Kairocksrainbow: More anime songs? Hmm. Let me see what I have in my arsenal... Approaching Light, from Little Busters. And 100 chapters already? Dude, I've been working on this story for years. If anything I should have reached chapter 200 by now! ;) Thanks for the review.

Guest: Thanks! I'm glad. Thank you for reviewing! :D

Breeze: You and I are of kindred spirits. Ah, I've been waiting for someone to make that joke for ages! Thank you! And I'll take your requests for Kyle and Cole into consideration. ;) Thanks for the review!

So! Here's the long-awaited chapter 100. My only regret is that it's not as memorable as I'd planned- the epic scene I'd originally sketched out for this special day had to be bumped forward to chapter 102 because I had so much left to do before It could happen. So...I hope you enjoy!

Trust

The Sheshin Keep was even more magnificent than Josi could have imagined. Rich gray carpets, red tapestries, and silver-plated chandeliers mounted on vaulted ceilings. Sentinels in crisp red and gold uniforms, one hand resting on the pommels of their swords, the Kaytake crest shining proudly above their left breasts.

Josi and Varasach were led by a servant to a small side room near the front door. The low ceiling was coated in gold, and paintings hung on the walls. A vase of masterfully arranged dried flowers served as the centerpiece of a low table in the room's center.

"Our lord will be here to greet you in a moment," the servant said with a bow before leaving.

Varasach touched the table with her good hand, tracing the veins of precious metals inlaid in the fine red wood. "I remember this place," she said, eyes soft. She coughed into her sleeve quietly.

"Do you?" Josi muttered, settling herself in one of the plush couches. To be perfectly honest, she could care less about the luxury. All she cared about was Vara. Vara and her message.

"Mm." Varasach sat back in her wheelchair. She wore a pale blue dress that buttoned down the front. A lovely compliment to her green eyes and red hair. "When I first came from the Dark Island. Or…Keitorin, as you say. With Cole. We stayed here for a night."

Josi nodded once, mind elsewhere. Elbows on her knees, she set her head in her hands and sighed. How? she wondered, struggling against the dark cloud that had tormented her soul ever since yesterday morning. How is this even possible? Why…

Varasach set her hand on Josi's shoulder. "Kyle will be fine," she said. "He will come home."

Josi looked up. Managed a small smile. "Of course," she said, though her voice carried no spirit. "Cole will come home, too. They'll all make it back, safe and sound."

Why, Kyle? Josi's head sagged between her shoulders. Why did you do this to us?

When Kyle failed to return to Cyrus' keep after the blizzard ended, Cyrus reluctantly decided to use a last-resort method for finding the Nindroid: tracking. Every Nindroid had a unique chip that could be traced by his master computer, though Cyrus had promised his creations privacy, except in the direst circumstances.

Kyle's chip had shown up several hundred miles away, due west. Cyrus had insisted that it was an error, but after tinkering with the computer he was forced to accept the truth. Kyle was on the Dark Island.

Why, Kyle? Josi clasped her hands together tightly on her lap. How did you even get there?

Footsteps approached them, and Josi lifted her head.

"Josi, Vara," Zane said, smiling cordially as he entered the sitting room. Lady Driniah followed close behind, dressed in black. "This is a pleasant surprise. How are you?" He paused, seeming to only then notice the Nindroid's expression. "What's wrong?"

Josi stood and wheeled Varasach's chair to where Zane waited. "I'm…okay," she said. "Been better. Yourself?"

"Mutual," Zane sighed. He looked down at Varasach. A moment of silence, then he said, "Duskweaver tells me you should still be in bed. What happened to you?"

Varasach's eyes lit up, and she opened her mouth to speak. "I-"

"Not here," Josi said, glancing at Driniah. "That's a story for another time, don't you think, Vara?"

Varasach bit her lip and looked down.

"My lady," Josi said, bowing. "My condolences on your loss. I understand that this is a difficult time for you. I hope I'm not intruding…"

"Not at all," Driniah said, quietly, her hands clasped under her swollen belly. She looked to be at least five months along in her pregnancy. "You are Josi?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Driniah smiled a shallow smile. Her face was heavily painted in an attempt to hide her grief: sunken eyes, sallow skin. "Please," she said. "Just call me Driniah." She turned her melancholic brown eyes to Varasach. "It's been a while, dear."

"Mm," Varasach said, her smile returning. "Yes. I am happy to see you."

Driniah's face seemed to melt. "It will be good," she whispered, "to have a girl around the house again. Are you staying long?"

"That's why I'm here, actually," Josi said. "Excuse me. But may I speak to Zane in private for a moment?"

Driniah only hesitated a second. "Of course," she said. "That will give me a chance to catch up with Vara."

Josi gave Varasach a quick look. "Don't worry. I'll be right back. Promise."

Varasach's eyes filled with a sudden surge of panic, but she nodded her consent.

Zane took Josi's arm and guided her into the hall. "What's wrong?" he whispered once they were out of earshot of any guards.

Josi found herself overwhelmed. Where to start? How was she to tell him anything without bursting into tears? I'm a wreck, she thought, wiping her eyes.

"Josi?" Zane's eyes were deep with worry. He glanced around. "Should we go somewhere more private to talk?"

"No," Josi said. "No, no. I'll be all right. Just…" She took deep breath. "Cyrus sent me. To help you."

Zane's eyebrows went up slightly. "That was…kind of him."

"You seem unsure," Josi observed.

Zane opened his mouth. He exhaled, closing it again. He looked away. "Cyrus," he said. "After he betrayed my father, I'm not sure I can trust him."

"Do you trust me?" Josi asked.

"…I don't know."

Josi pursed her lips. In the tense silence that followed, she heard Varasach and Driniah conversing in the other room.

"Send me away, then," Josi said. "If you don't want help, and you think you can trust the King and his Guards more than Cyrus and me, send me away."

"No!" Zane ran a hand through his hair. "I…I don't trust the King, either. But…it's hard."

Josi nodded. "I know."

"Josi." Zane's voice barely rose above a whisper. Sweat shone on his brow. "I am walking…a very dangerous rope even talking to you. The King has made it clear that anyone who even associates with Cyrus' followers will be executed."

"Then why don't you turn me in?" Josi snapped.

Zane hesitated again. Glanced up at a tapestry depicting a mountain under a sky of golden thread.

"All right," he said. "So I do trust you. At the very least, I want to. So…stay. Please. Do you have a cover?"

"Cover?" Josi repeated.

"Yes. There may be spies for Garmadon in this keep. Reports of suspicious strangers- such as yourself- are sure to reach the King's ears. Especially since he's coming for the funeral in two days. What's your alibi?"

"Oh." Josi pondered this. "I could be a servant?"

"No," Zane said. "Too obvious. You…" He squinted, glancing at the sword on her belt. "You're Pixal's closest friend. Both your parents were taken by the plague, and so you've come under my protection."

"Pixal's best friend? But wouldn't people see through that? Surely she has a real best friend somewhere that-"

"You really don't know my sister," Zane said, shaking his head. "It'll be perfect. Now, for Vara…"

"My sister?" Josi suggested.

"Oh, yes," Zane sighed. "A flawless cover. You two could pass as twins."

Josi rolled her eyes. "Point taken." She looked around the room, as if hoping the decor would give her some inspiration.

"Orphan from birth," she said at last. "My parents rescued her as an infant, and she's grown up with me as an adopted sibling."

"And her…injuries?" Zane asked.

"No need to change that. She had hypothermia, didn't get immediate care. Gangrene took her fingers, and the internal bleeding from ruptured organs has left her weak and anemic."

Zane's eyes softened. He looked over Josi's shoulder to the room where Vara waited. "I thought I fixed her…"

Josi blushed. "I'm sorry…didn't realize you had a hand in-"

"No, don't apologize." Zane ran a hand through his hair. "Hosts preserve us. Poor Vara. I should have done a better job…"

"I'm sure it would have been much worse without your intervention," Josi said.

Zane smiled weakly. "Thanks. So…why is Vara here?"

Josi's face darkened, and her stress returned. She sighed. "Vara's…unstable," she said. "There was a lot of trauma, and Cole left her at a bad time. She's deathly afraid of being alone."

"Would she have really been alone if you'd left her in Cy-" he caught himself with a cough- "in his care?"

"No, not at all!" Josi said. "She would have had a comfortable bed, and warmth, and lots of nurses to keep her company. But she only wants me. All the time. And so I was forced to take her with me."

"You were alone last time I saw you, though," Zane argued. "That was only a few days ago."

"Yeah." Josi brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I was told when I returned yesterday morning that she had not stopped crying for me. Apparently they had to sedate her because the noise was disturbing other patients."

"I'm sorry," Zane said. "That must be frustrating."

"Not really," Josi said. "It's inconvenient, to be sure. But I love her. She's a sweet girl. I'm sure that with a little encouragement she'll eventually start to heal. I'll just have to be patient until then." She made a face. "I've had plenty of practice with that. What, with me and Kyle being partners and all…"

Zane chuckled. "That Nindroid's a handful, for sure." He gave her a look. "Are…you a Nindroid?"

Josi blinked. "You didn't get that sooner?"

Zane shook his head. Rubbed the back of his neck. "I…guess that makes a lot of sense."

There was another awkward silence. Varasach and Driniah continued to talk- it seemed that Varasach was carrying most of the conversation, Driniah just adding simple one-word replies.

"Later," Josi said, "we need to talk in a safe place. You, me, and Vara. Alone. Can we do that?"

Zane thought for a moment. "I have funeral preparations to make for Kaytake," he said. "Though, I may able to squeeze in thirty minutes tomorrow evening."

"The ground is frozen though," Josi said. "Don't you have to wait for Deadthaw to plant the tree?"

"No. We are far enough south that the ground is still soft in most places- you may have noticed, there isn't any snow outside yet. Besides, the Priests are good caretakers. They'll make sure the tree gets good soil and survives the winter."

"I suppose…" Josi flushed. Thinking of the Priests made her angry. False prophets spreading false doctrine, turning the entire land of Ninjago into mindless sheep that obeyed the King without question. Despicable.

And it seemed that Zane was with them.

"So…what did you want to talk about tomorrow?" Zane asked. "Why is it private?"

Josi clenched her fists at her sides. This was a mistake, she thought. Zane will tolerate Cyrus. But if I tell him about what really happened to Vara…he may turn me in for blasphemy.

"Josi?"

Josi looked up at him, her eyes hard. "Not here," she said. "Please, don't mention a word of our conversation to anyone."

"I wasn't planning on it." Zane seemed to sense something was off. But he did not press her for details. "I will send a servant to take you and Vara to your room- I'm assuming you will share one. And since she's in a chair, I'll make sure it's on the ground floor so she won't have to worry about steps. Dinner is at seven. You may roam wherever you wish until then. Except the private rooms, like other bedrooms. Or my study."

"Thank you," Josi said. "Really, thank you."

"My pleasure." Zane smiled, offering Josi his arm. "Shall we go back to the others?"

Fifteen years prior

All of the next day, Sarnai's condition continued to worsen.

Hrymerv spent every moment she could spare at her sister's side, cooling her head with wet cloths and trying to get her to drink. But each time Sarnai managed to drink a mouthful of water, or eat a bite of mashed food, it would just come back up.

She was sick. Very, very sick. And it scared Hrymerv, shaking her to her very core.

Sarnai's "bed" was a sheaf of hay on the floor of a barn, which was far enough away from the town that it had not been harmed by the fire. There were several other injured and sick captives there as well. Some moaned, but most were quiet: resigned to their fate, whatever that may be in this new world.

New world.

Hrymerv's family had been on the first ship to Keitorin with Leryn Keith, about six winters ago. Hrymerv had been three at the time, and her mamma had been pregnant with Sarnai. Hrymerv hardly remembered what life on Ninjago was like. Her family had moved because of her father's job as a soldier in Lord Keith's army. When Lord Keith declared that he would be colonizing the newly-discovered- and conveniently uninhabited- land of Keitorin, Hrymerv's father was obligated to join him, along with a company of over a hundred other blue-clad soldiers and their families.

Together, the company of nearly three hundred and fifty men, women, and children had started the first colony in Keitorin. Within three years that number had quadrupled. Three years after that, nearly three thousand individuals were living on the island. The Keith family became wealthy, exporting their exotic fruits and meats to Ninjago for a premium. He became powerful- some rumors suggested that he may one day become stronger than the Kings of the Ninjagian bloodline.

And then Overlord stepped in, and it all fell apart.

Hrymerv took Sarnai's warm hand in hers, closing her moist eyes- they had hardly been dry the whole day. "Don't go," she whispered. "Sarnai, please…I'll be all alone. You can't do that."

Sarnai, lost in a feverish slumber, did not hear nor answer her.

Opening her eyes, Hrymerv ran a hand through Sarnai's hair, damp with sweat like the rest of her body. "Mamma's gone, Daddy's gone…y-you can't leave me like this. I'll be all alone."

"You won't be alone," a voice whispered behind her, and she gasped, whirling to face the intruder.

Overlord stood over Hrymerv, his gray eyes soft. "Your sister won't die," he said.

"How…how would you know?" Hrymerv asked cautiously, still holding Sarnai's hand.

"Because I am in control," Overlord said. "And I have decided she will not die."

"If you decided she wouldn't die," Merv said, "then why have you let her be sick for a whole day? Why didn't you heal her when she fainted yesterday?"

"Because I wanted to teach you a lesson," Overlord answered, gently pulling Hrymerv to her feet. "I want you to trust me, no matter what. Can you do that?" He looked at Sarnai, barely breathing on her bed of hay. "Can you trust me to fix her?"

Hrymerv hesitated. Overlord was the one who had killed her parents. The one who destroyed their town and killed a horrific number of its citizens.

He's the reason I'm ugly, she thought, glancing at the burns up and down her arms. He's the reason Sarnai is dying.

But…he is also the reason that I healed so quickly. Maybe Overlord has a way to heal her, too.

"Go and get some water from the river," Overlord said. "Do you trust me alone with your sister for that long?"

Hrymerv glanced at the open barn door. The river was only a five minute walk away. If she ran, she could half that time…

Hrymerv nodded.

"Good." Overlord set a hand on her back and nudged her toward the door. "Go. And hurry back: your sister will need the water when she awakens."

"Lower your center of gravity, Besai," Cole said. "It will make you less likely to be caught off balance, and your reach will be extended."

"Okay." Sheathed Blade in hand, Besai bent her knees.

"More," Cole said. He crouched low to demonstrate what he meant. His wound still hurt, but not much. He was surprised by how fast it had healed. "You're tense, Besai. Don't forget to breathe."

"Okay." Besai crouched further, steadying her shaking legs with a breath.

"Fill your diaphragm. Let it out. Breathing is important."

Besai nodded, doing it again.

"Where'd you even learn to fight with a knife?" Kai asked. He sulked against a tree a few paces off, arms crossed over his chest. "I thought you were a musician."

"The same place I learned to use a sword," Cole snapped. "You're the one who wanted me to teach her, so will you be quiet and let me teach?"

Kai shrugged and looked away.

"Thank you." Cole pulled out his Blade- leaving it sheathed as well- and went into a fighting stance. "Good, Besai. We only have a few minutes right now to practice, so let's make the most of it. And Sage," he looked to his wife, who sat in the sand feeding Chedva, "tell us when you're done. We need to keep moving."

Sage nodded. "Sorry," she said.

"Don't be. It's not your fault; you've got a baby to take care of." Cole turned his attention back to Besai. "I'm going to attack you. Ready?"

Besai swallowed, but nodded.

Still in a crouch, Cole ran for her, knife extended in his right hand, aimed for her belly.

Besai gasped and jumped to the side. She stumbled and fell.

Cole picked up her fallen Blade and stood over her. "If I'd been attacking you for real, you'd be dead. Or worse, a prisoner." He handed her weapon back to her. "Again. And this time, I'll move slowly, and show you how to disarm me. Got it?"

Besai rose to her feet and got back into a fighting stance. "Yes," she said, a determined fire in her eyes.

"It can be tiresome for beginners to keep that stance," Cole said. "So tell me when your legs get weak. We can practice something else."

"I'm fine," Besai said.

It seems crazy, but I believe her, Cole thought. She's steady and strong. With a little training, she could be a formidable opponent.

"All right." He crouched, coming for her in slow motion. "Don't shirk, Besai. Breathe. Stand your ground. Now, when my hand comes in range, grab my wrist."

Hesitantly, Besai did as he said. "Like this?"

"Exactly. Now, imagine me coming at full speed. You grab me and-"

"What if I'd grabbed your knife instead?" Besai asked.

"That's why timing is important," Cole said. "And that's also why we're practicing. So…you grabbed me and, using my forward momentum, you push my arm up and away from your body. Do it again."

He backed up and came at her again, not as slowly. Besai grabbed his wrist and clumsily pushed it away.

"Confidence," Cole said as Besai released him. "You need to know you can do this."

"But you are stronger than me," Besai said.

"This has little to do with strength," Cole said. "It's about being nimble. Light on your feet. Precise. Knowing how to use your attacker's strength against him, turning an advantage into a disadvantage, and vice versa."

Cole lunged for her again. This time Besai grabbed him and firmly pushed his arm away.

"Good! Don't let go this time." Cole made a motion with his free hand. "While my arm is up like this, and I'm caught off-balance, you need to disarm me.

"Depending on who you're fighting, you'll either want to wound or kill your opponent. I'm going to take this moment to ask that you do neither to me."

When he saw that Besai was not smiling, he cleared his throat. "It was worth a shot. Okay… So while my knife is up and out of your way, you need to use your own knife and 'wound' me. Slash my elbow or, if I'm a really bad guy, try to hit in my heart."

"That's it?" Besai asked, pretending to slash Cole's arm.

"Usually," Cole said. "If you can wound my fighting arm, you'll have the upper hand- for a few seconds, at least."

"Pun intended?" Kai said.

Cole paused. "What?"

Kai shrugged again. "You made a pun about fighting arms and having the upper hand." Seeing Cole's blank expression, he frowned. "Never mind. As you were."

Cole turned back to Besai. "You think you've got it?"

"Yes."

"Okay. One more time." Cole crouched, thrusting straight for her belly. Besai executed her part perfectly, slashing both his arm and his chest.

"Very good!" Cole straightened and patted her shoulder. "Not perfect, but good! You're a natural."

Besai beamed, looking to Kai for praise. He ignored her, and her enthusiasm melted away.

"Besai," Cole said, trying to distract her. "Do you want to try something else?"

Besai nodded, but there was no more spirit in her motions as she went into a crouch. "What next?"

"Ugh…" Jay collapsed in a chair in the dark cave, pulling off his boots. "I really hope my leg doesn't rust. It got wet…"

"Wetness is kind of unavoidable when you cross a flooded river," Pixal said as she lit a lantern. "Merv, are you okay?"

Merv nodded curtly and sat in a chair opposite Jay. She set Momo's blanket on the table and unrolled it. The pup's tiny forepaws clawed the air, and he whimpered.

Jay gave up examining his leg for the moment and scooped the pup into his hands. "Momo's getting so big," he said with a soft smile. "Do you see? He's got to be at least twice as big as when we first found him. It won't be too much longer 'till he's the size of that pup we saw a couple minutes ago."

"That's because he won't stop eating." Pixal set a jar of hrymerv milk on the table. "I'll get out Cole's portable stove so you can warm up the milk."

"Thanks." Jay stroked Momo's head. "He'll open his eyes any day now. I wonder what color they'll be."

"Yellow," Pixal said. "His eyes will probably be yellow. That's the color that adult dog's eyes were." She set a metal box on the table and screwed a canister into the side. Using a match, she lit a fire fueled by the gas in the canister.

"That's an expensive gadget," Jay remarked. "I was kind of impressed when I first found out Cole had it."

"Yeah," Pixal said absently, tossing a clean rag to Merv, who began to prepare Momo's meal. "I'm going to start dinner. You think Cole will mind that I'm using his food?"

"I think whatever happens to Cole's jars of cabbage is probably the least of his concerns right now, Pixal," Jay said with a frown.

Pixal glared back at him. "Don't give me that," she said. "I'm doing what I can to save them."

"How?" Jay stood, pointing at the cave's entrance. His prosthetic groaned and squeaked, warning them all that it needed to get dried soon. "Last I checked, we're running away from Overlord. How are we supposed to save Cole and the others if we run away?" He lowered his hand and clenched his fists. "What about Kai? You have no idea what he's going through right now. He's been tattooed!"

Tattooed? Pixal glanced at Merv, whose face was dark as she held the wetted rag over the stove. What does that even mean? Something in both her companions' expressions told her not to ask, so she didn't. She turned her backs to them and shuffled through a crate of food jars. Blast. None of them are labeled…

"I guess I should have told you guys already," she said, holding a jar of white meat to the light. "I'm sorry, Jay. But with you being so sick, and then that dog attack, it slipped my mind. Cole and the others escaped. I've had Suki keeping an eye on them for a while now."

A thump and a click indicated that Jay had stepped toward her. "Excuse me?" he said darkly.

"Jay, please-"

"No!" Jay's voice startled Pixal. "I have been stressing over Kai, Cole, Sage, and Besai for days. You have no right to tell me something as important as this slipped your mind."

Pixal slid the jar back into its crate and stood, coming eye to eye with Jay. "I'm sorry," she said. "It was wrong of me to leave you out of this. You too, Merv." She waited patiently for their response. Jay seemed conflicted, but was trying to calm himself down.

"I never did trust you," Merv said. She looked away, as if expecting her companions to reproach her. No one moved for a long moment. Then Jay sighed.

"I'm sorry, Pixal," he said. "You've been nothing but helpful. I don't have much of a right to be angry with you. What are Cole and the others doing?"

Pixal hated admitting to herself how relieved she really was that Jay had forgiven her. "They're on their way around the lake," she said. "If they're heading here, it will likely be two or three days before they arrive."

"Sounds good, I guess," Jay said. "We can rest for a couple days, meet up with the others, then go to the delta to talk with Wu." He crouched beside the food crate awkwardly, his bad leg out to one side. "I'll help you with dinner. On one condition."

"What's that?"

Jay smiled at her wryly. "Don't leave us out of the loop anymore."

Pixal almost smiled back. So close. "Deal," she said.

Aww, Pixal. You'd better be careful. Folks 'round here will start thinking you've gone soft!

Well then! Didn't Merv and Besai have just the most sunshine-iest childhood ever? :P Those poor girls. At least they had each other, though. Most others didn't even have that.

And didn't I promise that watching Besai train would be precious? *Squeals like a deflating balloon* Seriously. After reading the 5th Wave, she reminds me a bit of Teacup. You'll see what I mean later, when she actually fights... ;)

All right. I have a bit of a problem, and I think you guys can help me. You see, I've been trying to find models/actors that best represent my characters. I've got maybe half of the cast done. But I'm having trouble with Overlord. It's a tie between David Conrad and Liam Neeson. What's your opinion? Whose face do you think better captures the Overlord essence? Or do you have another face that you've been using in your mind's eye?

I think that's all I have for you all. Except for the customary "Please review bla bla bla" nonsense that you have officially heard 100 times already. Thank you so much for sticking with me through thick and thin. I love you all. :3 Have a great week, and in case I don't update before then, Merry Christmas!