A/N: Kai's a little OOC... Oh well! Enjoy!

Part 4- The Darkest Hour

Kai crumpled the piece of paper he was trying to come up with a plan on. He chucked it over his shoulder, where it rolled off the pile of similar crumpled-up papers in the wastebasket and onto the floor, joining other rejected plans.

"This is pointless!" he yelled. "While we're sitting here, trying and failing to come up with a plan that probably won't even work, Pythor's doing First Spinjitzu Master knows what to Lloyd! And Jay for that matter!"

"This is not pointless, Kai," Zane said, softly. "I am concerned for their safety as well. We cannot, however, help them unless we know what it is we are doing."

Cole nodded. "Zane's right. We have to do something." He glanced out the open door. "Maybe we should let Nya, Wu and Pixal help."

"Wu and Pixal can come in whenever they like," Kai muttered. "Nya can't."

"Kai, we get it," Zane said. "You feel guilty for calling Jay expendable, and you want someone to blame for the emotions, and your sister was an easy target."

"Shut up, Zane."

Nya sat on her bed, silently crying. Why didn't the boys let her help? They were better to her than this! Usually. Most of the time.

Who was she kidding. She was just the girl ninja. Just the symbol that a girl can fight. Well, not really anymore. Pixal had taken up that role. So what was she?

"You are you, Nya."

Nya jumped and whipped around to face the newcomer. "Oh, hey, Master." Wu bowed in politeness to her. She bowed back before turning back to her window and sighing.

"Jealous of the boys, I see."

"It's like I'm not even part of the team anymore!" she yelled, all of her anger and fear and resentment coming out in the sentence. "They don't even treat me like a member of the team anymore! What am I if not the Water Ninja? What would I be, Master, if not for my title as Water Ninja?"

"Our true selves come out in adversity," the old man mused. "This speaks volumes of your character, Nya. You do not want your team to forget you. You want to be an important member of the team. Not feeling accepted, in this case, is your brother's fault. Pixal's talking to him now."

"Forgive her?!" Kai yelled. "After keeping this for two months?! I thought Jay died without me apologizing for calling him expendable! I was wrong! I'm the expendable one! I thought I let Jay die thinking I thought he was the lowest of the low on this team! The low guy! The one that doesn't matter! I-"

"I think you can start by stop making it about yourself," Pixal interrupted. Kai blinked in surprise.

Start by stop making it about yourself, Kai parroted in his head as the samurai walked off, most likely to make a rescue plan with Zane. What did she mean by that?

He realized the answer almost immediately after he thought the question. The rescue was about Lloyd and Jay, not him. And in the same instant, he forgave Nya.

A/N: Reveiw!

~NG