Nicki's Story
76
Wu closed his eyes briefly, collecting his thoughts. He had spent some time calming the Dragons and Oni. In the end it was decided that the Oni would head back to the Baron's fortress with Keyda and He would ride the Ultra Dragon and take the Dragons back to Dragon Haven. United Nation or not, it was probably best to keep the two groups exclusive for the time being as they warmed up to the idea of not attacking each other. He was here in the underground Dragon bunker, where the dragons finally seemed to have calmed down. Now, he was going to rile them up all over again.
He cleared his throat to get their attention, and a worm of worry ate at his stomach. He wasn't sure how they were going to take this.
"I wanted to say…thank you. For helping me make this union. I know that letting go of centuries of anger towards the wrongs done to you will not be an easy task. But along the way, some rights will be returned. For instance, if you do not wish to live underground, none are required to; it is time Dragons take to the sky once again. Now you can do so without worry of capture."
The Dragons roared in celebration, and Wu felt a few of the nervous butterflies settle. He wondered why he was so nervous around his followers; he was used to leading—sometimes even large groups. But even leading elemental masters was nothing like leading huge flying reptiles.
"In the next three days, I want the Dragons to spend time getting organized. I would like to know how many of you there are…what abilities you possess. It seems only right that I get to know each of you."
The dragons didn't really react to that part. Wu took a deep breath.
"During these three days, I…will not be around. I'm trusting you all to be resourceful while I am away on a journey."
Here he could hear the animosity rumbling through his ranks. He swallowed.
"I understand that it doesn't make sense for me to leave right now…but the truth is that there is a great force poisoning my home realm. I am not the only son of the child of old…and right now my brother is as connected to the Oni power as I am to the Dragon power. If I and my students do not travel there to curb his reign, he will undoubtably destroy that realm. And once he has, there will be nothing to stop him from coming here."
The Dragons looked at each other as he spoke. He knew they were probably trying to tell if he was lying or not. He boarded the Ultra Dragon.
"Three days. Then I promise I will be back. In the meantime, feel free to look for new homes and to take to the skies. Though I must remind you that attacking Oni is strictly prohibited…"
The Dragons watched, perplexed, as their newly-called leader seemingly abandoned them.
"I will be back. You have my word." And with that, the Dragon-Master disappeared as the Ultra-Dragon went running down the exit tunnel.
Keyda
"Wait…you're leaving?!"
Keyda didn't make eye-contact as she quickly packed a sack with a few provisions from the fortress. The Oni had all arrived and Keyda had spent the better part of the day trying to find enough places for everyone to sleep and camp out. The higher castes had the rooms in the fortress, while the lower rungs were in tents outside. She didn't like the Oni hierarchy of power…but that was a war to be fought another day. The important thing was everyone seemed settled.
She turned to Heavy Metal, who was raising an incredulous eyebrow.
"You can handle things while I'm gone. You were the Baron's right-hand, after all…"
"If you remember…I wasn't supposed to make any decisions. I never made any decisions under the Baron. The only thing I know how to do is follow orders…"
"Then here's an order: Don't let anyone know I'm gone. It's only going to be for a few days at most. A…previous engagement I'm bound to."
"What am I supposed to…"
"The Baron wasn't out in public 24/7, was he? Make something up…tell them I want my privacy."
"After all that…you're just gonna leave?"
Keyda sighed. It seemed like it took Heavy Metal awhile to process things.
"I'll be back. In the meantime you can carry out the dragon-release orders."
"But…"
"DON'T tell me you can't do that, because you were the Baron's chief enforcer." her tone had become sharp as she turned to him. "Your power and influence might have been tied to his…but that doesn't mean that all your skills disappeared with his death. All you have to do is hold the fort down for a few days and not let everything get out of hand."
Heavy Metal eyed her with annoyance and distrust.
"Maybe I should just oust you now as the abandoner you are…"
"You could." she slung the bag over her shoulder. "But you and I know that would only create nasty chaos at this point…and a power vacuum. And unless you want some of those other oily jerks bossing you around, I suggest you follow my plan." She headed out of the door and down the hall.
"How will you get out unnoticed?" he whispered loudly after her. He still seemed pretty annoyed. She turned to look at him.
"I have my ways. See you in a few days."
Ninja
The ninja were tired of waiting around; every second that ticked by was another second they weren't back home. They were so close…but under their nerves and excitement was an underlying sense of dread.
"Ok…I'm just gonna say it," Kai spoke up from where he was lounging up against his elemental dragon, foot twitching in impatience. "What are we going to do if we get back and Garmadon has some kind of crazy army? Or if all our friends have been wiped out? Or if there's nothing left at all?!"
"You can't think that way!" Jay cut in. He had been humming, pacing, and a dozen other things that betrayed how determined he was to be positive. "I mean, there's just as likely a chance that everyone's already taken back the realm and we can just fly into a well needed vacation…"
"It is sometimes best to plan for the worst case scenario…just in case." Zane pointed out. Jay shrugged.
"Look, all I know is that whatever Garmadon has been up to, the others are fine. Nya is, at least."
"And how do you reckon that? Your love stretches across realms now?" Cole asked, sarcastically. Jay rolled his eyes.
"Don't you remember the first spinjitzu master's tomb? It's fate…fate I tell you! We're gonna go back, get our friends back, beat the bad guys, take back the realm…"
"And live happily ever after?" Cole finished in a sardonic tone. Jay waved him off.
"Mock all you want. The power of positive thinking has helped us in the past. Don't try to deny it."
"I just think that…"
"Can it, guys. Wu's on his way back," Kai snapped. He had enough to worry about without Jay and Cole starting up again. The ninja watched as the Ultra-Dragon drew closer. Wu did a quick head count as he landed.
"She's not here…" he said as he dismounted. Kai gave a half shrug.
"Maybe she decided she didn't want to come after all. She has a whole nation that she could rule without you…"
"Or maybe not all of us have dragon transportation." a voice cut in. Everyone turned in surprise as Keyda seemed to materialize a few yards away. She was wearing her normal surly expression and had a sack slung over one shoulder. "Are we ready then?"
"Geez…" Jay said. "We need to get you a bell or something," his comment just earned him a glare.
"How exactly are we doing this, Wu?" Zane asked. His sensei looked over with a small smile.
"The Ultra-Dragon has gone between our realms before. He knows the way."
The rest of the team was incredulous. "But…but I thought we couldn't just get on a dragon and go back?!" Jay reminded.
"We couldn't go back without the Dragon Master…because he was the only one with the necessary power to counter Garmadon's new Oni power. But now we have found the Dragon Master, overturned the prophecy's imprisoning effects, and now should technically be able to get back to Ninjago."
"Technically?!" Kai asked, astounded. Wu shrugged.
"Guess we'll never know till we try, right?"
"Why not just take our own Elemental Dragons?" Cole asked, looking up at the brown Dragon that was currently towering over him.
We have never physically crossed over the realm barrier…but based on the deeper connections forged here, we should be able to appear as an extension of your elemental powers, as we did years ago before the Oni presence in your realm forced us away.
"Awwww… so you aren't coming?" Jay was pouting a bit. "So, no elemental dragons…and I still don't see why we can't bring the entire dragon army along for support. That would certainly help our cause!"
Wu shook his head. "The transition from this realm to ours is going to be tricky enough with just the one dragon who actually knows the way. Anything more than that could mean that none of us will make it. Now, everyone onboard."
The ninja clambered onto the Ultra Dragon. Keyda looked behind her before joining them. There was much more room on the Ultra-Dragon for the six of them than there had been on Jay's elemental dragon, though there was still only one saddle.
Jay sat, excited to take off. Despite the rest of his friends' negative outlooks, he was determined not to give up hope on his "happily-ever-after," as Cole put it. Surely they had all come so far and succeeded against so much…they could solve this last little problem and get on with the rest of their lives. He felt like that wasn't so much to ask.
He glanced over at the rest of his companions as the Ultra-Dragon opened its wings for take-off. They all seemed lost in their own thoughts. He noticed Keyda was sitting next to Cole. He still wasn't sure how he felt about that. Not that it would even work out anyways; Keyda had to come back here… so really it wasn't even worth worrying about. His thoughts turned back to his own girlfriend and he smiled as the dragon flew through the rays of sunset.
"Hey, Kai!"
The red ninja looked up, torn from his own thoughts.
"What?"
"I'm letting you know in advance... the second I see Nya, I'm gonna dip her…"
Kai caught on to where this was heading. "Just…stop…"
"And I'm gonna kiss her. So don't say that I didn't warn you."
Kai dry washed his face, looking disgusted. "You realize that it's ten times worse that you told me in advance, right? That you even felt like you needed to tell me…."
Everyone shared a chuckle at that, all except Keyda, who just looked confused.
"Wait…what?"
Everyone looked over at her. Jay noticed her expression and scoffed.
"Don't you Oni know what kissing is?"
"What…what is?"
Jay was shocked. "Well no wonder the Oni are always in such bad moods…"
Keyda flushed. Jay figured that she probably didn't enjoy being teased, but he couldn't help it. The angry Oni sure liked to act like she knew everything…but she didn't even know what kissing was?
"Is anybody actually going to explain it…or…"
She flushed again as the laughing started up once more. She turned to Kai, trying to at least fill in the blanks.
"So…it's something that he likes…" she pointed a thumb at Jay. "But you don't….are you bad at it or something?"
The rest of the ninja laughed harder and it was Kai's turn to turn bright red. Wu could be heard snickering in his place at the front of the dragon.
"NO…it's just…uh…" he cleared his throat, glaring at his friends. "I just don't enjoy watching Jay kiss my sister…"
Keyda blinked. Kai wondered if she was surprised that he had a sister. Not that she had ever asked about his family. He eyed daggers at his still snickering friends. Time to direct the attention elsewhere.
"If you really want to know more about kissing, maybe you should ask Cole to show you…"
Cole immediately sobered. Keyda turned to him expectantly.
"Shut up, Kai…."
Keyda threw her arms up in exasperation. "Would someone just explain…"
"To kiss: the act…" Zane chimed in with what sounded like the beginning of a dictionary definition.
"OK, THAT'S ENOUGH." Cole cut him off and covered the nindroid's mouth amid more laughter. Keyda glared at him for interrupting the only person who was actually willing to explain to her what was going on. He ignored her look, calling up to the Dragon Master at the front of the Dragon.
"Wu! Are we almost to…wherever it is we're heading?"
"We are approaching the proper altitude. Everybody, hold on!"
The ninja looked around for something to hold on to as the atmosphere around them became hazy. Wu took a deep breath.
"Here…we…go…."
77
"So…." Ronin couldn't help but cut in. "What exactly is it that you're doing?"
P.I.X.A.L sighed internally. "I took readings of both the Oni and Dragon power frequencies while in the stronghold. I'm analyzing the fallout of the explosion to see which kind of power…if either…is more prevalent. Then, if I may connect myself to the…illicit hardward in your craft, I may be able to do a more wide-spread scan for the frequencies over a larger distance."
"And that will help you determine what exactly?"
"It will hopefully give us some kind of understanding of whether or not the balance has been skewed…"
"And we want it skewed why?"
"Because then I might actually be able to conjur my elemental dragon. It might actually give us a heads up on Garmadon." Nya's tone implied that she didn't appreciate all Ronin's questions. He rolled his eyes.
"Well, fine then. Knock yourself out. In the meantime…I'm heading back to the Sam X cave. With P.I.X.A.L on her mystical-power-search, I'm gonna need someone else manning the SoG monitor…"
"On it." Skylor volunteered, eager to have something useful to do. P.I.X.A.L ignored Ronin's quips and went over to R.E.X's motherboard to plug herself in so she could increase her range.
Everyone was silent for a few minutes while she processed. Finally, Nya couldn't stay quiet any longer.
"Anything?" she asked.
"Though nothing is conclusive…based on these readings it seems that both the armor and the masks were destroyed. I am not picking up either of their signatures…"
Everyone let that sink in.
"Hopefully we don't need that armor for anything else." Ronin commented dryly.
"As far as overall power signatures, even REX's larger range isn't really enough to draw any definite conclusions. Though, the data so far does seem to indicate a return to the even balance."
Nya looked down at her hands.
"Don't even think about forming a dragon inside my ship," Ronin snapped without looking back at her. Nya glared at the back of his head.
"I wasn't…"
"Sure…"
REX continued to speed along, Skylor calling out every once and awhile that the way ahead seemed clear of threats. Lloyd sat silently, looking down at the floor, thinking. Did destroying the masks make a difference? He couldn't help but feel a little bit of regret that he didn't touch the golden armor when he had the chance. Now it was gone…and with it, any hope he had of a power re-charge. He struggled to come up with the next step in their plan. Well…he knew what the next step was, but given that it was basically just "defeat Garmadon and Harumi" he knew he was going to need to come up with a way to actually accomplish that.
"Wait."
Everyone glanced up at P.I.X.A.L, who seemed to be analyzing something that didn't make sense.
"Is something wrong?" Lloyd asked, but she didn't seem to hear him. She turned to Ronin.
"There seems to be some kind of anomaly but we're too far out for me to analyze it. I need to you to head south."
"South? To check out an anomaly? Are you sure that's not just gonna be a waste of time?"
"I am not sure what it is, but there seems to be some kind of dragon-power surge…but like I said, I cannot actually figure out what it is unless I am closer to it."
"It could be a trap," Skylor warned.
"If it was a surge of Oni power, I could believe that," Lloyd pointed out. "I mean, my fa…Garmadon could have done that. But Dragon Power? That seems like a harder thing to duplicate." Everyone had turned to look at him and he suddenly realized that they were waiting for him to make the final decision. He thought about it for a few moments.
"Let's go check it out."
Harumi
Mr. E typed furiously into the monitors in Borg Tower. A few minutes back their sensors had picked up on the remnants of some kind of surge, and he was trying to pinpoint the location.
"Any idea what it could be?" Harumi hissed from nearby. Mr. E shrugged, his unblinking eyes never leaving the screen.
"Traces of Oni power…I would estimate it has something to do with the masks."
Harumi pounded a fist on the table. How on earth did Lloyd slip through her fingers once again? And with the masks on top of it. She had discovered the theft when she had discovered Mr. E. She hadn't let herself worry too much about it; after all, she was sure they would find the rebels quickly, masks in hand. But now she couldn't help wonder if they were trying to harness the power for themselves…or had learned how to destroy the masks altogether?
"Can you pinpoint the location?"
Mr. E continued typing.
"Based on this reading…it seems to have originated somewhere in or around Haroshi's labyrinth."
"Then I want troops dispatched right away. I want…"
"No."
A voice came from behind her, and she whirled around to bow.
"Emperor Garmadon….I did not hear you come in…"
"The masks are not any of our concern anymore…"
"But the masks will tell us where Lloyd is, your highness…"
"He is not our concern anymore either." Garmadon said, causing Harumi to blink in surprise.
"But I thought…"
"My brother has managed to make it back to this realm."
Harumi went cold. "You're sure?"
Garmadon narrowed his eyes at her. She regretted questioning him but held his gaze with her head held high. There was no reason to cower to him.
"I am sure. He has returned to the realm."
"You can sense him." Harumi realized. "So…you know where he is? Are the ninja with him?"
"I know that he has returned to the realm. I have no connection to my brother's students…but I doubt he would have left them behind."
"We will stop them regardless." Harumi assured. "They'll be down one ninja already,"
Garmadon turned to her, face serious. "What do you mean?"
"You told me one was in limbo, with the rest of your soul. So I doubt he will be a problem."
"Indeed…" Garmadon mused. He was quiet for a few moments more, thinking. "And yet, my soul was alone last I checked in."
Harumi tried not to sigh in exasperation. "Which means…what, exactly?"
Garmadon glanced over. "Which means that if any of our forces dig up the Master of Earth, I have a few questions for him. As for the rest of my brother's students and their allies, you can do what you think is best. The only one I need alive for my plan to work is Wu."
"So you no longer require Lloyd?"
"No. You are free to do with him what you wish."
"Understood." Harumi smirked. "Then I suppose it's time to get our forces moving… nothing draws out the ninja like threatening Ninjago City."
Survivors
Ronin grunted as he flew through the fog. He wasn't sure what kind of anomaly the robot chick was tracking, but he didn't really like flying blind and she was still commandeering his monitors. He was about ready to go against the decision to "check it out"-his ship, his rules, after all—but the robot finally spoke up.
"I don't have a lot of data to compare to…but based on these readings a Dragon has entered our realm…"
"A Dragon?!" Nya asked.
"There's only one Dragon that I've ever seen in Ninjago…" Lloyd mused. Nya turned to him.
"Do you think it's the Ultra-Dragon? Because he would certainly be an asset in the next few days…" Nya said, voice full of hope.
"But why would he show up now?" Lloyd wondered. Skylor chimed in from her station by the SoG monitor.
"Maybe he's been trying to for a while but couldn't, and now that the Oni masks are destroyed he finally was able to make it back."
Hearing this made Lloyd feel a whole lot better about the whole mask-destroying-endeavor. If doing so really did make it so that they could have a dragon join their side, it would make the last day a whole lot more worth it.
"We are getting close now…" P.I.X.A.L updated her team. In fact, she was close enough that she was picking up some other signatures. One seemed to be technological…
"Well…I'm glad you're so sure," Ronin grumbled. "…because I can't see a…."
"Land the ship." P.I.X.A.L cut in with an odd tone of voice. She had turned from the monitors and was staring out the window in an almost desperate manner. Ronin looked over at her.
"What? I can't land in this, I don't even…"
"LAND THE SHIP, NOW!"
The whole team went silent as they looked over at P.I.X.A.L in surprise. They had heard her be passive aggressive, angry, and even sullen. But none of them had ever heard her yell at someone. Even Ronin decided it was probably better for him just to comply. As REX plummeted to the ground for a rocky landing, the android continued looking out the window, as if she was searching for something.
"Pix, is everything ok? Are we under attack?" Lloyd asked. Everyone couldn't help being a little worried. P.I.X.A.L didn't respond; she just seemed to be talking to herself.
"How…how could I be getting these readings…"
"What readings? What's going on?!" Nya demanded as REX finally came to a stop in a field.
"There, pretty skilled landing, if I do say so myself…" Ronin said as P.I.X.A.L ripped the mainframe chords out of herself. The thief grunted. "HEY! Careful with that!"
But P.I.X.A.L had already reached the exit and was now running through the fog-covered grass. Lloyd, Skylor, and Nya looked at each other in shock. What on earth had gotten into her?
"Ronin…" Nya started, but the thief just sighed and waved away her comment.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll stay with the ship and keep checking for S.O.G. You go figure out what shorted out in your friend there." He pulled out his magazine as the three other teens darted off after P.I.X.A.L.
78
"That was the most terrifying experience of my life." Keyda muttered. Jay looked over at her and couldn't help but laugh; her thick black hair was crazier than normal and she looked harrowed by the realm-shift experience.
"Yeah…I forgot that Dragons do the whole dive-bomb thing in order to transport between realms."
"We probably could have given a little bit more warning," Kai agreed. The Ultra Dragon had landed and they were trying to figure out where they were. He and Wu had already dismounted and were looking around. "I don't recognize this part of Ninjago…"
"The fog everywhere certainly doesn't help." Cole added. His brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to slide off the dragon without hurting himself. "Any ideas, Zane?"
The Nindroid jumped off the Dragon and helped Cole with his dismount. "Luckily, as a Nindroid I am not as easily impaired by obstacles such as fog," Zane said with a smile. "I'm scanning now…we seem to be in a southern part of Ninjago…" he trailed off, frowning. Cole gave him a quizzical look as he leaned on the Ultra-Dragon for a bit of extra support.
"What's up?" Jay asked, trying not to be worried at Zane's expression or his sudden silence.
"You pick up on some bad-guys in the area or something?" Kai added. Zane shook his head.
"No…in fact it actually seems like…" his eyebrows shot up and he began walking away from the group.
"Seems like WHAT, Zane?!" Jay called after him as the Nindroid began striding through the long grass.
Keyda had made her own way off the Dragon and slid an arm around Cole's waist to support him. He jumped, not expecting it, and gave her a confused look. She rolled her eyes.
"Calm down, Idiot. You still need all the help you can get. Especially if we have to go chase down the metal man…"
"…Zane?"
A female voice suddenly floated through the fog, cutting Keyda off and making her hair stand on end. She immediately became prepared to attack.
"What the heck was that?!" she hissed. They could still see Zane up ahead, and he started running.
"ZANE!" There was that voice again, and Keyda watched as a figure burst through the fog and jumped at the metal man. At first she assumed that it was someone attacking him; he seemed ready for it and caught the figure in the middle of their assault. But after hearing them laughing, she wondered if perhaps it wasn't an attack at all.
"Is that…P.I.X.A.L?!" Jay asked in disbelief. Everyone started picking their way towards the Robotic couple. The Master of Lightening began looking around frantically. "Wait, do you think Nya is here somewhere too?"
Meanwhile P.I.X.A.L couldn't help but run a million algorithms as she studied Zane's face.
"You are here…you are alive…" she put a hand on his face. "How are you alive?"
He grabbed her hand with a small smile.
"It is a long story…but I am excited to share it with you. How did you know we were coming back?"
"I did not know…but we picked up an anomaly and decided to check it out…"
"We? Who else is with you?"
Before she got a chance to answer, Lloyd, Skylor and Nya burst through the fog and into the clearing. They all pulled up short when they saw who P.I.X.A.L was with.
"Is that…" Lloyd started just as Nya gasped "How?!" She didn't have a lot of processing time, however, because in the next second she was blindsided as some force hit and nearly knocked her off her feet. She looked up into a beaming, freckled face.
"JAY?!"
"Sorry I'm late…" he made a show to dip her low and then went in for a kiss. She was too shocked to do anything but kiss him back for a few seconds, but then she pulled back. Her brain was not processing any of this…had Ronin somehow killed them in the fog?
"Are we dead?! Is this the departed realm?" she demanded as Jay pulled her up. He laughed and shook his head. Her heart skipped a beat…she had almost forgotten how much she loved that laugh.
"I don't think so…unless the Ultra-Dragon took us to the departed realm by mistake…"
"The Ultra-Dragon? Wait…how…how are you alive? How did you survive?" Lloyd had a million questions as well. As the shock wore off his throat tightened. He looked past the two couples in front of him and almost started crying when he saw the other figures in the distance.
"You're all alive?! How? Where's…where's Wu?"
"I'm right here, nephew."
Lloyd looked over to see stranger wearing golden armor, smiling at him. He couldn't have been much older than Lloyd himself. The Green Ninja laughed in delight.
"Wu?! You're alive! And you grew up!" he laughed again, eyes swimming with tears as Wu gave him a hug. "But I saw you all die…how on earth did you survive?"
Kai reached the hugging masses and pulled Jay off his sister.
"Alright, you had your fun. Out of the way."
"KAI!" She jumped into him and he caught her in a hug.
"Heya, sis. Sorry if we worried you…it's been a crazy week for sure." She tried to laugh, but the reality of the situation finally seemed to have hit home and she started crying.
"You're alright…you're all alright…" As she came out of her hug with her big brother she looked around, still not quite believing it. Zane, Jay, Kai…they were all here! She even spotted Cole over by the Ultra-Dragon…but who was with him?
"Hey, Kai?"
"Yeah?"
"Uh…who's that…person with Cole?"
Jay and Kai both glanced over at their friend.
"Oh, that's Keyda. She's…an Oni." Kai said vaguely.
"She's…wait, she's a what?" Nya was incredulous.
"Don't worry! She's here to help defeat Garmadon. She's a good Oni." Jay explained, though it didn't seem to help Nya's confusion.
"Most of the time…" Kai added unhelpfully.
"What?! You guys go missing for a week and then show up on the Ultra-Dragon with an Oni of all things…" she looked over at them again and noticed that the Oni chick had her arm around Cole.
"Wait…wait, are her and Cole…does he…."
"IIIIIII prefer not to think about it, actually…." Kai admitted. Nya looked between Kai and Jay's uncomfortable expressions to Cole with the Oni girl and decided that she might need to sit down. As she was looking around at the group, taking it all in, she noticed that Skylor was standing a ways back. Nya felt a little pang of guilt as she caught the redhead's self-conscious stance. She turned back to her brother.
"Hey Kai, there's someone else you should probably go greet…"
Skylor had watched all the proceedings with the same mix of joy and disbelief that everyone else was experiencing. The difference was that while the rest of her team was hugging and catching up, she couldn't help but feel like an outsider once again…like she was intruding on something personal that she wasn't really meant to be a part of. So she hung back. She was surprised when she saw Kai start picking his way over to her.
"You're here!" he said, wearing his usual characteristic smirk. "Did you miss me?" She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't quite keep the smile off her face.
"Oh, sure…but while you guys were off riding your pet dragon the rest of us were here getting some real work done…"
"Is that right?" He smiled at her, but below his ego and confidence she suddenly realized that the red ninja seemed a little self-conscious. It wasn't like they ever had an established relationship…maybe he was just unsure of himself.
"That's exactly right…" Skylor said, eyebrow raised and arms folded. Then she smiled and gave him a hug. "But it's good to have you back regardless.
79
It seemed that the figure who Keyda had thought was attacking Zane was like him…made of metal. It was strange for her to think that there were other metal-people like Zane walking around out there; he had seemed pretty one-of-a-kind. Whoever this girl was, they seemed close.
She heard Jay gasp when other figures burst into view.
"Nya!"
It sounded like he wanted to yell it, but the word seemed to catch in his throat at the same time. She couldn't help but shake her head as she watched him basically bowl a dark-haired girl over. That was the girl that they had talked about on the dragon….Kai's sister, if she remembered right. She watched in fascination at what Jay did next.
"So…that's kissing then?"
Cole shrugged in an uncommitted sort of way.
"It looks weird."
He couldn't help but laugh at that. She frowned at him.
"I'm serious…what kind of greeting is that?!"
Cole shook his head, as if he didn't even know what to say to her.
"It's not a greeting…it's more like something you only do…" he sort of trailed off, seemingly uncomfortable.
"Are you actually gonna finish that thought?" She asked, irritated. What the heck was with these guys? They clammed up over the randomest things!
"You know…when you really like someone."
"I've still never seen…"
Cole sighed, annoyed. "In a romantic way…"
Things finally started clicking in Keyda's mind; this 'kissing' was a romantic action. She flushed at the thought and then cursed herself. What was she flushing for?
"So Jay and this Nya are…romantic…" she clarified. She looked over and noticed that for some reason Cole was also bright red.
"Yup. Painfully, at times."
Part of her wanted to ask more while the other part of her just wanted to change the subject. Kai had gone and embraced his sister by this point, and she suddenly realized that the girl was staring at her. Even though she was a ways across the field, Keyda couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under the girl's scrutinizing gaze. It suddenly hit her that even though the colorful outsiders had more or less accepted her, there was no guarantee that their friends would. The thought made her feel very alone.
A green figured picked his way over to them. He seemed a bit younger than the rest of the outsiders…yet he also had this older feel around him, like he had experienced a lot in his short life. He reminded her of Wu, actually.
"I still can't believe it." Lloyd said, giving Cole a hug. Keyda unstrung her arm and stood apart, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do. The blonde kid continued.
"I mean…I…watched you all die. And yet here you all are, safe and sound…" he suddenly caught sight of Cole's many scrapes and bruises, as well as the fact that his friend seemed to be having trouble standing upright. "Well…mainly, at least. Are you alright?"
"Never better," Cole replied, making more of an effort to appear totally fine. Keyda rolled her eyes as the Idiot continued.
"I'm glad to see that you're ok, Lloyd…we've been worried about you and the others ever since we…well, disappeared."
"Wu told me a bit about that…but you guys still have a whole lot more explaining to do for sure." He glanced over at Keyda with a smile. "He also told me you brought some reinforcements…"
Keyda narrowed her eyes as he held out a hand.
"It's good to meet you…uh…" he trailed off when he caught her expression.
"Keyda." she responded. The blonde kept his hand out, though he seemed to be feeling a little awkward that she wasn't taking it. She sighed internally and grudgingly shook it.
"Keyda…that's right. Wu told me…"
"No doubt." she cut him off again, eyebrow raised. "Nice outfit. You fit right in with the rest of these clowns."
"Huh." Lloyd looked at Cole, as if for an explanation. The ninja in black just rolled his eyes.
"I'd say her bark is worse than her bite…but having been a victim of both it's actually hard to say which is worse…" Keyda folded her arms defiantly, glaring at him.
Lloyd just shook his head. He couldn't help but wonder if he was just having some insane dream, after all, and they'd just wake up inside of REX. The whole situation certainly felt pretty surreal.
There was another flurry of motion as Jay's girlfriend came running over to hug Cole. Apparently, no one had warned her of his condition, because her enthusiasm sent him careening backwards. Keyda and Lloyd lunged out and managed to catch him.
"Oh my gosh!" Nya said, "I'm so sorry! I guess I just remember you being a little more…sturdy…"
"S'alright, Nya," Cole was back to standing position again. "Just…caught me by surprise. Like I was just telling Lloyd, it's good to see that you're all ok. Considering what we left, we weren't sure how you guys were faring…"
"How we were faring?!" Nya exclaimed, giving her old friend a much gentler hug. "You guys are the ones who died!"
Keyda frowned as she watched the embrace.
"You thought they were dead?" she asked dryly. Nya looked over at her for the first time.
"Up till a few minutes ago…they were dead. We had a funeral and everything…"
"Speaking of which…" Jay had come up to join the group. "Kai and I had a bet going on who you missed more…."
Nya slugged him in the arm. "Jay Walker, that's not even funny. Do you know how horrific this past week has been?!"
Jay rubbed his arm ruefully as Cole laughed. Wu walked up with Zane and P.I.X.A.L close behind.
"I'm sorry to cut the reunion short, but no doubt my brother has picked up on the disturbance between Oni and Dragon Power. Even if he doesn't know we are here right now, it probably won't take him long to figure it out…"
"But everyone in Ninjago believes you are dead…Garmadon included." P.I.X.A.L pointed out. Her arm was around Zane, like she was afraid that he'd disappear again if she let go.
"Perhaps…but my brother and I have always been a little more in tune with the goings-on of Ninjago than the average citizen. It is best if we work as if we are on the verge of being discovered. Now, Lloyd," the Green ninja turned to him. "We need to formulate a plan…"
"Ok, right…" Lloyd said. It had been weird enough to see Wu as a baby, or toddler… for some reason it was even weirder having his uncle be the same age as him. "Maybe we should head back to the Samurai X cave; that's where everyone else is waiting."
Wu raised an eyebrow. "Everyone else?"
They heard an engine overhead and everyone looked up to see Ronin poking his head out of REX.
"Well, well, well. Looks like miracles do still happen after all. You guys'll have to teach me your coming-back-from-the-dead tricks later; right now we need to get back to the Samarui X cave. The S.O.G are on the move; looks like whatever Garmadon and Harumi's plan is, it's being set in motion."
Keyda looked up at the flying contraption in awe. It was like a dragon…made of metal. How could something metal fly? Wouldn't it be too heavy?
"Right…we'll have to split up on our way back. Half go with Ronin, the rest on the Ultra-Dragon. Wu said. Lloyd sighed.
"It's gonna be hard to get everyone back to the Samurai X cave without attracting S.O.G. attention…especially now that they are on the move."
Wu put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"We'll get there, Lloyd. Don't worry. How should we split up?"
Lloyd would have rather left the decisions in Wu's capable hands, but everyone was looking at him expectantly. He thought for a moment.
"I'll go with Ronin in REX, but you should take Zane and Pix because they would be able to help scan for nearby S.O.G members…"
"Nya and I can go with you, Lloyd…" Jay chimed in. "And Cole probably should too because he's been having trouble staying on dragons lately…"
"I'm fine." Cole insisted. But he had to admit that sitting in an actual chair did sound preferable to clinging to the back of a dragon.
Keyda felt at a loss. She wasn't sure she really trusted that flying metal…whatever it was. The thought of getting on it felt like signing her own death warrant. But going by dragon would mean leaving the Idiot to his own devices.
He's fine. He's got all these lovely friends to look out for him. What does he need me for?
Wu somehow picked up on her feelings.
"Keyda…it will probably be a little crowded on Ronin's airship. We could use you on the Ultra-Dragon…especially if we run into trouble."
He was throwing her a rope and she resented that. But she also couldn't bring herself to board that death trap. Wu noticed her hesitation.
"We're all headed to the same location…" he prompted and she sighed.
"Fine. Dragon it is."
"I think I'll go with Lloyd and them, if that's alright, Wu…" Kai said. "I think we all have a lot of catching up to do."
Ronin had landed his ship and come over.
"That's…what? 4 of you with me, then?"
"Five," Skylor corrected, adding herself to the list. Ronin shrugged.
"Just try and keep the noise level down, ok? Need I remind you we were in the middle of a covert operation…"
Within the next few minutes, both REX and the Ultra-Dragon took to the skies.
80
As she sat behind Wu, Keyda couldn't help but marvel at the world around her. It was night in this realm, but in the dim light of some heavenly body she could make out the landscapes they passed over. She couldn't even comprehend the amount of different kinds of plants and different looking terrains. The realm she had come from had all looked so similar. Though she had never explored all of it, could it be possible that some of it could be as diverse as all of this?
Zane was further back on the dragon, talking to the metal girl. She couldn't really remember her name. It seemed that they had a lot of things to catch up on. She glanced back and noticed that they were holding hands.
"So...after making the plan, we're going to war, right?" she asked, addressing the man in front of her. Wu didn't turn around.
"In a way…yes."
"It's going to get dangerous."
Here he turned.
"Yes. More than likely."
She nodded absently, something digging at her.
"He can't fight."
Wu studied her for a minute. It only took him a moment to figure out who she was talking about.
"He's not going to let us leave him behind..."
"Then make him. He listens to you. Something about respect, or something. But you can't let him fight. He's been trying to hide how bad his condition is but you and I both know he won't last more than a few minutes in an actual battle. If he goes out there, he will die."
Wu couldn't really argue with that. He sighed.
"Of course I don't want him in the battle any more than you do given his condition…but there's no way that we can force him to stay behind…in the end it will be his choice more than anything."
"His choice?" Keyda spat. "Do you want to know where his choices have landed him so far? In a dungeon…where the Baron tortured him. Then he was thrown in an arena, where his best friends beat him within an inch of his life…" She felt Wu stiffen in front of her. She realized that this oh-so-knowledgeable leader had never even been aware of what had gone down in the Baron's fortress. She continued her rant.
"His choice led him to find me in the midst of a huge battle and nearly got his head chopped off…and it led him to nearly getting his soul lost to some…some limbo void forever. The fact is I can't trust him to make the right decision because he's an Idiot and whatever the psychotic reason, he can't help but throw himself in harm's way the second he feels like it could benefit someone else. He believes he's stronger than he actually is…and by now he's out of lucky rescues. This can't be left to his choice."
Wu was silent, as if processing what she had said. A few minutes went by before she spoke again.
"I know you need me to help defeat your brother, but that isn't why I'm here. The reason I'm here is to make sure that you come back to my realm, as promised…and to make sure that the Idiot doesn't get himself killed. So either he sits out this battle, or I do. YOUR choice."
Wu nodded, understanding her insinuation.
"I'll talk to him."
Ninja
Ronin sighed in annoyance; it seemed the crew in Rex's hull had no intention of keeping quiet after all. From what he could hear there was lots of laughing, crying…who knows what else. Deep down, however, he couldn't help but feel glad that those ninja had pulled through after all.
"You have no idea how many times I've had this dream…that I had you all back. It feels like any minute, I'm just going to wake up and lose you all over again!" Nya wasn't crying as much anymore, but her voice still cracked. She was sat firmly between Jay and Kai, and she and the blue ninja's arms were intertwined.
"Well, it's good to be back, for sure! Can't say I'll miss the Oni realm that much…" Kai said, patting his sister on the back.
"To think that while we were here, mourning your loss, you were all in the realm where it all began…" Lloyd mused. He looked around the ship at all his friends, laughing and back-slapping like old times. He looked away so they wouldn't see the tears falling.
"Yeah, and it was no picnic either. All we had to eat was this weird stuff on sticks that Zane was always making…still don't even know what that was. And we had to run all over the place trying to find these pieces to the Dragon Master's saddle but we had to face our elemental dragons and our worst fears…or maybe it was greatest weaknesses, I forgot how Zane explained it … and the leader of the Oni was this crazy manipulative Baron, but the Dragon Leader was hardly any better and…"
"I don't think we have time for the whole story, Jay," Cole interrupted. "We made it back, that's what matters. Now we have to defeat Garmadon…I assume you haven't done that yet, Lloyd?"
The Green Ninja hastily wiped his eyes.
"Uh…no. We did go and face Harumi at Borg's tower; they commandeered it for their base. We managed to steal the Oni masks and traveled to Haroshi's labyrinth to destroy them, but we haven't managed to actually defeat Harumi or Garmadon," He frowned. Here his friends had managed to escape death, survive a strange realm, and make it back home after defeating the villians Jay had mentioned. All he'd managed to do was get locked in another cage and break some masks.
"That's why we're here, kid," Kai said with a smirk. "Together, we'll defeat them. Don't worry too much."
"Kai's right…if we had never gone to the Oni realm we would have never gotten the Dragon Master. Wu's new identity is really gonna help us out." Cole agreed. REX hit some turbulence, jolting those inside. Cole winced as his position was jarred.
"I really can't help but notice that you're in pretty bad shape…" Lloyd pointed out. "What happened?"
"I hope you weren't beating up on him again, Jay," Nya laughed. The ninja all blanched and she blinked, confused. "What?"
"Doesn't really matter…the point is, I'm fine and we've got a few more villains to defeat," Cole changed the subject.
"Speaking of villains, did you say that the girl you brought along was an Oni?" Skylor asked.
"She's not a villain," Cole snapped defensively. "She's a friend. It actually took a lot to convince her to come, but she's here to help us stop Garmadon."
"And…then what?" Nya asked. "She just goes back home? How do you know that she won't just side with Garmadon; he'spart Oni." She turned to Kai. "I can't believe you're just ok with trusting this chick…"
"Look, whatever we have to worry about in the coming days, Keyda isn't one of them." Cole sounded angry and Nya frowned as he continued. "She's one of the main reasons we even made it out of the Oni realm."
"All I'm just saying is that the last time we trusted some girl we didn't know, it didn't really work out well. How do you know she isn't just using you?"
Cole flushed angrily and Jay started laughing awkwardly, cutting in.
"Honestly Nya, Cole's right. Keyda's helped a lot…if she hasn't killed us already I'm pretty sure she's not going to at this point…"
His girlfriend turned to him, incredulous. "That's supposed to make me feel better?!"
"If you guys say we can trust her, I will." Lloyd cut in. "Let's focus on making a plan for when we get to the Samauri X cave."
"Who all is waiting for us there, anyways?" Kai asked.
"My mom, Dareth, the Walkers, Cole's Dad…" Lloyd listed off. Jay and Cole were surprised to hear about their parents.
"Wait, Mom and Dad are there? Why?"
"I would have thought my Dad would be off performing somewhere…"
"They've all been in hiding since you guys di…left. For their own protection, in case Harumi tried to use them for information or leverage," Lloyd explained. A thought struck him. "You guys…they don't even know you're alive yet!"
"Should we call ahead?" Skylor asked. "Let them know who we found?"
Lloyd thought about it, but then smiled.
"Actually…I'd love to see the looks on their faces when you all go in. Let's make it a surprise."
"Our parents are ok, right? Nothing…happened to them?" Jay asked. It had never occurred to him that Harumi would target his parents.
"Everyone's fine," Lloyd assured.
"Granted that Harumi didn't find them all while we were gone," Ronin called out from the pilot seat.
"Thanks for that, Ronin…" Nya said, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, you're the one who left Dareth in charge. One can only guess at the damage he's inflicted while we've been gone."
Kai looked at Nya in surprise. "You left Dareth in charge?"
"It was the only way to convince him not to come!" she said defensively.
The ninja laughed.
"Sounds like Dareth is the same as always, then…" Kai said. "Man, I just realized how much I missed him. How much I missed everyone…"
"Imagine how we've all been feeling!" Nya exclaimed. "At least you knew that we were alive!"
"Technically we didn't know that," Cole pointed out. Jay tutted.
"I did. I knew you'd all be ok. Fate, after all." he said.
Nya laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. They had yet to win the war…but things definitely seemed a lot less hopeless than they had a few hours ago.
25
