"Trying to find out their identities is more of a nuisance then the snakes." Cole huffed as they all sat down around the table, pretending not to know. Calli was sure he'd put one and two together about Nya being the samurai by now, well, she knew he had, but was glad he was keeping up the charade. "Any luck with you?"
Jay shook his head. "They're elusive. It's like their ghosts." The boy sighed. "One moment they're there, the next they're gone."
"I'm starting to believe we can never catch him." Zane agreed and Kai nodded. "It's safe to say none of us are any closer to becoming the green ninja."
The sound of a book closing with a snap made them look up to the female redhead as she gave them a glare saying; "the first person starting that discussion again, I will hit in the head with the thickest book I can find."
Nya giggled at that and Cole snatched the book from her hand. "Calm down, no-one was trying to start that again." The girl rolled her eyes and held out her hand. The Black Ninja gave the object back and the doors slid open, revealing Sensei.
"Looks like iron sharpening iron." He told his students. "I feel you are getting closer to your true potential." To prove his point he pinched Cole's arm, who pulled it away directly. He'd been injured in their battle with the snakes, and Sensei happened to pinch the bruise.
"Where is my nephew?" The boys gave each-other looks. "I thought you were looking after him?"
"Cole was gonna pick him up." Kai shoved the blame away from him.
The Black Ninja gave him a side-glare. "I went to the arcade but he wasn't here, Jay was-"Don't bring me into this. I babysat yesterday!" Jay defended himself. Calli could see where this was going. They had lost Lloyd.
"We must find the boy!" Everyone wasted no time standing up.
"We'll start at the arcade and see if anyone has seen him." Kai told them the plan as they walked out.
"Call, you coming." Jay called after the girl. "Lloyd tends to listen to you…. You okay?"
The girl hadn't moved up from her spot. "It's not a good idea for me to come to the city."
"Listen I know you hate the place-"I don't hate it. I'm just not very well liked over there."
Zane raised his eyebrow. "Why not?" He asked.
"That's a long story. Okay, it isn't, but…. it's nothing." She knew she was rambling but didn't care. "Just go and find the kid."
Calli huffed as she sat behind Cole in his tread assault. "How does that man always manage to convince me." The boy snickered as they rounded a corner. "And keep your eyes on the road!" The redhead cried as she felt the vehicle jerk.
"Sorry." He looked at her. "So, any reason you didn't wanna come? You've helped us in the city before."
"Yeah, with a mask on my face." She scoffed as she adjusted her position, despite her small size it was still a tight squeeze. "I'm not exactly well liked in this district."
He eyed her suspiciously until she kicked the back of his chair. "Why not?"
Because I'm a thief. I stole food from most here, even some money when I was really desperate or laundry so I wouldn't freeze to death in the winter?Yeah… saying that wouldn't go so well.
"No reason."
Both of them knew he didn't believe her for a second, but she was glad he changed the subject.
"We're at the arcade. Ready to jump out?"
Calli rolled her eyes at his remark. "Not like I have much choice." She snickered. "I'm too fond of my face to face-plant on concrete."
"Alright."
The boy gave a nod and quickly counted down. It was weird to suddenly go from a vehicle to nothing. Calli landed somewhat on her feet but ended up smacking into Jay, throwing the two to the ground.
The redhead mumbled in apology and shot up, helping the Blue Ninja to his feet. Meanwhile Kai was checking the inside of the arcade for the kid.
"He was right here, someone must have seen him." The brunet told the others as he walked back outside.
"Hey guys!" Everyone turned to Cole. "Check this out." He pointed towards a security camera. "Let's see if we can check out the footage."
"I'm going to strangle that kid if we find'm alive." Calli bristled. Besides the fact she'd been kicked out of the place and nearly ratted out by the arcade owner, which had annoyed her somewhat but she didn't argue and left the place to wait outside, then there was the fact that Lloyd thought it was a brilliant Idea to disguise himself as a snake and get into a bus with a bunch of serpentine.
Kai laughed. "You and me both." He ignored the girl whacking him in the head.
"You lost him!" The redhead cried.
Kai scoffed under his mask and glared at the two boys driving on either side before trying to calm the girl down. "Jeez, no need to rub it in." Emphasis on trying.
"I'm ju-" The girl cut herself and narrowed her eyes to something in the distance. "What's that?" It looked something like an old city
The Red Ninja followed her gaze. "Where?"
"To the right."
"I don't see anything, maybe it's a mirage."
The girl scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It isn't."
Suddenly, Cole's interrupted any more arguing. "What is that place?"Calli sported a wide grin and Kai glared at her from his mirrors. "Shut up!"
"Hey, I only asked!"
Kai groaned as the girl behind him did her best not to laugh. "Ugh, Not you, missus smarty-pants behind me. Let's just get a closer look."
The group wasted no time sneaking inside the old city that looked more like an arena than anything.
"It appears that Pythor successfully united all the tribes." Zane observed the cheering group.
Cole nodded. "huh, I know we interrupted their last get together, but that's no reason not to get an invitation. My feelings are hurt." He joked.
Calli put on her hood over her head and looked out over the crowd trying to see if she could see Lloyd. She spotted him, hanging in a cage. "Guys, Over there."
"And look who they worship." The blue Ninja pointed out as soon as he noticed what it was the cage was suspended on.
"Lemme guess, the great devourer?" The Earth Ninja pointed out the obvious.
The redhead grumbled. "Let's just get the kid and get out, I hate those snakes."
"Once again, Says the girl with a pet snake." Kai countered with a grin.
Calli rolled her eyes as he took the lead. "This ends today." He readied his weapon and so did the others.
"Don't even think on running in fist firs-" Calli stopped herself when they ran into the arena. "Why do I even bother?" She made a move to follow but stopped as soon as a cage slammed down on the boys, making her back down. It would seem she needed backup.
"Whadda'ya mean 'ye're in a predicament.'?" The girl hissed in her plastic phone as she tried to sneak towards the cage Lloyd was in.
"Well…."
The girl groaned as the gears in her head started to turn. "Please don't tell me-" The redhead groaned as, in the middle of the arena, a pair of large doors opened to reveal Samurai X. "Ye gotta be kidding me. Just keep their asses save. I'll go save the pip-squeak."
"By which you mean, don't harm them too much and let them actually win?"
"Yeah, now distract the crowd."
"Aye-aye, Captain."
The red-head hung up the plastic device Nya had given her and slowly turned towards the cage while praying she hadn't lost any of her stealth ability.
"Calli!" The blond noticed her and jumped up.
"Quiet, I'm trying not to get caught." She looked over the metal contraption and then at her hands. "On all the days I don't wear the bloody things. All-right hold on kid." And with that she started to fumble with the Iron lock.
Sadly, due to both of them being busy opening the non-bulging lock, they failed to notice some-snake had noticed them.
"What nice of you to join usss." Calli whirled around, hands shaking, staring right into the face of Pythor. Due to all the commotion and loud noises in the arena, she never heard him coming.
"It seems we have another contestant." And with that she was thrown in as well, having to avoid a giant sword with a short scream, rolling out of the way and being helped up by Zane who turned to his teammates. "Tornado of creation?" He asked. The others nodded and Jay turned to the girl. "Stay back, we'll handle this."
Calli just nodded, it wasn't like she was planning to get in front of them.
The boys started almost immediately. Sucking everything that wasn't attached to something into a powerful vortex to create a decent looking catapult with ammo. The four wasted no time launching the said block of spiky rubble to the Samurai, Hitting it square in the chest. He was launched back, nearly hitting Pythor and Skales. The former quickly raising a ring of spikes around the arena only a bit shorter then Cole as soon as the Ninja charged at him.
"Why can't anyone play fair!" Jay cried in annoyance. Suddenly the platform jerked, and slowly tilted, tossing the group down and forcing them to hold on to the spikes as to not fall into a giant, bottomless looking pit.
Calli hissed as she forced herself to hang onto Jay's Gi, feeling her hands burning at the raw material.
Meanwhile, Cole had absolutely had enough it. "Can this get any worse!"
"Murphy's law!" The redhead girl cried. Not really interested in him jinxing them.
"You must continue to make it look like we are fighting for real." All heads turned to the Samurai.
Jay raised his eyebrow while trying to hold on to the spike and keep the extra weight of the redhead. "We're not fighting for real?"
"Keep up the charade!" The samurai just hissed. "Hold on to my Exo-suit."
The boys wasted no time. Jay pulling up Calli first, who clambered on his back.
As soon everyone was holding on, the Samurai ignited his rockets and lifted them into the air. However, there was too much weight and the suit didn't lift high enough to actually get away.
As Kai pointed out the obvious, the Samurai opened the front of his suit and jumped down, resulting in less ballast and making sure the rest of the group could escape. Much to the annoyance of the boys.
Calli groaned as they crash-landed in the desert. There was sand in places sand shouldn't be and her hands ached.
Jay was the first one to get up, helping her up by the elbow, before looking around. Cole and Zane slowly stood up.
"Where's Kai?" The Blue Ninja yelled to his friends when he couldn't see the red ninja. The others looked around them, but apart from the metal Exo-suit there wasn't anyone else.
"Kai!" They called out but the Red Ninja was gone.
After a few minutes of searching the suit suddenly stood up on its legs.
"Quick! Get it before it gets away!" Jay called out to the rest as he noticed the metal thing get up and ran towards it. The others quickly followed but before they even reached it, it flew away.
"Great." Calli huffed. "We don't know where Kai is and we have no way of transportation."
Cole, who glanced behind them when he noticed something coming their way, snickered. "I dunno about that." The group turned around to see Kai coming their way, golden weapons in his hands.
"You knew! Didn't you!" Kai was pacing around in front of the bench Calli was seated on with a notebook in her hand.
The red-head only hummed in response, pencil in her mouth, not looking up from her scribbles at all, but still listening.
"Wait…" Suddenly he stopped pacing and looked at her directly, practically forcing her to look up. Her lyrics could wait apparently. "You're that Guard aren't you."
"Ye figured that one out fast." It was, with Cole it took a day or two to piece together that Nya was the Samurai if she was the Guard. The boy was smart, just a bit slow at points.
Kai raised his eyebrows. "Really wasn't that difficult." He sighed and Calli stood up. "Just look out for her okay."
The redhead smiled. "I will, but it's probably me her looking out for me instead of the other way 'round."
I loved that ending... somehow I enjoy writing the endings of my chapters the most.. Also they are terrible babysitters..Haha.
Anyhow Onto the reviews :)
- MightyShipper: I hope you're okay now… If you ever want to talk feel free to send me a PM. :)
- Melodie in My Heart: Thank you :) As per usual.
- Aurro sister of Morro: Thank you :D I'm so glad you and others like them together :) More shipping in the future. :)
Well, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you in the next chapter :)