Nicki's Story
121
Heavy Metal headed to Keyda's quarters. The new leader hadn't come out all day, not even to eat. He shook his head as he thought about her; Keyda's threatening and no-nonsense manner had earned her respect throughout the Oni. But Heavy Metal knew she was cracking…if the lass carried on like this much longer she was going to fall apart completely. The realm was already on shaky ground without their leader crumbling.
He wondered if it had been wise to pick Keyda as a leader anyways…compared to many of the other possible Oni rulers, she was just a child. Plus, she was only getting more unstable. Yet she had some quality that the Baron never had. Heavy Metal frowned; he couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about her that made him trust her, as young and irrational as she was.
He had reached her door at this point, and sighed when he found it locked tight still. He pounded the door.
"That's enough. Time to come out now." he said gruffly, but there was no answer. He glanced down and noticed purple aura coming out from under the door and sighed again. What on earth was she doing in there?
"Keyda." he pounded the door again. She had always insisted on being called by her name, without any kind of regal epitaph attached to it. There was still no answer and he debated on whether he should work at getting the door opened himself or if he should just let her have her privacy. It was strange to even have the choice; under the Baron he would have never have dared. He stared at the door for a few more minutes and finally shook his head. He'd let her stew a little longer, then. But tomorrow, he wasn't gonna stand for this anymore. The vicious cycle had to end.
Cole
Cole heard the Dragon roar from his place in the kitchen. He had been stirring batter with a large spoon, but he was finding that the more he stirred the harder the mixture was getting, until he was pretty sure he had somehow made cement.
At hearing the Dragon call, however, his heart nearly stopped. Had they finally come, then? He felt a wave a relief and he immediately headed for the door. He paused for a moment, glancing back at his cane leaning up against the counter. He finally turned away; his limp wasn't that noticeable anyways. As he headed to the front door the others were coming down the stairs. Kai and Jay were both looking at him with some strange expression, but he decided to ignore it as he reached the open doors.
The Ultra Dragon was landing as they all made it outside. Cole pushed forward with the others, but he stopped dead outside the front of the temple as he could finally make out who was on the Dragon…and who wasn't.
"Wu!" Zane called as the rest of the group reached him. The now-elderly Dragon Master smiled softly as he decended.
"What took you so long?" Kai asked, and Wu chuckled slightly.
"Well, there was a lot to do in the first realm; I couldn't have left it before I did."
"How has it been? Is the peace union still holding?" the nindroid asked nearby. Wu nodded.
"So far. We have to walk on eggshells most of the time, but…"
"Where's Keyda?" Jay asked, and Wu fell silent for a moment.
"She's still back in the first realm. She didn't wish to join me on this visit."
The ninja shared a look and Wu sighed.
"How's Cole? Is he…"
"He's much better," Nya offered. "Basically back to normal…he's over there if you want to…"
She trailed off as she went to point, but the spot where Cole had been standing was now empty. Wu patted her shoulder.
"I'm sure I'll get a chance to talk to him later on…I'm glad to hear he's healing well."
"You must be hungry," Zane mused suddenly. "I will go get dinner started."
Wu smiled gratefully as his stomach growled.
"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Zane."
Keyda
Keyda felt feverish. She shivered, still lying on the rug in her room. She was aware of the aura spinning around her, but she didn't understand it. She wasn't even feeling angry…or hatful. Mainly she just felt sick and empty.
She had just wanted to be left alone; but now the loneliness was crushing her. She shuddered. Was this going to be how she spent the rest of her life? Fighting to control something that she wasn't even sure could be controlled? Would it really have been so bad to have gone with Wu?
She squeezed her eyes closed.
Cole
The smell wafting on the breeze alerted Cole that dinner was ready, but he didn't move to climb down. Instead, he continued to watch the sunset in the distance. The view from the floating Island was always spectacular, and the fact that he was perched at the top of the pagoda only made it more so.
Technically, he wasn't supposed to be climbing for another month or so…but after three months of recovery he was ready to be fine again. He heard scuffling and he looked down to see the Ultra-dragon mauling some hedge on the grounds. He had a shadow of a smile as he watched; the gardener was not going to appreciate that. They hadn't really chosen this base because of its ability to house a dragon…
His smile faded. He knew he should go down and join everyone. He should at least ask Wu…
But the thing was, he was pretty sure he already knew what the answer to his question would be. He shivered as the sun continued to disappear and the breeze became chillier. He couldn't even argue with her about how stupid she was being when she refused to come! He knew his friends would say that it must be because she was too busy, or that the Oni couldn't be left as easily as the Dragons could…
She had never agreed to come. The more he had thought about it over the last few months, he had realized that. But he had just assumed…
Don't you get it Idiot? I want to forget you! I can't wait to forget you!
He had thought she had said it because she didn't care, but after everything that had happened, he knew that that wasn't the case. So the only thing he could think of was that she did care about him…but that she didn't want to. He chucked a pebble off the roof as the light of day faded out. He wasn't sure which reason was worse.
He finally stood up, stretching the stiffness out of his left leg. He was just going to have to convince Wu to take him back with him so he could talk some sense into her.
Keyda
Keyda's eyes were still closed, so she wasn't aware that the aura was becoming more intense. In her mind, she was thinking back to her time in Ninjago. She had spent the last three months refusing to think about those few days, but she was too tired to fight it anymore. It was strange how vividly she could remember it all. The aura swirled faster and she pictured the last time she had seen Cole. She just wanted to see him one last time…
There was a flash, and the aura dissipated in the empty room.
Ninja
"Wow, this feels just like old times," Nya said, tucking into the food that Zane had whipped up. The nindroid smiled, bringing the last pot of steaming vegetables to the table.
"Almost…" Jay argued with a mischievous grin. "Whatever happened to that flowered apron, Zane?"
The nindroid stopped, fixing Jay with an unamused look while P.I.X.A.L laughed.
"It seems I missed that…"
"Yes, well…I certainly learned my lesson after wearing it just once," Zane said, setting the bowl down and taking his seat next to his girlfriend.
"Hey, I don't remember a flowered apron…" Lloyd chimed in from down the table. He and his father had returned shortly before dinner was served.
"Eh…before your time…" Nya explained, helping herself to more soup. "But the food is just as good as it was back then!" she continued, flashing a grateful smile in Zane's direction.
"I agree, dinner has been wonderful Zane." Wu said. He had eaten quite a lot, causing the others to wonder what kind of food Wu had been living off of in the other realm.
"You'll have to take a hamper home with you," Misako offered, and Wu nodded his agreement.
"I don't know why Kai and Skylor felt the need to go out when they could have had this…" Lloyd said, but Jay just smirked.
"I have a few ideas why…"
Everyone was laughing when Cole made his way into the dining room. Jay was closest to the door and he looked over at his friend.
"Where have you been? You'll be lucky if there's any dinner left at this point…" he trailed off as he noticed a tear in the leg of Cole's gi. He frowned. "What have you been up to?" he said, pointing.
Cole glanced down, unconcerned. He shrugged.
"Musta got caught on the way down." he said as he claimed an empty chair. Jay continued looking at him.
"Way down?" It finally clicked and Jay shook his head. "Cole…."
"Do me a favor and chastise me later?" Cole said, helping himself to some food. The table had grown quiet as everyone looked over at him, all wondering the same thing. He made a point of not looking at anyone and slowly the chatter picked back up.
Wu finished eating and looked over at the latecomer.
"I heard you're doing a lot better," he said. Cole filled his mouth and nodded, not looking over. Wu smiled. "That's good to hear."
The Dragon Master didn't know what else to say; he knew he should probably offer some reason for Keyda's absence…but there wasn't really any excuse he could give. She hadn't wanted to come, and that's all that would matter to Cole, no matter what her reason was.
Cole drained his glass and finally looked over at Wu.
"S'alright, Master. You don't have to explain her reasoning." The he said, as if he had read Wu's mind. Wu relaxed slightly, but then Cole continued.
"When I go back with you, she can explain it to me herself."
Wu sighed. He knew this was going to happen…
"Cole, she made it pretty clear that doing so wasn't an option…"
The Master of Earth stabbed a few spring rolls a little more viciously than was required.
"She should know by now I'm not very good at listening to her."
Wu decided to drop it; no need to have a fight here at dinner. He was here to find out how things were going. He turned to Garmadon.
"How have you been, brother?"
"Well enough," Garmadon said. "Lloyd and I have been doing a lot of traveling lately…"
There was a loud popping sound in the room, and the glassware tinkled as the table shook slightly. The conversation came to a stop as everyone looked around, trying to find out what had happened. A minute passed and there was a sudden whirl of purple aura down at the end of the table. Zane and P.I.X.A.L jumped up to get out of the way, and napkins began flying around.
"What the heck?!" Jay yelled. If it wasn't one thing, it was another! Garmadon and Wu both stood, trying to figure out what the mass was. However, after another popping sound the storm disappeared, leaving a figure behind on the floor.
Everyone was frozen in shock, and it took them a second to recognize the unconscious person.
"Keyda?" Jay said. Cole was already making his way to her side, brows knit.
"But…how…?" Nya asked.
"It seems to have been a realm jump, similar to the ones made by the Ultra Dragon…" Zane said, though he looked as though he couldn't reconcile that fact in his mind.
Cole tried to wake her up, but she was out cold. She looked a little different than she had when he had last seen her three months earlier. Her dusty and ragged clothing had been replaced and she wore expensive draping scarves. He picked her up and then turned to Wu with a confused expression.
Wu studied Keyda. "The Elder mentioned that the Oni used to be capable of realm jumping…"
"They came here looking for your father," Lloyd added, remembering the murals in the cave where he and Harumi had discovered the last Oni mask.
"Oni and Dragon power can cross realms," Garmadon confirmed. "Both together can create entire entryways between realms…"
"Yeah, I guess you have experience with that, huh?" Jay said dryly.
"But if she was going to come, why not just come with you?" Nya asked, turning to Wu. The Dragon Master looked at the figure in Cole's arms, remembering the conversation he had had with her a few days earlier.
"I highly doubt she meant to come at all…"
"What? So she's just accidentally teleporting to other realms now?!" Jay asked. Cole looked down at her pale face, concerned. She had some kind of silver circlet around her forehead with a deep purple stone. Was she still not able to control her power then? He moved to leave the dining room.
"Where are you going?" Jay asked as he headed to the door. He turned around, frowning.
"To find somewhere for her to lay down…"
122
In her mind, Keyda was back in the first realm, back to the time she had failed to defeat a dragon in the arena. As she began to come to, she realized that someone was holding her. She flailed out with both arms and legs, but her assailant didn't drop her in the dirt like she had assumed they would. Instead, their grip became tighter.
"Keyda, calm down…"
The voice brought her closer to consciousness and she stopped thrashing. She opened her eyes and it took them a moment to focus on the stern face. She frowned, her mind slowly catching up to the situation.
"He wasn't supposed to bring you back…" she muttered. Cole just shook his head.
"Back? Keyda, I didn't go to the first realm; you came here. You're in Ninjago."
She just stared at him, not comprehending. He slowly set her down on a couch and she looked around. She recognized this room…it was the same room she had woken up in, when that woman had come to offer her tea….
She began trembling. It wasn't possible…she couldn't have come here.
"Wu…he, he must have…"
Cole shook his head.
"Wu showed up earlier today without you. We watched you appear in the dining room a few…"
He trailed off when he caught her expression; she looked terrified.
"Keyds?"
She looked at him wide-eyed. This power inside her was taking over; she couldn't control it. Now it was taking her to other realms? Cole continued to look at her, his expression becoming more troubled as she shook harder.
"I can't…I can't…"
He pulled her close and held her while she shook.
"It's gonna be okay…."
"I can't fight it!" she said, her voice betraying both panic and resignation. He wasn't sure what she was talking about, but it was clear that coming here against her will had seriously spooked her. The anger he had been feeling towards her for the past month seemed to melt away as he held her.
"Then don't fight anymore," he murmured.
Ninja
Everyone was sitting back at the table, but dinner had been forgotten.
"So…you think she subconsciously transported herself here?" Nya clarified, looking at Wu.
"She can't keep up with the rate her powers are growing," Wu explained tiredly. "And there isn't anyone who could teach her to control them." He rubbed his temples. "She's been at war with herself for three months…"
"What do you mean?" Zane asked. Wu sighed.
"She's been shutting down her feelings…becoming more apathetic…" he paused. "It's hard to explain, exactly. When I asked her to come with me to visit she wouldn't even consider it. It's like she didn't want to be reminded…"
"Oni power is tied to chaos." Garmadon mused. "It's fueled by strong emotions, similar to how Golden power grows from calm and inner peace. She must be trying to controlling her powers by shutting off the feelings themselves."
"I'm no therapist…but that doesn't sound healthy." Jay pointed out.
"It still does not explain why she would be transported here…" P.I.X.A.L added.
"Perhaps it was her power's way of fighting back, sending her somewhere where she wouldn't be able to just shut off her feelings." Lloyd said. Jay shuddered.
"Fighting back? That makes it sound like the powers have a mind of their own…"
Lloyd swallowed, remembering the feeling of having Oni power coursing through him when he was wearing the gloves. "They…they kind of do…"
"But if she's been shutting down her feelings, what did her power tap into to get her here?" Nya asked.
They were all silent for a few minutes, thinking. P.I.X.A.L was the one who finally spoke.
"If she has been fighting herself… then maybe she has a lot of pent up self-hatred…"
Wu clenched his jaw, remembering their argument a few days before.
"That may be it…"
"But how are we supposed to combat that?" Nya asked.
"Gee…maybe she really does just need therapy…" Jay muttered.
"If her power sent her here, it must have thought there was someone here that could help," Misako said pointedly. Everyone subconsciously glanced to the door where Cole had carried her out.
"So…what? She just stays here until Cole teaches her enough life skills?" Jay asked, though his expression showed that he knew better.
"The Oni nation would not be able to survive an extended period without her…there would be a power vacuum." Wu confessed.
"But then the only other logical option would be…" Zane started to say, but Jay shook his head furiously.
"Look, it's bad enough that Wu is trapped in the first realm…we can't just keep sending team members there! What if something bad happened to Ninjago? He can't just…leave! For what? Some girl?..."
Nya touched his arm and he looked over.
"It's gotta be up to Cole, Jay…" she started, but he shook his head.
"He's just going to make the stupid decision!" he argued. "He always makes the stupid decision…"
"Wouldn't you make the same decision?" Nya pressed. "If it were me?"
He glared at her. "I hate when you do that…"
"Wouldn't you?"
Jay groaned in frustration. "Of course I would, but…but this is different…"
"You know he really cares about her," Nya argued. "So it really isn't."
Jay deflated, feeling defeated. It wasn't fair…even after everything was going right there were still problems. He thought back to how miserable Cole had been the last few months. Jay had a sinking feeling as he realized that things were never going to go back to the way things had been. The world was constantly changing, and this time things had happened that couldn't be undone as easily as a granted wish.
"It may all be a moot point anyways," Wu said. "Keyda was pretty adamant that they couldn't be together. She may not let him come."
"He's a stubborn guy…he'll find a way there anyways." Jay said with a sigh. "At this point, the only question really is: who's gonna tell Lou?"
Cole
Cole didn't dare move; Keyda had fallen asleep clinging to him. He realized how exhausted she was; her eyes had dark circles under them and sometimes she cried out in her sleep. She had become so fragile…what had happened these last few months?
He had already made up his mind. No way was he letting her go back by herself, not like this…he was going, whether she wanted him or not.
123
Lou blinked, taking in the news. Cole waited for his father to explode or tell him that he was being ridiculous. Instead, the performer looked thoughtful as he looked over at the figure still asleep on the couch. He finally looked over at his son and laughed at Cole's expression.
"What are you waiting for me to say, son? It's not like this is the first time you've left."
Cole winced at that. Seemed like his old man had gone for guilt tripping, then. Lou continued, his voice having softened.
"I suppose we were always better at long distance relationships…"
The guilt twisted deeper and Cole put a hand on his father's shoulder.
"I'd come to visit…I promise…and it's not like I'd be there forever, just until…" his words died in his throat. He had no idea how long he'd be gone…he just knew that he needed to do this.
Lou patted his hand, eyes misty. "It…it doesn't make much sense, I suppose…" here he gave his son a smile. "But like I said before, sometimes life doesn't make sense."
Cole hugged his father and Lou sniffed loudly.
"Maybe…maybe sometime I could visit you…come back with Wu at some point or another…"
Cole laughed.
"You could teach the Oni how to dance…they sure could use some new hobbies right now…"
His father joined in his laughter. "I'm not sure if beings of destruction would make the best pupils…"
"If anyone could whip them into shape, Dad, you could." Cole swallowed, trying to keep the emotion out of his throat. His Dad was right…this wasn't the first time he had left, and they had spent nearly the whole last decade with only letter correspondence and a few visits. But this time, their pending seperation felt more real.
"I'll come back in a few weeks…to see your play…" he said.
Lou smiled again, mustache quivering. "I'd like that."
Kai
Kai and Lou had gotten to the temple around the same time. But as Lou went in to talk to Cole, Kai went to the kitchen to rummage up some dessert. On his way, he caught everyone still at the dinner table, talking in intense tones.
"Uh…hey guys, what's up?"
Everyone looked back at him, and Jay just shook his head.
"You might wanna sit down…"
Kai sat, confused.
"Why? What'd I miss?"
Keyda
"No."
Keyda had woken up feeling more like her old self, and she glared at Cole. He didn't look concerned.
"Look…you can pretend you don't care…"
"You. Aren't. Coming. I wasn't even supposed to be here….it was a mistake."
She was standing, arms crossed. Her circlet was skewed on her head and it was making it hard to take her seriously; she looked like an angry child playing dress up.
He shook his head, not sure why she was being so difficult. He stood and made a show of stretching before heading to the door.
"Then I'll stay with Wu and the dragons." he replied, unconcerned. She stared at him as he left the room. She let out a huff and followed him.
"You can't stay with Wu without my permission—part of the whole united leadership!" she spat. He was headed to a nearby window; she watched in disbelief as he pulled it open and climbed out of it and started up the side of the temple.
She threw her head out, yelling after him.
"What are you doing?!"
In the dim early-morning light she could just make out his smile.
"Climbing."
She rolled her eyes, pulling off the scarf that was draped around her shoulders before climbing out after him. She huffed in annoyance when she caught sight of his smug expression.
"Are you even supposed to be climbing right now?" she asked.
"Why wouldn't I be able to?" he was a few levels up, and she lifted herself onto another ridge of the roof.
"Three months ago you were dead." she reminded angrily. He didn't respond; he had already reached the top. She blew a strand of hair out of her face, irritated, and sped up her climb. When she reached the top he was sitting on the other side of the slanting roof, his back to her as he looked out into the distance. She came to sit next to him, angry at him for leading her up here and angry at herself for following.
"What on earth are you…" she started, but he shook his head.
"Just wait."
She wrapped her arms around her knees, frowning as she glared out into the distance. The sun began inching up, and she couldn't help but watch in awe as the growing colors and light gave definition to the breathtaking landscape below.
After ten minutes or so she turned to him. He had a calm smile on his face, like he somehow knew everything was going to be fine. She wished she could feel so sure.
"Why would you even want to leave here?" she finally whispered. "It's so beautiful…and you'd be leaving everything…"
He looked thoughtful.
"It is an amazing realm…I mean, its home. I've got my father….my friends…" here he turned to look at her. "But no matter what great things it had, this realm would always be missing someone."
She looked away and he continued.
"My sensei…Master Wu."
Her head whipped back around, incredulous. He caught her expression and made a show of thinking deeper.
"On second thought…there's also my Elemental dragon…"
He glanced over at her disgusted look and finally laughed.
"What?! Who did you think I was talking about?!"
She shook her head. "Just shut up already."
He continued to chuckle and she made sure not to let her angry expression slip. They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Keyda could see the Ultra-Dragon in the distance, flying free in the pale pastels of morning.
Cole reached over and touched her hand. Her brows furrowed and she moved her hand away. He shook his head.
"Look…I know I've made a lot of mistakes…a lot of bad decisions. But going back with you…Keyds, that isn't one of them."
She took a while to respond. When she finally did, her voice was quiet and she wouldn't look at him.
"I can't let you come."
"Let me? Why is everything about letting me do something? Why can't I just do something because I want to?!"
She looked at him then. He looked like he wanted a real answer, so she leaned in to whisper.
"Because you're an Idiot."
He smiled, but she caught a glimmer of something in his calm expression…it looked like something in between uncertainty and fear. He swallowed before he spoke again.
"Yeah…an Idiot who loves you."
Her stomach lurched and she could hear her heart in her ears. She was kicking herself mentally; how did she keep finding herself in these situations?! Why did she let him do this?
"Why…" she started, but trailed off. She didn't even know what to say.
He swallowed again before giving a self-conscious chuckle, running his hand through his hair.
"I…I just promised myself I'd tell you the next time I saw you…"
Logically she needed to leave. She wasn't even supposed to be here, and she felt so jumbled inside. These feelings…she couldn't control them. She needed to stay as far away as possible…but she felt rooted to the spot as she stared at him. He was still waiting for her reply, and she knew what she needed to tell him. She needed to get him to believe that she didn't care about him and that nothing he could ever do or say would ever change that. She needed him to believe that he meant nothing to her so he would move on with his life and stay here. But deep down she knew he would never believe her. She didn't believe herself.
He could see the inner battle that she was going through. He sighed.
"Who are you fighting with?" he asked softly. She closed her eyes, trying to drown out the voices of her demons.
"You wouldn't be safe…"
"I think I gave up "safe" the day I climbed the tallest mountain in Ninjago and met an old man on top of it," he said.
She swallowed. He still didn't get it.
"You wouldn't be safe from me." she finally said. "I'm a…I'm a mon…"
"Keyda, you are not a monster." His voice was firm as he grabbed her hand. "You're an Oni…but there isn't anything wrong with that. You are strong…but like someone once told me, no one ever said that being strong is something that you have to do all by yourself. There are some battles you don't have to fight…" he reached out and touched her face, and she didn't pull away. He smiled at her as he continued. "After everything I've put you through…if you haven't destroyed me yet, then—trust me—you never will."
The soft pastels around them had shifted into a more golden color as the sun continued to rise. He was waiting for her answer, and as she studied his face the craziness inside her finally stilled. For the first time in a long time she felt calm…even at peace. She had finally made her decision.
She leaned in and kissed him. He kissed her back and began laughing in relief, and she couldn't help but join in as a dragon roared in the distance.
Epilogue
The applause was deafening; not only was the performing arts center packed, but everyone rose for a standing ovation. Jay turned to Zane, who was seated next to him.
"I didn't know Ronin could act!"
"It was quite superb," The nindroid agreed.
Lou made his way out into the audience. Many people recognized him as the director/producer and stopped him to compliment his work. He always had a gracious reply, but his eyes were scanning the busy room, looking for someone in particular.
"Hey!" Kai waved him over, and Lou made his way to the aisle of ninja. They had abandoned their usual gi's for fancier "show-going" outfits, and he found that it was hard to recognize them and their dates without their brazen colorful attire.
"Your show was really well done!"
"That part with the crocodile though…"
"Did you write the songs yourself?"
He smiled as his son's friends gave their praise and answered their questions, but after a few minutes he cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry, but have you seen…"
"Pop!"
Lou whirled around to see his son standing behind him with a big smile. Lou returned it, feeling relieved and overjoyed that Cole had made it after all.
"Good job, Pop. It was really well done." Cole said, hugging his father.
"Well…the second scene could have had a bit more build up, I think…and the actor singing the first piece in act two went a tad flat there at the end…" Lou said. Cole just laughed.
"It was fine. Honest, nobody noticed." he said, patting the director on the back. Lou smiled in response.
"Yes…people did seem to like it," Lou said, glancing around the room of happy, bustling show-goers. He finally seemed to notice the woman standing next to his son and offered a hand.
"Ah, Keyda, good to see you again."
The Oni looked a little overwhelmed at the amount of people in the room, but she accepted Lou's hand with a small smile. She definitely was looking better than she had that day she had shown up at the temple. She had her arm linked with Cole's and Lou looked at his son, who was wearing a suit with the same kind of Orange scarf that Keyda had draped around her shoulders. He certainly looked a lot happier as well.
"So things are going well?" he asked. Cole smiled.
"The Oni weren't too pleased at having an outsider around all the time…but they're getting used to the idea."
Lou shook his head. He didn't really know much about the people or the realm that his son was living in, but he hoped that everything would continue to be ok. It was good to see his son looking happy and healthy for the first time in a while; Lou supposed that was all he could really hope for.
"Hey, boulder-brain! Why didn't you sit with us?"
Jay and Nya had come out into the aisle as well, and Jay was crossing his arms in mock-irritation.
"We got here a little late…" Cole admitted. "You know, that inter-realm traffic and all…"
Jay rolled his eyes.
"Sure, sure…" He looked around, as if he was about to share something secretive. He leaned in and pulled a small device out of his pocket.
"Ah…what a nice…can opener?" Cole joked. Jay gave him a withering look.
"Ha, ha. You're hilarious. This is actually the prototype that Borg and I have been working on." Jay slipped it back into his pocket. "Let's just say, when it's done, it will be a lot easier to talk your ear off again."
Cole looked confused, but Nya slugged Jay in the shoulder.
"Jay Walker…are you and Borg working on inter-realm communication?"
Jay shrugged uncommittedly. "I can neither confirm nor deny that statement…"
Lou moved backwards as more of the ninja made their way into the aisle to greet and catch up. He was sure there would be time a little while later to talk more fully with his son; right now he figured he should go make sure that Ronin wasn't pocketing more proceeds than had been agreed on. Before he left, he turned one last time to the group of friends, laughing and joking like old times. Things sure had changed for each of them, but change didn't always have to be a bad thing. He smiled; in fact, the future looked bright.
The End
Author's Note
As I've never written a fanfic before, I have no idea if it's normal or not to put an author's note at the end of one. In the end I just figured "what the heck, why not?"
To everyone reading this, I have to say that I'm super impressed. I honestly doubted that anyone but my cousin and sister would ever read this monstrosity of a story in its entirety…guys! It's over 600 pages and 215,000 words long! So to anyone who finished it, I'm really happy that you found it good enough to keep reading through that much content! (Or maybe once you got a certain amount into it you just figured you'd keep going for that happy ending. If that's the case sorry I made you wait so long lol.) It honestly wasn't ever supposed to be this long, but I didn't really know where it was going to go when I started and it just kept on going hahaha.
So it turns out I don't really know how to write Author's notes either, but I think this is where I do some "shout-outs." First shout out is to my super awesome cousin who told me to write this in the first place and was my biggest supporter/fan/agent/editor throughout the last 6 months. Plus she made tons of beautiful artwork for it so if you haven't checked that out on her tumblr you definitely should hahaha. Also a shout out to my sister Rach for reading and cheering me on. They both helped me immensely because I would bounce ideas off of them and some of the best scenes in the story were inspired by their ideas, so there you go.
Next shout out is to you people who are reading this. Honestly, who even reads the author's notes at the end of stuff? And the story too…thanks for reading that hahaha. I really appreciate all the reviews that have been posted over the duration of this story; my cousin and I have read and got excited over every single one so thank you for posting your thoughts. I'm gonna be honest, it's intimidating to be able to see that lots of people are reading but not having any idea what those readers actually think of what they are reading, so the reviews were nice little shots of affirmation.
Alright, I'm probably rambling at this point, but I also wanted to say that it was so much fun to write this that I couldn't help but write a few "background one-offs" for some of the characters. I just call it "the collection" and my cousin really wants to post those too so if you guys are interested those will be posted in the coming weeks. The updates will be a lot smaller but it was fun to sort of play around with the backgrounds of the Ninja, Keyda, and Echo and Antirock.
Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun to write and it's been nice having a project for the past few months.
Signing off,
-NP
EDIT: A lot has happened since we finished updating "Heart of the Oni". There is now a sequel called "Soul of the Oni", and "The collection" is complete. Please check those out as well if you get the chance! Thanks for reading!