Hey everyone! Sorry about the lack of updating in the past week. Winter break started for me on Tuesday and I've just been spending a lot of time with my family because I missed them so much. So here's another new chapter and I hope you enjoy it. I also hope that everyone is having a good holiday season. :)

Chapter Ten: The Buddy System is Important

The world below was flying by so quickly; the colors of the landscape blending together, almost indiscernible from one another. However, one shade was more prominent than the others: white. The pine trees down below seemed to swirl with the soft blue color of the winding tributaries, frozen solid by the harsh winter conditions. In between all of this was the pure white of the perpetually falling snow. Was there ever a time where the Frozen Wasteland was not covered in a blanket of white?

"Do we even know what we're looking for?" Laurie attempted to call out over the roaring of the wind and the incessant flapping off the Ultra Dragon's beating wings. "I mean, I don't know exactly where the Hypnobrai Tomb is located. Do you guys know?" The red-head had her heavy coat buttoned up all the way and continued to pull the insulated material upward, attempting to shield her mouth and nose from the nip of the frigid weather.

Zane turned his head to the right, gazing at the orange ninja with his peripheral vision. "Actually we do not know exactly where the Tomb is located, for none of us have ever been there." He watched with an emotionless face as Laurie's eyes widened with shock. Then the nindroid realized she did not understand what he was trying to say. "Oh, my apologies for confusing you" the white ninja continued, his voice rose in order to be heard. "We do not know where the Hypnobrai Tomb is, but Lloyd knows of the exact location."

The dragon began to descend quickly and Laurie gripped Zane's shoulders fiercely. Her stomach felt weightless which caused a wave of nausea to overwhelm her. Breathing heavily, she closed her eyes tightly. There was a gentle hand on Laurie's back and she tried to focus on it, the slight pressure and reassurance that it gave her. The orange ninja felt the Ultra Dragon's altitude level off and she cautiously opened her ice blue eyes.

"Are you alright, Laurie?" asked a voice from behind her. Laurie cocked her head slightly to the left, realizing that it was Nya who was concerned. She had completely forgotten that the samurai was sitting behind her. Honestly, there was not enough room on this reptile for all of them to sit comfortably.

With a heavy sigh to calm her racing heart, the orange ninja slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, Nya, I'm fine" she answered. "Thanks for that." The hand on her back was removed and Laurie felt tension in her shoulders dissipate. How long had she been tensed up like that? She was not sure. This whole situation was making Laurie nervous and anxious; the sooner that they were able to locate and recover Rhea and Kai, the better.

Once more the flying creature began to descend, but this time it was slower. Laurie could feel the chill of the air becoming less intense. It was true that the altitude did make a difference. Within minutes the Ultra Dragon landed on a cliff, the edge jutting out precariously. Happy to be back on solid ground, the orange ninja swung her left leg over the dragon's lower back before sliding off. Her feet hit the compacted snow hard, slightly jarring the bones from her ankles to her knees.

The others followed suit, dismounting the winged creature. Lloyd lay the reigns down gently, the metal chains resting just above the dragon's neck. Smiling, he gave the creature a few pats on the back before sliding off into the snow. "Thanks boy" the green ninja called out, adjusting the black gloves that adorned his hands. "Well, thanks boys" he corrected, accounting for each dragon. It was not fair for them to be grouped as a single entity considering they used to be four separate dragons. Lloyd watched as Rocky gave him a crooked grin before he went to join his friends.

"So this is where the Tomb is?" Jay asked, his arms crossed over his chest. The clearing was obvious, every crevice in the ground filled with snow and ice. With a slight smirk, the blue ninja gazed at the surroundings with hazel eyes. "I wouldn't really say it's cozy or a great place to live, but the Hypnobrai really didn't have a choice in that matter, did they?" Jay gave a small chuckle as he kicked some nearby snow with the toe of his boot.

Laurie concurred with Jay. This was a terrible place to be locked away for ages. For the quickest of seconds, the orange ninja almost felt sorry for the Hypnobrai; almost. She dismissed the thought immediately, remembering that they were in this mess due to those same serpents. They deserved to spend an eternity imprisoned within the confines of the tomb that lay before her, especially Skales. "So how do we get inside?" Laurie inquired, giving a sigh.

The green ninja's face fell before he remembered that no one else had ever ventured inside the Hypnobrai Tomb. "Oh yeah" Lloyd laughed, crossing over the swirling patterns on the ground. Pebbles and sleet crunched underneath of his boots. A small golden statue of a snake lay near the black ninja. "Hey, Cole, can you push that statuette?"

Raising a bushy eyebrow, the Ninja of Earth grasped the head of the small serpent with his right hand and pushed. The entire object titled backwards slightly, the fangs protruding from the snake's mouth reflecting a stray ray of sunshine that had escaped the barrier of gray clouds. Seemingly unimpressed by this action, Cole narrowed his eyes. Was something supposed to be happening?

Suddenly, the ground began to quiver and shake. Caught off guard, the leader widened his stance in order to keep his balance. He noticed the shocked expression of everyone excluding Lloyd. Well at least they seemed just as taken aback as he did. The carved designs on the ground began to move apart as the ground did; the jaw of the crudely drawn serpent on the ground began to drop. A faint cloud of green smoke rose from the dark abyss, curling its way into the icy wind before dissipating entirely. Taking in a deep breath, Cole tightened the grip he had on his scythe.

Seconds seem to take forever to pass and Laurie held her bō staff horizontally in both hands. She expected an army of scouts to come springing out of the Hypnobrai Tomb, anticipating their arrival. Much to her surprise, nothing of the sort happened. Cautiously, the orange ninja approached the edge of the ground and knelt down against the chilled rock. "Kai, can you hear me?" she called down into the darkness. Visibility was awful and all Laurie could make out were some crystalline structures a little way down. Her voice echoed off of the walls, but no one else responded. Frowning, Laurie stood up and brushed the snow off of her pants. "So how do we get down there?"

With a playful smirk twisting at the edge of his lips, Lloyd slowly approached his sister. He placed a hand on Laurie's shoulder. "I don't really remember how to get inside…" the green ninja trailed off, giving the teenager a slight push. Lloyd felt Laurie tense up and she fought for any sort of balance. Then she tumbled forward into the darkness, her frightened cries still audible after she had disappeared.

Cole was the first person to approach Lloyd, his expression stern. "What were you thinking?" he growled between clenched teeth, obviously upset by the event that just unfolded.

"Relax" Lloyd reassured him, laughing slightly. "That was how I got in the first time so I thought it would be funny for my sister to experience it the same way." The longer than green ninja stared at Cole the less he thought his practical joke was actually funny. "Look, it's not the far down and she should be fine. We'll just jump in after her."

The white ninja spoke from the opposite side of the large hole in the ground. "That was not very smart, Lloyd" he chastised, shurikens in both of his hands. "What if the Hypnobrai were down below and have Laurie now as well?"

Lloyd's heart seemed to skip a beat. He had not thought of that at all. Without a moment's hesitation, the blonde haired boy jumped down into the darkness. The fall was much shorter than he had remembered, but then again he was much taller this time around. Lloyd's back hit a rock that was jutting out awkwardly from the wall. He sucked in a breath before the ground rose to meet him. The green ninja landed on his stomach, elbows making contact with the hard ice. "Ow" he complained, getting into a kneeling position. "Oh wow, I hit my funny bone. My left elbow is all tingly…"

"It isn't so funny, is it?" asked a harsh voice. The green ninja gazed at his sister who stood directly in front of him. Laurie seemed extremely angry, her ice blue eyes practically glowing in the lack of light. "Pushing your sister down into a hole isn't so funny either!" she finished, using her bō staff to hit him on his right shoulder.

"Let's stop it with the sibling rivalry" Cole sighed, trying to keep his footing on the sloping staircase that Lloyd had failed to see. Hopping over one of the final large rocks, the leader stood with his arms crossed, waiting for the others to finish piling in. Once everyone was inside of the cave Cole noticed how quiet everything was. The air seemed absolutely still and slightly stale as if it had been undisturbed for quite some time. "Zane, can you give us some light?"

The nindroid nodded as skin began to illuminate. A soft glow emanated from the white ninja, slowly lighting the interior of the dim cavern. Shadows were cast everywhere, making Laurie nervous. She jumped slightly when the shadow from a nearby stalactite crossed over her body. With quick realization she realized that it was not an enemy and relaxed once more. The entirety of the space they stood in seemed empty. How could that be though?

"It doesn't look like anyone is here" Nya stated, her face falling. She was hoping that they were going to find her brother here. Well her hopes were snuffed out now, like the flame on a candle. If Kai and Rhea were not here then where could they be?

Jay noticed Nya looking somber and grabbed her hand. "It's alright, Nya. We're going to find Kai, we just have to figure out where to look now…"

Of course they would not be here. Cole felt humiliated and angry. Skales was not dumb enough to be in the first place they looked. Coming all the way out to the Frozen Wasteland had not been the greatest idea. Not only had they failed in procuring both Kai and Rhea, but now they had no other lead to go on. Where could they be?

"Maybe Skales took them to Ouroboros" Lloyd suggested, leaning back against an icy pillar that stretched up towards the ceiling. He instantly regretted it, feeling the cold creeping through his clothing. With wide eyes, the green ninja decided to support his own body weight. Lloyd caught Laurie chuckling at him and it made him want to push her into another hole.

"Ouroboros is nothing but rubble if you recall" answered Zane. It was difficult for Lloyd to really take anything he was saying seriously. The nindroid was glowing after all, something he had never been a witness to. "When Pythor released the Great Devourer it ruined the city."

Yes, Lloyd remembered watching the Great Devourer destroy Ouroboros. It was not easy to forget that day, the narrow escape that he and the others had made on the Bounty; the day his dad killed the beast and escaped with the four Golden Weapons. It seemed like those events had only occurred yesterday.

"What if Skales took them to one of the other Serpentine Tombs?" Jay asked. The blue ninja watched as Cole contemplated this. He could not help but give a large smile. "Yeah, why would we look for Kai and Rhea in any of the other tombs? We would have no reason to and that would be a perfect place to hide away."

Cole was surprised by the Ninja of Lightning's thought process. It was absolutely ingenious to look at the other Serpentine Tombs. Why was it that he had not thought of that? "Excellent plan, Jay" the leader commended, stowing his scythe in the sheath on his back. "The only problem I can see is that there are four other tombs to check. We don't know what Skales is planning to do with Kai or Rhea. What if by the time we find them he's done something to them?"

"We can split up" the blue ninja replied. "It's not ideal, but that's why we can go in pairs. The buddy system is important." Wow, he was on a roll today. "We split up into three groups and we can cover three of the other tombs!" Hang on a second though, there were four tombs. "I'm not sure how to check the last place though" Jay confessed, noticing the one flaw in his plan. "We could all regroup if we don't find Kai and Rhea and then check the last one together."

Laurie shook her head back and forth. "That might take too long. What if they were in the last one we didn't check? Skales might hurt them or something." The thought scared the orange ninja and she gave a small shudder. "We need to try and check all four of them at the same time. You know, if that's possible." Laurie pulled her hood up over her head before leaning on her bō staff. They needed to get a game plan together as quickly as possible. Time was being wasted.

"My falcon" Zane said suddenly, his tone lighthearted. "I can call for my falcon friend and then we can send him to the final tomb to scout it out. If he happens to come across any evidence of the Hypnobrai's presence he will come back to me. Of course, I will be checking in periodically with my falcon vision as well."

Once more, Cole smiled. Everything was falling into place. "Alright guys, let's split up and head out."

Hushed voices floated on the air. Rhea's eyes snapped open, taking in the darkness that surrounded her. She could hear Kai's even breathing right above her, indication that he had fallen asleep as well. Not wanting to disturb her friend, the young girl refrained from moving. The voices were faint, the words being exchanged barely audible. Concentrating hard, Rhea strained to hear the conversation.

"The day is halfway over" stressed someone, emphasizing the word "is". It was obviously a snake. "There have been no sign of the ninja at all. Perhaps your plan is not working, sir."

There was the sharp sound of something banging against the hard stone ground of the cave. It sent chills up the purple ninja's spine. "No, the ninja will come" replied a harsh voice. Rhea recognized it as Skales. The discernible sound of his tail on the floor made her lip curl. There was nothing that the girl liked about the Hypnobrai General; nothing at all. "Besides if the ninja do not come then we will just keep the two prisoners. Our army will expand either way, whether it is by two or eight."

So the others had not come to get them yet? Rhea felt her heart freeze in her chest. What if Skales was right and the ninja never came to save them? A flood of tears threatened to spill from her big brown eyes, but Rhea attempted to blink them away. She did not know how much longer she could handle the waiting. Every minute seemed to drag on forever.

No, they would have to come, right? There was no way that any of the others would leave Kai here in the hands of one of their enemies. What about her though? Rhea was just the newest addition to the family, practically nobody. If for some reason the ninja were only able to rescue one of them, they would not hesitate to take Kai in a heartbeat. Then she would be left here with the Serpentine. Of course, it would not be the first time the young girl was forced to stay with company she was not fond of.

A small sniff seemed to reverberate off of the cave walls. Rhea realized she had done it, tears spilling down her cheeks and splashing onto the shoulders of her pajama top. The young girl had not even noticed that she was crying. She tried to stay as silent as possible to avoid being checked on by the Hypnobrai. Kai shifted his body and the purple ninja tensed up.

"Hey, Rhea" the red ninja whispered, noticing the girl still lying her head down on his shoulder. "Is everything alright?" He had heard her crying softly, felt her shoulders heave with silent sobs. Kai was not receiving an answer though and he prompted his question once more. "Is everything alright, Rhea?"

Keeping quiet, the young girl stopped moving. She was going to pretend she was sleeping. Although Rhea did not speak she did not feel like holding a conversation with Kai at this moment in time. He asked if she was alright once more and Rhea felt awful for ignoring him. She tilted her head upwards slightly, meeting his light brown eyes.

Rhea was crying. Kai noticed the faint lines of glistening liquid that trailed down her cheeks illuminated in the faint light of damp cave. "Whatever is making you so upset you can forget about it. The guys are looking for us right now, I know they are." The red ninja watched as Rhea nodded her head slowly and attempted to wipe away the tears on her right cheek with her shoulder. This failed miserably. "You just keep your chin up and don't let those snakes get to you, okay?"

Kai was right. They had to have noticed that both she and Kai were missing by now. The ninja were coming. Her family was coming to save them.

So that was my latest chapter and I want to try and finish this story before Christmas since it's seasonal and all. Thanks for being patient, reading, reviewing, and everything else.

Also, I passed all of my classes this semester and I'm super excited! X3