A/N: Hello! Umm, can't think of anything… enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: I own Nothing! Except for my OCs!
Chapter One: Peace? Never heard of such a ridiculous thing!
I gritted my teeth together as I wiggled through the air vent, dragging an offline Zane behind me. "Of course… when the Mechanic breaks out of prison and kidnaps Zane, the same time we receive word that a band of Samurai bandits had enslaved an entire village…and that there is a random dude with amnesia that might be Sensei. And to top it off, it's Dragon Day and the mayor wants Lloyd to secure the parade route…" I broke off from my grumbling when the sound of something heavy pulling the air vent down from somewhere behind me alerted me that I probably should stop complaining that I had to get the Mechanic behind bars without any help and get moving.
Tightening my grip on Zane, I vaulted out of the air vent, tossing him onto the floor nearby. The Mechanic turned to face me, a maniacal grin dancing on his face. "Red ninja! Time to meet your doom!" He pulled out something…I wasn't sure what it was, out from behind his back.
"Nice…but I really don't feel like playing nice with you." I lit my hand on fire, fingers curling into a fist.
A minute later, I was tackling him to the ground, trying to overpower him. The Mechanic laughed as he tossed me to the side as if I were nothing more than a bale of hay. Turning to face me, he raised his arm up to deal the final blow…and promptly turned into a giant icicle. Which would have been great if I hadn't froze with him.
Zane appeared in my field of vision, a frown on his face. "Sorry Kai. My hearing receptors were working, so I knew that you wanted some help…and well, Pixal contacted me. Lloyd wants the team to meet up, preferably now."
I rolled my eyes at him, even as I summoned my fire again, slowly melting the ice that encased me.
…
I ignored Nya and the others questioning glances as I sat shivering, three different blankets draped over me despite the midsummer weather. Zane appeared to accept that I only want to explain what happened once and was not answering their questions, no matter how often Jay and Cole pestered him about it.
Finally, Lloyd arrived at the Airjitzu Temple, dropping neatly to the ground. "Sorry I'm late…Zane did you freeze Kai by accident again?" Lloyd planted his hands on his hips, dismay flooding his features.
"Smart…these guys didn't figure it out yet." I commented as I tilted my head to the side.
Lloyd shook his head, before launching straight to the point. "Ok… so during the parade some ancient artifact called the Oni Mask of Vengeance…" Lloyd shot me a questioning look. I shrugged, indicating that he should continue on. "Fine. Anyways, I did some research, apparently there is a new uprising crime organization called the Sons of Garmadon, and they're the ones that stole it..." Lloyd sighed as he noticed that Jay had shot his hand up into the air. "Yes Jay, they look to what my father did under the influence of the Great Devourer's venom as what they should do. Now put your hand down. We're not a school."
Jay dropped his hand, looking confused. "Actually I was wondering if you knew about the one-eyed dude standing behind you."
All heads snapped back to look behind Lloyd. Sure enough, standing behind Lloyd was an old man. He was wearing the green and gold uniform of the Imperial guard, a gold helmet resting on his head. His eyebrows, mustache and beard all were a light grey, with a few black hairs. His right eye was a deep ivy green color; his left eye was covered by a black eye-patch.
His hand rested dangerously on the handle of a gun that was resting on his hip. "I am Hutchins, Royal Master of Arms and Counsel to the Imperial Majesties. I have a request to make that I hope you will honor me with."
I felt all breath leave me, my heart pounding loudly in my ears…no wait. That's Nya's emotions, not mine. Calm down sis. He didn't say we would meet the Imperial family. I flashed to Nya as I tried to see if I could lose some blankets without shivering to death. I really didn't want Hutchins to think I was ill or anything.
Lloyd crossed his arms, his eyes staring our guest down. "What is it that you need us to do?"
"There is a second Oni Mask. The Imperial family has it in the palace…however the thievery of the other one has us concerned that these Sons of Garmadon might be after both. The Emperor is giving a public speech tomorrow. I want you six to work undercover to protect them." Hutchins didn't waver at all, not once dropping the professionalism to appear even remotely friendly.
A sudden flurry of emotions erupted across my bond with Nya right before she fainted. "Don't mind her. You basically said that we get to see the Emperor from a distance." I moved to crouch down next to her, glad that I could breathe easier now that she wasn't broadcasting to me.
Zane nodded in agreement to my actions, pleased that he didn't have to be the one to tend to her. Hutchins cleared his throat, confusion now crowding into his eye. "I see…you do know how to be discreet, right?"
"We're ninja. Don't worry about it." Lloyd cut in, brushing him off.
….
I ignored the way that the majority of my brothers whispered to each other about a certain thing that we had noticed earlier. Nya burst into giggles every time that she heard about it, all the while tugging on her dresses collar. When Mother had heard that we were going to be guarding the palace, undercover, she had insisted that we wear what would have been considered nice formal wear back in our days, but now…we look ridiculous. I was wearing black breeches with a long sleeved white tunic with a red vest and shiny black boots. A red cap was pulled low over my eyes, hopefully hiding my embarrassment. Nya on the other hand was wearing a dyed pink cotton gown that dragged across the ground; the sleeves puffing out where they met her shoulders, the edges of the sleeves and her collar were trimmed with perfectly white lace. She wore a matching bonnet over her head, covering her hair that was barely long enough to pull back into a bun. Thankfully, she held Mother's favorite fan in her hand.
Lloyd groaned as he shifted suddenly, turning to glare at the others. "Ok…what's so funny? Please share, I am sure we will all find it all very amusing."
"Your voice…" Jay sniggered into his hand, his blue bow tie undone around his neck.
Zane shook his head, even as he readjusted the snow white bow tie he was wearing. "It is deeper than the last time we were all together. I know it was only for a few days…but we noticed. Oh, Kai, Nya? You do realize that when we found out that this is a formal event and all those attending it must dress accordingly…you do know that your newer formal clothes would have done fine, correct?"
"Mother insisted." We spoke in unison, with me pulling my cap lower, while Nya snapped the fan open. Waving the fan in front of her face, she continued eagerly. "On the bright side, Mother says I am now old enough to inherit the Fan of Nerissa."
I rolled my eyes at her, even as I spotted something floating through the air. Before I could point it out to the others though, Cole suddenly spoke up. "Hey Lloyd, why ya starin' at the princess? Do you have a crush?"
Lloyd turned bright red as he whipped his head around to glare at him. "Cole! We are here to ensure the Imperial Family's safety. I DO NOT have a crush on anyone. I was just finding the fact she is wearing a green kimono interesting."
Sniggers escaped us, even as Nya suddenly snapped the family heirloom closed. "Guys! Look! That balloon over there has the symbol for the Sons of Garmadon on it!"
We didn't even plot out a plan first. Breaking off into different directions, we scattered in a race to get there first. I wove my way through the crowd, mumbling apologies as I neared the balloon. I'm going after the Empress and Princess. I have a bad feeling about this. Everyone knows that when we see a threat, we split up to surround it…
I blinked rapidly, reaching up to turn my comlink on. "Guys, Nya just made a good point to me. It is no secret that we split up in this kind of situation. What if our friends are just trying to draw us away from the Imperial Family?"
Lloyd's voice crackled over the comlink, worry edging his voice. "She's right. I'll go back to the front. You guys get to that balloon!"
…
Of course, the second the snapping of explosives are heard, the entire crowd goes running for cover, in a panic. Shaking my head, I squeezed through a few more people, trying to get to the stage. Everything is under control…literally under control. False alarm guys. It was just some firecrackers. Nya's voice filled my mind, annoyance humming through our connection even as I finally burst free of the stampede. I glanced over at Nya, glad to see that she had pocketed our family heirloom. Running up onto the stage, I helped the Empress up while Lloyd and Nya took defensive positions around the Princess. Zane and Cole arrived, quickly surrounding the Emperor.
Jay laughed nervously as he jumped down next to me. "Sorry, I couldn't get past the crowd. Hope I'm not too late to join the party."
"You are…Nya already confirmed that it was just a false alarm." I stated calmly as I shifted slightly, looking around for any new threats.
Hutchins nodded his thanks as he joined us and the Imperial Family, his face blank. The Emperor quickly whispered something to Hutchins, who nodded in agreement to whatever it was. A minute later, he walked back over to us.
"The Imperial Family would like to thank you for your service. They would also like to know if you would stay at the palace to help guard the Mask of Deception." Hutchins placed his hands behind his back in the same position Sensei sometimes would when awaiting for one of us to answer a deep psychological question.
Lloyd bowed to him, his voice calm and for once professional. "Of course. What time would you like us to arrive?"
"Tonight at the latest." Hutchins then turned around, leaving us alone.
…
I readjusted my gi, glad we could go in uniform this time around. Glancing over at Nya, I spotted the fan resting on her hip, next to one of her daggers. "Ready?"
"Seeing as we're waiting for you two to cross the threshold? Yes, we're ready." Lloyd called out from where he was standing…inside of the doorway.
Scowling, I hurried after him, Nya on my heels. Hutchins nodded to us before leading us to the Imperial Throne Room. Once inside, we spotted the Imperial Family. Unlike the rush of the moment from earlier, we could actually see them clearly. The Emperor had dark gray hair, with a thin mustache; he wore gray dress pants and a green dress shirt, underneath a green suit jacket. Black dress shoes adorned his feet, glinting like brand new, his eyes were a deep azure blue. The Empress, who stood next to him, was wearing a traditional green kimono with gray and gold highlights and with a white cape with a green floral pattern on it. Her eyes were a light green color, her hair which was done up in a bun was a light brown color. The mysterious Jade Princess stood on her father's other side, slightly behind him. She was still wearing the green kimono from earlier, a gold headpiece holding her long snowy white hair up. She also wore a white cape with a red floral print on it.
The Emperor moved forward, coming to a stop right in front of us. "We are honored to meet you, heroes of Ninjago."
"I think…" Jay started to say, before Lloyd elbowed him hard in the side. Stepping forward, Lloyd swept low into a bow. "The honor is ours your imperialness."
"Have you met my daughter? The Jade Princess, Harumi. She is the one that requested your presence here." The Emperor announced as he beckoned his daughter forward.
Harumi smiled at us, excitement gleaming in her eyes. "It is soo wonderful to meet you all in person. I have followed all of your careers in the ninja business."
I smiled tightly at her, even as I noticed that her eyes were drawn to the fan at Nya's side…
…
I shifted slightly; feeling bored just standing around waiting for something to happen. Nya rolled her eyes at me as she examined the miniscule details of our ancestor's fan. It was our shift to guard the Mask of Deception, and I was being to question why we were doing this. Technically, we never had to guard anything before. Sure, there was the time with the Fangblades, but no one knew where they were at so we had to go and find them.
If they are after the Oni Masks, then they might be after the Lost Oni Mask of Hatred. Nya suddenly pointed out to me.
I stifled a sigh, shifting through my childhood memories about the legend of the Three Oni Masks. There is a reason why it is called the Lost Oni Mask of Hatred. I flashed across our bond, allowing, annoyance to slip through.
Kai…
"Nya, don't. Look, the Lost Oni Mask of Hatred was placed somewhere where only someone with Oni blood can get to it. And seeing as the only one who even knows what an Oni is, happens to be dead…" I broke off, catching a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye.
Nya shifted, slipping the fan back onto her belt, a frown on her face as she followed the same movement with her eyes. "You do realize that the Oni Spy might be still around."
"Only you would believe that a creature of darkness is watching over all of Ninjago." I muttered under my breath as I reached for my sword.
A/N: Done! Phew. Um, yeah, all of that just happened. Kai and Nya don't really know much about the Oni Masks, they were considered myths by everyone by the time they came along. But they do know that there are three Masks and not two, while everyone else thinks it is three. Hoped that you enjoyed reading this little chapter!
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SkyTalon