Kai groans, shifting slowly, taking stock of the various aches and pains in his body. He'd been on the deck with Nya and Skylor while they waited for the Sensei before disembarking when the storm had hit. The master of fire had tried holding on, but he'd been thrown from the ship sometime after the anchor's chain had snapped.

His wrist sends a jolt of pain up his arm when he moves to push himself up and he curses. It was sprained at best, fractured at worse. Gingerly prodding at the now throbbing joint doesn't give him any answers, so Kai just lets out a curse and climbs onto his feet.

His sister was better when it came to first aid then he was. He'd given her plenty of practice over the years, as he never could seem to avoid getting into fights, he'd just have to find her so she could patch him up as always.

"Nya!" He yells. "Sis, where are you?!"

No answer.

"Skylor?! Senei Wu?!" He pauses for a moment, waiting for a response. "Can anybody hear me?!"

There was only silence in return. Kai muttered a few choice curses as he glanced around. He was alone, and essentially lost in a forest that had dangers he didn't know about (not that Kai could claim to know most of the dangers they'd faced in the first place).

At least it was only my wrist that got hurt. The master of fire thinks. At least I can still outrun any wild animals that might want to try and make me into their next meal.

Taking one more look around, for any sign of which way he should go, maybe broken branches that could have indicated which way he'd come from when he'd fallen from the ship. No such luck, either the trees here were very springy and didn't break easily, or Kai managed not to hit any of them when he fell.

With an aggravated sigh the red ninja begins walking in a random direction. It wouldn't take him that long to find the others, right? How big was the Dark Island anyway? Just, you know, as big as Ninjago was, which meant he could be stuck here forever and never run into his sister, or Skylor, or his Sensei…

Kai stops walking.

"Ok, that isn't going to work…" At the same time, Kai couldn't stand the thought of sitting around and waiting for the others to come find him. The odds were just as bad. So what else could he do? "Come on Kai, you're the master of fire-"

Cutting off his own rambling (and geez, was he really so used to hearing Jay's incessant ramblings that now he felt a need to fill the silence?), Kai realized what he could do. Pulling out his sword one handed, he clumsily carved the symbol for fire into the nearest tree, along with an arrow pointing which way he'd gone. That done, he sets out to find a good clearing, marking up the trees whenever he has to change directions. Once he'd found a clearing he'd start up a small fire and hope the others would see the smoke and come find him.

"Kai?!" Nya calls out once more, feeling her heart sink just a little bit lower when no one answers. They'd been flung from the Bounty when the storm had hit, and of course it had to scatter them all.

"Nya?!" A distant voice sounds out, and Nya feels a mixture of happiness and disappointment because there was no way she could mistake the voice as being her brother's.

"Skylor, I'm over here!" She calls back, moving towards the sound. Eventually the restaurant owner comes into her field of view, looking a little roughed up, blood running down her face from a cut above her brow, but otherwise alright.

We were lucky. Nya thinks back onto the storm. Neither of us are seriously injured.

It must have been because they weren't very high up when they were thrown. If they'd been any higher there was no way they would have made it out of this without at least a broken bone or two. It also meant that they probably weren't tossed that far from each other. Kai might not be close enough to hear her, but her brother shouldn't be that far off.

"That storm really came out of nowhere, didn't it?" Skylor says as she wipes away some of the blood with her sleeve, causing it to smear.

"Yeah." Nya huffs, more focused on surveying their surroundings now. Which way was the best way to go in order to find her brother?

"Are you hurt?" The restaurant owner pushes, stepping a little closer and eyeing the master of water.

"I'm fine." Nya can't help but bite out in reply, causing the other woman to furrow her brows.

"Listen, Nya, I don't know what I've done to make you dislike me, but if we want to get out of this safely we're going to have to work together."

"What?" Nya turns to the other, surprised at being so suddenly called out. "What gave you that impression?"

"It's pretty obvious." Skylor gives the master of water a flat look. "Last night you made it pretty clear that you didn't like me."

The words 'that isn't important right now' die on her tongue as Nya remembers just how… smitten her brother had been when talking to the other. She'd seen her brother like that before, as well as the outcome.

"What are your intentions?" She demands instead of trying to smooth things over.

"My… intentions regarding what?" Skylor gives her a curious look.

"Kai." Nya bites out, stepping towards the other woman. "What are your intentions regarding Kai?"

Surprise colors the other's face for a moment before her brows furrow.

"Nya… I'm not going to hurt your brother."

"Oh, really?" The master of water crosses her arms as she snorts.

"Yes, really." Skylor matches her pose, crossing her arms as well. "And honestly? I'm not the one with the reputation of being a player."

Nya bristled at the insult to her brother (even if it was true).

"You don't know the first thing about my brother!"

"I want to!" Silence hangs heavy between them for a moment, both panting, until Skylor eventually says. "…I don't know your brother. We haven't had much chance to talk since the tournament of elements, and it's clear that he hasn't exactly stayed away from the dating scene, but… but I can tell that he's a good guy."

Anger petering out, leaving guilt in its wake, Nya deflates. Skylor didn't seem like she was lying, she was genuinely interested in her brother.

"Sorry." Nya sighs. "It's just… you're the first person Kai has shown any interest in since… well, in a long time."

"According to gossip he's got a new girl every week." The words are said without any sort of conviction. It's obvious that Skylor doesn't believe the rumors fully, although there was no denying that Kai had gone on plenty of dates.

"Kai's a shameless flirt." Nya admits. "But he's never lost any sleep over any of the girls he usually flirts with." Debating what she's about to say next, the master of water takes a deep breath and forces the words out. "The last time he cared about a girl this much it didn't end well."

Nya remembered the mess her brother had become. He'd stay out late, gotten into even more fights, and the arguments he'd gotten into with their father… arguments that had only later fueled his grief when their father had passed. She loved her brother, and the thought of him going through that again was enough to make her heart hurt.

"Nya." Skylor puts a hand on her shoulder, her face serious as she says. "I have no intention of hurting your brother."

"I get that now." She sighs, before looking into the other's eyes with a quietly burning fire. "But if you do hurt my brother, I hope you know a good place to hide."

"Of course." Skylor's smile is reassuring and not intimidated in the least, but Nya couldn't find in it her to be miffed about that. "Now, why don't we go find the others?"

"Right." Nya nodded.

It was hesitant, but Nya got the feeling that Kai would be in good hands with Skylor…

"Brother?" Echo hesitantly calls.

"Is everything alright, Brother?" Zane replies.

Glancing over his shoulder, Echo's eyes land on the Walkers who had been oddly tense and quiet since they'd arrived.

"I… I think I may have done something wrong." Echo admits guiltily. "I have certainly upset Mr. and Mrs. Walker."

Zane couldn't help the surprise that statement brought. Part of the reason he'd suggested sending his brother to go pick up the Walkers was because they were very kind and accepting people. They were the least likely to be cruel to his brother, intentionally or not.

"What happened?" He asks gently, trying to reassure his brother that he wasn't judging him. He couldn't imagine the other nindroid doing anything bad on purpose, after all, so it must have been a misunderstanding.

"Well… They were not aware that anything was wrong." Echo says slowly, and, yes, Zane could see how that could have been a problem. They were well aware that Jay was poor at communicating with his parents, for reasons no one could guess at, given how talkative he always was. It must have come as a surprise to them to hear their son was currently being possessed and was essentially missing. "Also, they seemed to believe that Alphonse Walker was dead."

"Oh." Right, Alphonse had made it clear that he was 'dead' and even had a death certificate… "They did not take the news well?"

"Mr. Walker was insistent that he could not be alive." Echo glances back at the couple, who were conversing quietly, almost arguing it looked like. "They apparently buried him, and so I must have been mistaken. Either that, or someone has been pretending to be Alphonse Walker all this time."

The master of ice mulled over those words. There was a chance that was the case. Even if the man held the same appearance as Alphonse Walker, there was magic out there that the ninja had no knowledge of. And Alphonse had yet to meet anyone who would have known him before his 'death.'

"Echo." Zane says seriously, drawing the younger nindroid's attention to him. "I will talk with the Walkers and see about sorting this out." Echo nods, still looking guilty, so he gives him a warm smile and says. "Thank you for bringing them here."

"You are welcome." The bronze nindroid's smile is weak, but genuine, and with that Zane heads towards Jay's parents.

Once he's close enough to hear their harsh whispers, he can tell that they're speaking a different language (their native tongue? Did Jay also speak the language?) and as tempted as he is to listen in, he instead calls out.

"I am glad to see that you two are safe."

They both turn to him, Ed making no move to hide his frown, but Edna giving him a wane smile and saying.

"Thank you, dear."

"What is all this nonsense about Al being alive?" Ed demands.

"Ed." Edna scolds her husband. "We talked about this."

"I don't care what kind of magic is involved, my brother has been dead for over twelve years now!" The junkyard owner pins Zane with a hard stare. "If he were alive, he would have given us some sort of sign, or… something."

"I understand that it is hard to believe that someone you once thought dead is now alive." Zane says coolly. "I was in that very same predicament with my father."

"See, dear?" Edna places a comforting hand on her husbands shoulder. "This isn't even the first time this has happened."

"Yes." Zane agrees, although he's certain that the circumstances are nowhere near to being the same. "And I cannot speak for your brother as to why he chose not to speak to you, but I believe he only had your best interest at heart."

"I just…" Ed shakes his head, appearing to deflate a bit. "I can't believe it until I see it with my own eyes. Until I see him alive and well again."

"Me neither Eddie." Edna says sympathetically. "Every time I think about him I remember the funeral, how still he was."

The white ninja shifted uneasily. This sounded personal… maybe he should leave? But it would be rude to just walk away.

"Zane." Ed turned to the titanium nindroid with an apologetic look. "I think I rattled your brother earlier. Could you apologize to him for me?"

"Of course." Zane smiles, happy that this conversation had gone so well.

"Pixal," Garmadon groans as he moves to stand up fully. "is everyone alright?"

There's a moment where he worries that the AI isn't going to respond.

"Sensei Wu is alright, but Kai, Nya, and Skylor are currently missing."

"Missing?" Garmadon began to slowly head for the bridge.

"Yes. They were on the deck when the storm hit." Yeah, Garmadon remembered Kai telling him to hurry up and meet them on the deck. "They must have fallen off."

"Do you have any idea where they went?"

"Unfortunately I do not." Wu is already there when Garmadon steps into the bridge. Pixal's face appears on the screen, looking pensive. "Several important systems were knocked out during the storm."

A bunch of things pop up on the screen, most of which Garmadon has a vague understanding of, but he was certain that he didn't understand the full scope of the damage. The engines were out, which meant the ship couldn't fly.

"Brother." Wu turns to him, voice devoid of any of the warmth that the words he spoke should have carried. "I am glad to see that you weren't hurt."

"As I am glad to see you are alright as well." He replies in equal measure. "Has Pixal told you about-"

"The others being thrown off ship? Yes, I am aware." Wu interrupts. "Unfortunately we cannot waste any time searching for them."

Garmadon is surprised by his brother's words. He was just as anxious to find Misako, but to abandon the ninja, and Skylor, to the creatures and plants that had thrived in this dark land? He either had a lot of faith in his ninja, or he had reason to believe it was urgent.

"Wu… what have you seen?" The only reason Garmadon could think of as to why would be Wu having had a vision. While neither of them had quite the gift that Zane did, Wu had a talent for fortune telling that favored their mother (and was why, Garmadon suspected, their father favored him). Garmadon had never had the same success that Wu did when it came to fortune telling, despite his skill with other spells he'd attempted over the years.

"Enough," His brother says cryptically. "to know that we don't have any time to waste."

"I see." His worry for Misako grew at those words. "Then we should get moving."

"According to the scanners," Pixal speaks up. "there is a river nearby. There should not be any structural damage to the hull, so if you can get the bounty into it, we can ride it deeper into the island."

"Thank you, Pixal." Wu says kindly, before turning back to his brother. "Think you're up for moving a ship?"

"Of course, little brother." Garmadon can't help the slight raise of an eyebrow at the challenge. "Are you?"

"I was born ready." And his brother was so insistent that his students hadn't rubbed off on him...

If the situation wasn't so tense, Garmadon might have taken a moment to tease his little brother, just like when they were little. But that was long ago, and now was not the time.

"Okay, the coast is clear." Cole gives the others the go ahead, who all climb through the window into Alphonse's apartment. Since he could turn invisible, he was the best option to scout out the apartment for people.

"It's just as messy as I remembered." Lloyd quips.

"How long until Alphonse returns?" Echo asks.

"Who knows?" Cole shrugs.

The younger nindroid had been anxious to get Jay's uncle, and had insisted on joining them on the mission. Meanwhile, Zane had grudgingly decided to stay behind in case he had any more visions. Ronin, of course, had called them crazy when Echo asked if he was coming. So it was just Cole, Echo, and Lloyd.

Honestly, the less people they had on this mission the better. After all, if everything went right, they'd grab Alphonse and go. The cult would be none-the-wiser until they came to check up on the man and found him missing.

Cole picked up one of the random pieces of paper littered about and looked it over. It was covered in a scrawl that looked so messy it was impossible for him to figure out what it was even supposed to say. Setting it aside he picks up another one. It wasn't like he had anything else to do until the man got back.

Eventually the door in the other room opens, all the ninja go on high alert, and there are a few tense moments until they hear soft footsteps approaching the door. They all find a hiding place, Lloyd drops under the bed, Echo hides behind the kitchen counter, and Cole goes invisible.

Alphonse stumbles into the room, looking haggard and dragging his feet. Cole steps close, let's his invisibility drop and quickly puts a hand over the others mouth, keeping his terrified scream from making much noise.

"Sorry," Cole gives the man a sheepish grin as he lets him go and steps out of his personal space. "I just figured, if you were anything like Jay, that you would startle pretty badly… and loudly."

"What are you doing here?" Alphonse demands, one hand gripping his chest while the other pushes up his glasses.

"We are here to take you someplace safe." Echo says, appearing over the counter.

"…I told you, I can't leave."

"Because they'll hurt your family?" Lloyd asks as he shuffles out from under the bed. "That won't be a problem anymore!"

"Why is that?" Even as he asked, Alphonse's eyes shined dimly with hope.

"Because we took everyone you care about someplace safe." Cole replies, sitting down next to the man. "They won't be able to do a thing to anyone."

"All of them?" Alphonse looks surprised. "Even… my Ex?"

"Your Ex?" Cole felt his stomach drop. An Ex… of course there was an 'Ex.' Jay had mentioned his uncle having a fiancé, and of course they wouldn't be out of danger just because they thought Alphonse was dead.

"Well, I-I mean, we didn't exactly break up… since I died." Alphonse shifts a little nervously. "But it's been years. He's probably already found someone else."

"What is his name?" Echo asks, likely already planning on going to pick up Alphonse's Ex.

"Dan De'Leon." Alphonse's face fell as it became clear to him that they hadn't brought everyone to safety. "but, uh, you all should go. If… if you do get everyone… well, I don't know where I'll be, since they've been talking about moving bases, but-"

"Wait, wait, wait…" Lloyd interrupts the man. "Dan… as in, wears glasses, blond hair, and paints?"

"Yes?"

"Then we do have him!" Lloyd gives the other man a smile.

"…do you?" Alphonse didn't appear to exactly believe them.

"We do." Cole promises. "Now come on, let's go."

Honestly, at this point, if the other man refused, Cole was going to practice possessing people and walk him to their cars himself.

"…Okay." Alphonse stood, looking nervous all over again. "I, uh, should I pack anything?"

"Just what you want to take with you."

The man hesitates, then moves over to a closet and pulls out a duffle bag which he slings over this shoulder. Cole could understand the hesitation, after all, this had been the man's life for years… he'd been living under the cult's thumb, fearing that any misstep would get his family killed.

Yet he still took the risk to approach us with that information. The master of earth thinks as they quickly descend the fire escape. All this time he never forgot what he was fighting for.

End chapter thirty five

AN: Here's a small update on the poll so far: Monday is winning with an astonishing one vote!

So, yeah, even if that's all the vote the poll gets, I'll honor it. If you don't want Broken Circles to update on Monday, then heard over to my page and vote in the poll. Next Thursday I'll be announcing the final results of the poll, so you have until then.

Finally, thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, and favorites this story. ^u^ Hope you all have a chance to see the eclipse today!

-Kit