Now we're getting into some heavier stuff. This chapter is a little short, but hopefully the next few will be worth the wait. Since I haven't said it yet and I feel obligated to, I do not own any of this story except my OC's and basically the noncanon plot. Thanks so much for the R&R and I hope you continue to for these next juicy chapters

- Fell_and_Fallen -

"Hey, has anyone seen Ash today?" Cole asks as he emerges onto the deck where Zane, Kai, and Jay are just starting morning training.

"Not yet," Jay answers as he struggles to set up a dummy. It clicks into place and his wipes a few beads of sweat from his brow. Lloyd helps Kai set up another few pieces of equipment nearby.

"Well, she's not in her room," Cole says as he fixes his gear. It's a cold morning, and after being inside the heated ship the wind is biting. "And I can't find her anywhere."

"Maybe she's gone into the city," Zane guesses from where quietly meditates. His eyes peel open as he addresses the others. "She seemed very overwhelmed after dinner last night. I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted some time alone."

"Ugh, that reminds me," Jay sighs. "After that fun discussion at dinner, Nya found out that our flight systems are jammed. I was going to try and fix it after breakfast, but Nya says she's going to take a look at it first." He shakes his head. "We're grounded until then."

"I'm sure it's nothing we can't fix," Kai pats him on the back. "We'll be up and flying in no time."

"That still doesn't answer my question," Cole says. "I'm worried about Ash. She was really upset last night, but I don't think she'd just disappear like this. Especially without telling anyone."

"Well, she did say something."

The ninja look up as Lloyd puts down the box of equipment he'd been sorting.

"She talked to you?" Kai asks, and Lloyd nods.

"I went to see if she was okay, and she said she was going for a walk," he answers.

"At night?" Jay says. "In the woods?"

"Did she say anything else?" Zane asks, and Lloyd shakes his head.

"But she was kind of out of it," he says. "And she kept pushing me to go to bed."

"Well, kids like you need a lot of sleep," Kai says as he ruffles Lloyd's hair. "She was probably just looking after you."

"So she went out to take a walk after dinner and still hasn't come back?" Cole shakes his head. "Anyone else getting a funny feeling?"

"Take a deep breath, Cole. I'm sure she's fine," Kai says. "Ash lived how many years in the woods by herself?" He shakes his head. "I doubt there's anything out there she can't handle."

I'm clutching the rope tightly with white-knuckled hands as I bite down on my pain and inch up a little closer to the deck of the ship. The wound in my side has reopened and drips blood to the ground under me, but I do my best to ignore it. I flatten my hands against the deck of the ship and pull myself with agonizing slowness up and onto the wood of the ship.

There are voices ahead of me that sound like they're coming from a mile away, and not for the first time my head fogs up and threatens to throw me into unconsciousness. I fight it and push myself up and onto my feet. I lean heavily against the railing and try dazedly to catch the blood that streams from my side, but it just falls between weak fingers. I can make out five vaguely familiar shapes in the dark blur that is my vision, and somehow I manage to force a sound out of my mouth.

"Guys," I call out in a voice that sounds faint even to my ears. "Help."

One of them cries out as my vision spirals and I fall in a tangled mess to the floor, jarring my head with a thousand stars against the wood of the deck. Something grabs hold of my body and keeps me from blacking out, pulling me from the depths of the darkness that clouds my eyes. I struggle to focus on the mangled voices around me.

"Ash! What happened?" Cole's voice asks, and then catches, letting me know he's seen the damage. "Oh no."

"Hold on, Ash, I'm getting Sensei Wu," Kai's blurry shape rushes off to another part of the ship. A familiar face moves into focus, and I struggle to force air into my throat.

"Don't let- him see," I gasp as Lloyd's murky shape disappears and reappears behind the ninja's shoulders. Cole glances from me to Lloyd, and gently pushes the kid away.

"Go help Kai," he orders in a composed voice. Lloyd seems about to argue, but one look at my face and he complies. He disappears from my vision.

"What do we do?" Jay asks. His eyes are wild and panicked.

"We need to stop the bleeding," Zane says as he tugs off his training robe. He pulls up my blood-soaked shirt and gently presses the white fabric against my side. I hold back a wild scream of pain, and Jay jumps as a scatter of flames explodes from my hands. I clench my fingers tight against my palms and try not to focus on the darkening fabric.

"We have to get you into bed," Cole says. "I'm sorry, Ash." I bite back another scream as he lifts me up into his arms and starts to carry me across the ship, Zane and Jay hurrying closely behind.

"Ash, can you hear me?" Zane tries to talk to me, though I can barely register it as I lurch in Cole's arms. "Can you tell us who did this to you?"

I close my eyes and remember my father's sneering face just before he ordered Hale to rip me apart. My throat chokes, and it takes an agonizing gulp of air to force my voice out.

"Hale's alive," I cough. "He's alive."

"What?" Cole echoes. "But you deep-fried him!"

"That's not the worst," I manage to choke out, coughing painfully as my throat constricts and almost closes. "It's all true. What Sensei said. All of it. My dad. Everything. It was all his plan. The contract. Hale. All for revenge."

"Your dad tried to kill you?" Jay gasps. "That's insane!"

A familiar white shape moves into view, followed by Kai and the small shape of Lloyd.

"Oh my," Sensei breathes as he catches sight of me.

"Sensei," I gasp as I try to focus on his shape. "You were right. Desmond. He killed my parents. He said this was a warning." My chest heaves as I struggle to stay conscious. "If I don't join him. He'll kill us all."

"Enough, Ash. You need attention immediately. We'll talk more once you've recovered," Sensei Wu waves me and Cole into my room, where Cole sets me down carefully onto the bed.

"Go now and wait. I'll work as quickly as I can," Sensei says as he starts to push the ninja, and Lloyd, out of the room.

"Sensei, will she be alright?" Cole asks, just a dark blob in my disappearing vision.

"Go, Cole. I will take care of her," Sensei shuts the door on them and rushes back to me.

"Sleep, Ash," he puts a hand on my shoulder. "Your work is done. You can rest now."

I relax against his touch and finally give into darkness.