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Misako sat on the dusty floor of her dungeon cell, doodling an image with her finger. To anyone else, it looked like random lines and circles, but in her eyes she saw her son's face. He was smiling, not a fear in the world, and his eyes were slanted in determination. The former queen of Ninjago felt her heart melt. He hadn't come for her this morning, which meant that he had left with the mysterious men. She was hoping that he would be with her until the very end, but she knew that he couldn't stay here after she was gone. Garmadon would take hold of the young boy and force him to do unthinkable things as his own slave. No matter what, Misako could not let her son go through that torture.

"Misako Garmadon," said the cold, hollow voice of a dungeon guard. Misako raised her head and fixed her gaze upon the man. He was tall with light skin and flat, dark hair. His eyes were empty, devoid of any light or emotion, regardless of hatred and a cruel wishing for others to suffer.

"Yes?" she replied softly, a slight tremor of fear plaguing her voice.

"Lord Garmadon would like to speak with you before your execution."

Misako nodded her head solemnly and watched as the guard used a large, copper key to open the cell door. He quickly tied her hands behind her back and roughly tugged her out of the small cell. Execution. The word rang through her mind like a resounding bell. Being queen for twelve years, Misako had seen many executions. Each time a man fell victim to the falling blade, she felt her heart break. Most crimes were not severe, such as lying or minor thievery, yet Garmadon was such an opportunist to kill that he couldn't resist. Now he was going to kil his wife, despite any relations they might have once had.

Misako was yanked, quite literally, out of her thoughts as the man pulled her out of the dungeons and up the multiple flights of stairs to her husband's throne room. Misako never saw the rationality of stairs, as it was easy for one to climb up and down. But she could not be the one to question Garmadon's father's wisdom. He was a great man, until he succumbed to an unknown sickness, leaving his eldest son, Garmadon, as king of all Ninjago. Just as her legs were staring to feel weary, Misako realized that they were at the very top of the staircases. The guard led her to the throne room, where Garmadon sat, quite flustered, on his throne of bones.

The dark figure motioned with his hand for the guard to leave the room The man bowed and quickly obliged. "How are you, Misako?" came Garmadon's deep, chilling voice.

"You're killing me today," Misako bit back, though not unkindly. "How do you think I am?"

Garmadon seemed ashamed at hearing his wife say that, though he did nothing that would suggest it. "Lloyd is missing," he growled, not skipping a beat to voice his concerns. "Last night, the criminal, Cole Brookstone, bombarded my palace with his Rebellion. With help from General Kai, they attempted to murder me in my own throne room. The guards came storming in and the Rebellion ran out and took Lloyd."

"They… took Lloyd?" Misako whispered, using her superior acting skills to fabricate a believable performance. She made her eyes water up, insincere tears falling down her rosy cheeks. "He's really gone?"

Garmadon averted his gaze, Misako's tears creating a smidgen of guilt deep inside of him. He resisted the temptation to open up and let his protective arms fall around her. She looked miserable. "I'm afraid so. He's been kidnapped for real this time."

"Well, what are you going to do?" Misako asked, a sort of urgency in her voice.

"Hunt down Brookstone and his accomplices," the dark lord replied. "They have kidnapped my only son and I need him back."

"How do you know he didn't leave willingly?" she questioned, trying her best not to arouse any suspicion he might hold towards her. When Garmadon didn't say anything in response, she continued, "Lloyd told me about the argument you two had. He was devastated that you yelled at him and was in tears." Garmadon was still silent, looking at his feet. Misako took a step forward and whispered as kindly as she could muster, "Don't you see? You broke his heart, Montgomery."

Garmadon stiffened at Misako calling him by his first name. She was the only one who dared address him by his overly long name, Montgomery. But for once, the tyrannical ruler was at a loss of words. What she had said could easily be true. Lloyd had seemed very upset after their argument two days ago. "Well, I…"

"I know that that little incident with that wretched all those years ago left you with evil running through your veins," Misako interrupted, glowing with determination, "but you can still have a heart towards your family. Your son needs father to look up to. If you had only been a bit nicer to him, he would consider you a great man."

Garmadon clenched his fists. "Enough, witch!" he nearly bellowed, all guilt suddenly fading from his person. "I am the king of Ninjago! Do not try to convince me that you are not guilty!" Softening his tone just a bit, he added, "What you say may be true, but you still lied to me about Lloyd."

"It was ten years ago!" Misako pleaded, this time making no effort to conceal her true objective. "Can't you let it go, Monty?"

"No." His answer came simple, without an explanation why he thought this or any actions of sympathy. To his pleasure, two guards rushed in and pulled his wife out of the throne room, the whole way her giving him a death glare with those glassy, blue eyes. Garmadon smiled. Today he was going to kill his wife. What could be more fun?

Jay's ankle hurt like heck. It burned as he stood, the melting sensation traveling up his leg, in turn making the entire limb sore. The whole foot was dark purple, a color that made Jay want to puke again. But he had to wear a smile on the outside, no matter how bad he felt on the inside. He didn't need everyone treating him differently just because he was stupid enough to trip on the stairs and break his ankle or something. He didn't need Nya to think lower of him because of his naïvety.

Oh, gosh. Nya.

She probably thinks I'm weak, not to mention an idiot, Jay thought bitterly. Cole had said that it wasn't his fault, but Jay knew that wasn't true. Jay had totally ruined it.

"How are you guys?" came a soothing voice, accompanied by the sweet fragrance of freshly picked roses. Jay sighed, a thousand weights being lifted off of his shoulders. He looked to where Nya was entering the merchandise room and marveled at her perfect face, cupped by silky, ebony hair. She wore a red kimono decorated with pink cherry blossoms and golden trim. She looked absolutely amazing.

Nya sent an unsure glance at Jay. "Should you be out here? Your ankle looks pretty bad."

"That's what I told him," Cole said with an indignant roll of the eyes. "He said he's fine."

"Better let me look at it," Nya said. She kneeled down by Jay's outstretched legs. Jay could tell she had only barely touched his foot, yet he jumped. Nya gently fingered his ankle, making Jay bite his tongue to hold in the tears. She stood up and said, "It's only sprained, but pretty bad. I don't feel anything broken in there."

"Thanks, Nya," Jay sighed, a kooky grin appearing on his face. He saw the corners of her mouth twist upwards in a gorgeous smile. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Well…" Nya mused, looking to Cole for a moment, then to her feet. She gazed into Jay's blue eyes with her wonderful brown ones and added, "I think you should go home, get out of the danger, but I kinda wrecked your place, so you're staying here. I have to run the shop today, so you guys can help out again."

Cole shook his head. "Not me or Kai. We're the only ones who Garmadon actually identified, so people will be out for our heads. The others can help, though."

"Okay, then." Nya walked over to her counter, which held a small radio. She turned a few knobs until an announcer voice came in.

"Attention all Ninjago!" the male announcer shouted. "Prince Lloyd, who was found two days ago, has been kidnapped once again! Infamous criminal, Cole Brookstone, attacked the palace along with his Rebellion. In a bold move, he teamed up with General Kai Igneous and the unlikely duo attempted to murder Lord Garmadon. Right before they delivered the killing blow, castle guards rushed in and drove out the Rebellion. Igneous and Brookstone's current whereabouts are unknown. They have kidnapped the Prince. Lord Garmadon himself has decreed that the reward for Brookstone's capture has been raised to two pieces of gold, equivalent to two hundred pieces of silver. The turning in of Igneous is worth fifty pieces of silver, and any other suspected members of the Rebellion will be turned in for the same price."

"Two pieces of gold?" Cole gaped, placing his hands to his temples as if even imagining money of that much value hurt his head. "Gosh, that's a lot."

Jay couldn't help but agree. If he had that kind of money, he would be set for life. No more work, no more hardships. All would be peaceful. All he had to do was rat Cole out…

But that in turn would lead to Jay's own capture, then to Kai's, Zane's, and ultimately Nya's. Jay couldn't do that to any of them, not to mention to himself. It was a domino effect. If he was in prison, two pieces of gold wouldn't do much for him there. "You're safe with me," Jay promised, locking eyes with a still flabbergasted Cole. Cole grinned ever so slightly, symbolizing that Jay had finally gained his trust.

"Everyone's going to be searching for you." Nya shook her head. "I mean, I don't even own two pieces of gold after running this shop for five years! Garmadon must really want you."

Cole threw up his hands in exasperation. "I tried to kill him then kidnapped his son, remember?" He stood up and walked angrily back into the hallway, leaving Jay and Nya alone.

There was an awkward silence, during which Jay felt his cheeks flush to a bright pink. What should he say? What do you say to the girl of your dreams, the one you've been waiting for you whole life? Your entire futures together rode upon what you said. Jay followed his gut and blurted out, "Do you like blue?"

Nya looked surprised at the question, but replied with a pearly white smile and, "It's my favorite color."

Jay's eyes widened, a smirk spreading across his face. "Really? Mine too."

"Cool." Nya blushed and looked at her feet, openly aware that Jay was crushing on her. "So, what do you do for a living? I mean, before you were caught up in all this."

Jay hesitated, unsure if his unofficial occupation would impress her. "I, uh, invent things. I get requests from people in the village and I try to build them. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. I was currently improving my design on a pair of wings. The time I flew on them before, I ended up stranded in a tree. I was thinking some kind of steering mechanism, 'cause the only way I could really steer them was getting into a draft, and that didn't work out too well. I-" Jay bit his tongue, realizing that he was going on and on, and that Nya was probably bored out of her mind. She didn't care about stupid inventing!

"That's really neat," Nya commented sincerely. "I made my entire Samurai exo suit, so I know a thing or two about electronics. I'd really like to start doing mechanics for Ignacia, but we don't have another blacksmith. I guess I'll just stick to making swords."

"You're really good at it." Jay gazed around the small shop, his eyes once again laying upon a pair of perfectly crafted nunchucks. He still had his own golden ones, they were in Kai's bedroom, but he couldn't help but marvel at Nya's handiwork. "Who taught you?"

Nya's silence told Jay that he had asked a touchy question. Bad move. Quickly, he added, "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine." Although she said this, Jay could tell by how she looked at her feet that it wasn't fine. "My father started teaching Kai and I when Kai was twelve and I was ten. He ran the shop and we helped out a bit. But six years ago, when I was nineteen, Dad passed." Nya wiped her eyes, and continued, "Kai was never as good as Dad was, but he still helped me with the shop. He always seemed to have more of a fighting reflex. He started training himself to use a sword and a year later he just got up and left to find a profession elsewhere. He found Garmadon and proved his new allegiance by killing that defenseless woman. He left me all alone here, so I started working on my suit and I dubbed myself Samurai X. Garmadon took my brother away from me, and now he's gonna pay."

Jay wrapped his arm around Nya, and to his relief she didn't push him away. Tears slid silently down her face and she buried her face in Jay's shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise. She was seeking him for comfort! "I'm really sorry. No one should have to go through that."

"It was hard," she mumbled through Jay's shirt, "but I'm just glad that I have my brother back. I still miss Dad, though."

Jay nodded, full of understanding. "I know what it's like. Both my parents died in some sort of freak double heart attack eleven years ago. I was only thirteen, so it was super hard for me to move here and live by myself. No one wanted to hire a thirteen-year old, so I started my inventing business."

Nya was silent, and Jay could see that she was smiling. He was instantly relieved. He had done his job.

"What are you two doing?!"

Uh oh.

Kai.

Nya lifted her head, much to Jay's displeasure. Jay turned to see Kai, his face red with anger. He stormed over to Jay and hoisted him by his arm into a standing position roughly. "What did I tell you?" he growled.

"I, uh, I…" Jay stammered, searching desperately for an escape route before Kai pulverized him.

"Kai!" Nya scolded harshly, her face still stained with tears. "I was telling him about Dad."

The General's grip loosened and Jay pulled away from him, wincing as he leaned back on his wounded ankle. Kai had a mournful look on his face, now seeming to lose his furiosity-driven courage. "Sorry," he mumbled, hardly audible. "She does get pretty emotional when talking about Dad."

"You left her," Jay said accusingly. "She was twenty-years old and you left her to run the shop by herself."

Kai glared at him. "I couldn't stand this life. When I ordered to be taken to Garmadon, he said he appreciated my skill and confidence with a sword, so he enlisted me as General of his army."

"But you don't do that to-"

"It's fine, Jay," Nya interrupted softly, placing a hand on Jay's shoulder. "I know he's a jerk. No one can argue with that. But the past is the past. It forms us, makes us who we are. If Kai hadn't done that, we would still be running this shop together, and I wouldn't be Samurai X." With a slightly nervous look, she added, "You should probably go lay down. I don't want you to hurt your ankle anymore."

Jay nodded with reluctance and allowed Nya to help him walk back to the bedroom. On the way past the dining room, they saw Cole sitting by himself at the dinner table, tapping his fingers on it and humming to himself. "He must be calming down," Nya whispered as they slowly walked on. "He considers himself the leader. You saw how hard he took it that we failed last night."

"He's a really good one," Jay commented. "I would definitely follow him again."

Nya nodded and led Jay into the room. He climbed onto the plush bed, carefully avoiding Zane and Lloyd still asleep. Jay breathed a sigh of literal relief as the weight of his body was taken off his ankle. Nya's face was adorned with the prettiest of smiles as she said, "Thank you. I forgot to say that if Kai hadn't left me, I would have never met you." Her lips came closer to his face until they placed a gentle kiss upon Jay's cheek. Heat rushed up to his face, no doubt turning a deep shade of red. She rose up and walked out of the room as Jay's mouth fell open and one thought ran through his head.

She kissed me!

Any citizen of Ninjago was allowed to view the execution from a clearing in the Ninjago City community park. For some families, watching a bloody death was like a holiday. They attended, then celebrated the loss of one person. For others, it would be a warning towards children. "This is why we obey Lord Garmadon," mothers would tell their children. "We don't want to end up like that person." But for most, it was a gruesome event. Parents would quickly rush their children away, then nervously peek from afar. Men would gaze right over the top of their newspapers to see what was going on, then quickly bury their faces right back into it. Women all around would silently look to the skies and send their prayers to the victim's family and friends. If anyone attempted to free the accused, they would be confronted by a barricade of wicked Serpentine, who would kill the man on the spot, along with the convicted. Lord Garmadon oversaw it all from a throne fixated under the heavy shade of an oak tree. The executioner sat in the clear view of every passer, sharpening his exocutioning sickle, a shrill sound piercing everyone's ears. But Lord Garmadon loved it all. From the moment the accused's head was laid on the block to the very second it rolled lifeless on the grass, he was sitting there, smiling.

The news of the execution of Queen Misako spread through Ninjago like a wild-fire. Everyone started rumors about why she was to die. "She helped Cole Brookstone!" some would say. Others rumored, "She attacked him!" No one knew the true cause of conviction. But all knew that it would be a devastating and bloody death. So, naturally, a large crowd gathered that morning, anxious to see their queen beheaded.

After not living in Ninjago for ten years, Wu could honestly say that it looked very different. Ninjago City had definitely modernized, larger and shinier cars zooming on the roads and more people talking on cell phones. More trash littered the streets and a rotten, stinky odor polluted the air. Wu had gone into the city for brief periods of time to get living necessities, so he never had the time to notice the dramatic changes in his home country. Out in the Sea of Sand, there was nothing but sand and the faint outline of the city in the distance.

Wu should have gone to rescue Lloyd, but he didn't know how to put together a successful mission when it was one old man versus the entire army, guards, and Serpentine. It was very unwise and would most likely end up in both Wu and Lloyd's demise.

And then there was the issue of Misako. Shortly after Wu initially arrived in Ninjago, he had heard people chatting about the execution of Queen Misako. He knew immediately that he had to stay and somehow save both her and Lloyd. It was a risky mission, but he could not let his sister-in-law, a woman he loved, die by the hands if her own husband.

Judging by the buzz of the city, today was the day. All Wu had to do was follow a large cluster of people to the community park. A place meant for peace and tranquility was being used for death. He was pressed close to men soaked with sweat as the crowd traveled deeper into the trees until they reached a small clearing decorated with a single block. Wu's stomach lurched, as he recognized this as the chopping block. When he was still a prince in his father's palace, Wu had only seen a few executions. His father had saved death for only the cruelest of criminals, the rest only earning a stay in the dungeon. But Garmadon killed whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He was like the reincarnation of pure evil, all because of that snake many, many years ago.

Suddenly, emerging from the brush of trees were Serpentine, half-snake, half-human hybrids brandishing sharp javelins to keep away any that might want to save the convicted. Wu gripped his bamboo staff in his right hand. He might need it. After the snakes, Lord Garmadon came out and, avoiding any patches of sunlight peeking through the trees, took his place on his makeshift throne. Then came Misako.

Her hands were tied tightly behind her back and a silk bag was placed on her head. Wu could see gray hair sticking out and her very slender figure. She had certainly aged since he had seen her last, just as he had. The guards escorting Misako threw her roughly to the ground, making the crowd of citizens erupt in cheers. One guard kicked her roughly in the stomach, making Misako wither in pain. The crowd jeered in excitement, while Wu's heart could only go out for her. Stay strong.

The same guard grabbed Misako by the back collar of her shirt and threw her head to the block face down. As the crowd was now silent in anticipation, Wu took this chance to call out, "Father would not want you to do this… brother."

The group gasped as a whole and Garmadon stood up. "What…?" he murmured, face masked with confusion. The realization then dawned upon him and he shouted, "WU!"

No one knew what to do, unsure who this "Wu" figure was. Wu shoved his way through the cluster of people towards the wall of Serpentine. They bared their teeth, but Wu only attacked with the staff. Avoid the Hypnobrai's gaze, watch out for the Fangpyre'd bite, don't get caught in a squeeze with a Constrictai, and get out of spitting range of a Venomari. Wu's father's words ran through his mind as he continued to send a rapid fire of kicks and bo staff swipes to the snakes. He punched a Fangpyre in the gut and whacked a Constrictai in the face. To finish off the rest of them, Wu pulled an instrument from the folds of his robes and gently blew into it, a gentle tune flowing out of the flute. The Serpentine fell to the floor, covering their ears. Once they were taken care of, Wu grabbed Misako by her arm and bolted into the trees of the park. Everyone seemed too shocked to do anything as Wu ran off with the prisoner who was about to get her head chopped off.

"What's happening?" Misako exclaimed, her head still covered by the bag.

"It's all right," Wu gasped, still running. "We're almost there."

Misako said no more and they continued to bound through the trees. Once the trees started to thin out, Wu placed fingers in his mouth and a high-pitched whistle sound flew through the air. A growl was heard, and Wu saw a large, four-headed beast heading his way. It flew through the skies, then landed on the ground right in front of the duo. He helped Misako climb aboard the dragon before they took off into the afternoon sky, their figures nothing but a mere silhouette.

If you didn't catch that, Misako has been saved! If I had my way, she would have died. I hate Misako! But if I killed her I'm sure I would have gotten a bunch of hate from you guys. No author wants that.

Sooooo, thanks for all your reviews! Remember to leave your comments, questions, concerns, anger, flames, annoyance, praise, or just thoughts. REVIEW! The more reviews I get, the faster I update!