Sensei Wu closed his eyes, meditating. He focused, looking into the spirit smoke. Images of the ninja appeared. Talking, laughing. They were happy. Then the scene changed, revealing a stone wall. It looked ancient, with marking of old. Then, it started to crack. The cracks got larger and wider, until a hole broke through the wall of stone. Inside was pitch black. Then, a pair of blood red eyes opened and stared out of the hole. The scene changed again, showing Ninjago city and all of the villages around it. The skies darkened and people screamed. Cackles of evil could be heard as building collapsed, killing innocent lives. The ninja, along with Nya, appeared, but stood no chance as they too were slowly killed off one by one. Lloyd was last. A large, gaping hole cracked the earth beneath him. He screamed as he fell, the darkness quickly surrounding him.
Wu gasped as his eyes flew open. Taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart, he thought in horror. An ancient evil was threatening their world. An evil that had been asleep for thousands of years. An enemy they stood no chance against. It was too powerful. But surely their was some way to stop it, there had to be. He took several breaths and closed his eyes once more, searching for the answer.
The image was still dark, then two figures shone brightly through the darkness. Their faces were blurred by the light, but they were obviously female. The two linked arms, so they were back to back and the light brightened, expanding. It overcame the darkness, righting the wrong. Wu tried to focus on the figures, trying to see them more clearly. One had lighter skin and lighter, longer hair, while the other had tanner skin and darker, shorter hair. The lighter haired one was short and skinny, while the darker haired one was taller and more muscular.
After an hour of intense focus, Wu knew exactly where to find the girls. After making a call, he walked out onto the training deck where the ninja were training. "Ninja," he called. The five stopped and walked over to him.
"What is it, Sensei?" Kai asked.
"We are taking a trip to the city," Wu said. The five cheered.
"Wait, why?" Lloyd asked.
"We need to visit a friend," the old man said simply. The five boys looked at each other, then shrugged and followed their Sensei.
About an our later of walking Wu stopped in front of an elaborate gate. Looking up, the guys read the giant sign. "The Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts?" Cole asked, "Why are we here?" He wasn't exactly fond of the place.
"They are just inside," their Sensei said, walking in. The boys, not having any other choice, followed. Their Sensei talked to a woman, probably a teacher, who said something back while pointing down a hallway. Wu thanked her and walked down that way, the ninja close behind.
Several turns and corridors later, they came to a door, where an older woman was waiting. She had shoulder length, jet black hair and sharp, brown eyes. "Ah, you must be the one who called," she said, "I am Ms. Lee, one of the trainers. The girls are just in here." She opened the door, leading the group into a studio, where two teenage girls were practicing.
One was on the sort side, no taller than 5'4, with a petite body. Her tiny waist and flat stomach were visible being she woe a white sports bra and black shorts. She had long, honey gold hair that was tied up in a high pony, yet still reached her mid back. Her eyes were a sharp, emerald green that held a certain gleam, almost daring you to mess with her. Her skin was fair and virtually flawless, save for one tiny freckle at the corner of her left eye.
The other girl was a good few inches taller than the other, near 5'6 or so. She had broad shoulders and a wider waist, but it was all obviously muscle. Her well tones abs easily seen as she was wearing a black sports bra and white shorts. Her shoulder length, layered hair was loose. It had several tints of dark brown in it, and even a hint of red in her bangs. Her large, mocha colored eyes were framed with long, thick lashes. Her skin a noticeable few shades darker than her friend's.
The two girls were completely oblivious to the visitors. While music played, the two stood facing away from each other. The music started out soft, then suddenly picked up. The girls suddenly came to life, their movements practically in sync. Their feet moved quickly to the fast beat of the song. The two face away from each other and started to dance away, when suddenly the shorter girl sprung up into the air, performed a triple back flip and landed on the tips of her toes in the dancer's pose, balancing on the palm of the brunette. The boys couldn't help but stare in disbelief as the taller girl held the other with such ease, as if she were a feather.
The brunette lifted the other up slowly and gracefully, then threw her into the air. The blonde twirled several times, did the splits in mid air, and performed a front flip as she fell back down. Her partner caught her by the sides, and flipped her, and set her down. The two gracefully and dramatically crumpled to the floor as the music dramatically ended. The room burst with applause, scaring the shit out of the two. They quickly stood up and spun around.
"Ms. Lee?" the shorter girl asked, "What's going on?"
"Girls," the older woman said, "These are the ninja and their Sensei." The two glanced at each other and shared a 'the-fuck-is-she-talking-about' look.
"You've heard of us, haven't you?" Kai asked.
"No," the blonde said bluntly.
"Should we have?' the brunette asked.
"We saved the City from the Over Lord," Cole said, "And other evil things." The girls just blinked.
"Okay, not to be rude but, if you did do all that, what the heck are you doing here?" the blonde asked. Ms. Lee gave a sigh and shook her head, trying to keep from grinning.
"This Zoe and Vivienne, my two most advanced students," she said, motioning to the girls. Zoe, the blonde, inclined her head in acknowledgement. Vivienne gave an awkward wave. "I'll leave you to it." The dance trainer left the room. There was a silence as Zoe and Vivienne studied the boys. Finally, Zoe broke the silence.
"So again, why are you here?" Vivienne elbowed her side lightly. Zoe looked at her like 'what?'
"A great evil will soon arise," Wu said.
"But I thought you said you defeated it?" Zoe asked.
"Yeah. What are you talking about Sensei?" Cole asked, the other ninja looking at the old man. Wu shook his head.
"This is an ancient evil that is far more powerful than anything we have faced. And we stand no chance against it." He looked at the girls. "Unless we have your help." The girls shared a confused look.
"What do you mean?" Zoe asked.
"The two of you hold the power of yin and yang, the power of balance. A balance of light and dark that, if upset, could cause the destruction of the world. You are Ninjago's only hope."
"Look, I think you got the wrong girls," Zoe said, "We're just dancers." Wu shook his head.
"No, it could not be anyone else. You must come with us to prepare for what is to come."
"Whoa, whoa! Back this truck up!" Zoe said, putting a hand on her hip, "We have spent our entire lives practicing. It has taken many years to even be considered legible for this competition! We've dedicated our entire lives to this place, and you expect us to just give it all up? Hell no!"
"Who does she remind you of?" Jay whispered, nodding his head towards Kai. The ninja snickered, all except Kai. He glared at them, then at Zoe.
"You'd rather win a stupid contest than save the world from being destroyed?!" Kai asked. Zoe crossed her arms and glared back.
"One, it's the largest competition in all of Ninjago and two, why should we trust you? You just randomly show saying we need to save the world."
"Because we're the ninja!" Kai yelled frantically. Zoe just arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. Vivienne, who had stayed silent the entire conversation, watched Wu. She stared into his eyes, almost like she was searching for something. Whatever it was, she apparently found it, because she tapped Zoe's shoulder and whispered something into her ear. Zoe listened and then looked at her friend. Vivienne nodded, as if confirming something, and Zoe sighed.
"Alright," she said, turning to Wu, "We'll go." The old man smiled.
"Go pack your belongings. We'll wait." The girl left the room and walked to their dorm. They each pulled a bag out from under their bed and began to pack.
Zoe packed several outfits, carefully folding them to save space. She packed her favorite books, her award she and Viv had won last year, her leather bound journal and pen, and carefully placed two picture frames on top. One held a picture of her family. She sat on a bench, with her two sisters Ashley and Whitney on either side of her, her mother smiling proudly behind them, a hand on Ashley's and Whitney's shoulder. On Zoe's lap sat a hansom Siamese cat with a black collar. In a pocket inside the bag, Zoe put the aquamarine, her birth stone, necklace. Her mother had given it to her the day she left for the school. It was the last time she had seen her mother in person. In the other frame was a picture of her and Vivienne, taken last summer when they went to the park. The two girls were sitting on a tree branch, smiling and laughing, holding ice cream cones. Zoe smiled at the picture and closed her bag.
Vivienne packed some clothes, mainly jeans and tops. She stuffed them around her artist kit that consisted of paints, pencils, pastels, and other supplies. She packed her old sketch book that was full and the new one Zoe had gotten her for her. She nestled her award she and Zoe had won last year in her clothes, cushioning it. Finally, she packed her song book her father had given her, which had 'A good luck token to my beautiful and talented girl. We're very proud. Love, Dad' scrawled on the inside cover and the photo album of her and Zoe. She closed her bag and turned around to face Zoe.
"I can't believe this is the last time we'll ever see this place," Zoe said, looking around. Vivienne smiled.
"Yeah. We sure have had a lot of crazy times here, huh?" Zoe cracked a smile. Vivienne placed a hand on Zoe's shoulder. "You ready?" she asked. Zoe nodded. The girls took one last look of all they had known for the past ten years, then turned and left it behind, walking side by side to their new life.