Chapter 37; Invisible Rain
Third POV
Standing between her and the Fangpyre, Kai dashed to Cece's aid. He brought out his sword and flames danced on the blade. The crazed snake lunged at them and Kai blocked its fangs with his sword. The snake jumped a few feet back. Another snake rushed up to Kai and Kai dealt with him quickly. But more snakes kept throwing themselves at the fiery ninja and vivacious warrior.
Soon, Kai and Cece were overwhelmed by the Snakes throwing themselves at them.
Kai shot a beam of fire at all the snakes in front of him. Behind Kai, Cece barely managed to dodge the flailing weapon of a crazed snake.
Cece took in a deep breath and focused on the life of the earth and its waters.
Blasting out of the water, Cece launched seaweed into the air.
Spraying a fine saline mist, the seaweed wrapped around the snakes.
Shivering and remembering the horrible memory, Kai reminded himself Cece was on their side.
Out of the blue, an acute, stabbing pain tore through Kai's calf. Kai turned around and on the ground was the Fangpyre he stabbed earlier protecting Cece. Its fangs dug into the flesh of the back of Kai's leg.
Jumping like a startled feline, Kai immediately fired his blade into the back of the snake.
Feeling the venom begin to course though his veins, Kai fell to his knees.
Cece's attention turned to Kai.
"Kai!" she said.
Cringing, Kai replied; "Do you happen to have healing powers?"
While the Serpentine around them were preoccupied with Cece's seaweed of doom, Cece kneeled down near Kai and examined at his leg.
"I can heal the wound… but I cannot get rid of the venom." Cece admits.
"Aren't you the Warrior of Life?"
"Venom is made of toxins which is not life at all. The venom turns you into a snake which does not technically do harm to your body. But if it was lethal I may have been able to do something. What was that thing Nya said about curing Fangpyre venom, again?" Cece pensively stroked her chin with her hand for a moment, "Oh yeah!"
Before Kai could react, Cece grabbed him by the collar and pressed her lips on his. Kai's face flushed but he returned the affection. Hearing his heart pounding, Cece pulled away and grinned.
'Her smile is like the Cheshire Cat's' Kai thought.
"Is the venom gone?" Cece asked innocently.
A little dazed by the kiss Kai remarked; "I don't know, you might need to kiss me again." Cece smirked.
"Or there are other more efficient ways you can increase your heart rate." Cece retorted. Kai sighed and got up.
Cece healed the bite on Kai's leg and they both continued fighting.
Twirling her staff around, Laura hit a snake in the face. Laura may have her fears, but the light in her eyes shows her courage. Suddenly, her focus switched to a small scream of a girl.
Laura's hazel eyes were drawn to the source. 'That must be Camille.' She thought looking at the large cage in the distance. 'Why would they bring her here?'
Laura shot a beam of light between her and the cage. It cleared a path for her to get to Emma's cousin through all the Serpentine.
Laura could see the tears swelling inside the little girl's eyes. She looked only ten or eleven. 'That is around the time where…' Laura stopped herself refusing reminded herself of those memories.
Laura was not fast enough to get through to the cage. Soon more snakes blocked her path.
The battle took place in a bay below the Frozen Wasteland where the Shurikens of Ice were once kept. Casting a beam of shadow, the sun was blocked by the numerous clouds in the sky. Right in front of Laura, Serpentine blocked a small cliff she needed to climb to get to Camille. On top of the cliff were two generals; Skalidor and Acidicus. Laura looked behind her searching for anyone to help her and saw no one near by.
Laura spun the staff in a figure eight and she thrust the staff in front of her. "I am the kunoichi of light, I can do this!" Smiling, she charged at the first snake ahead of her.
The snake swung an axe right at her. Hearing the wood splinter, the axe launched into the wood of her staff. Quickly, the snake took back his weapon. With her staff, Laura hit the snake in the side of the head.
Hearing something behind her, Laura turned around and hit the snake creeping up on her. Getting up for more, the snake grabbed his sword.
Laura launched another blow but the snake dodged it. Laura then swung the staff aiming for his shins.
Laura then turned to another snake. She thrust staff forward and hit him in the stomach.
But more and more snakes kept engaging in battle. It didn't take long for Laura to be panting and aching in pain.
Laura looked up into the sky and let the warm sun cup her cheeks. Forgetting she was fighting, she closed her eyes enjoying the sweet bliss.
You could only see the small drops of water on the concrete. Besides for the cloudy sky, you had to focus on the almost invisible drops of water in the air to tell it was raining. This was the only comfort Laura could find on this dark day but she would have gladly preferred to see the sun smiling. It was as if the sun was crying with her as she sat there on the porch sobbing. 'I-I don't want to leave…' she though, 'but maybe, just maybe… my destiny will lead me to… a better place…' But what that poor child didn't know was that it would take years to find '…a better place…'
Laura screamed. Pounding on a locked door, the memories she locked away with her heart burned inside her chest. While her throat begged her to stop, Laura was forced to open her eyes. She only had a second to think about what she was doing. Feeling as if she was in water, she realized that she was floating. Suddenly, she saw a brilliant light surrounding her and everyone. It felt as if there was an explosion nibbling at her toes and she looked down. She landed gently on the ground. Amazed, she looked around her and saw that besides for the two generals she could get to Camille.
Holding Nya in his arms, Jay exploded though the door leading into the bridge. The three adults in the room turned to look at them both.
"We don't have the flute or any Hypnobrai anti-venom, do we?" Jay asked. The adults sighed.
"Somehow, we will have to get to Skales or Nya will have to fight it herself." Misako said. "But for now we can lock her in the brig and keep watch."
Jay was hesitant at first, "We don't have any other choice do we?" Misako handed Jay a key and he started walking to the brig. "I will take first watch."
"Wait Jay, you have to keep fighting." Lord Garmadon said.
"No, if anyone could help her fight this, I can." Jay said. It took one look into his eyes to know he is in angry-Jay-does-not-approve-of-the-crumbling-of-the-cookies mode.
"Why do I feel like this is my fault…?" Sensei Wu sighed. Jay raised his unscathed eyebrow.
"What do you mean Sensei?" Jay asked.
"Not only did I not prevent Lloyd from releasing the Serpentine, but I feel as if… the past has come back to bite me." Sensei Wu said.
'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!' Sensei could almost hear the excruciating screech of agony.
"Wu?" the former dark lord asked his brother. Wu looks him in the eyes and Lord Garmadon somehow understands. "She would have died with the rest of the tribe anyway." Lord Garmadon said.
"But all of Skales' anger… and sorrow… She was so young too… if I could go back…" Sensei Wu said.
"The past is the past, brother." Jay looked at them both confused but decided to go to the brig before Nya woke up.
Emma stopped fighting. She turned her head towards the bounty.
"Emma?" Zane said, noticing her far-off look.
"Jay has knocked the hypnotized Nya unconscious and he is taking her to the brig. I-I think I know how to help her but…" Emma explained to Zane.
"Have you seen that coming?" Zane asked and Emma nodded.
"I have to help her." Emma said but Zane could see the melancholy raining inside her storming eyes.
"Emma." Zane said and grabbed her wrist. Emma turned to him with her eyes closed.
When she opened them again Zane thought his eye-function was malfunctioning. Emma's eyes were only languid grey circles with a hint of blue on the edges. Her eyebrows and eyelids were heavy in a pensive and sad expression. Yet Emma did not cry.
Emma ran into Zane's arms. Zane wrapped his arms around the ethereal figure. Emma dug her face in his shoulder and felt her soul thaw slowly. Emma moved her hand up and touched Zane's face.
The touch of his soft skin and the edges of his countenance felt good underneath her fingers. Zane closed his eyes blissfully because her sweet caress.
"I am sorry." Emma detached herself from the perplexed Zane.
Calmly, Emma walked though the tumult and away from the Nindroid. Zane stared as Emma's silhouette disappeared. Sighing, Zane turned around and aimed a shuriken at an oblivious snake.
Inside the brig, Jay laid Nya against the wall and closed the door of the cage. He sat outside and waited for her to wake up, hoping somehow that he could return her to normal.
Emma walked into the brig with a stoic look on her face. Jay jumped up a bit surprised. Sighing, Emma sat down near Jay. Jay swore he saw disturbingly less blue inside her eyes.
"Emma, what are you doing here?" He asked.
"I am here to witness the beginning of Nya's assessment." Jay looked at her perplexed.
"Come again?"
"Nya must learn to be able to control the tempest inside her, but first she must learn how to control herself." Emma gestured to Nya, "What better way to learn that than to overcome Skales' hypnotism?"
"What did you mean by Assessment?"
"I can only say it is like you and the Ninja's true potentials…" Nya stirred and both Emma and Jay looked at her.
"Can you help her at all?"
"I doubt I will be any help at all… in the end." Emma said
Behind a wall of clouds, the sun was hidden and the sky was like spilled milk. Without the sun's comforting rays, Laura felt benumbed because of the coldness. Laura pressed herself against the cliff and looked up for an opening to climb. If she tried to climb up now Laura was sure she would be open and the two Serpentine generals could easily attack her. Camille then decided to distract Skalidor and Acidicus.
"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT NOW!" Camille screamed at the two snakes. Skalidor started to laugh at how pathetic the girl was.
"Why in Ninjago would we do that?" Acidicus asked.
"I need to go to the bathroom…" Camille said.
"Yeah right, you just want us to let you go so you can escape." Skalidor said. Camille started to dance the potty-dance to further argue her case.
"But what if she is telling the truth?" Acidicus asked and both the generals looked at Camille.
Taking the opportunity, Laura climbed up the small cliff. After a moment, Skalidor and Acidicus stopped arguing and turned around.
"Uh... Hi…?" Laura said.
Skalidor and Acidicus both grabbed their staffs. Acidicus slithered towards Laura and spat out his venom.
Moving both of her forearms in front of her, Laura tilted her head fifty degrees.
She stepped away from the cliff's edge and held her staff with her right palm facing up and her left down.
Skalidor then flipped his staff downwards aiming at Laura's head. She blocked it with the middle section of her staff. Giving a reverse strike, the end of the staff hit Skalidor's neck. Laura hit him again with the other end of her staff.
Behind Laura, Acidicus swept his tail under her. Laura fell on her but and tried to get back up. Suddenly, Skalidor wrapped his tail around Laura.
Feeling like her whole body was in one of those machines that take your heart-rate in grocery stores; Laura was being crushed by the tail enveloping her waist.
Relaxing her whole body, Laura slipped through Skalidor's coils.
Doing a butterfly twist, Laura kicked Skalidor in the head.
Once on the ground, Laura looked to see Skalidor on the earth unconscious. Yet she also noticed how close she was to the edge.
Looking up, Laura could not react to Acidicus rushing towards her.
Laura could not believe what was happening.
Acidicus pushed himself towards her but did not spit venom this time.
She only saw a glimmer before a knife dug straight through her torso.
Immediately, Laura put her hand on the wound and saw the red and sticky crimson dance among her fingers.
Suddenly, the snake jerked it in a bit further before yanking out the small and jagged metal blade.
Laura stepped back, but felt no ground underneath her foot. Taking one last glance at Acidicus, Laura fell backwards off the cliff.
Well that was intense! So yeah, another cliffhanger! AND WORSE THAN THE LAST! All this conflict is giving me a headache…
Thank you birthdaypi for informing me of my past/present-tense issue! That helped a lot! I never would have noticed! You disserve some cookies! (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)
By the way, I wrote the sky look like spilled milk for a friend who disagreed with me. IT DOES LOOK LIKE MILK! Sometimes when it is rainy!
Thank you birthdaypi, Toon Friend (LOL you updated the same day Velvet Persona did! That was an awesome day for fanfiction…), mykindleisawesome, and Lya200! You guys get more cookies! (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)
Another funny thing, the same day I read Careful Planning and Chosen by Destiny (WHICH ARE AWESOME STORIES!) I got my hair dyed for the first time! What does that have to do with Fanfiction? MY HAIR IS LIKE EMMA'S! I could dress up as her if I wanted to! XD