Hi everyone, I'm back again!

So I'm sorry for the gap in updates but school has started back up here in the uk and I've been doing a lot of homework and wasting some time playing Among Us with friends (brilliant game by the way, would recommend, but trigger warning for deaths) so yeah, not a lot of updates recently.

I'm gonna try to get more into the swing of updates and I meant to continue stories over the weekend but plans don't always go the way we want them to, so...

Anyway, that's enough of my ranting so let's go!

(Damn why do foxes always scream so loud, I'm trying to focus and sleep here)

Chapter 24

The ninja team sit huddled close together, a few shivering slightly in the breeze blowing through the gaps of the courtyard wall on the eastern side. Skylor feels a deep shudder ripple through her body as goosebumps rise across her arms, her teeth chattering against each other for a couple of seconds.

Kai notices her shaking and wraps his arm tighter around her shoulders, drawing her in even closer, allowing her to feed off his body's emanating heat. Being the Master of Fire, Kai's body temperature is naturally higher than average, often making him the walking radiator for the others.

The small amount of wood the team could salvage from the wreckage formally known as the Monastery Of Spinjitzu burns dimly in the centre of the circle, the embers glowing a deep red as several tiny flames rise and fall, waving and swaying in the wind. Nya sighs quietly, her breath becoming a plume of white steam that floats away on the breeze, carried away far over the ocean. The small cloud soon becomes invisible, melted into the surrounding air. The Master of Water then shuffles slightly closer to the fire, rubbing her hands together before holding them nearer to the dying flames. Skylor then lights up a small glow in her right hand and holds it towards the fire, which soon grows a size or two, though it is still considerably smaller than everyone first expected. The Master of Amber can feel her goosebumps slowly retreat every second, though a few stray shivers still pass through her body.

Master Wu soon raises his head, his eyes opening for the first time since he enveloped himself in his meditation, his damaged conical hat tilting as his gaze lifts. It lands on the fire before moving to the long bamboo staff laying to his left hand side. His hand rests on it for a few seconds before closing around the staff and he forces himself up onto his feet.

"We can not stay here." His voice is met with a few whispers before he holds up his right hand, palm exposed in a signal to his students to hush. The group soon falls silent again, only the crackling of the fire and the light breathing of each person audible in the near-silence in the courtyard. "They know where we are, and that we are vulnerable. The blast has destroyed most of what was here, other than a few particularly special scrolls, so it would be unlikely that the Traitors would find anything of use. If we stay here, however, not only may we freeze or starve, they will know exactly where we are, the extent of their damage and how to strike while the iron is hot. We can not afford to stay here any longer."

This time, there is no response.

A few of the ninja turn their heads to face the ruined building behind their Master, tears building in their eyes and threatening to spill over, while others simply stare at the tiled ground in denial. Kai shakes his head as he brushes roughly at his left eye and cheek. Zane soon stands and takes two steps closer to the destroyed monastery, kneeling a foot or two away from what remains of the front decking. He then bows his head in respect for everything that has been lost, and he is joined within minutes by the rest of the team, abandoning the fire to die slowly, the red glowing embers soon reduced to mere ash.

The team hold their hands on each other's backs, silently mourning the memories made, and subsequently lost, inside the monastery.

Only two minutes have passed by the time the team stand in near perfect unison and step back towards the burnt out fire pit, Misako holding the few remaining scrolls from the ruins, and together the team leave the monastery's courtyard, descending the stairs in respectful and miserable silence.

Down through the large, scarlet and gold doors, past the old dragon roost a short way down the mountain, all the way to the flatter, grassy ground.

A few of the vehicles had been damaged by the explosion above, whether by small fragments of the mountain's rocks that had fallen or by large chunks of the walls from both the monastery and the courtyard, though some remain untouched.

Pixal lets out a relieved sigh as she climbs into her Samurai X suit, the front closing around her as she settles into place. She takes off, the large mech soaring high into the sky where it waits for the rest of the team to set off from the remains of their old home.

Nya, Skylor, Kai, Jay and Zane all cast their eyes upwards one last time before Nya wipes away a single tear from her cheek and forces the motion stick to her right forwards, the Destiny's Bounty lifting into the darkening twilight sky to meet the Samurai X.

Together, the team fly away from the mountain, and thus their home, for the final time.

Again, I'm sorry this chapter is mainly filler but I honestly kinda like how this turned out so...

Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying the story so far and I hope you liked this chapter! I aim to have another one up this weekend if possible, so keep an eye out for updates, even when you least expect it.

Also can I just say how awesome Among Us is? I mean, it's so great, I've already spent literally hours playing the game and I only got it yesterday.

Which may or may not be why I haven't slept much-

Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter and I'll see you all again soon!

Don't feel afraid to leave a review on your way out if you want to, I love to hear from people who read and enjoy my stories. It makes my day.

Thanks again for reading and I'll see y'all later!

-PanicAtTheHere