Hey, it's Kiwi! So, yeah, this is the final installment of my "Winds" series as I've been referring to it. I feel like three is a really good number. If you haven't read either of the first two then I would highly recommend it because you're really not going to understand what's happening too much. Here's chapter one, hope you enjoy it. :)
Chapter One: Bonding Time
Her reflection looked just as confused as she felt. Laurie was staring at herself in the mirror, her freckled nose crinkled with concentration. There was a small photograph of Kai taped to the lower left corner of the reflective glass. The red head stared at it, trying to remember anything about the red ninja. A small pain was beginning to emerge just behind her forehead, the start of a larger headache that would undoubtedly follow. With a sigh, Laurie ripped the photograph off of the mirror and placed it on the edge of the sink.
This was what she did every morning now, just locked herself in the bathroom and tried to remember. She glanced at herself once more, a frown forming on her pale face. Why was this not working? Laurie thought that if she just tried to concentrate on her and Kai the memories would come flooding back, but they remained lost. The orange ninja leaned her elbows on the hard, plastic sink. Her gaze drifted down towards the photograph.
Kai was smiling, a facial expression that was not seen often now. He was leaning back on the wooden railing of the Destiny's Bounty, his spiky brunet hair casting shadows across his face in the high noon sun. There was a golden sword slung over his right shoulder, a gloved hand grasping the hilt. Laurie had never seen him wield this weapon before. The Sword of Fire was now just one of the weapons that had been combined to form the Mega Weapon, Lord Garmadon's current weapon of choice.
Laurie bit down slightly on the inside of her cheek. This was all her father's fault. If he had not used the Mega Weapon to summon Belinda, an ancient Serpentine deity, from the Underworld then maybe she would still remember Kai. She stood up straight, abruptly lifting the bottom of her t-shirt. A long, jagged scar ran across the entirety of her abdomen. The skin around the healed wound was still light red and puffy, but the doctor had informed her that it had healed nicely. Laurie lowered her shirt and took a few steps backwards. Her back hit the white wall and she slid down to the floor.
She could remember the intense pain she had been in when Belinda had attacked her back on the Black Bounty. There were the nightmares Laurie had every night, reminding her of the events that had occurred while she was prisoner and her fight with Belinda. Images of Pythor, the Serpentine goddess, and even her own father raced through her subconscious when she slept. Yet she still remembered these awful events and not the one individual that, apparently, used to matter to her.
Letting out a long sigh, the teenager brought her knees in close to her chest and placed her head in her hands. Kai, he had apparently been her boyfriend. That was what the others continued to tell her. Laurie had to admit, he was very attractive, but his personality conflicted with her own. They were both stubborn and often butted heads. Maybe it had not always been that way, back when she remembered.
A soft knock rapped on the wooden door. Laurie lifted her head up slowly, noticing the glistening pools of tears that coated her hands. She had not even realized that she had started crying. "Who is it?" the orange ninja asked, leaning her head back against the wall in defeat. This was her life now, one that seemed complete but apparently was not.
"It's Nya" came a voice, slightly muffled by the door. "Zane finished making breakfast if you want to come out and have some."
Laurie's stomach gave a sickening growl that she was sure Kai's sister had heard. The girl stood, procuring the single photograph from the sink and gazing at it once more. "I'll be out in a second" she said absentmindedly. The sound of retreating footsteps was obvious as Laurie shoved the photograph into her jean pocket and opened the bathroom door.
The dining room table was full. Cole was engaged in a conversation with Jay, the black ninja leaning back slightly in his chair. The front two legs wavered near the wooden floor, but never made contact. Lloyd's forehead was pressed down firmly on the table, his breathing shallow. He had never been much of a morning person and Laurie could not help but laugh at her younger brother. She leaned on the back of his chair and ruffled his light blonde hair with her right hand. "Wake up sleepyhead" the orange ninja chuckled.
Lloyd sputtered, sitting up quickly. The back of his head made contact with Laurie's and the two siblings grunted in pain. "Well I'm awake now" the green ninja complained, his hand finding a small knot that had formed from the collision. He turned to face Laurie, her eyes shut tightly as she rubbed her forehead furiously. Maybe that jolt had knocked some sense back into her.
Ignoring the comment from Lloyd, the orange ninja made her way over to the empty chair that sat adjacent to Kai. He eyed her wearily, giving a small sigh when Laurie gingerly pulled the seat away from the table. It squeaked slightly against the wooden floor. "Good morning" Laurie said with a small smile. Kai's gaze made her feel slightly uncomfortable and she began to awkwardly rub her left arm with her right hand. "Um…how's your day going so far?"
Kai could feel the girl's unease and he let out a slow breath. It had not gotten much easier, living with Laurie. Yes, she had started talking with him once again, even asking on occasion to tell her things that they used to do together. This was all too much for the red ninja. He had grown distant not only from Laurie, but from everyone else as well. "Day just started" he replied plainly, leaning his elbows on the wooden table. "It'll probably be better once I eat some breakfast."
As if on cue, the smell of pancakes and bacon wafted through the air. Zane approached with a large platter in his hands. It was adorned with piles of breakfast items that made Laurie's mouth water. Her stomach cried out once more, drudging out a few chuckles from Jay. "It sounds like you haven't eaten anything in days" he teased, his hazel eyes smiling. Laurie gave a sheepish grin and shrugged her shoulders as Zane placed the platter in the middle of the table.
"Breakfast is served" the nindroid stated plainly, backing away to give Nya access to the table. She set down a pile of plates in front of Kai who eyed them suspiciously. Taking one of the white, ceramic discs off of the top, the red ninja passed the pile off to his right. His hand brushed Laurie's for a second as she grabbed for the plates and the two quickly broke apart, facing different directions. Oblivious to this, Zane took his place at the dining room table across from Lloyd, draping his pink, floral apron on the back of his chair. "Well, please help yourself".
Jay practically dove for the platter, a fork gripped tightly in his right hand. "You don't have to tell me twice" he chuckled, stabbing through two pancakes with the utensil and throwing them on to his plate. Everyone began eating; the room falling silent.
Nya glanced over at Jay, blushing slightly as she watched him eat with a smile spread across his face. Her chocolate brown gaze fell upon her brother who had only eaten a few bites of his pancakes and was now pushing bacon across his plate with his fork. She felt bad for Kai, noticing how his behavior had changed since Laurie had lost her memories. He seemed more closed off and somber than he usually was. It was hard, seeing him act like this, but Nya knew that he could not help it. With a sigh, the girl tucked some of her short, black hair behind her right ear and pushed the plate in front of her away.
"Is everything alright, Nya?" the blue ninja asked, his mouth full.
The samurai gave a small chuckle at the sight of Jay's manners. She would have to have a talk with him about that later. "Everything is fine" she replied, looking around the table warily. All of the ninja were now giving her their undivided attention. "I was just thinking that maybe Laurie and I could go out shopping later. You know, have a girl's day out." Maybe if she could get the orange ninja out of the apartment for a little while then it would give Kai some time to relax.
Laurie grinned, the skin near her eyes crinkling slightly. She could never recall ever going out shopping, not even with her mother. The two had always been traveling to and from a variety of excavation sites, too busy to partake in normal activities like shopping. With a slight blush adorning her cheeks, Laurie nodded. "I'd love to go out today" she practically squealed, her excitement obvious. "Could we go after breakfast?"
"We can go out after breakfast if you want to" Nya said with a warm smile. She had not thought that Laurie would be this excited to go out. It was a good bonding opportunity for the two of them. Nya had always wanted to get to know Laurie a little better. "Where would you want to go?"
Zane stared absentmindedly at the full plate in front of him, his attention somewhere else. The conversation around him was no more than faint noise, similar to the soft sound of a hummingbird's wings. He felt as if something was off; a small, foreboding spark in the back of his mind. The sixth sense that Zane had been built with continued to distract him. It was acting up, warning him of danger that was never there. The nindroid gave a small sigh, hoping that this was not a malfunction that was suddenly plaguing him.
He turned his dark blue eyes on the window that lay on the opposite side of the room. It faced a brick wall and the blinds that adorned it were broken and crooked. As Zane looked outside he noticed that there was absolutely nothing there, but he had just felt a presence lurking near it. What was wrong with him? This had been occurring for the past month, but he had kept it from his brothers. If the white ninja was, indeed, experiencing a malfunction he did not want them to know.
"You okay, buddy?" Cole asked, his hand on Zane's shoulder. The nindroid looked up suddenly, blinking quickly. He gave a nod that seemed to set his friend at ease. "Alright then, just making sure." Zane gave the black ninja a smile before turning his attention back towards the window. He could have sworn something had been over in that area.
Her breathing was labored and quick as she plastered herself to the concrete. Rhea had been peeking into the window of the small, ground floor apartment when that white ninja quickly turned towards her. She crawled away, the knee of her right pant leg scrapping along the uneven surface. With a frown, the young girl stood up and brushed her jeans off. Dozens of people traversed the street Rhea stood in now, a perfect place to blend in. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her light purple windbreaker and began walking across the street.
That one ninja continued to keep Rhea on her toes, always seeming to know where she was. It was difficult to properly tail her target if she constantly had to hide. A strong gust of wind blew from behind the girl, wrapping her long, blue hair around her neck. With a deep frown, Rhea threw her hair back over her shoulders before deciding to loiter outside of an ice cream parlor. The front door of the ninja's apartment was still in view.
It had been a month since her "father" had told her to eliminate the girl with the red hair. Time continued to tick away and Rhea's anxiety was rising. How long would it be before she was chastised for her prolonged surveillance of the girl? Usually by now the girl's target would have been long gone, missed but not forgotten. It was almost impossible to find an opportunity to take care of the red head. She was always surrounded by those other ninja, never alone.
"Are you lost, sweetie?" came a soft voice. Rhea looked up to see an elderly woman gazing at her from behind a pair of thick spectacles. The girl raised an eyebrow and shook her head back and forth vigorously. "Are you sure?" the woman continued, pulling her salmon colored shawl tighter around her arms. "Where are your parents?"
A pang of sadness and guilt struck Rhea's heart. Her parents, they had been dead for over seven years now. With narrowed eyes the young girl just shrugged her shoulders and attempted to leave, but the elderly stranger placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe if you tell me your name I could help you look for them, see if any one of these fine people knows who you are."
Rhea's dark brown eyes widened and she swallowed hard. Her thin fingers lightly grazed the raised, star-shaped mark that lay near her right eye. With a palpating heart, Rhea shrugged the woman's hand off of her shoulder and sprinted down the street. She ducked down a nearby alleyway and pushed her back against the eroding bricks and mortar. The woman wandered by, but did not venture down the secluded alley. Rhea let out a breath and felt her muscles relax. That had been a close call, but now she no longer had her target in her sights.
"We can just wander around until you find some place you want to look in, okay?"
Still plastered to the brick wall, Rhea watched as two individuals slowly made their way past the alley. One had jet black hair that rested just above her shoulders. She was dressed in an embellished red tank top and black pants. The other person was wearing a plain orange t-shirt and jean shorts. Her red hair blew behind her as she walked. "That sounds fine to me" she answered, referring to the question that had been previously posed.
It was as if fate was taking pity on her. Rhea watched in awe as the very individual she was supposed to assassinate just walked right by her. Cautiously, she poked her head out of the alleyway and watched as the two teenage girls continued to walk straight down the sidewalk. Shoving her slightly shaking hands back into her pockets, Rhea began to follow the pair. She stayed far enough back as to not be noticed, yet she kept them in her line of vision. Attempting to eliminate someone was much easier when they only had one other person with them.
All Rhea had to do now was figure out how to get the red head away from her companion.
Was it okay? I've been on a rollercoaster while writing this, nervous that it's not turning out as well as I want it to. Well, I'll be updating on Tuesdays and Fridays as requested by those who voted on my poll. I'm off to do whatever it is that college kids do when it's their birthday: oh yeah, classes and tutoring.
Have a great day~