Yeah, yeah, call me a ninja murder if you want to, but hey. I had to, okay?
Thanks for the whole Fav-Least Fav NinjaxOC couple thingy. IDK why I asked that.
I don't own Ninjago
(Jen's POV)
No! This wasn't supposed to happen! I used five drops of my supposedly special blood, and it wasn't enough to save the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master! Oh, Rachel was gonna kill me without hesitating! Next to me, Josh suddenly straightened up, whirling his head around to stare at me.
"A life for a life," he whispered. I looked at him strangely, and then Lloyd gasped very loudly, his eyes flying open.
Life flowed back into his emerald green eyes, his skin returning to its normal peaches-and-cream complexion. His chest began to rise and fall rapidly, and the sudden restoration of his soul to his body made Rachel become so startled and shocked that she shrieked and fell backwards.
"Why didn't you tell me before hand?" I lunged for Josh, anger flooding through my body. My hands wrapped around his throat, and my momentum was so great that it sent him sprawling onto his back.
"Tell…you…what!" he gasped. I tightened my grip on his neck, and he let out a strangled wheeze. My knees were digging into his ribs, which was forcing some air out.
"That in order for me to be able to revive Lloyd, someone else must die to take his place!" I snarled. My teeth were bared in a snarl, our noses an inch from touching. He gasped for air, and he writhed under me, struggling to free himself. His face was turning purple, but I didn't relent.
"Jen!" Kai yelled as he pounced on me. He managed to drag me off Josh, who rolled onto his stomach, coughing and gulping for precious air.
"It's already been taken care of," he wheezed. I glared furiously at him, spitting as I continued to thrash around, but Kai's grip on me was like iron.
"Like how?" I snarled.
"While fighting, we took out roughly an entire legion of nindroids," Rachel explained, taking a quick break from where she was kissing the entire surface of Lloyd's face, "and so I think they'll satisfy for this." She pulled Lloyd back to her as he tried to escape from her before resuming her attack on him. I arched an eyebrow at her, wrenching myself free from Kai's steel-like hold on me.
"Don't suffocate me!" Lloyd wriggled backwards out of the tight grip the Nature Kunoichi had on him. "I just came back to life, and I don't want to die again so soon."
"I'm not going to suffocate you," she replied gently, sliding over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. His eyes widened as she suddenly pressed her mouth hard against his. And then he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him. I turned my back on them to give them a little privacy.
"Yeah, you are," Jordan said, looking disgusted. With a contempt sniff, she turned and walked away, not caring if she was bleeding or not.
After Josh healed Rachel's and Jay's wounds, I left the infirmary and headed to the room that I shared with the other Kunoichi and Nya, changing out of my uniform swiftly and into my swimsuit. I pulled a hoodie on, along with a pair of baggy jeans and worn sneakers. Grabbing my white and sea blue gym bag, I threw in my towel, my hairbrush, my elemental blade hilt, and all the other stuff that I would need. Once I had finished packing, I opened the door, poking my head out to make sure that the coast was clear. Sliding noiselessly into the hallway, I snuck up to the deck. I grimaced as I saw Kai and Sam basking in the sun on the warm wooden planks, talking and laughing. Great…now I'll never get out of here at this rate.
"I know what you're thinking, so don't bother trying to sneak out of here unnoticed." I whirled around, and saw Josh padding towards me on silent feet. His perfectly chiseled features were set in a firm look on his face as he looked at me.
"Since when did you become a mind reader?" I snapped at him, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at him.
"It's pretty easy to tell what you're going to do next when you have your gym bag," he replied coolly.
"I'm going, and you can't stop me." I turned around and walked away from him, ignoring the hellos that I got from Sam and Kai.
"What's gotten you this moody?" Kai called after me. How I wanted to reply: roundhouse kick him hard in the left temple, hopefully giving him a concussion. What I actually did: gave him a good ole hard smack upside the head.
"Jen!" Sam protested as I walked away.
"If you're going to tell me to apologize, I'm not sorry," I snapped over my shoulder. If she said anything else, I didn't hear it, because I was already climbing down the chain to the ground.
Once I reached the edge of the ocean, I dropped my gym bag on the sand and peeled my clothes off so I was in my swimsuit. I pulled my hair up into a pony tail, grabbed my elemental blade, and waded into the water.
I slid under the surface, the skin on my neck separating to form gills. I stretched both my hands out in front of me in a breaststroke, propelling me forward through the water.
The water slid over my skin like liquefied silk, soft and smooth. A warm current suddenly sprang up from underneath me, cut short by a cold current.
The kelp swayed lazily as the currents acted like the wind, moving back and forth slowly. Clown fish flitted in and out of anemones, coating themselves with the mucus of the tentacles that would protect them against illnesses. A sea turtle swam next to me for a few moments before it banked right, gliding away.
A crab scuttled across the creamy sand, where it disappeared a little later on. I looked around for a few more moments before propelling myself forward again.
I wasn't exactly sure what I was thinking on my way there, but I found myself at the drop off to the abyss, where Zane had showed up. I peered down into it, and it seemed to go on forever, like a bottomless pit.
You're crazy, I thought as I started to swim downwards into the yawning mouth that made up the entrance to the abyss.
You're perfectly sane, Jen.
Come on, I complained after Mizu had spoken. I don't want to have you two be stuck inside my head 24/7. Why don't you go bother one of the others? Better yet, I continued, why not go kill Kryptor and save me and Ninjago?
You are-
Impossible, I know, I interrupted Kori. Now, can you two please get out of my head so I can concentrate? I'm about to kill myself at the bottom of the ocean, and I would prefer if I didn't have any other things to worry about. Thank you. If they said anything else, I had shut them out of my mind.
The water grew colder and the pressure increased, which made me change the style of my gills. Around me, everything was getting darker, and I knew that I would eventually have to either become a bioluminescent fish, or I could do it the easy way and summon one.
A flash of light caught my attention, and I stopped swimming, hovering where I was. Since I hadn't summoned any type of fish (or anything over all), I knew it could just be a passing anglerfish, or hatchet fish, or any other bioluminescent fish. But they don't like to hide next to the rocks. I sighed, closing my eyes and shaking my head.
I know you're there, I said telepathically, so you just might as well come out. A pair of glowing, piercing icy blue eyes shone in the black waters.
How long did it take for you to figure that out? His voice was hard in a sneer.
Not as long as it'll take for me to summon a few friends, I shot back at him. The murky water started to turn lighter as my glowing friends appeared, making a wide circle around us.
You really think that a few bioluminescent fish is going to scare me away? Zane taunted me.
I never said what I would summon, I answered. One of his wedge-shaped eyebrows rose slightly, and then I felt something hard clasp around my left ankle. Whatever it was hurt, and I quickly glanced down. And boy did I hate what I saw.
A giant squid had wrapped the end of one of its long tentacles around my ankle, and the pain that I was feeling was from the tiny chitin blades that encircled the suckers. I glared at Zane, who returned my gaze evenly.
What did I ever do to you? I yelled as a second tentacle wrapped around my left thigh and a third slid around my shoulders and upper arms before tightening. The pressure on my chest increased greatly, and I wanted to wail as the chitin buried itself deep in my skin. I summoned two sperm whales, knowing full well that a serious fight was going to break out between the squids and the whales, and Zane and I. Yep…this'll be fun…
You did… Zane's voice suddenly ended in a startled mental yell as two fifty-two foot long (the equivalent of sixteen meters), forty-five short tons (forty-one kilograms) male sperm whales came propelling out of the depths.
Their mouths were gaping open, and one went for the squid while the other went for Zane, whose eyes went large and he dived downwards to avoid getting bitten.
The first one slammed heavily into the thick torso of the squid, which snapped its beak irritably as the five tentacles that were free started to thrash around, stirring up the currents and wrapped around the large thick head of the offending whale. The tentacles that were still wrapped around me constricted, and this time I couldn't help but screech as the chitin was thrust even deeper into my skin.
Let go! I yelled at the squid that had me in its grip, but it didn't relent.
You're dealing with a new toy, Zane said, smirking slightly, as he continued to dodge the sperm whale that continued to chase him. You cannot control them in anyway. Oh, and by the way, Lloyd's death was just a test.
WHAT?! I screeched in horror. He nodded, and it must have also been a prearranged signal, because three more giant squids exploded out of the depths.
It's true, he replied smoothly, It was just a test to see if your blood could bring the dead back to life. And another thing, good luck with this fight. That's it; game on. Zane wanted to mess with me? Fine! But I have more friends than he probably has nindroid warriors in his army. I summoned more sperm whales, and the war began.
The squid holding onto me suddenly released its painful grip, and I shot upwards, rolling my shoulders back once. I ordered the whale that was chasing Zane to attack the squids instead and to let me deal with him alone.
You're pathetic if you think you can fight me and expect to win, Zane spat at me as we circled each other. His eyes were narrowed as he glared at me.
Says the one who brought his robotic pets to do his dirty work, I snarled, now that is pathetic if anything. If you want me so badly, then do it yourself and not use your squids. That must have seriously set him off, because next thing I know, his hands were gripping my wrists so tightly that my fingers splayed out. His teeth were bared in a snarl as he glared down at me, and a bolt of fear ran up my spine. I had forgotten exactly how scary he could get when ticked off, and I swallowed nervously.
Uh, Mizu, Kori? I called, I could use a little help here, please.
So now you need our help, Kori said, sounding slightly irritably. Of all times, now? I sighed.
Empty your mind, Mizu murmured, let your emotions go like water sliding down a mallard's glossy feathers. Concentration and focus are important when in these situations. At least my biological mother was being more helpful than my biological father. And so, naturally, I went with Mizu's suggestion.
I closed my eyes, emptying my mind until it was blank, which was actually rather hard, considering that I still had a Zane that was not even trying to hide exactly how much he wanted to rip my throat out. Okay, now what?
You're surrounded by your element; use it to your advantage. If you can shape-shift, do it.
Does he have any more of his 'friends'?
No, it was just the four. Thank the First Spinjitzu Master.
The chitin's going to leave scars, isn't it?
Yes. Why am I not surprised?
Jen, watch out! My eyes flew open, and then Zane's hands clamped around my throat.
(Zane's POV)
Jen struggled to get free, but her twisting and writhing only made it worse for her. She lifted her gaze to mine, pleading to let her go.
What did Kryptor do to you? she cried.
He opened my eyes to the true light, I answered in a sneer, where we're hiding, I am accepted and respected for who I am. With you and the others, I felt shunned and isolated. And we never were. I spat the last word, letting it fall heavily, like a stone flung into the water. But it was Jen's reply that caught me off guard.
You don't know me, even if you think you do.
My fingers suddenly slacked around her throat from her words, and she knocked my arm away using her outer forearm.
The water currents began to swirl faster around us, and I looked at her. Her appearance rippled, and it changed.
Instead of her regular swimsuit, she was instead wearing a sea blue moiré top that stopped above her navel and had sleeves that went down to her elbows. The neckline, which showed only her collarbone and the very tip of her sternum, was trimmed in one inch wide white silk, along with the cuffs of her sleeves. Her skirt was made of the same material as her top and was also trimmed in white silk, and it shimmered with every movement so that it resembled sunlight being filtered through the water. A silver cloak wrapped around her shoulders and fastened at her throat. The Silver Bow of Water was in her left hand, the quiver's strap going along the front of her body. Her long beach blond hair was pulled up into a regal bun, the base of it adorned by the purest of all pure pearls, holding it firmly in place. Around her slim neck hung her silver water drop-shaped pendant necklace and a choker of pearls. On the inside of her right wrist was a black tattoo of the Japanese character for ice, and on the opposite wrist was water. Wait, why would she have my element…And then that is when I saw the other two.
Flanking her on each side were two other people, wearing identical firm expressions that sent a clear message: Do not come any closer.
You believe everything that Kryptor says because he is your blood brother, Jen began in a firm and challenging tone, and you have rejected us because of the thought that we have rejected you. That is not so. If only you weren't so blind to your own self-pity, then you would have seen that we cared for you and accepted you, not the opposite.
Why do you bring up memories of that? I yelled.
You have hidden them under a blanket that you thought would forever conceal the fact that you were once on our side! Jen said in a voice that was tight. And now, the battle draws ever closer. I know where my loyalties lie, and I know who I am. One question remains: Do you know where your loyalties lie and do you know who you are? She glared at me before starting to swim upwards, leaving me alone with the other two. I started after her, but they held their arms out, stopping me.
Come near her again, the man and woman threatened at the same time and in the same fierce tone of voice, and the sight of her plunging her blade into you will be the last thing you see.
(Cole's POV)
"Dad, move!" I sprang forward, wrestling a nindroid to the ground before breaking its neck. It collapsed into a pile of limp metal, adding to the ranks of dead robots.
"I can't!"
"Of course you can! You're a dancer, aren't you?"
"That's different from fighting, son!"
"Exactly how much different?!"
"I don't know!" I sighed irritably. This was getting us nowhere out of this mess. Nindroids continued pouring in, and I was doing my best to fight them off, but when I killed one, three more took its place. Gosh, this is like the Hydra. Whenever one head was cut off, two more grew from the stump. Hercules (Heracles, originally) used a torch to burn the severed neck to prevent anymore heads growing back, but there are a few problems with my current situation: first of all, I'm not fighting a Hydra, and second, I don't fire.
But I do have earth, I thought. The idea clicked in my mind, and I suddenly leaped into the air. When I came smashing into the ground, I thrust my elemental blade into the ground. Dirt flew into the air, making it a little hard to breath, but eh. The dust clogged in the nindroids' heating vents, and they began to thrash around.
"You so owe me," I said, turning my head to look at Dad after the air had cleared and the last nindroid had stopped moving. I withdrew my rainbow-y sword from the ground, and the blade immediately retracted into the golden dragon head-shaped hilt, which I stuck into the inside pocket of my hoodie.
"First the Blade Cup-"
"Fangblade," I corrected. He waved his hand in a dismissal before resuming his sentence.
"First the Fangblade"-he glared at me just a little bit-"and now this, what next?"
"Honestly? I haven't the slightest," I answered in a breathless, casual voice, putting my hands on my hips after a quick shrug. After thinking it through for a while, I eventually said, "But in the meanwhile, you should come back with me, where you'll be safe."
He gave me a nod, and then followed me out the ruined door.
(Josh's POV)
"You know, you don't look so bad in faded jeans, worn sneakers, a regular ole tee shirt, and a zip-up hoodie that isn't silvery-white." Rachel crossed her arms over chest, leaning back a little.
"You look casual for once," Jordan said. "Why do you always wear collared shirts and neat slacks?"
"First of all, they're corduroys," I corrected her, "and second, my parents drilled it into my head that I should always dress for success."
There was a knock at the door, and we all started. And by that, I mean Rachel, Lloyd (who was acting like he hadn't died earlier) Jordan, and I.
"Hey, Josh," Jay called from the bridge, "there's a group of people that look a lot like you, and they're asking permission to come aboard. What do I do?" I groaned before rising to my feet and trudging out the door.
"It's my parents," I moaned, "and my siblings. Please, don't get them started talking."
"Are they as bad as Ed and Edna?" Lloyd blurted out, receiving an offended look from Jay. I shook my head.
"This is basically my family: my dad is a college chemistry teacher; my mom is a neuroscientist that is devoted to studying the human brain; Jace is a wannabe author and a wannabe professional violin player; Jaycee is a wannabe artist; June is also into music, so please do not get her started on that; and John is a typical five-year-old," I said hurriedly.
"But do you want me to let them on?" Jay repeated irritably. I nodded, and he pressed the button that lowered the gangplank.
A few moments later, Jaycee exploded into the bridge, her dark golden eyes shining with excitement as she flung herself into my arms.
"Hi, Jaycee," I said, hugging her close.
"You never call, you never write, we've been worried sick about you," she said, pulling away and pointing her finger at the tip of my nose. I crossed my eyes so I could keep her long nail in my line of sight.
"Uh…" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jay turning his back to us, his hand clasped over his mouth, shoulders heaving with silent laughter.
"Don't kill him, Cee," Jace said as he strolled in, followed by Mom, Dad, June, and John.
"Why would I ever want to kill the brother that isn't my twin?" Cee replied smoothly, giving her fraternal twin brother a glare.
"That's enough," Mom interceded with a smooth, yet strong, voice. Her melted bronze brown eyes narrowed as her gaze slowly swept up and down me. "Josh, what are you wearing?"
"Oh, um…" My face felt hot as I glanced down at my outfit. I could already feel the guilt clawing at my throat, and I was hoping like crazy that I wouldn't suddenly collapse into a thrashing heap like I did the first time I told a lie, which had almost gotten me killed (literately, actually). "All my shirts and pants are at the dry cleaners, and this was all I had left." Surprisingly, I was still standing firmly on both feet, and then I noticed Jordan's severe look of concentration, with half-closed eyes. Judging from the sudden wave of negative power that rolled off her, she was preventing me from blurting out the truth. Which is really weird, actually…
"Oh, well if that's the case, then-" My element suddenly freed me from Jordan's control, and I blurted out in a flurry of words that I could barely understand myself, "Okay, actually Rachel, Lloyd, and Jordan wanted to see me in something different than my usual outfit of khakis, corduroys, button-down shirts, and my ninja uniform, and this was what they came up with"-I gestured to myself-"and if you had called ahead of time, then I would have changed into another outfit." My chest heaved like I had just run a marathon.
"Right, blame us," Lloyd muttered. Mom, Dad, Jace, Jaycee, June, and John all gawked at me, their mouths sagging open. And then, I felt the guilt.
No, you will not fall flat on your face, I hissed to myself as the usual side effects of trying to lie swamped over me. My legs trembled, but I forced to keep myself standing straight up.
A sudden stab of agony pierced my heart, and that's when I went down. A scream tore itself free from my mouth as I thudded heavily onto the wooden floor. Hot tears stung my eyes and blurred my vision as they started to pour down my cheeks as I felt my limbs begin to thrash around in the usual convulsions that always grabbed my body as I struggled to fight the heavy grief and anguish of the woman who chose to have her child aborted, or the deep sadness of the man who had impregnated her, either on purpose or on accident. That's why I always felt the pain; it was because of that. And that was just one source of pain. I felt the pain and illnesses of others as well: the raging fever of a six-year-old as she lay in bed, neck high in heavy covers to try to warm her of the chills that attacked her body; the torn hamstring of the baseball player who had just slid into home plate after hitting the homerun that brought his team to the championships; the broken spinal cord or neck of the one caught in the middle of a car accident; and that was just the physical pain. Grief, regret, sorrow, anything that anyone felt, whether physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual, it afflicted me one way or another. That's why I would sometimes be so crabby some days. All that fell to me. And I had to feel it, bear it, and shoulder it alone.
I rolled onto my stomach as the tattoo on my back began to burn as if I had just been branded. My hands curled into fists, and my arms began to shake as the intensity increased. Soon, my shoulders started to tremble, and then pretty soon my entire body was shaking.
I felt my tattoo start to writhe and squirm, as if begging to be freed. And then, the burning pain went away as the dragon on my back became free.
The back of my shirt ripped as two massive silver plated wings exploded out of my back. From there, I could feel the coldness of more silver scales, layered like a fish's, run down, up, and all over me. It was rather interesting to watch, because it had that domino effect. Seven seconds later, I was in the exact same armor that Jen had; only mine was a mix of cloud white and silver, with gold on the edges of each plate. I stood up, and the visor of my helmet fell down. My entire family (blood-related and not) stared at me. My blood family looked a little…scared, I suppose would be the best word to describe them. The family that shared no blood with me (but still totally my family) looked excited and amazed. It was quiet for a few moments, and then one of the Kunoichi let out a yell.
"I'm telling Sensei about this!" Rachel bounded out the door, and there was no mistaking the uncontainable excitement in her voice. I pushed the visor of my helmet up, my face hot.
"I guess I have some explaining to do," I said sheepishly, turning to look at Mom, Dad, Jace, Jaycee, June, and John.
"Yes, you do," Dad answered in a tone that meant start spilling now. Yeah, I'm in trouble…
Just then, Jen came running inside, tripping over her own feet. Her eyes were large and frightened, and she didn't stop running as she yelled, "Don't anyone follow me! I'm leaving, and I won't be coming back for a while! I'll return when I'm ready!" And then she disappeared.
I didn't say anything, even after she had reemerged wearing a cloak with the hood pulled up over her head. And then, she started running away.
That should clear up a few things. The pain that Josh was feeling in a few earlier chapters? Yeah, that was explained. Surprised by the extra POV?
Q.T.:
1) Does this story seem to be dragging on, or do you think it's good?
2) Why do you think Jen ran away?
3) What was your reaction to Zane's POV?
4) What do you think of the little snippet of Josh's family? (His dad's name is Jeromy, his mom's name is Justice; I planned it that way.)
5) What do you think will happen in the upcoming chapters? Romance? Awesome fight scenes? The beginning of the conclusion? (Ha ha, not yet, guys XD)
6) Did I by any chance miss anything?
That's all I have, guys. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! :D