Chosen by Destiny

Heh heh! Writing this chapter was such a blast! Hope U all enjoy it!

WARNING: There's gonna be blood somewhere in the middle of this chapter.

Chapter 11: The Tempest

She said 'yes'.

That thought echoed in the minds of everyone in the room. From the ninjas to Aria's family.

"A-Aria…!? You can't be serious…! You can't possibly…"

"Mama, please. This is what I want. This is my chance to prove myself."

"But…"

"Forgive me Mrs. Fernandez, but we need Aria to come with us if we are to save Ninjago."

"But Sensei Wu," Tony, Aria's brother, interrupted, "Aria's my little sister. She still has a lot to learn before she can leave Villa Celestia."

"Tony, please! I may be younger than you, but I'm not a baby!"

Nya gave Aria a quick look of understanding, also having an overprotective older brother. Aria turned around to face Wu.

"Sensei, I want to come with you. I will finally find my place in the world."

"I commend your decision, Aria. But I do not want you to leave Villa Celestia without thinking about the consequences of your choice. Becoming a kunoichi is not as easy as it seems."

"But- "

"I'll give you time to think about your future. Until then, we're staying right here. I recommend that you get to know your teammates for the time being."

Even though she wouldn't get to leave until later, Aria's face brightened up as she grabbed Nya and Heather's arms and ran up the stairs.

"Come on! Let's go to my room."

Aria led Nya and Heather into her room and locked the door before anyone else could get in.

The trio made themselves comfortable on Aria's bed.

"So…" The olive-skinned girl started, "What do you girls do as kunoichi?"

"As Sensei Wu said," Heather lectured Aria, "being a kunoichi isn't easy. There's gonna be tons of challenges in the future. Not only do you have to train, but you also have to be prepared for Lord Garmadon and his plots against us."

"Lord Garmadon?"

In spite of the weird name, Aria had a bad feeling about that guy. But Heather continued.

"He's our main enemy. He's completely hellbent on taking over Ninjago, no, the entire world."

"Sounds rough…"

"But he's also Sensei Wu's brother, and you know Lloyd, that kid you bumped into earlier?"

"Yeah?"

"He's Lord Garmadon's son, and he's the green ninja. He's destined to fight his own father in order to save all of Ninjago."

"That's brutal."

Aria wasn't sure how she would feel if she was in the boy's shoes. She was very close with her own family, even though she, Bella, and Tony would squabble once in a while. But hey? That's how siblings worked.

"Aria," The blonde girl glanced at Nya, "Remember, you're not alone. You have all of us and we have you. We must support one another if we want to succeed in saving Ninjago."

Aria mused over Nya's advice. She wondered what it'll be like fighting alongside the ninjas and kunoichi. What would it be like working with Kai?

The Mediterranean girl wanted to know more about the handsome ninja of fire.

"Just to be curious, what's Kai like?"

Nya could tell that there was a growing attraction between the new kunoichi and her brother. But she was also aware of Kai's opinion of girls in general, which wasn't all that different from Lloyd's views on them, but she didn't want to lie to Aria.

"Um… Kai can be… pretty arrogant sometimes. He always underestimates me, even today."

"Well, that sucks."

'I knew he was just another sexist jerk.' Aria thought to herself, but she couldn't help but feel a bit saddened that she and Kai would not get along.

"Yeah. But I dealt with him most of my life, and I'm fine as long as Jay's around."

"Jay? The guy with the funny eyebrow?"

"Hey, at least they're not at thick as Cole's." The kunoichi of metal retorted.

The three girls giggled as they continued their conversation.

Downstairs, the guys and Wu were discussing over similar matters with Aria's family.

"Does that mean we'll never see Aria again?" Bella's eyes welled up with tears at the prospect of never seeing her older sister again.

"Not at all, little one." Sensei Wu patted the girls head to comfort her. "She will not leave you and your family forever. Once everything is all over, she'll come back."

"But Aria has no 'fighting' experience, and she can be a bit… flighty." Mr. Fernandez said.

"Don't forget, she also has a habit of saying and doing things on a whim." Tony added.

"Don't worry about that. Nobody's perfect. The ninjas will train her and I believe she'll master the way of the ninjas in no time."

"I'm still not sure…"

"Mr. and Mrs. Fernandez, listen. One of the hardest things a parent has to do is to let their child go. If you don't, Aria will never gain the experience she needs to survive on her own. No matter what, she's still your child and will always be your daughter. You must let her go."

Aria's parents thought about the old man's advice until they heard Aria's bedroom door open and saw their older daughter approaching them.

"Mama, Papa, Sensei Wu." Everyone in the room looked up at Aria.

"I'm ready to become a kunoichi."

Her parents also made their decision for their daughter as well.

"Aria, if this really is your destiny," her mother got up to face her daughter, "I won't stop you."

"Mama… Are you saying…?"

"Yes." Aria's father answered for her. "You will go with the ninjas and save Ninjago."

After Aria packed up all the things she needed, she embraced her parents.

"Mama, papa. I'll make you both proud."

"We'll miss you, Aria."

"I know… I'll miss you too."

After saying her goodbyes to her parents, the new appointed kunoichi bent down to her sister's height, seeing the brunette girl face-to-face.

"Be good, Bella."

"Where will you go, sis?"

"I'll go with the ninjas. Wherever the wind guides them."

"Will we see you again?"

"Don't say that, Bella. We will see each other again. I just don't know when..."

The blonde kunoichi hugged her sister.

"Until I get back, take care."

Letting go of Bella, Aria got up and patted her brother's shoulder.

"See you later, big bro."

"Good luck, Aria. Although you already got that Kai dude to depend on."

"S-shut up! I barely even know the guy!"

"Oh, really? Don't go thinking I never noticed the way you two look at each other."

"B-but… How- !?"

"Aria, I'm your big brother. I only know so much about you."

"Tony…"

"And I also know you'll be fine. I believe in you, sis."

"That's means so much coming from you." Aria chuckled at her big brother's sentiment.

(*) "Just be sure to come back and tell me all about the… you know… boda." Tony smirked at his sister, but not without giving a quick glance at Kai's direction. The last word flew right by Kai's head, but Aria clearly understood what he was saying.

"TONY!"

Aria slapped her hand over her brother's mouth, her tanned face red as a tomato but Kai could still see that cute little beauty mark on the outer edge of her right eye.

"Mmmphhh!"

"There's NOTHING going on between me and Kai! Never did! Never will! GOT THAT!?"

Suffocating from the lack of oxygen, Tony nodded and Aria let go, letting him catch his breath.

"Bye… sis…" Tony barely managed to utter as Aria got ready to leave.

The ninja of fire was still confused and wanted to know what that 'boda' thing was.

"So what did Tony say back there?"

"Nothing!" Aria answered abruptly.

"But you- "

"It's nothing! Just go!" Aria dismissed the fire ninja's question and ran off, dragging Heather and Nya with her, but not without saying a final 'goodbye' to her family. Zane and Jay immediately followed in order to catch up with their girlfriends.

'What the hell was that about?' Kai was still perplexed but decided to follow Aria. Somehow, he felt the need to be there for her, and not just because of what Tony said. He wasn't sure what it was, but her presence alone wanted the fire ninja to bring out the best in him. Not wanting to waste any time, he quickly followed the girl he felt a faint growing attraction to with Sensei Wu sauntering not too far behind.

Lloyd and Cole just stood there. They couldn't believe it. Not only did they lose Zane, but they also lost Kai, the last person they expected to be doomed by women. Jay didn't count because he was already in love with Nya from the very start. This had the earth ninja feeling a little left out while Lloyd felt nothing but disappointment towards the wielders of fire and ice. Now it's just the two of them against the couples.

"Lloyd…?"

"Yeah?"

"We have entered… 'The Forbidden Zone'."

"I hear ya, dude."

The two remaining virgins gave a sigh of discontent and caught up with their companions.

After making a good distance between herself and Villa Celestia, Aria looked at the kunoichi and their uniforms.

"So…" The blonde girl started, "when do I get that kind of get-up or something?"

Sensei Wu stopped in his tracks, followed by the others.

"Right now."

Aria raised her eyebrow.

"Um… now, as in changing my clothes right here in front of you?" She asked incredulously. The old man only shook his head in response.

"NINJA-GO!"

Aria was suddenly engulfed in the old man's golden whirlwind. Once he zoomed past her, she stood there in a new outfit.

Kai was speechless.

Aria's uniform was in orange, similar to Nya's being yellow and Heather's in teal. She had the same shorts and tall boots as the kunoichi of nature, but her shorts also had a thick belt with a hoop on each side of her waist. Long gloves went up to her upper arms and wrapped around her middle finger, leaving the rest of her hands bare. Her small top also exposed much of her toned abdomen and had a translucent diamond-shaped keyhole in the center above her chest. It was all topped off with the 'kunoichi' mask that only covered the bottom half of her face.

"Wow…" Aria observed her new clothes in awe.

The fire ninja couldn't stop staring but he felt something on his nose.

Was it raining?

Lloyd looked at Kai with disbelief written on his face. Jay was laughing his lungs out, Cole shook his head, and Zane had a perplexed look on his face. Heather couldn't help but giggle and tried to hide it by putting her mask up, clinging to Zane's arm for support while Nya and Aria glared at him.

"What…?" Kai asked with annoyance. Was there something on his face?

But the group weren't sure if they should tell him…

"WHAT?"

Zane decided to be the one to break it to him.

"Kai… Your nose…"

The fire ninja touched his nose and felt something wet. Confused, he brought his fingers up to his face and saw…

"GOD FREAKIN' DAMMIT!"

Kai was mortified that a girl made him bleed. Especially from his nose. He tried to wipe off the blood with his sleeve but it only made more of it smear on his face in a revolting way.

"PERVERT!"

Aria took this as an offense, and with one arm wrapped around her exposed stomach, slapped the red ninja, causing more blood to splatter on the ground. Jay laughed harder as it only made things worse for Kai. Not only was he suffering from a nosebleed, but his face was now graced with a red hand-shaped mark.

"Settle down, Aria. We need to focus on the task at hand." Sensei Wu the newest kunoichi as Kai rubbed his cheek in pain. The old man went straight to business with her.

"Aria, is there any remarkable ruins or landmarks around the plains?"

"There's a ruin not far from here called 'The Stairway to Heaven'."

"The 'what to the what' now?" Jay asked.

"The Stairway to Heaven lies in the mountain range east from Villa Celestia. I've seen it a couple of times."

"What's it like?" Zane asked.

"It's pretty much of bunch of stairs carved into the mountains, and they got their name because nobody's been able to climb all the way to the top. At least, there's no records of anyone who managed to reach it."

"A stairway that leads to an unreachable summit…" Sensei Wu mused over this information. It would've made sense for his father to hide something as valuable as the Silver Weapon of Wind in a location that can't be reached by evil.

"Then that's where we're going."

"Why?"

"Because Aria, the legend of the artifact the First Spinjitzu Master gave to the wind worshippers is actually true. That item is the Silver Weapon of Wind. That weapon belongs to you. We must climb to the top in order to obtain it."

"Alright!" The blonde girl was ready for her first adventure as a kunoichi. "Let's go!"

The newest kunoichi was interrupted by a scoff from Kai.

That guy just won't learn.

"Excuse me, but is there something you'd like to say?" Aria asked in an ominous tone.

"You really think you can climb all the way to the top?" The fire ninja responded.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You probably won't even get halfway through." Kai mocked the newest member of the team.

"What makes you think that!?" The blonde kunoichi glowered at the red ninja.

"Oh, I don't know, being a GIRL!"

Loud gasps filled the air.

Oh no he didn't!

The kunoichi were appalled by Kai's words. Aria looked ready to beat up the arrogant jerk while Heather slapped her forehead, embarrassed FOR him. The guys all gave the fire ninja a look that basically said 'It's been nice knowing you.'

"Forget everything I said about Kai and I being related. He's adopted." Nya sighed in annoyance over her brother's sexist remark. Aria walked up to Kai with a dangerously calm face. Once she was right in front of him, she raised her leg and…

WHAM!

Kai emitted a piercing cry when Aria kicked him right where the sun doesn't shine.

"Ooooooohh!" Everybody else winced.

The red ninja collapsed onto the ground, clutching his wounded area and groaning in agony.

"Kai," Nya bent down to the hurt ninja's level. "Why can't you learn something for once?"

The fire wielder can only give a high-pitched squeak in response.

Aria only glared at her victim and marched towards the Stairway to Heaven with Heather right behind her. Even the usually polite kunoichi had no sympathy towards chauvinists.

The guys supported Kai as he got up, but not without extreme pain. It took everything in them not to laugh as the fire ninja limped in a way that reminded them of a baby taking its first steps.

"Guess you don't have to worry about having kids, right?" The sister of fire asked snidely.

"Leave me alone…" Kai ignored the guys as they can no longer contain themselves and laughed at his voice, which now sounded like a sick chipmunk. After regaining their composure, (which took quite a while) the guys prepared to conquer the Stairway to Heaven.

"Are we there yet?" Cole whined in an uncharacteristic way. The group all started climbing the stairs as soon as they reached it. All those steps were really taking it out of the strong ninja of earth. During the climb he could've sworn he actually saw several clouds below him.

"So… many… stairs…!"

Jay gasped in between breaths, struggling to climb the everlasting stairs. They just kept going and going! There seemed to be no end to them!

"I can see why these stairs received their name…" Even Zane felt like his energy was drained by the possibly eternal steps.

The ninja of fire didn't say anything. The long climb up was particularly brutal for him, especially since he's now most likely sterile thanks to Aria. Meanwhile, the green ninja has had it with the ridiculously long stairway.

"That's it!" Lloyd screamed impatiently, tossing up his arms in frustration. "I'm done! I'm going back!" The blonde kid turned around, ready to make the descent.

"And take just as long going down?" Cole retorted as Lloyd prepared to retreat.

"I can just call the Ultra Dragon!" The boy argued back.

"The air currents here are too strong for the dragons to fly safely. There's a high probability of the Ultra Dragon losing control and you'll fall off as a result." The nindroid also tried to prevent Lloyd from possibly committing suicide.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take!"

"We're almost there!" Aria interrupted Lloyd's protests. "I can feel it!"

The Mediterranean kunoichi continued to run up the stairs with her seemingly endless vigor. Lloyd was forced to give up on his downward journey and followed the others to the top. The guys were exhausted. When are these stairs gonna end!?

"We're here." Wu gave his students some relief with the news.

"Finally!" The ninjas and sat down on the summit, grateful that it was all over.

The summit was flat like a plateau. The only sign of human activity from the past were several broken pillars jutting out of the dais that covered much of the summit. In the center was none other than…

"That's it." Sensei Wu exclaimed. "That's the Silver Weapon of Wind. The Fans of Gales."

The two fans were placed in the center of the dais. From a distance, they looked like any other ordinary folding fan, but upon closer inspection, each rib was really a thin blade. The weapons were also surrounded by strong visible gusts of wind too strong for humans to go near it. This looked like something only a certain kunoichi can handle. Aria wasted no time approaching the Silver Weapon. The strong gales dispersed once she got close, recognizing her as the kunoichi who deserved the Silver Weapon.

"Even the winds have deemed you the rightful owner of the Fans of Gales." Wu goaded her.

No sooner had Aria grasped the fans, the whole group heard a loud roar.

Swooping down in front of them was a third dragon. This one had orange scales and a pattern like arrows adorning its body. Aria was prepared to challenge it with her new weapon but Wu kept her from doing so.

"Aria, don't attack. That dragon is the guardian of the Silver Weapon and isn't evil. Convince it that you're not an enemy."

"How!?"

"Just say something."

Swallowing any uncertainties she had, the olive-skinned kunoichi walked up until she was right in front of the dragon. She could even feel its breath as it inhaled and exhaled.

"Listen here… whoever you are!"

The dragon's gaze softened as Aria continued to speak.

"I am Aria Fernandez, the kunoichi of wind. We ninjas are on a journey to save Ninjago from the evil Lord Garmadon. You must either let us leave with the Fans of Gales, or you'll have to take it from us."

After moments of silence, the dragon gave a low and strange sound like a purr as it laid down on the ground in front of Aria.

"The dragon has also acknowledged you as the kunoichi of wind." Wu told Aria.

"So… that means we're leaving?" Heather asked and the old teacher nodded.

"Does that mean we have to go down those stairs!?" Jay complained.

"No. The winds have died down. It's now safe for the dragons to fly."

Wu was right. After Aria got her weapon and dragon, the air was finally calm and peaceful.

"Phew! I NEVER want to see anymore stairs for the rest of my life!" Lloyd was elated that the group won't have to walk down those god awful stairs again, eagerly whistling for his dragon.

Nya and Heather followed suit, and soon, the Ultra Dragon, Star, and Leaf landed next to Aria's dragon, ready to leave the dry plains.

"Now let's return to Ninjago City. Garmadon may be aware of our plans and we still have one more kunoichi to find." Wu explained to his students as he hopped onto the Ultra Dragon.

"Ninjago City… It's been a long time since I've been there." Aria muttered.

"You actually went there before?" Heather asked. "That's neat! I've never been in Ninjago City until I joined the ninjas! When did you go?"

"It was only once and I was just a small child, so I don't remember much about it."

"No matter. Let's go back and you can begin your training."

"Sure."

As the group prepared to leave, the fire wielder took a look at the kunoichi of wind. He finally realized that she was far from weak, given the lingering pain in his face and… lower regions.

"Aria!" The red ninja was grateful that his voice was no longer squeaky.

"Kai?"

"Maybe you do have what it takes to be a ninja." Kai rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He was never really good at complimenting others, even his own sister.

Aria felt her face heat up by the fire ninja's comment.

"Thanks… I guess..."

The orange kunoichi also had a strange and new feeling in her heart towards Kai. Perhaps he can be a pretty cool guy if she gave him another chance.

"Oh, and Kai…?"

"What?"

…

"I guess you're not always a jerk."

The fire ninja, for some reason, felt warm from Aria's compliment, despite it being half-hearted.

Could it be…?

"So what you're REALLY saying is that I'm a badass?" Kai asked with his cocky attitude. Aria only gave him an annoyed look from atop her dragon.

"We're getting along for once. Don't ruin the moment."

Yup. It's definitely love.

(*) boda = wedding (Spanish)

What do U guys think?

I wanted 2 make different reactions for each kunoichi when they join the team. First, Heather had mixed feelings while Aria quickly accepts. It may not seem realistic, but sometimes, when people are bored with daily life like Aria was, they tend to make big decisions on a whim, like she did. I know. It happened 2 me a couple of times.

Will things work out 4 Kai & Aria?

How will Cole and Lloyd survive being the only virgins left?

Stay tuned 4 the next chapter!

Review, please!