Crystalized
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Disclaimer: OC's are mine!
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It had been a full year since Nya's sacrifice, and it's been quiet in Ninjago ever since.
Inside a beautiful house that's located in the suburbs of the city, and inside the bedroom, Kai bolts awake. "Skylor!?" He calls in panic, looking around the dark room. "Sky!?"
The bed shifts. "Kai, I'm right here." Skylor's steeply voice had him breath a sigh of relief.
"Good." He leans down, kissing her cheek. "I'm gonna check on the kids." He slid out of bed, and walked out of the master bedroom.
Ever since Nya sacrificed herself, Kai had been constantly checking up on his family. Annoying them all, but also understanding cause he raised her on his own with no help from anyone. And being the overprotective older brother he is, it had been very devastated to him. On the anniversary of Nya's sacrifice, Kai almost drank himself into a stupper and the following day he was really hung over.
Raya is fast asleep in her bed when Kai pokes his head into her bedroom. He closes the door halfway, before moving down the hall and pokes his head into Sebastian's bedroom. William had gave all patently rights to Kai after Nya's sacrifice and disappeared.
Kai walked back to the master bedroom, then climbed back into bed, pulling Skylor close and is soon back to sleep.
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The following morning. At the Monastery Of Spinjitzu. It's been eerie quiet, for a full year now, as everything is dirty and nothing is picked up, the whole Monastery has been forgotten and not had been touched, as dust and clutter just pile up. Inside the hanger bay. Cole is working on his bike, while behind them the huge computer is now showing Gayle Gossip as she stands on the loading docks.
"This was the scene last night, where a Vengestone smuggling operation was thwarted by a group of heroes calling themselves the 'New Ninja.'"
That grabs Cole's attention, and he turns around. "What?"
"Newly elected mayor Ulysses Norville Trustable issued the statement earlier today."
The screen switches to show the man wearing a very expensive suit as he sits behind his large desk. "It's been a year since anyone's even seen the Ninja." He starts. "And frankly, whenever they do show up, they cause millions in property damage. So I say it's about time we had some new heroes." A big Persian white cat suddenly jumps onto the desk and walks in front of him, the new mayor sweeps the cat off. "Ahem, not now, Mr. Fuzly Fuzly." He turns his attention back onto the camera. "Maybe these guys will be less destructive."
Cole angrily grabs the remote and turns off the computer. "Less destructive!?" He demands, turning to Zane and PIXAL. "Can you believe what the mayor said?!"
Zane looked emotionless. "Yes, and he is right. The odds of the new ninja exceed our capacity for property damage is highly unlikely."
That just angered Cole. "How can you say that so calmly?"
Zane pulled open a compartment. "I deactivated my emotion meter." He then closed it.
Cole blinks, his anger quickly leaving and is replaced by confusion. "You did? What for?"
Zane closes the door of the compartment. "After Nya's disappearance. I found my productivity decreasing. This was due to an unwanted emotional reaction. Grief. By switching my emotion meter off, I improved productivity 230%."
Cole got angry again. "Turning yourself into an emotionless drone isn't the solution!" He throws the remote and angrily leaves the hanger bay.
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The library looks like the rest of the Monastery. Cluttered in books and scrolls and boxes with books and scrolls as they covered all the tables almost the whole floor.
Cole walks into the room, he finds Master Wu on his knees and holding a magnifying glass with a long scroll rolled out in front of him on the floor. "Uh, Master Wu?"
"Darn it! Ugh. I thought perhaps there would be some clue to bringing Nya back in the scrolls of Quanish The Elder, but Quash was a fool!" Master Wu throws the scroll away.
"If there was an answer here, you would've found it already. You've read these scrolls a dozen times."
"I should have gone with Misako to the Library Of Doom." Wu said as he flings open another scroll and scans it with his magnifying glass. "They have a larger collection."
"Master Wu, I think we need to get the team back together." Cole said. "I've got a bad feeling about this Vengestone stuff."
Master Wu finally turns to him. "Vengestone?" He stands up, turning to Cole completely. "What Vengestone?"
"The news reported another Vengestone shipment." Cole informed. "And we still don't know who's behind it."
"Hmm. That is worrisome." Wu said as he started to pace a little. "Vengestone's only practical purpose is to negate Elemental Power."
"Exactly." Cole nods. "Anyone who's collecting Vengestone has to be up to no good!"
"You have a point." Master Wu grabs his staff and turns to Cole, twirling his staff. "Perhaps we should get the team together."
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At Borg Tower. Eleanor sat behind her desk, typing. She sighs as she leans back in her chair, folding her arms as her eyes rests on a frame picture of her family. In the picture is Lily sitting on a swing, in front of her is Eleanor as she's sitting on a blanket with a baby in her lap, as a baby is reaching for a plate that has a slice of cake, Cole is standing next to Lily, and the three are looking towards the camera with bright smiling faces.
Lily had also taken it hard, she had came into her parents bedroom the first three weeks after Nya's sacrifice, or sometimes she would wake up crying. During the whole year, the Ninja helped with the cleanup and the Brookstone family got a new addition to the family.
The elevator dings, making her jump and look towards the elevator to see Cole and Zane walking out.
"Hi babe." Cole smiles as he walks further into the room.
"Hi." Eleanor smiles, turning when he walks up to her and kisses her gently.
"Have you seen the news?" Zane asks her, motionless. She looks at him concerned.
"Zane, are you ok?"
"Zane turned off his emotion switch." Cole answered for the Nindroid, shocking her.
"What? Why?" She asked, standing up. "No, no. Don't wanna know." She quickly said when Zane was about to answer. "Yes, I saw the news about the Vengestone." She reaches for the phone on her desk, pressing a button. "Dwayne, please come into the office."
"We're gathering the team together." Cole said, perching himself on the edge of her desk. "And did you hear what the mayor said about us?" He asked as a door opens from the left side of the room.
"You want to see me, Mrs. B?" Dwayne asks, coming into the room, making Cole do a double take.
"Hey, aren't you the intern for Clutch Powers?"
The younger man nods. "Use to be, sr."
"The mayor lent him to my father for a few weeks." Eleanor explained.
"Ellie." Cole turns to her. "Are you in? We gotta stop this from getting worse!"
Eleanor nods. "Yes." She turns to Dwayne. "Tell my father I'm going out for awhile, I'm sure he won't mind looking after the kids for a little while longer."
"And tell him, if he can't, my dad can." Cole added.
Dwayne nods. "Right away." He watches as the Ninja quickly head for the elevator.
"Do you know where the others are?" Cole asked, pressing the first floor button.
Eleanor looked in thought. "Jay's still in the city, at Libber's new house, I just had breakfast with Chantal this morning as she was heading back to the lawyers offices downtown." She said in thought. "We'll have to get Kai's location for Skylor."
"And no one has seen William at all." Zane added.
Cole sighs. "Looks like we got our work cut out for us."
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They find Kai at a dojo, surprised that Kai is a sensei. "This should be interesting." Eleanor said as Cole closed the driver door of the family's black GMC. She closed the passenger door as Zane closed the door behind her.
"Let's grab Kai, and get out of here." Cole said as they head inside.
The Ninja walk into the dojo, finding Kai wearing a sensei outfit, of course it has patches of red. He pulls out a cardboard cutout of Kalmaar.
"Greet your opponent!"
The students rush forward, screaming as they bash the cutout to peaces, making Kai jump away from the kids.
"Painful!"
"Holy cow!"
"That seems excessive."
Kai smiles at the kids. "Nice! Remember, kids, in a real fight, we don't greet our opponents. What's the best defense?"
"To obliterate your enemy, before they see you coming!" The kids shout in union.
"Exactly! Class dismissed. See you next week."
Eleanor was able to quickly back away from the door, as the kids ran out the door. "What are you teaching those kids, Kai?" She asked as Cole and Zane are in dizzy spins. "No wonder Raya likes to try to fight like the enemy."
"Raya gets her teachings from Master Wu." Kai told her.
Cole and Zane stumble out from their dizzy spins. "I do not recall Master Wu teaching us to 'obliterate our enemies before they see us coming.'" Zane said.
"I'm preparing these kids for the real world." Kai picks up the cutout of Kalmaar's head. "There's bad guys out there and they don't play fair." He throws it, and Cole catches it as Kai folds his arms. "Or do I have to remind you what happened to my sister?"
Cole looks at the cutout head. "The, sea thing. Even Benthomaar has given up hope to find her. He sent a message that he's returned to rule Merlopia." He turns to look at Eleanor. "Good for him, I guess."
"Now what's up?" Kai asked, his arms still folded. "I got a kindergarten class in half an hour and they're like a pack of ravenous wolves." He puts his hands on his head to rube his temples. "I gotta prepare mentally."
"We are assembling the team to look into a Vengestone smuggling operation." Zane answered.
"And we want the Master Of Fire back on the Ninja team." Eleanor added with a hopeful smile.
Cole smiles, placing his hands on his hips. "Unless you'd rather deal with a wolf pack?"
Kai immediately races between Cole and Zane towards the door. "Let's go." He said, carrying a suitcase.
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Back in the city, and in a different subdivision, Cole parks the GMC in the driveway of the Walker-Garden home. Jay is currently in the front yard, working on a tire swing. Jay turns to them when he heard the vehicle pull into the driveway.
"Hey guys." He greeted as his friends walks over to him.
"Fancy pancy Jay." Eleanor smiles with a nod as she looks at the late Cliff Gordon's home. "Very nice."
Jay smiled as he finished up with the tire swing. "Thanks!" He walks over to them, dusting off his hands. "How can I help my friends?"
"Somebody's smuggling Vengestone." Eleanor answered. "We're trying to get the team back together."
Jay blinks. "Vengestone? Why do you want to check that out? It hurts our powers." He folds his arms.
"It's our job as Ninja, Jay." Cole reminded him.
"Use too!" Jay argued. "We're out of the Ninja business." He looks at Cole and Eleanor. "Besides, you two have a baby." He looks at Kai. "And Kai, you."-
"We all know the risks, Jay!" Kai snapped with anger. "Are you in or out!?"
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At a building, in the hart of the city. Lloyd is now a window cleaner. He's busy cleaning cleaning the windows when Kai and Cole open one.
"Hey, buddy!" Cole smiles. "How's it going?"
"Cole, Kai. What are you doing here?"
"We're getting the team back to look into the Vengestone thing." Kai answered, as Eleanor opens another window.
"And we could use our leader's help." She added.
Lloyd looks crestfallen. "Sorry, I've got things to do. I appreciate the visit, but I really gotta get back to work." He lowers the lift.
Kai and Cole pop their heads out of an adjacent window. "Lloyd, come on, buddy!" Kai said. "You gotta snap out of it!"
"Yeah! Whatever happened to 'Ninja never q."- Cole is cut off by Lloyd.
"Don't say it!" Lloyd snapped, surprising both Cole and Kai. "Just don't! I don't wanna hear that! I'm - I'm done! Ok? I can't be responsible for anyone ever again. I just do windows now. And I'm a father now. I'm thinking about my family, as I suggest you all do too. Cole was the leader before me." He lowers the lift down again.
"What now?" Kai asked as he and Cole watch Lloyd.
"Give him some time." Cole answered. "Let's get back to the Monastery and see if we can find William." He decides. "Lloyd, if you change your mind, you know where we'll be!" He calls down to Lloyd.
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The team stand in the hanger bay of the Monastery, without Lloyd. "This really stinks!" Eleanor huffs as she throws her arms out as she's sitting at the computer. "I can't find him!"
PIXAL walks over to her. "We will find him, sister." She reassured.
"I was touched when he gave me all patentel rights to my nephew." Kai said as he walked over to the sisters. "And honored. But when Skylor asked where he was going, he never gave a clear answer."
"Not a clue?" Cole asked, making Kai shake his head.
"Not even a hint."
"He'll show up." Lloyd's voice had everyone turn around to see him walking up to them from the elevator.
"Lloyd!" Eleanor smiles.
"You came." Cole added.
"What changed your mind?" Kai asked.
"Nya wouldn't want us to quit. If she saw us like this, she'd kick our butts and tell us to get back to work." The blonde said, punching his left fist into his right hand.
Kai looked around at everyone. "Look guys, I'm only doing this for Nya."
Master Wu placed his hand on his shoulder. "If my memory serves me correctly. You only joined to save your sister all those years ago."
Kai's face swims with emotions. "That's right." He looks at the elder. "To - to." He stutters, looking away. "To save my sister."
Lloyd walked over to the two. "Kai, I'm going to tell you something that Nya told me, when we thought you all were dead." The blonde started, and Kai turns to look at him. "She told me, that you would want us to move on, to take back our city." He places a gently hand on the red Ninja's shoulder. "Ninja Never Quit."
Kai took a few deep breaths. "I don't know if I can do this." He adds as he looks at Master Wu. "I don't have it in me, anymore."
"It is your choice, Kai." The elder said. "If you want to leave, we will not stop you."
Kai took a few deep breaths, then turns to his friends.
"We won't stop you." Lloyd repeated.
Kai closed his eyes tightly and exhaled. "Ok." He breaths. He stepped forward. "I'm in." He holds out a fist. "For Nya."
The others smile as they come around him, putting their fists together. "For Nya." They repeated.
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Drama is coming! And it'll be in the next chapter!