Children of Destiny

Hi guys! This is it!

We may find out what the Overlord plans to do with Akira & Alex! Get ready for some action, sibling bonding time, & maybe a fire/ice moment! Read on!

Chapter 31: Working Together

Akira woke up feeling groggy and it didn't help that his head was aching like his skull was split in two. He couldn't remember anything at first but after several moments, the memories flooded back. The ninjas fought the Overlord's henchmen on the Bounty but he was taken as a hostage and test subject for some experiment.

Hot amber eyes widened at the realization and the fire ninja got up with a loud gasp, realizing the duct tape over his mouth was gone. He took in his surroundings and knew he was inside a building since the floor and walls were made of wood. The room was dark but a little bit of light shone through the tiny window that was no larger than a doggie door. But the lack of light left much of the room obscured in darkness.

'What is this place?'

The fire wielder tried to get up but his legs were still too weak to carry his weight and his hands were still bound behind his back.

But another memory came back to Akira. He wasn't alone because the enemies also took Alex when they ambushed the Destiny's Bounty.

"Alex…?" The red ninja whispered for his sister, "Alexandra…? Where are you?"

Akira heard soft groans not too far from him. The shadows hid the entity's features but he was sure it was who he thought it was.

"…Sis…?" He called out.

He heard some shuffling but when the thing arose, it turned out to be Alex, who just woke up.

"…Akira…" She adjusted her eyes to the dim lighting and recognized her sibling.

The Pyrrhus twins took in their barren surroundings and also noticed that instead of a door, the entrance was an entire row of bars like a jail cell, which is pretty much what this room was.

"Where are we?" Alex looked around warily.

"I have no idea…" Akira shook his head.

The twins were investigated the room and but were soon interrupted by quiet pecking sounds coming from the small window. They were relieved to find out what was behind the window.

"Haukka…!" The Pyrrhus twins approached the falcon on the other side of the window.

"How did you get here?" Alex was the first to bombard the robot with question.

Being unable to speak, the falcon can only give little chirps.

"Did you follow us!?"

Sometimes, the ninjas sans the Julien siblings have forgotten that Haukka was more than just a robot assistant. The mechanical falcon was, like Zane before he became human, a living being. It had its own thoughts and free will. Again, the robot animal can only answer with more chirps.

"Did you record the flight?"

Much to the twins' relief, the falcon nodded.

"Go to the Bounty and show the ninjas where we are." Akira commanded.

"And tell them we're alright." Alex added.

Fortunately, Haukka was able to record the twins' message and flew off to find the Bounty for even it knew that the information it held could by their last hope…

The remaining ninjas were not sure what to do next. Akira and Alex were gone and they didn't know if they should tell Kai and Aria. They hated being the bearer of bad news and it didn't help that it was already hard coming up with a way to tell the fiery parents without them exploding in a rage.

Liana kept staring into the sky ever since Akira and Alex were kidnapped. She felt a strange gap in her heart ever since they were taken and just wanted to cry. She never felt this way towards anyone before, not even her own father. Her teammates knew what was going on but gave her the space she needed to let it all out. A single tear rolled down her pale cheek but she failed to notice the saline fluid on her face nor did she care. This feeling in her heart consumed every last bit of her being.

"Liana…?" Forrest joined his sister on the deck, concerned for her.

"I need some time alone…" The ice wielder sighed.

"I know it's tough but we can't win everything yet… we can still learn from our mistakes and try to change the future…" The teal ninja still tried to console her.

"This has nothing to do with winning or making mistakes," The kunoichi of ice shook her head, "It's just this feeling I've been having since Akira was kidnapped. I feel like there's this big hole in my heart. I never felt it before, not even when I was bullied back at Arbouria…"

Forrest couldn't help but smirk but wiped the smile off his face before Liana can see him.

Love can be a really confusing emotion…

Far off within the clouds, the Julien siblings caught something flying towards them. They knew it wasn't a ship because it was too small and they immediately recognized it.

"Haukka!" Liana held out her arm so the falcon can perch on it.

"Did you find anything?" Forrest asked the robotic bird.

Haukka kept cawing and hopping all over the place, as if it was trying to say something and the Julien siblings can tell it had something VERY important to show them. The ninjas of spring and winter quickly summoned their brethren to the bridge and knowing what the seemingly simple animal was capable of, they knew this was important. Once the robotic bird was plugged onto the computer, it played everything it saw up to this point. The screen displayed the dark aircraft the ninjas saw earlier.

"That's it!" Chris exclaimed, "This video is leading us to the Overlord's base!"

"Shush!" Everyone else hushed the talkative ninja so the video can continue.

The aircraft flew for what seemed like an eternity until the supposedly endless ocean met land. The Dark Island loomed over the horizon but it wasn't heading there. The plane flew past it and started to drop altitude towards another island that was much tinier but not particularly large either. A couple of small islands jutted forth from the little patch of land and behind them was a large but plain building built out of stone and wood. The nindroids and Serpentine the ninja and kunoichi fought earlier climbed out of the aircraft, carrying the unconscious Akira and Alex with them. The last thing the falcon heard before its recording ended was Karl's commands to keep them in the cell until the Overlord was 'ready' for them…

"So that's where he's been hiding!" Kyle clenched his fist.

"Should I set the course for the Dark Island?" Leon offered.

"It looks like Haukka has something more to show us." Misako halted the green ninja.

The screen showed static for a few moments until the falcon's memories played again. Now the avian robot was closer to the building. It swooped in on a tiny window and the conversation the Pyrrhus twins had with it replayed on the screen.

"Akira! Alex! They're both okay!" Amy sighed in relief.

"But not for long…" Kyle reminded the earth wielder, "The Overlord's probably preparing for his experiment and we need to rescue Akira and Alex before he can use them."

"At least we know where they are now." Leon added.

"But what about Mr. and Mrs. Pyrrhus? Should we still tell them?" Willow pointed out.

"Time is of the essence. We can't risk stalling any more than we already have." Misako said.

"Are we going to rescue them or not?" Forrest grew impatient.

"Of course we will. Liana, do you recognize the falcon's route?"

"Yes," Liana answered, "I'll set up the route."

The white kunoichi mapped out Haukka's route and programmed the Bounty to head towards the tiny island. She didn't know why but she never felt so determined in her entire life. Why did she keep having these feelings whenever she thought about him?

Liana shook such thoughts out of her head since there were far more important things to worry about. Now that she knew where he was, she was going to rescue him, no matter what.

'Akira… We're coming for you…'

Back in their prison, the Pyrrhus twins had nothing to do but talk to each other. After so many efforts to avoid each other ever since they had to train together, the silence was awkward.

"I never thought that we'd go down like this yet… I'm not surprised." Alex grumbled.

"Why not?" Akira asked.

"I always have this feeling that if there's anyone who's gonna get themselves in trouble, it's us."

"Why do you think that?"

"For starters, you're always blowing a gasket over every little thing and even I have to admit I'm stubborn as hell on certain things."

"That's the biggest understatement I've ever heard." The fire ninja rolled his hot amber eyes.

"Oh really?" His sister sneered.

"I'm still a bit upset with that incident with Liana," Akira confessed, "I wasn't taking advantage of Liana back there and you didn't even trust me enough to think I wouldn't."

"And I still don't really trust you with Liana…" Alex confessed too.

"So that's it?" The orange kunoichi narrowed her eyes at her brother not in a menacing way but out of curiosity.

"That's not the main reason."

"Then spill it. It's not going to make a difference."

"I know you're my sister but there are times that you're like a thorn on my side. You're always trying to do things your way and never listen to anything we say," Akira continued, "Every time I say you're the most stubborn person I know, I really mean it."

"You're one to talk," Alex scoffed, "You're the one who's always rushing into things and we're the ones that always have to drag your ass out of the line."

"I guess it's no surprise… Our parents were like that and they didn't even get along when they first met… at least that's what they told us…"

"You probably hate my guts now after saying all those things."

"Honestly… I don't… And somehow, I actually feel a little better…"

"How so?"

"I don't know why but talking about these things feel like a weight has been put off my chest."

"Actually… I feel the same way… It's like I finally got some closure…"

"But there's one thing that's bothering me."

"What now?"

"Why don't you still trust me with Liana? If you wanted to say it, you should've said it in my face before this whole mess happened."

"After the way Liana reacted, I didn't want to make her sad. I held my tongue for her sake."

"Just because she ran away doesn't mean she'll do it again."

"But it's possible, just as much for you to dump her once you see the next pretty face."

"I would never do that! Liana's different!"

"You know she hate's being called that."

"I don't mean it like that," Akira sighed, trying to find the right words to describe these strange and new emotions in his heart, "She's her own person and I really respect her for that and I also want to know the real her. I just… I…"

"She's really that important to you, huh?" Alex asked.

"You're all important." Akira replied.

"But if Liana means that much to you… then I see no point in saying 'no'. I can tell that this time, you really meant what you said. It takes a lot to admit how you really feel. Mom told us how it felt for her when she finally admitted she was scared…"

"Are you?"

"To be honest… yeah… a little…"

"I am too… but we can't give up and I know the others will come rescue us. As Dad always told us, a ninja never quits."

"I thought you would've laughed."

"Nah. Everyone gets scared once in a while. It only makes us human."

"I guess we all are…"

"Yeah…"

With their bonds somewhat restored, Akira and Alex let fatigue take over and let the sandman work his magic on them.

The twins felt like they just fell asleep when a banging sound against the bars tossed them back into the real world.

"Get up!" Clouse commanded, wishing he was still a cop right now.

Seeing the ninjas in a cell brought a wave of nostalgia to the Overlord's minion. Sometimes, he fantasized of throwing the ninjas in prison and now, that fantasy was reality. But Akira and Alex stood still, not wanting to give Clouse the satisfaction of seeing them break down.

A few thugs came into the cell and grabbed the twins, constantly shoving them so they can only move forward. Accompanying Clouse were the other five henchmen and all of them had a very creepy smile on their faces…

"What do you want with us?" Akira glared at them.

"Haven't we told you already? You're going to be the first test subjects of the Overlord's spell. It's quite an honor, don't you think?" Jacob sneered at the children of his enemy.

"What experiment?" Alex asked.

"You'll see…"

The punks pushed the twins away from the cell and down a dimly lit hall. The Pyrrhus twins felt their hearts pound in their chests and their skin dampen with cold sweat but there was no use fighting, not in their current condition…

"What do you think the Overlord will do to us?" Alex whispered to Akira.

"Shut up!" The thug behind her smacked the back of her head. It pained the fire ninja to see his sister getting hurt but the look in her amber eyes said she was alright.

The rest of the walk was drenched in silence until the twins heard faint murmurs coming from the other side of the double doors that now loomed over them. Clouse and Jacob pushed them open and the twins saw the main lair of their enemies for the first time.

The Overlord floated at the back of the room and surrounding them were machines like those in a factory, no doubt for making nindroids, and off to the corner were the Serpentine leaders but now, there was a fourth figure joining them. His scales were black with orange details and spikes on his head. His humanoid figure was more burly in comparison to the other snakes. He was Skalidor, leader of the powerful Constrictai and the newest 'recruit' of the Overlord. On the opposite corner was Cryptor and several nindroids with different variations in their design such as some with longer or thicker limbs or a brawny build.

In the center of the chamber was one of the 'lesser' human underlings. The Overlord whispered a strange incantation in a language Akira and Alex didn't know and the entire room glowed. The person in the center of the room let out a bloodcurdling scream of agony until the light blinded everyone, even the Overlord. Once the light died away, a completely different creature stood in the human's place.

Akira and Alex were horrified at the terrible truth of the Serpentine's revival.

The Overlord was sacrificing humans to revive the Serpentine leaders!

The final leader, Acidicus of the Venomari tribe, examined his green scales with his four eyes, a lewd smirk creeping up on his face. Skalidor noticeably frowned once the last Serpentine leader slithered up to join the group of revived snakes.

"Bring the humans forward." The dark lord with his grating voice once Acidicus moved aside.

The delinquents unceremoniously shoved the twins forward towards the center of the chamber where their master can get a good look at them. The glowing orb floated towards the humans and leered at them, feeling the same aura he felt from their parents.

"It's warm," The Overlord whispered, "Just like your parents'…"

"What are you talking about?" Akira was scared but he refused to show it.

"You really are those hotheads' children. You're just as stubborn as they were."

'As if I hadn't heard that before…' Alex thought but kept her words to herself.

"Unlike your brattish cousin, maybe you'll be of use to me…"

"No! We'll NEVER serve you!" Akira hissed.

"Hold your tongue!" The room shook slightly from the Overlord's dangerous temper.

The seemingly insignificant orb of dark energy hovered around the twins, examining everything about them from their appearances to their aura. He can sense the strength of not their bodies alone but their spirits.

And that'll make it so much more satisfying when he manages to break them…

"Commence the spell!" The dark lord commanded his underlings.

"But the other ninjas might have the spell- " Jacob tried to reason with his master.

"I remember the whole thing!" The Overlord raised his voice, striking fear in his servants, who fell silent in fear of provoking his wrath.

Akira and Alex were bound in the center of the room while the Serpentine slithered forward.

'This can't be good…' The kunoichi of wind gulped.

Everyone else in the chamber surrounded them and that's when the twins realized there was a large symbol drawn onto the floor beneath their feet. They tried to get away but the nindroids swooped in and held them down, each with the strength of ten men. They were scared but they still held their heads up high. Even if something terrible will happen to them, they'll never allow the Overlord to break their spirits.

The dark lord memorized the archaic words in his head and hovered at least a couple of feet in front of his test subjects.

'They will be fine minions once the spell is complete…'

While Akira and Alex struggled, the dark lord was ready to commence the transformation…

But fate had other plans for the epitome of all evil.

Instead of an incantation, the Overlord emitted an astonished yell. The earth shook and thorny vines shot out of the ground. Lightning bolts also bombarded the area while rain and snow fell upon the Overlord and his goons in a storm of fury. A yellow blur swooped in and the nindroids were dissected by the blades hidden in the person's hands.

"Guys…!" The fiery siblings were surprised to see the 'party crashers'.

Eight tornadoes spun into the lair, engulfing the entire place with their elemental powers. Once the elemental twisters dispersed, the twins' saviors revealed themselves and they couldn't feel more relieved to see them again.

The ninjas have come for them and even Misako joined the battle, still able to fight despite her advancing age.

"Akira! Alex! Are you alright!?" A familiar voice greeted the twins.

"Willow!"

The kunoichi of time went to work untying them while the ninjas assaulted the enemies.

"Did you bring our weapons?" Akira asked once his hands were free from their binds.

"Got them!" The pink kunoichi handed over the Sword of Fire and Fans of Gales.

The twins felt their elemental powers reawakened now that they had their weapons. They were part of a team and as long as they were together, they were complete.

"NINJA-GO!"

Two tornadoes, one like a swirling inferno and the other having the force of a strong hurricane, spun across the chamber with a vengeance. The twins felt a surge of power like no other but it wasn't coming from their weapons or the flames and winds they controlled. It almost felt like it was coming not from an outside source but from within…

With their bonds being repaired, the twins felt like they can overcome anything. As long as they had each the other by their side. They knew this was their moment to fully shine.

"Are you ready?" Akira glanced at his sister, his hot amber orbs glowing with confidence.

"Ready when you are." Alex looked back at him with the same spark in her eyes matching his.

Their hands intertwined and at that moment, their bodies glowed and a torrent of fire and wind burst forth. Both their allies and enemies backed away from the maelstrom that threatened to burn everything in the room.

The flames and tempests surrounding the twins weren't separate from one another. They were unique yet worked together, the inferno was fueled by the wind and in turn, the intense heat of the flames provoked the gales that empowered them.

"It's warm…" Melody felt replenished by the energy flowing around her, "I don't know why but I feel so much better…"

"Why do their powers feel so… different…?" Chris pondered.

The flames and winds were not only working together but it also gave a comforting feeling for the ninja and kunoichi. This feeling gave them a sense of being… complete…

"They finally see it. They've finally found their true potential." Misako answered.

The other ninja and kunoichi stared in awe at the display of the twins' true elemental strength while the enemies suffered agonizing torment. The nindroids who were too close either melted or have their exoskeletons torn off. The surviving minions hated to admit it but they were at a disadvantage with seven ninjas with their true potentials.

Akira and Alex let go of each other and began their assault on their kidnappers. Akira scorched the nindroids in a bright inferno and Alex sent the Serpentine flying with the tempests she now controlled with ease.

"There's no way we can defeat them!" Jacob complained.

"Quick! To the escape route!" Karl pointed towards the back of the chamber.

The human servants, the Serpentine leaders, and Cryptor clambered towards the small hatch. The Overlord accompanied them towards the entrance of the escape route.

"So much for new recruits." Pythor sneered at the sentient orb.

"Shut up! Just get us out of here before they see us!" The dark lord complained.

"Hey! You're not getting away!" Willow readied her arrow, aiming for the enemies.

"Not today!" Ash threw a bomb to the ground in front of the group, detonating it.

The whole room was consumed by dark smoke clouds that irritated the ninjas' lungs. Once the smoke has finally cleared, there were no signs of the surviving enemy forces and the corner the bad guys were last seen in was covered by thick layers of debris.

"Kuso! We lost them!" Kyle cursed.

"But at least we got Akira and Alex back in time." Leon pointed at the twins' still glowing forms.

Once the smoke has finally cleared, Akira and Alex reverted back to normal but they had a look in their amber eyes, as if they truly felt whole. Even with their true potential mode turned 'off', they still had a sense of

"Akira!" Liana threw her arms around the fire ninja, much to everyone's astonishment.

"I was so worried! I thought I'd never see you again!" The kunoichi of ice cried into his red gi.

"It's alright. I'm here now." Akira wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

Alex now knew that what her brother felt for the wielder of his opposite element was genuine. She finally saw no need to mistrust her brother and seeing Liana finding her own inner strength, she knew things may work out for them.

"Alex!" The other kunoichi hugged their sister tightly.

"G-girls…!" Alex was overwhelmed, and suffocating, from the group hug but nonetheless happy to be with her teammates again.

"We're happy you're both okay!" Amy exclaimed, "We're so lucky that we found you in time!"

"You should be thanking Haukka for following us." The kunoichi of wind pointed at the robotic bird perched on Liana's shoulder. "If it weren't for Haukka finding us in time, we would've been turned grotesque creatures or even worse."

"Arigato." The fire wielder gently scratched the robot bird's neck, who cooed in response. The mechanical animal let out small trills that sounded like purring.

The wielders of ice and fire were happy to have their first real moment together ever since the former found her true potential and now, the fire ninja did too.

"I'm sorry if I sound callous but have you seen anything significant while you were held captive? Every little bit of information will be very crucial to our mission." Misako inquired.

"The Serpentine, the Overlord has been sacrificing humans to bring them back to life." Alex told her teammates what she saw before the dark lord tried to change her and Akira.

"And when Jacob mentioned that you still have the scroll containing the spell, the Overlord said that he remembers the words." The fire ninja added.

"Sorry we couldn't find out anything else…"

"There's no need to apologize," Misako gave the twins a comforting pat on the shoulder, "What you've told us may give us an advantage in the future."

The twins were ready to leave but their legs gave in to their exhaustion. However, the ninja and kunoichi were ready to help them out. After all, they were only complete as a team.

"I couldn't be more proud of you." Kai's voice echoed from Akira's phone on speaker mode.

"We were just trying our best, you know?" The new fire ninja felt a bit flustered.

"But that's not the only reason I'm proud of you. You and your sister have a special bond and it mustn't be taken for granted. You have to take care of each other to take care of the team."

"What about Mom? You said she's been feeling anxious lately." Alex pointed out.

"She's visiting your uncle Tony right now but I know she'll be really happy when I tell her about all this. She just loves you very much and I do too."

"Even if we were changed into what the Overlord was trying to turn us into?"

"Of course. You are who you are and nothing can change that, not even your looks or actions… unless you decide to become serial killers. That's where I draw the line."

The twins shared a heartfelt chuckle with their father, who wholeheartedly supported them.

"But remember, be the best at what you do. That's all we want from you." Kai said.

"Okay, Dad."

"I'll see you later."

"Sayonara."

Even after the call ended, the twins still had some stuff to talk about.

"What you said back there," Alex started, "Did you really mean those things."

"Of course. I appreciate Liana for who she really is and even if we fight quite a bit, you'll always be my sister." Akira answered.

"You can be so full of yourself sometimes but… I feel the same… If there's any brother I'm stuck with, at least I'm stuck with you."

"You're saying it like it's a bad thing!" The red ninja jested while playfully grabbing his sister and ruffled her short chocolate brown locks.

"H-hey!" The new sister of fire laughed and pushed him off.

The living room was quickly filled with the echoes of the reconciled twins' laughter. With their bonds restored and realizing their true gifts, they knew things might turn out just fine…

Phew! Now that leaves only Amy to find her true potential!

How will things turn out for her? You'll have to wait & see…

On a side note, I wanna thank everyone who reviewed Beauty in the Beast! I was concerned at first cuz the reviews wouldn't show up but it was just a site-wide bug & it's fixed. I can't believe I already got so many reviews & to those of you who voted for the couple, I have an announcement so head over there & claim your prize! Be quick cuz I'm gonna delete it soon.

Anyway, review!