EDIT 12/20/14: Fixed '...', edited Lindsey's POV, and fixed "a few months" in Cole & Christy's conversation to "a few weeks" like it should be.

Hi peoplez! Wow, I've updated all 3 of my main stories in about a week! :D

Sorry if updates are slow after this. My school's preforming Grease (the Musical), and we have rehearsals almost every day after school. I'm so nervous! (In case you're wondering, I'm Patty Simcox XD). The show's in a little over a week! :0

I left you all really wanting more last chapter, so hey, here's an update! :D A lonnnng update. XD

And by long, I mean over 3,000 words (including the A/N)! My chapters just keep getting longer and longer! :D

Japanese Translations: Shinu (die)

Warnings: Violence, blood, and yes, there is worse swearing in this chapter. (Thanks a lot, Anna). I do apologize for it. The worst ones will be bleeped out. Jay, let's test the beeper.

Jay: Okay! Kai! Kick Anna in the shin!

Kai: *does so*

Anna: F(Jay is amazing) you Kai! I hate you, you a(Nya is hot)!

Me: JAY!

Jay: What? You just told me to make something to block out swear words!

Me: Sigh... not what I meant.

Jay: Okay, okay... *tinkers* How's this?

Cole: SOMEONE SWEAR!

Zane: I swear I will eat ice cream next Author's Notes.

Jay: ZAAANE! THAT'S NOT WHAT SHE MEANT!

Kai: You're one to talk. You made a bleeper that says 'Jay is awesome'.

Jay: C'mon! It's cool!

Me: *sigh* All of you, pull it together...

Cole: S***!

Me: That's better.

ANYWAYS! ENJOY!

... (pssst! Someone say the disclaimer!)

Overlord: SHE DON'T OWN IT UNLESS IT BE HERS!

Kai: ?

Elijah: *glares*

Kai: What? I didn't speak after the dis-

Me: ATTACK!

Kai: NO EVER NO! BAD GIRL! DON'T YOU-

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH-

Chapter 8: The Return of Many Things

(Lindsey's POV)

The boy in front of me grins when he sees me.

"Hey there, Let-go-of-me." I frown.

"Elijah, how did you get here? And how did you scare away Serpentine?"

"I dunno," he says, pushing his slightly sweaty bangs to the side. "I... I don't remember..."

"How can you not remember?" I ask. "That seems like something you'd never want to forget..."

"What's your name, anyway?" he questions, stepping closer to me. I can see the curiosity in his deep brown eyes.

"None of your business," I snap, turning away.

"Please tell me," he begs. "I just want to know..."

"No!" I cry.

"Why don't you trust me?" he demands, looking at me.

"Let me see: One, you randomly picked me up off the street-"

"You were screaming for help!"

"Two, when I leave, you follow me! Three, I don't even know anything about you. Four, you could be a stalker!"

"Why would I be a stalker?" he hisses. "Why would I do anything like that? What if I'm just lonely?"

"Lonely?" I say.

"Yeah. Lonely." This makes me stop. I know how it feels to be lonely. I'm always lonely. I'm always rejected. I'm always scared that someone will find out my secret.

"...Lindsey."

"What?"

"My name. It's Lindsey." Elijah beams.

"Well then, nice to meet you, Lindsey." He says my name like it's the most beautiful thing in the world. I feel my cheeks heat up and I turn away from him.

"Now please...go away..."

"Why?" he asks. "If you don't trust me, then why don't you get to know me?"

"Because I don't trust anyone. Now leave," I say flatly. He looks a bit dejected.

"All right, I'll go. But-"

"Leave..."

"But-"

Suddenly, something flies out from the bushes and tackles Elijah falls to the ground.

"Lindsey! Run!" shouts the figure on top of Elijah.

"But he's not-" I begin.

"RUN!"

"Hey!" shouts Elijah. "I wasn't hurting her! Besides, I was just leaving!" He struggles against the figure. I can't tell who the attacker is due the shadows of the trees.

"Prove it!" the figure says, but he sounds like he believes Elijah.

"Please! Let him go!" I beg. "Besides, how do you know me?" The figure freezes. Very slowly he lets Elijah go.

"You cannot see me from there, can you?" His voice is more familiar now that he isn't shouting, soft and smooth...

"No... I can't..." The figure takes a deep breath and steps out from the shadows. He's wearing white and black with a white hood.

"What the..." begins Elijah.

"Zane?" I whisper, looking up at the new figure. His eyes seem to smile at me as he reaches for his hood. He pulls it off his face.

"Hello again, Lindsey," the Ninja of Ice smiles. His expression soon fades into one of concern. "I heard you ran away."

"Who told you?" I ask, frowning.

"The other girls," he replies, folding his arms across his chest. "You have made them all very worried."

"Okay Lindsey, explain who the hell this is!" Elijah exclaims.

"He's part of a group of people I know..." I sigh.

"They're just acquaintances?" Elijah raises an eyebrow. "Not even friends?"

"Friends... ?" I whisper.

"Yeah," says Elijah, looking at me like I'm stupid. "Friends. F-R-I-E-"

"I am positive Lindsey can spell," interrupts Zane flatly.

"I just..." I stammer. "I've never had friends."

"Everyone has friends," says Elijah.

"Obviously, I don't," I snap back. I turn on my heel and stalk out of the clearing.

"Lindsey! Wait!" shouts Elijah. I can hear his footsteps getting louder.

"Lindsey!" Zane's voice chases after me as well.

"Leave me alone!" I yell behind me.

"You can't just run away!" Elijah shouts.

"Again!" Zane adds. They've caught up to me with no trouble at all. I sigh softly.

"I-" Suddenly, an engine sounds from nearby. A dark shadow flies above us.

"What. Is. That?" Elijah asks.

"Nya's mech!" gasps Zane.

"Nya's what?" I gape.

"Her mech," Zane explains. "It's the fighting machine she used as the Samurai."

"Wait..." says Elijah slowly. "Hold up! Samurai? How-"

"Zane," I interrupt as I point at the mech, "is that the other girls?"

"Indeed it is," Zane replies, frowning. "But... the others would have never let them come! Unless... there's an emergency!"

"Like the Serpentine?" I ask. Zane nods.

"HEY!" Elijah shouts. "This is the second time you've mentioned Serpentine. Are they those snake-people with legs that wanted to bite my face off?"

"You've seen them?" gasps Zane.

"Why is it that big of a deal?" Elijah asks, sounding like he doesn't really care. "I mean, it wasn't like there was barely any of them, so they can't be that rare. It was a huge group of them!" Zane pales.

"You have no idea how bad this is," he says carefully. He turns to me. "Lindsey, can you fight? We are going to need to follow the mech."

"But... it's gone!" I protest.

"I can scan for it," replies Zane. "Oh, and have you seen-"

"Scan?" interrupts Elijah. "What do you mean, scan?"

"We can discuss this later. Lindsey, have you seen my Falcon?" I shake my head.

"Not today. I saw it yesterday."

"Alright," Zane begins, "we need to get moving. Follow me." He takes off into the undergrowth running, and I groan.

"Why is there so much running?" I mutter to myself. "I'm going to pass out sooner or later..." I follow him anyway with Elijah right behind me. On my way into the brambles, I couldn't help but to wonder if Elijah has a reason to be following me...

(No POV)

Cole frantically ducks underneath a pointed spear, his elemental blade clutched tight in his hands. He sends a kick upwards, and his foot lands in the snake's blue-white stomach. It crumples to the ground as Cole regains his composure.

"Oh my Spinjitzu! They're everywhere!" Jay screams to Cole as he leaps over a Venomari's sword.

"Just keep fighting!" shouts Kai. A large hoard of Fangpyre and Hypnobrai rush at Kai. "Uh, Zane! Wherever you are, freeze these morons! I need them still!" The snakes continued advancing as Kai slashed through the air with his fiery blade. "ZANE!" Lloyd runs over to Kai.

"Don't worry, I've got them!" He shoots ice at the snakes' feet, freezing them to the ground.

"Good job, Lloyd!" shouts Kai. "Now it's time to play with fire!" The Red Ninja swings his sword towards the snakes. The fire hits them in the face, burning their scaly skin.

Cole feels a bead of sweat drip down from his forehead. It seems as if they've been fighting forever. Exhausted, he slams his sword into the nearest snake's midsection. It hisses at him violently, and then prepares to spit.

"No you don't!" cries Cole, stomping on the Venomari's foot. It falls over, screaming in pain. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see more snakes approaching him from behind. Panting heavily, he whirls around to face them. Unfortunately, more come up to him on the other side.

"I'm surrounded!" the Ninja of Earth shouts, but no one seems to hear him. "Dammit!" He swings his blade around, slashing at the snakes in front of him. He's too tired to do Spinjitzu. He's knows that he's not going to make it out of this fight unscathed.

Suddenly, a shadow appears to his right. This snake is holding a large spear, or at least that's what it looks like from the shadow. Cole gulps. He then hears shrieks from behind him... snake screams. Maybe one of the others finally realized his plight!

"Don't relax yet, Earth Boy!" says a feminine voice from behind him. "I've only taken out a few!" Cole blinks, and is about to whirl around to face this newcomer, when he feels someone press up against his back.

"Just me!" says the voice again. "I've got your back! Literally!"

"Christy!" Cole shouts in disbelief. "What in the name of the First Spinjitzu Master are you doing here?"

"Helping out!" she replies, swinging her spear.

"And where did you get that thing?"

"Storage room," the blond says smugly.

"But..." Cole begins, stabbing a snake in the chest. "You didn't come by yourself, did you?"

"Of course not!" Christy exclaims as kicks a Fangpyre. "Nya brought the three of us in her mech!"

"You're not suited to fight!" shouts Cole, ducking under a sword. "You're going to get hurt!"

"Pulling a Kai, are you?" Christy asks, impaling a Constrictai.

"No! I'm not!" Cole says angrily. "I'm just worried that something's gonna happen to you! I don't want to lose you!"

"Ha! Lose me?" Christy laughs, slashing at a snake. "Cole, every guy I've dated has been a bit of a jerkface. But you haven't. I plan on sticking around for a while."

"Every guy?" he splutters. "How many boyfriends have you had?"

"I've lost track," says Christy flippantly, stabbing a Venomari. "You've broken a record!"

"What do you mean?" Cole spits, kicking a Constrictai back.

"You're the boyfriend I've had for the longest," she replies.

"We've only been dating a few weeks!" Cole shouts, dodging a mace that came very close to his head.

"I know!" Christy shouts back. Cole shakes his head in disbelief. In a way, he almost felt bad for her. She just didn't understand how to form a long-lasting relationship.

Meanwhile, across the battlefield, Lloyd and Jay were fighting side-by-side. Blue lighting flashes and green energy shoots across the battlefield. They both are tiring, their attacks slowing down. The snakes are advancing fast now, their numbers seemingly increasing. Just when all hope seemed lost, a loud, feminine shout reaches their ears.

"ATTACK!" Out of seemingly nowhere, a girl with long, braided brown hair charges at the Serpentine. She holds a bamboo staff in both hands as she makes her way through the hoard of enemies. Soon she is fighting right alongside Lloyd.

"Abigail?" splutters Jay, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you guys!" she grins. "Nya's coming over here too!"

"Nya?!" says Jay excitedly.

"Right behind you!"

"That was fast!" laughs Abigail, swinging her staff. Nya throws one of her boomerangs at the closest snake, which turns out to be a Hypnobrai.

"Well, I do my best," the young samurai replies with a smile.

Across the battlefield, Kai is tiring as well. With every swing of his fiery blade his strength begins to fail. He glances around the battlefield for someone to assist him. Jay and Lloyd were busy fighting alongside... Abigail? What was she doing here? And Christy was there too... And where the heck is Zane? Kai continues his search around the battlefield until he spots another familiar face—Anna.

Anna was fighting well, her katana slicing the snakes around her. Her short orange-red hair was messy, and it flew around her face as she fought.

'I've got this,' she thinks. 'I'm in the zone...' She strikes another snake swiftly. Even if she has had no training, instinct inside of her pushes her on. Blow by blow she takes the snakes down.

"Shinu!" She yells out a battle cry as she brings her katana down on a Hypnobrai's head. With amazing accuracy, she punches a Fangpyre between the eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots another Hypnobrai about to slice her in half with his sword. Anna is ready. She knows she can defeat it.

It all happened so fast. Out of nowhere a figure jumps in front of the Serpentine. The snake's blade strikes the figure across the chest. He yelps in pain, and slashes at the snake with his sword. The blade hits the scaly reptile across the face, knocking it to the ground next to the fallen ninja. Anna's jaw drops.

"I HAD HIM!" she screams at the ninja on the ground. "I SAW HIM COMING!" The wounded teen cracks a painful smile from behind his mask.

"Did you really?" he says weakly. Anna is about to say something else, but stops short when the figure's eyes roll into the back of his head and he passes out. The girl stomps her foot on the ground in anger. She then feels a hand on her shoulder. Thinking quickly, she slashes at the hand with her katana.

The person behind her lets out a very human-sounding cry. Whirling around, Anna finds herself face-to-face with the Ninja of Ice.

"Crap!" Anna hisses. "I'm sorry, Zane!"

"It is quite alright," Zane responds. He then sees his fallen teammate on the ground. "What happened?"

"The stupid moron jumped in front of a snake THAT I WAS ABOUT TO KILL!" Anna screams. An unfamiliar boy next to Zane jumps. "Who the hell are you?" Anna hisses, seeing him.

"The name's Elijah. I-" Zane cuts Elijah off.

"There's no time," he says calmly. "We need to get out of here."

"But the snakes-" begins Anna.

"RUN!" shouts a voice from behind them. They all turn to see Jay rushing towards them.

"What's wrong?" says Elijah. Jay looks at him.

"Oookay, no time to ask who the heck you are, but we need to go now!" Cole runs over to them as well, Christy on his heels.

"We've gotta go," he pants.

"Why?" exclaims Anna as Nya, Abigail, and Lloyd join them.

"They've got reinforcements coming," says Cole worriedly. "I overhead a few of them talking. The generals are coming, and they've got some sort of secret weapon. Until we know more about this we should go."

"Cole is correct," replies Zane. "This secret weapon could be anything."

"They could just be bluffing," interjects Elijah.

"True," replies Zane, "but they may be telling the truth as well."

"And we don't want to take that risk," adds Cole. He then spots the wounded ninja that lies on the ground. "S***! What happened?!"

"No time!" replies Jay. "We've gotta go!" Zane picks up the ninja's limp body in his arms.

"Head count!" Cole shouts. "Jay, Zane, Kai, Lloyd, me, Anna, Abigail, Christy! Let's go!"

"Wait!" cries Zane. "Where's Lindsey?"

"She's been gone for a while now, remember?" says Christy.

"We found her," explains Elijah worriedly. He raises his voice, "LINDSEY!"

"Right... here..." comes a voice from behind them. Panting, Lindsey approaches the group.

"Where have you been?" exclaims Elijah.

"I fell," she pants, wiping some sweat from her forehead with her left arm.

"Your arm!" gasps Elijah. Thick, red blood drips down her left arm. It begins about two and half inches below her wrist, and drips down towards her elbow.

"I told you, I fell," the wounded girl replies, glancing at the cut. "And it looks worse than it actually is."

"Are you sure you're alright?" asks Zane worriedly, approaching her and Elijah. "It must hurt."

"Don't worry about me," she replies, looking away from both boys. She lowers her voice. "I've been through so much worse."

"Guys!" Jay's voice squeaks. "We need to go now!"

"Right!" says Nya. "Let's move!" The boys quickly run towards the dragon. Cole grabs Christy's hand and shouts to the girls and Elijah:

"There's only room for two on Nya's mech! Let Jay go with her! You all come with us! You too, whatever-your-name-is!"

"Elijah!" the newer boy protests. "My name is Elijah!" Jay follows Cole's instructions and jumps into the shoulder seat on Nya's mech just as Lindsey climbs onto the dragon.

"Go go go!" shouts Lloyd at the dragon. It snorts and takes off, it's great wings flapping air into their faces as they left the bloody battlefield behind. They say a ninja never quits... and they didn't. They only left the true fight for another day.

Me: Actually, that chapter turned out way different than I expected. The Cole/Christy moment was supposed to be only two sentences like "Hi I'm here!" "Okay!" but it turned into 294 word conversation. O-O My story has a mind of it's own.

And I was going to end this chapter with them on the Bounty, but the fight scene got too long, so I'm saving it for next chapter.

The chapter title (The Return of Many Things) talked about the return of the Serpentine, Zane, and just the fighting in general.

Zane: *eating ice cream*

Cole: *facepalms* Zane, you didn't have to take that swear literally, you know.

Zane: I wanted to.

Lloyd: Is there any left?

Wu: NONE FOR YOU! IT'S ALL MINE! HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!

Garmy: O-O He's gone mad!

Me: Hahahahahahahaha!

Question Time!

1. What do you think Lindsey's secret is?

2. Who jumped in front of Anna? (I'll give you a hint: they were one of the only ones who didn't talk after Zane showed up.)

3. What do you think Cole and Christy have in their future (relationship wise)?

~ForeverDreamer12, signing out!~