ROMANCE WARNING! Aaaaaaagh this chapter was super hard to write. During the second paragraph I literally just sat there and stared at my paper for like 20 minutes at a time before writing a line. Why? You'll see.

Review Replies:

KRR: Yep. I think she'll do okay, though. Whoa! Careful with that thing! *backs away slowly* Aww, thanks! O/u/O I'm so happy people like me so much.

Breana: Yeah, Nya needs to cheer up. Relax guys, you'll be fine. I wouldn't let anything happen to you (for fear of being mobbed by angry reviewers O_O) . ^ ^

Chapter 35

"No. No no no no no no no. I am not working with Tara." Kai said firmly, crossing his arms as he paced next to the fire.

"It's our only option." Kayson insisted. "You know we have no chance of getting them out on our own." Tara, Ming, and Kayson were sitting next to the fire in the middle of the campsite, while Kai walked back and forth nearby.

"But... she's Tara! How do we know she won't just turn us over to the ghosts as soon as we get there? Or kill us, for that matter." Kai argued.

"Hey, all I care about is getting Alex out." Tara said with a frown. "I need your help as much as you need mine."

"Well, we're not helping you unless you clear a few things up first. " Kai turned his scratched arm towards Tara. "What's the deal with the scratches?"

"I'm stealing your powers." Tara replied without missing a beat.

"You're what?" Kai exclaimed. "Why?!"

"I need them to rescue someone." she shrugged.

"You mean Clouse?" Kayson didn't seem fazed by her announcement. "Alex told us about him." he added at her surprised look.

"...yes. Clouse. I have a crystal that can absorb your powers when it touches your blood, hence the scratches. Not all of your powers, since the crystal is so small, though. Only about half." Kai summoned a flame in his palm experimentally.

"Oh. That explains why our powers are so weak." he muttered. "Alright, hand over the crystal."

"Uh, no." Tara folded her arms and glared at the fire ninja. "I still need this."

"But we need our powers back! Especially if we're going to free the others! Now give it to me!" he demanded.

"Absolutely not! Besides, I can use them to help." Tara stared Kai in the eye defiantly.

"Ugh. Whatever. But we better get our full power back soon." the red ninja sat down on the ground, sulking.

"Anyway. I couldn't get your powers, um... Kayson, is it?" Tara turned to Kayson.

"That's right. My powers are artificial. I got them from a magic artifact." he explained.

"Ah. That explains it. Any other questions?" Tara turned back to the sulking fire ninja.

"Uh, yeah. Why did you try to kill Indigo?" he asked.

"She was annoying me." Tara shrugged.

"Seriously?" Kayson frowned at her.

"Yeah. I've changed now, though, thanks to Ming." Tara smiled at the younger girl next to her.

"Suuuuuuure." Kai said, unconvinced. "Why do you care about Alex, anyway?"

"I feel bad about tricking him, I guess." Tara replied amiably. Kai didn't believe her one bit. But Kayson apparently did, and they sorta did need her help, so... he would have to work with her whether he liked her or not.

"Alright." he said with a sigh. "What's the plan?"

ReturnToTheCursedRealm

Indigo sat against the wall of her cell, her chained hands resting on her lap. Morro sat beside her, watching her silently as she stared at the floor. He wondered what she was thinking about. She had seemed shaken since Ghoultar had dragged to another cell the previous day, and the fact that her wrists were chained to the wall probably wasn't helping.

"Morro?" she whispered at last. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he whispered back. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"But if it wasn't for Bansha taking me away, you wouldn't have had to go along with her plan and the others wouldn't have been captured!" she muttered, dejected. "I should've tried harder to escape."

"That's not your fault at all!" he argued quietly. "There was no way you could have escaped by yourself. There were too many guards, and besides, you were injured. Don't blame yourself for what Bansha did."

"But now everyone is trapped in here and we're never going to get out..." her voice cracked and she stopped, her eyes shining with tears.

"Don't cry." Morro put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her comfortingly. "We might be trapped, but at least we have each other." Indigo smiled, closing her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek, landing on her sleeve.

"...Morro?" she whispered once her voice was steady again.

"Yes?" he murmured in reply. She hesitated for almost a minute before saying,

"...I love you." Morro blinked in shock. Indigo loved him?

"You do?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"I think so." she nodded and opened her eyes. "Do... you love me?" Morro paused, mentally listing everything he loved about her. Her soft hair, her shining eyes, her ability to make him smile even in the bleakest of situations.

"...yes." he replied at last. Her eyes widened and she looked up at him, meeting his eyes.

"Really?" she asked in a high-pitched whisper. He nodded, and to prove it, he bent down and pressed his lips to hers. Indigo's eyes widened, then closed as she kissed him back. After a few moments, he pulled away. Her eyes opened and she stared at the ground shyly, her cheeks pink and a smile on her face. He smiled with her and pulled her into a tight hug. She hugged him back as tightly as her chains would allow, burying her face in his shoulder. They held onto each other for a long time, thinking about what had just happened. "Morro?" she whispered after a long silence. "How am I touching you?"

"I'm not sure." he replied. "I guess it's because we're in the Cursed Realm."

"I like being able to touch you." she closed her eyes and slumped against him tiredly. He smiled as she drifted off to sleep. Maybe being stuck here wasn't so bad after all.

ReturnToTheCursedRealm

Lloyd sat at the back of his cell, a million plans running through his mind as he absently picked at the locks on his cuffs. The hallway outside was almost completely silent, the only sound being an occasion comment from one of the other prisoners. Morro and Indigo had been having a whispered conversation across the hall from him earlier, but they were quiet now. At least all the silence was making at easier to think. Lloyd forced himself to concentrate on getting out. They had to escape. They had to rescue his father. But how? Zane's falcon had managed to get out, and must have delivered Zane's message to Kai and Kayson, but what could they do? There were only two of them! And attempts to rescue them would probably just result in them getting captured as well. And then they'd never get out. Ah, why couldn't he have insisted that more of them stayed behind? He had been too overconfident. And now, because of him, they were trapped. Lloyd stumbled to his feet and looked out the window of his door. There were considerably less guards, now that the initial ambush was over. If only these cells, didn't have Vengestone, if only he could get into the hall. He could overpower at least one of the guards, and unlock his chains so he could use his powers. Lloyd curled his hands into fists. But there was no way out. The guards never opened the door for any reason. Lloyd's stomach growled, reminding him of how hungry he was. He pushed the feeling away, trying to concentrate, when he had a thought. Were they ever going to feed them? Or would they just let them starve? If they did feed them, prehaps they could escape when the guards opened the doors. Lloyd stepped away from the door and sat back down. No matter what, he couldn't give up. Ninja never quit.

Right?

ACK THE ROMANCE *falls off chair* ow. Why the heck was that so hard to write?!

Well, there you have it! My first kiss... scene. It wasn't that bad. I guess. Maybe. *cough* Did I do okay?

FFF: ...well, I guess it's time for questions. *cough*
Kai: Are you okay?
FFF: I'm fine. Just suffering from the after-effects of romance poisoning.
Lloyd: Romance poisoning?
FFF: Writing romance can be hazardous to your health.
Kai: I thought you supported Mordigo.
FFF: I do! That's why I wrote it! It was just really hard.
Morro and Indigo: *hearts*
Kai: Should I make them leave?
FFF: Nah, they're fine. Anyway. The first question is for Lloyd, from Breana. Her question is, "how many times were you kidnapped before you turn into a teenager."
Lloyd: Uh... three or four. I've forgotten. That was a while ago.
FFF: Okay. *cough* Anyway. The next is for Kai, also from Breana. It's, "What am I thinking right now?"
Kai: That's easy! The moment you're reading this, you'll be thinking the words you're reading here. So, what I just said. Ha.
FFF: Clever.
Kai: Thanks.
FFF: And the last question is for Jay and Cole. From Breana, again. It is, "You guys are cool now, right?"
Jay: You mean about Nya? Yeah.
Cole: I've gotten over my *ahem* whatever-it-was on her. I'm not even sure it was a crush.
FFF: Great. Well, I really need to go to bed, so, bye everyone!
Everyone except Morro and Indigo: Bye!
Morro and Indigo: *hearts*

~FFF