Hey there! College has been killing me lately as we near the end of the quarter, but my weird schedule has given me some time off and maybe I'll finally finish another chapter! At the very least, I've had this chapter done for a while and it's ready to be posted.
Not gonna lie, this is a mostly filler chapter. Here we explore characters some more and Mira gets her kunoichi suit, but my favorite part might be near the end, so you'll need to read that to see what it is! Let's just say things are about to get very interesting for our team...
Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago
"I'll do it," Mira told Sensei Wu. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest as she faced him and her parents. "I'll do it on one condition."
Her parents gaped at her, surprised that she was agreeing.
"But Mira-" Mr. Kalua began before being cut off by his daughter.
"Dad," she said quietly, waiting for him to listen. "Sensei said that you guys agreed to let me go if I was okay with it, and I need you to honor that."
Her parents looked at each other, clearly not having expected her to say yes. They still doubted their daughter after all these years, but now Mira had used their doubt against them.
"Fine," her father grumbled unhappily.
Sensei Wu hid a smirk behind his tea, taking a long sip. "What is your condition, Mira?"
Mira turned back to the older man, knowing Alex and Nya were behind her as she spoke. "I want to be able to go home anytime I want, and you have to respect that decision."
The other two girls stiffened behind her, clearly nervous about that. They weren't sure what would make Mira want to abandon everything to go home. Nya knew that things could go wrong all the time, and there was no telling what the breaking point for Mira would be.
Though the girls and Sensei Wu were a bit concerned by her condition, her parents certainly weren't. Both had smug looks on their faces as they looked at Sensei. "I guess we can agree to that," Mrs. Kalua said haughtily. "Now, if you don't mind, we'd like our daughter for one more night."
The couple began ushering everyone to the front door, smiling and waving up until Nya, Alex, and Sensei Wu were outside. As soon as they were out the door, Mira's dad closed the door. The couple turned to Mira, their faces stony.
"Mira," her mother began sternly, "we have a lot to talk about tonight."
…
The kunoichi and Sensei Wu looked at each other on Mira's front porch. The ninja hadn't even caught up to them yet, as the visit had been so brief.
Alex whistled lowly. "Well, I'm glad they're not my parents." She yelped when Nya elbowed her side. "I mean, my parents were chill with it!"
"We were lucky she said yes at all, Alex," Nya told her gently. "Not everyone is ready to drop everything to be a kunoichi like us."
Knowing that Nya had a point, Alex sighed. "I guess you're right," she mumbled sheepishly. Her parents hadn't loved the idea either, but they'd been supportive. She was grateful for that, and it seemed like Mira wouldn't even have that.
"Hey, what're you guys doing out here? Did they kick you out? Did Mira say no?" Jay always drew attention to himself with his big mouth, rapidly rattling off questions without giving anyone a chance to answer. "What do we do if one of them says no? Are we just supposed to kidnap them or something? Sensei-"
The rest of the guys facepalmed behind Jay as Sensei Wu simply held up a hand. Luckily for everyone, the talkative ninja got the hint.
When Sensei didn't immediately offer up information, Cole stepped in as the leader. "Sensei… she did say yes, right?"
Nya and Alex shot each other a look and pasted somber expressions on their faces. Alex ducked her head when she saw the ninjas' faces fall. She let a few shadows wash over her face, obscuring her smile.
"Mira Kalua will not be joining us…" Sensei trailed off, having seen the little show Alex and Nya were putting on. He paused for a long moment, letting the ninjas' imaginations run wild before speaking again. "... tonight. Her parents wanted to spend one last night with her before she joins us tomorrow."
Zane had felt his gears grind to a halt when he saw Alex and Nya's faces. He even forgot to refresh the system to restart his motor when Sensei went along with them. Now, his brain was scrambling to reset his system. He'd read several books where a character lost their breath and struggled to catch it again. If he was human, that's what he suspected would have happened to him just now.
Still, Zane felt the urge to smile and let his lips curve up into a rare smile.
The rest of the ninja got similar looks on their faces to display their excitement. Kai and Cole high-fived each other while Jay did a weird dance.
Nya sidled up to Jay and put a hand on his arm. He calmed down and grabbed her hand, gently stroking it with his thumb.
"Since neither of the girls were offered lodging tonight, we'll need to find a hotel with enough rooms for all of us." Sensei began to walk back into town. "Come now, students. The faster we're all in bed, the faster we can begin training Mira."
Zane ran the logistics through his head as he trailed behind everyone else into town. With a town this size, there were probably only one or two hotels, and they were probably small and more like inns. But since this was a popular spot for swimming and surfing, on top of the fact that it was a port city, there were likely more hotels than he thought.
The first hotel they came to was packed full, and so was the second. The third had one room with a double bed, which Alex and Nya took. Then it was just up to the ninja to find a place to stay.
When they reached the last hotel, their feet were dragging. Lloyd was leaning heavily on Cole, yawning almost every two seconds.
By a stroke of luck, there were not one but two rooms in the last hotel. The group split up, with Kai, Cole, and Lloyd in one room, and Sensei, Jay, and Zane in the other.
Sensei had taken the couch, piling several blankets on top of it to make it softer on his back. Jay wasn't a pleasure to sleep with, so Zane was of course stuck with the ninja that kept kicking him in the side.
It was a long night for everyone.
…
It turned out Mira's parents didn't really want to talk. That is, they didn't want to talk for a while. They went back to their room first, leaving Mira to herself while she packed. Her closet mainly consisted of shorts and t-shirts since she lived in such a warm climate. If she ever went anywhere without the warmth of the sun, she'd be screwed.
The lid of her suitcase was open, and she continuously folded and put away clothes. Her movements were robotic, as she wasn't really in the right headspace.
She couldn't quite figure out why she'd said yes. This was completely crazy and out of her comfort zone, but…
Her eyes drifted back to the whip that lay on her bed. As if noticing her attention on it, the gem began to glow again. She heard the sound of waves crashing on the shore, almost like she was on the beach or listening to a conch shell.
Fascinated, she took a step closer to the whip. Her feet seemed to move on their own, and before she knew it, she was right in front of the whip. She reached out to touch it, and-
Her door opened, and Mira stepped back quickly as if she'd been caught about to do something wrong. Her gaze flew to her now open door, which, as she'd suspected, framed her parents. Their faces betrayed no emotion - not that she'd expected them to.
Her mother stepped in first, heading to her window. She remained standing but didn't say anything for a moment. Her father stood at the foot of her bed and prompted Mira to sit down. Mira took a seat on the edge of the bed, putting a hand on the whip to calm her nerves.
"Do you know what this will do to us?" Father's voice was deathly quiet. He kept his eyes on his wife, who still had her back turned to her only child.
Blinking back tears, Mira kept her head down. She knew that she wasn't supposed to respond yet.
Mother let out a loud sigh that was meant to be heard by all the occupants of the room. It made Mira shrink back a little, clutching tighter to the whip.
"I can't believe this," her mother finally muttered. She turned around, her face making her irritation known. She had many similar features to Mira, but Mira had rarely seen her mother smile or laugh. "Where did we go wrong, my dear?"
Of course, the sentiment wasn't aimed at Mira. She turned her attention to her father quietly.
He mirrored his wife's earlier sigh, expressing his own disappointment. He ignored his wife's question, instead focusing on Mira. "Mira, how could you do this? What are we supposed to tell people? You still have to go to school, you have responsibilities. You're throwing them all away on a whim. This isn't like you."
A bitter part of her wanted to cry out that they didn't know what she was really like. They'd never bothered to ask, they were always too busy at the clinic or doing anything but talking to her. She was expected to become a doctor like them. That was the plan, and she was not to stray from it.
"Mira, your father is trying to talk to you. It's rude to ignore someone," her mother snapped.
Mira slowly raised her head to look her father in the eye. "They need me, Father. I am trying to do my duty-"
"Your duty is here, Mira." Her father cut her off as she tried to explain herself, making her stutter and go silent again. "If you go with them, then you're about to waste everything we've taught you."
"I have to," she said quietly.
This time, her parents both remained quiet at her words. The conversation was over, and she knew it. Without another look at her, they strode quickly out of the room. The only thing they left was the stench of disappointment, making Mira's eyes sting more.
As soon as the door closed, she sank to the floor as the world disappeared behind the tears that clouded her vision. She hugged her whip to her chest and watched as the gem pulsed comfortingly. She whimpered softly, trying not to alert her parents. Emotions didn't really exist for them, and if she showed them, she was weak.
The next round of sobs choked her, and she felt as if she was drowning in her emotions. She covered her mouth with her arm, trying to stifle the sound. Tears kept streaming down her face, and she closed her eyes, hoping the darkness would be a comfort.
Unfortunately, the same thought kept reverberating in her mind. It haunted her, and she knew it would take a long time to go away.
Did I make the right choice?
...
The sun rose the next day, shining through the thin curtains. Zane's internal alarm went off at sunrise, waking him up when it was time.
He was on the edge of the bed, with Jay spread out like a starfish in the middle of the bed. As soon as Zane stood up, Jay shifted so he was diagonal, somehow taking up even more room than before.
With a sigh, Zane headed to the bathroom to freshen up first. There wasn't much he really needed to do besides change clothes and fix his hair.
Zane combed through his short, platinum blond hair. His crystal blue eyes were trained on his reflection in the mirror, taking in his pale complexion. His skin was smooth and soft, and he'd even fixed his hand from where it had been punctured last night. There were a few little scars, but he'd be able to fix that completely later.
His hands clutched the sides of the sink. Zane closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to make the ice within him show.
When he opened his eyes, a few snowflakes floated in front of his face. A sad display compared to what he used to be able to do.
It frustrated all of them, how limited their power was. The kunoichi had their silver weapons, reminding the ninja of what their power used to look like. Limitless, a power they could use and never need to scrape the bottom of the barrel.
Zane heard a crash outside the bathroom door. Jay was up. He quickly unlocked the door and got out of the way as Jay ran into the open door and stumbled into the bathroom.
The ice ninja shook his head in exasperation. Sensei Wu snored peacefully on the couch, dead to the world. The old man would sleep until he wanted to be awake.
After grabbing his communicator, Zane slipped into the hallway. He shot off a message to the guys, wondering who was awake.
Kai and Cole immediately responded, and after a few minutes Jay sent a barely comprehensible message as well. Knowing the ninja of lightning wouldn't be awake for much longer, Zane just headed down the hall to Kai, Cole, and Lloyd's room.
The first thing he noticed when Cole let him in was Lloyd, who had ended up surrounded by blankets on the floor in front of the couch. Lloyd would not be happy when he woke up.
This was one of those times Zane was glad he couldn't feel human sensations.
Zane had gotten dressed earlier, so he was in a white button down and khaki shorts. Over in the corner, Kai was pulling on a red tank top, already wearing a pair of black shorts. Cole was still in just sweatpants, effortlessly showing off his impressive physique.
"How do you think Mira is going to fit in?" Cole mused as he grabbed his clothes.
Kai flopped on the bed, dangling his feet off the side. "She seems too quiet for this."
Raising an eyebrow, Zane gave Kai a look that made the ninja of fire blush hotly.
"Not that there's anything wrong with being quiet," Kai said quickly, running a hand through his already messy hair. "I just mean… I don't think she has the right attitude for this."
Thankful that he could change quickly, Cole stepped out to diffuse the tension. He wore dark clothes like always, taking comfort in the color.
"Zane, Kai doesn't mean anything personal towards you or Mira," he said to Zane. "I have to agree that she does seem quiet and I think she might struggle with the fighting aspect of being a kunoichi, but she was chosen for a reason. None of us came into this thinking we'd be fighting snakes every other day." His voice was smooth and gentle as he talked to Zane.
When Cole turned to Kai, his voice hardened a bit, taking on an authoritative tone. "Kai, not all of us joined with our fists swinging like you. I really hope you won't be as judgemental when Mira gets here later."
Kai grumbled to himself before sighing. "Sorry, guys. I guess I'm a little nervous about all of this still." He leaned against the wall, looking over at Lloyd across the room.
The other ninja followed his gaze, their faces softening. What they were doing now… it was all for him.
"He's not the only one you're worried about, though," Cole said quietly. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, giving Kai a pointed look.
Kai's hand went back to his hair, tugging on it slightly. "Of course he's not, but look at him. He's just a kid," he whispered.
Their voices were hushed now while they talked about the sleeping kid across the room.
"We are all children," Zane responded factually. "He is just the youngest of us."
"It's not fair," Kai declared suddenly, hitting his hand on the bed. "None of this is fair, and it's especially not fair-"
"What's not fair?" A sleepy voice came from the other side of the room. "And… why am I on the floor?"
The ninja could barely see Lloyd's blond head under the blankets. One of his hands came up, trying to free himself from the blankets that had trapped him.
Ignoring his first question, Cole focused on the second. "When I helped you get in bed last night, you were on the couch. It looks like you rolled around so much that you got stuck in all those blankets and fell on the floor."
Lloyd stayed quiet for a minute. "Oh," he said simply. He rolled on the ground as he attempted to get out of the blankets.
Without knocking on the door, Jay burst into the room. Like the others, he was in his signature color. "Guys, come on! We need to go get the girls and Mira!"
"Technically, it is you that we have been waiting on," Zane stated calmly, ignoring Lloyd as he finally got on his feet.
Cole nodded. "Yeah, sparky. You snoozed a little too long," he teased.
Lloyd disappeared into the bathroom as the ninjas teased each other, and for a moment, it was just like old times.
…
Sensei Wu knocked on Mira's door, his students waiting off the porch. He took a step back as the door opened to let Mira out. She was wearing a backpack and had a small suitcase in one hand.
He watched his newest student falter under everyone's gaze and decided to save her. "Are your parents gone, Mira?" He made sure to ask quietly, since he suspected the answer already.
Her eyes darted towards the door. "Yeah. They left for work."
Sensei just nodded in response. "Well, Mira, would you like your new uniform now or when we arrive in Ninjago City?"
With all eyes on her again, she flushed and looked down. "Ninjago City, please."
Nodding again, Sensei Wu headed off her porch. "Come now, students. We need a place to summon the dragons."
The whole group headed off, but Mira trailed behind the rest. She preferred to watch them interact instead.
Taking the lead was Sensei, who was chipping in to whatever Jay and Nya were talking about. The couple was holding hands, and she thought back to last night. They were always in contact with each other. Whether they were holding hands or his arm was around her shoulders, it was clear they just liked touching each other. It wasn't gross like they were making out all the time, but it was a simple display of affection.
Jay let go of her hand to search his pockets for something, and when he came up empty-handed, he and Nya shared a worried look. Mira didn't understand what they were looking for, but it seemed important.
While the couple explained the situation to Sensei, Mira looked to Zane and Cole. They were chatting quietly and kept looking behind them, their faces also full of concern and… something Mira couldn't read. She instead focused on the last group right in front of her.
Kai, Alex, and Lloyd were all talking and joking with each other. It looked like Kai and Lloyd were messing with each other and making Alex laugh in the middle.
At some point, Kai put his arm around Alex's shoulders. She didn't seem to mind, sidling closer to him. When Lloyd made her laugh again, Kai looked at her instead of Lloyd. Her grin was infectious, and Kai and Lloyd shared a secret smile.
Cole sidled up to the trio, walking alongside Lloyd. Mira frowned as she tried to figure out where Zane had gone.
She jumped as she felt Zane come up beside her. He looked a little sheepish at that.
"I apologize, I did not mean to scare you," he said with a smile. His face was warm and kind, unlike his element.
Mira felt herself relax a bit. "It's alright. I suppose…" she hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I suppose I just wasn't expecting any of you to walk with me."
Something in Zane pinged at her words. "I understand. Due to my… nature, I am often the one left out of the group," he explained sadly. For a moment, he considered telling her what 'nature' he was talking about, but he decided against it.
Instead, he looked ahead at his brothers, watching them fondly. This morning had been a breath of fresh air compared to the chaos it had been lately. They were solidifying into a group again, this time accepting the new members as part of the team.
"They do not mean to," Zane began again, drawing Mira's attention back to him. "They do not understand things sometimes. They think that I am odd. That may be true, but it is sometimes too much for them to wrap their heads around."
Mira gasped, her brown eyes wide. "That's horrible," she whispered. Her eyes sparked with a flash of anger. "That's not fair. You're a person, you're a part of the team too! They can't just exclude you because they don't understand you." She was gesturing wildly with her hands. She was angry, but her voice never grew loud.
Without thinking, Zane caught one of her hands in his own. It was shaking with injustice. Mira immediately paused and looked at him, mouth slightly agape.
"I do not mind," he said softly. When he saw Mira begin to grow frustrated again, he kept talking. "I do not mind because I am not excluded when it matters. If they have jokes that I do not understand, or they want to play a four-person game, then I'm okay with being the odd man out. When we fight, we lean on each other. We help each other out, no matter what."
Letting out a sigh, Mira looked ahead again. "They seem nice," she muttered, more to herself.
Remembering her hand in his, Zane squeezed before letting go. "They are nice. Just give them a chance, okay?"
Before she could respond, the others were calling their dragons to the field she hadn't realized they were in. A little late, Mira called for Cascade, who landed by the other kunoichi's dragons.
Nya's dragon looked like a sunset. Alex's dragon looked like night itself, with terrifying blood red eyes. Mira's dragon reminded her of her favorite place to be - the ocean. Again, her fingers itched with longing to draw all of these experiences.
A heavier dragon landed, calling Mira's attention to it. With a squeak, she hid behind Cascade's wing and slowly peered over at the massive dragon.
The most notable thing was its size. Her dragon paled in comparison. The next thing she noticed was the four heads. Each looked slightly different, as if it wasn't originally one dragon.
"That's the Ultra Dragon," Zane said beside her. "My brothers and I used to have our own dragons, but they matured and turned into the Ultra Dragon, who belongs to Lloyd."
Mira blinked. She looked over to where Cole, Lloyd, and Sensei Wu were climbing on the Ultra Dragon. Sure enough, Lloyd sat in front to control the beast.
"If you would like, I can ride with you and assist you," Zane offered with a smile.
Before responding, Mira looked at her dragon. She had absolutely no idea how to control her, so this was probably a wise idea.
"Okay," she nodded. Carefully, she pulled herself on the dragon's back. Her backpack was still on, but she left her suitcase on the ground.
Mira bit her lip, trying to figure out what she was going to do with her bag. Before she could think of anything, Zane had picked it up and carried it over to Cole. They exchanged a few words before Cole nodded and held it in front of him.
Zane headed back over, climbing on the dragon behind her. "Would you like me to hold your backpack?"
A flash of panic rippled through her. A sense of protectiveness surged up as she shook her head quickly. "No thank you," she managed.
The ninja of ice had noticed her unusual mannerisms when he asked about the backpack. It was in the way, but she was clearly uncomfortable having anyone touch it. He briefly wondered what was in the bag, but came to the conclusion that it must be personal.
The Ultra Dragon began to take off, the kunoichi following. Zane leaned in as close as he could behind Mira. "Just be gentle," he instructed quietly.
Mira followed every direction he gave her, but he was the only one talking for most of the ride. He mostly gave instructions, but he asked her a few questions that she only responded to in one or two words. He was a little put out by that, but he was glad she seemed to be adjusting well.
After a couple hours, the skyline of Ninjago City was visible. Zane saw the sun high in the sky, its rays gleaming off the buildings. He told Mira to be careful of the buildings.
Her grip had tightened a bit at the sight of the large city. She'd never been anywhere this big or terrifying! People swarmed all over the city, and there were cars everywhere. There were buses transporting people, as well as a few cabs. The sun was too bright, making her squint as she looked at the scenery.
Taking in a deep breath, Mira tried to calm down as she breathed out slowly. She led her dragon over to the field where everyone else had already landed.
The field was different than normal. With the addition of Mira, Alex and Nya knew they'd need to be stationed by a lake of some kind. This place had an open grassy area with a lake and a forest right beside it.
"Mira Kalua, you are the purple kunoichi of water," Sensei told her once she stepped off of her dragon. "Please take off your backpack for a moment."
Mira did as she was told, leaving it resting again Cascade's leg. She stepped closer to the old man.
He gave her a soft smile before yelling, "NINJA-GO!"
Mira's world disappeared for a moment, and she was slightly off-balanced when the moment was over. Sensei has given her the kunoichi uniform, and Nya and Alex had gotten into theirs as well. Their uniforms were different from each other, and hers was unique as well.
Similar to Alex's suit, Mira had a long, purple, tunic-style top that went to the tops of her thighs. It swayed as she moved, rippling like water. Under the tunic was a pair of teal leggings that disappeared under the tall purple boots she was wearing. The sleeves of the tunic were tight and went to just below her elbow. A pair of short fingerless gloves covered her hands. A blue belt was wound around her waist, with a loop to attach her whip.
To top it all off, she had a purple mask similar to Alex and Nya's. It covered the lower half of her face, only leaving her eyes and forehead exposed. Part of her hair had been pulled back with a purple ribbon to keep it out of her face.
As if in a trance, Mira wandered over to the lake and grabbed her whip out of her backpack. The gem in the handle glowed brightly as she cracked it, sending a spray of water into the air.
Everyone nearby got soaked, including Mira herself. Zane seemed to be the only one spared, as he had partially hidden behind her dragon.
Mira blushed darkly, tucking her whip away. "I'm so sorry," she said.
Sensei Wu laughed, and the others joined in. "It's alright, child. You are the kunoichi of water."
…
Far away, on the Dark Bounty, a messenger had arrived for Garmadon.
A dark hand slammed against his desk. "What do you mean she got away?" Lord Garmadon roared. "You had her, and then you gave her up?"
The unfortunate snake on the other side of the desk began to stutter. "Sssir, I - we - no one sssaw this coming! We had - Skalidor had her, but when she went to get the sssilver weapon, we couldn't get her back!" The snake was trembling in fear of the raging man in front of him.
With the Mega Weapon clenched tightly in one hand, Garmadon slammed his other three against the table again. "Skalidor, you say? Send him in, you fool!"
The snake ran away, almost running into the door on his way out. He kept trying to apologize pathetically until he was out of Garmadon's sight.
Sighing loudly, Garmadon leaned back in his chair. "Idiots," he mumbled.
The snakes were brighter than the skeletons, but not by much. Their average intelligence was only pulled up by the leaders, who were sneaky and manipulative. They could easily outsmart the ninja, but they were always defeated in the end.
But now, with the snakes at his side, and the Mega Weapon in his hand, he could accomplish anything! The kunoichi were important to his plan in the end, but…
His mind drifted back to the kunoichi of darkness. Her power would be the most useful, but any of them would do in a pinch. If he even had one, the ninja would do anything for her.
That's when the idea sparked. If he could only find the kunoichi of nature before the ninjas - then he'd be fine. If only there was a way…
Automatically, he turned to the Mega Weapon. He racked his brain for the right words to say to make his wish come true.
Before he could utter the words, his door banged open again. Skalidor came in looking slightly put out. "You called for me, Lord Garmadon?" His voice was low and rumbly.
"Could you at least knock?" Garmadon yelled incredulously.
The Constrictai leader had the decency to look sheepish under Lord Garmadon's glare. "I'm sssorry, Lord Garmadon. Uh…" he paused for a moment. "You wanted to sssee me though, right?"
Lord Garmadon sighed again, rethinking his earlier statement about the intelligence of the Serpentine. For a moment, he wished Skales was back. That moment ended when he remembered what the snake had tried to do with his son.
"You led the mission to get the kunoichi of water," Lord Garmadon stated accusingly. "I sent you, and you failed. Do you have anything to show?"
Skalidor thought for a moment before pulling out a small object. "One of the Constrictai pulled thisss off of the blue one. Didn't even notice it wasss gone."
Lord Garmadon grabbed the object and peered down at it. It looked like a simple compass, but no matter which way he pointed it, the needle didn't move. Angrily, he looked up at Skalidor.
"You brought me back a broken compass?"
The Constrictai rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, um, I thought you could find a use for it."
"Get out," Garmadon commanded sternly.
The Constrictai general didn't bother saying anything else before heading out the door. He knew he'd failed his mission. Failure was not an option.
Garmadon slumped back in his chair, his thoughts drifting back to the kunoichi. He put down the golden weapon, staring down at the compass. When it didn't move, he sighed and threw it on the table.
"I wish I could find the location of one of the kunoichi," he whispered quietly, hoping his shadows would hear him.
When he didn't get a response, he yelled and stood up, ready to throw another tantrum. What he saw on his desk made him stop entirely.
The needle on the compass was slowly moving to point definitively to the east.
Lord Garmadon grinned darkly. Maybe the compass did have a use after all. If it gave him the location of the next kunoichi… then all he needed now was a plan.
Ohhh man. Garmadon has the compass, and it sure does look like it works! It looks like we'll be seeing our next kunoichi pretty soon, but don't worry! She won't come into play until after the Double Trouble episode - which, by the way, is going to be a WILD ride. It just so happens that Double Trouble is going to take place over three chapters. I couldn't squeeze it into just one!
Next chapter is going to be a lot of FLUFF and character interactions. Again, not much happening plot wise, but it was a really fun chapter to write. It offers even more insight for Mira and Zane, and you'll just have to wait and find out what happens!
Anyway, please read and review!