to find that all eyes are on me. "I've never seen such a stylish and hip way of fighting," Jay continues to gush, one hand still gripping his pole. "Damn, makes me want to learn!"

And the others readily concur. Kai nods. "I can definitely see that fighting style being useful when surrounded by a group of enemies and you're weaponless."

"And it really did look like you were dancing, Sasha," Nya chimes in next, her eyes shining. "Even your flips looked like they were part of an unknown rhythm."

Zane taps his chin thoughtfully. "I must admit that I would've been indubitably perplexed if I were assuming Cole's role. Such movements were hypnotizing in their execution." His gaze flits to the man at my shoulder. "Sensei Wu was right in choosing you as her martial arts teacher, Cole."

Jay laughs and shoots us a wink. "Yeah, it looks like your reputation as Twinkle-Toes has finally paid—GAH!"

We all give a start when Jay's body is suddenly pulled forward and his torso lurches over the railing. "Jay?!" Being the closest, Nya is the first to come to his aid and tries to pull him back up. But she's clearly struggling. The rest of us rush over with Cole grabbing Jay's waist with one arm and reaching down to grip the pole with the other.

"What the hell's on the other end of this line?!" Cole grunts, and I look down into the waves to see Jay's line thrashing about wildly. Cole, with Kai and Nya's added help, get the blue ninja upright again, but the weight from whatever's hooked on the sinker curves the end of his rod, straining it. I see Jay's hands work frantically to try to reel it in, but I quickly intervene.

"No! Wait, Jay, turn the rod towards the fish and give it some leeway! Don't force it!"

"O-Okay!" Kai and Cole both keep a steady hand on his body, while the rest of us scrutinize the water. Good, the line doesn't look on the verge of snapping now, and the fish isn't pulling so violently. I signal at Jay.

"Okay! Reel, reel, reel!"

The line gives way somewhat as Jay begins the tenacious battle between man and fish. It's a tug-o-war for several long seconds until the surface begins to break and a grayish-mauve body flounders into the air in a struggling leap. "It's a tide grouper!" I shout excitedly.

"Fuck, and the sucker's huge!" Kai exclaims. "Jay, you better not lose it!"

"C'mon, Jay, you can do it!" Nya cheers.

Jay smiles crookedly. "Heh, no pressure."

Whether he was being facetious or not, the pressure was most definitely on. I don't think I've ever seen a tide grouper that big before! It would be an achievement as well as a feast if he could reel it in. I try to help him as best I can. "You got it, Jay! You got it! Just watch the way the fish is pulling and go with it! Only reel when he's not thrashing about like that!"

More than seconds now, several long minutes go by. The tide grouper takes another desperate leap out of water and slaps heavily against the hull. It falls into the water with nary a twitch, most likely haven stunned itself, and I call out to Jay. "It's over! You got him!"

With a boisterous hurrah, Jay reels the sea monster easily up and out of the water, and I clasp it's hooked orifice with a landing claw to secure it. "Ух ты…" Zane utters in awe, and grabs its largely plump body to help me bring it up and over the railing. It gasps and twitches once placed on the deck, still stunned. But Zane quickly and efficiently finishes it off by spiking it, something I've seen done and have done myself many times. After aptly destroying the brain, he then bleeds it out by severing a main artery and puts it in a large container filled with ice-cold water.

I smile a bit ruefully as I put my hand over its eye. Another treasure bequeathed to us from Lord Leviathan's realm... We'd best make good use of it... We all gather around to admire Jay's catch.

"Oh, Jay! You did it!" Nya shouts and hugs her man happily. And Jay—being the pretty cinnamon roll that I think he is—smiles and blushes while returning her affection. I look to Zane across from me.

"Heard you were a wonder in the kitchen, Zane. Think you could beat me in a cook-off with this bad boy?" I challenge playfully, and Zane smiles.

"That remains to be seen. However, I would very much enjoy engaging in a culinary showdown with you."

Amongst the chatter, and while waiting for the tide grouper to bleed out completely, I get a chance to get a feel for the sophisticated man in white. "You said something earlier when you saw the size of the fish. What language was that?"

"Ух ты? Oh, it simply means 'wow' in Russian. It was my father's native tongue."

I take note of the past tense, and of what he told me earlier when he had introduced me to his falcon. Taking a chance, I delve a little deeper. "So…is your falcon somehow connected to your dad? Was that the past you were referring to?"

"Uh…yes." The background babble has died down some. "…My falcon and my father are connected…as in…he created the falcon…" My eyebrows shoot up. "…Just like…he created me…" My jaw drops. Everything but the wind is silent. There's something in Zane's eyes—fear, resignation, I'm not sure. But there's something. He puts his gloved hand in the bloodied water, and in the next second, I can hear and see the crystallization of ice flows. His eyes linger on what he's made with his power. "Forgive me, Sasha. I know you've only been in our company for sixteen hours. But I feel that it's best to tell you now rather than later. You are a part of our clan now, after all."

My mouth's been open for quite some time in my dumbfounded stupor, but I quickly close it and lick my suddenly dry lips. "Wait. Hold on…" I get to my feet and circle around the tub to kneel at Zane's side, his gaze following me the whole time. I regard him for a moment, before tentatively raising my hand towards him. "Is…Is it alright if I…" He doesn't say anything, only takes a noticeable breath and nods. Swallowing a little nervously, I reach for him and splay my palm over his chest…where his heart should be. The silence is deafening. But I don't focus on the others. Instead, all of my attention is on Zane and what I'm feeling.

There's no thump against my hand to signal a heartbeat, only the slight rise and fall of his chest tells me that's he's breathing. That he's undoubtedly alive. I keep my hand where it is and lift my gaze to meet his. He's so stoic. "So then…are you a cyborg?"

"No. I am rather…a type of android—a cyber-organic organism if you would. Though I have human-like organs in my body, they are all artificial. And though I bleed, my blood is not red…but white. I…I hope this revelation is not too much too soon, Sasha. But I am sorry if it is…"

Still, no one says a thing. But the tension is palpable. I don't know what the others are expecting, because I only know one thing. "You're alive…" I smile and let out a breathless chuckle. "…You're amazingly alive and sentient." I regard him earnestly and speak my next words with nothing short of finality. "So if it's okay with you, Zane, I don't care if you're a cyber-organic organism… All I care about is getting to know you, and hopefully becoming one of your closest friends."

Happiness and warmth seems to radiate from the one imbued with ice and metal, and the tension in the air breaks like glass with the coupling of audibly relieved sighs. Zane smiles and covers my hand with his. "Thank you, Sasha. And know that I too hope for us to become very close."

I reciprocate his lovely smile and can't help but marvel at the irony of it all. "Y'know, to be the Master of Ice, you're really warm, Zane. Is this what you meant, Jay, about Zane being cooler than cool?"

"Yep!" The blue-eyed brunet chirps. "And for the record, Sasha, the correct term for Zane's awesomeness is "nindroid". It has a better ring to it."

We both stand up, and I turn to regard my new friends and their happy faces. But for some reason…Kai is the only one who looks a little vexed. "What's wrong, Kai?" I ask him. He looks at me stonily for second before shrugging.

"Nothin'…just settling down." His smirk looks a little odd, and somehow…wary. "Thanks for being understanding, Sasha. Not everyone is open-minded."

Oh, so that's it. He was worried just like everyone else of what I would think of Zane being different. But there was also an edge of protectiveness surrounding him—still is actually. And if I had reacted badly, I would've made a quick enemy out of Kai. Huh…he kinda reminds me of me… I've been a victim and an observer of racism and prejudice before, and I despise people with such dumb as fuck impudence. I remember being just as protective of Sophia when she was being bullied by some ornery white kids when we were younger.

I shake my head. "Yeah, tell me about it. Some people can suck. But I'm not one of those sucky people."

Kai's smirk instantly becomes more genuine. Cole's hand touches my shoulder. "I think we're all grateful for that," he says sincerely. "Would you like a minute or are you ready to train some more?"

I'm just about to answer him when an explosion of pain from behind my eyes causes me to stagger and gasp. "Sasha?! Sasha what's wrong?!" My vision turns white, and I fall to my knees.


A/N: Went fishing for the first time ever last summer, and it was surprisingly enjoyable. Anyway, I love how this chapter turned out after revising it, and I hope you all enjoyed it too. Leave your thoughts!

Also, here's a few links if you're interested in seeing some of Sasha's moves in Capoeira in action!

watch?v=APlxSpTZVPI

watch?v=zTOUT-rCOWw

In the second video, the girl moves slow enough to demonstrate the moves in their entirety as well as their names! I will be doing this for all of the kunoichi, since their fighting styles are not widely known like the ninjas' are.