Hello again! Kind of short chapter this time, but some pretty good story-info going on. Anyway, to answer my Guest's question: a familiar is, in this story, an animal spirit that embodies a ruler's power. Ash's happens to be Spitfire, who basically looks like your run of the mill dragon, just more slender and not as huge. Also, I wanted to thank all you lovely people for the reads and reviews :D Super duper special thanks to CuteBlueCherri and ForestBornNinjaGirl for being such wonderful, consistent readers who've been with me since the beginning. Seriously, it's enormously appreciated, like I can't even express the gratitude in words.

Anyway, I'll let you get to reading XD

- Fell_and_Fallen -

I'm swallowing the last bit of a waffle when Nya approaches me, her usual smile on her face.

"Morning, sunshine. How are you?"

"I forgot how good fresh breakfast tasted," I smile back. "Granola bars and dried fruit only go so far."

"I would've packed you something better, but Sensei insisted you have food that would actually sustain you," she shrugs.

I roll my eyes. "Sustainability does not equal happiness. I could've gone a lot longer on a plate of cookies."

She laughs. "Well, now that you're full of sweets, maybe you could come and help me and Jay out?"

"With what, exactly?"

"While you were gone, we figured out that there's something wrong with the combustion engine. Basically there's not enough heat to power the ship," she explains. "Kai tried powering it, but there still wasn't enough heat. So we thought…"

"That I could," I finish and she nods.

"At least between the two of you. I finally got my brother out of bed, so we were hoping you could join us."

"Absolutely," I get to my feet. "I'd be happy to help, especially if it means we finally get somewhere."

"Good," Nya smiles. "Right this way."

We head deep into the bowls of the ship, past Zane's meditation spot and into a room full of whirring machinery and creaking parts. Jay and Kai chat idly as we enter, and the blue ninja automatically straightens up as Nya approaches.

"How's it going?" Nya asks.

"Well, now that I got into the lower hatch of the engine, I've managed to hook us into the inner core of the burner," Jay answers. "Once you two light up, we'll have enough heat to shoot us into the sky."

I cringe. "Sounds dangerous."

"Don't worry, I already did all the calculations," Jay says. "We should be okay as long as the burner isn't too cold and decides to explode, or that your power is more than I calculated, or something knocks loose and sets the ship on fire-"

"Jay."

"But it's totally safe," the blue ninja says hurriedly, giving Nya a sheepish smile. "Do you know anyone better with tech than me?"

Her mouth twitches imperceptibly, but she says nothing as Jay moves to open the hatch to a large, dumpster-looking machine. The inside is black and lined with greasy soot that Jay hastily scrapes out.

"Just a precaution," Jay chuckles nervously as he pulls on a pair of goggles and hands another few pairs to us.

We pull them on as he picks up a tablet and hands it to Nya. "I'm going to be trying to start the engine while they're pumping fire into it, so I need you to watch the temperature and make sure it doesn't get too high," he says. "Can you do that?"

Her eyes twitch, and I can tell she's trying not to roll them. "Yep. Just do what you need to."

"Alright," Jay steps back with a nervous smile and turns to me and Kai. "You two just aim for the hatch and give as much fire as you have. Just careful you don't go overboard." He laughs nervously. "Or the engine will explode and we'll be bacon, and as much as I love bacon I'm not ready to be bacon."

"Point made," I nod and take a calming breath. "So when do we start?"

The blue ninja hurries over to a panel of switches on the wall and quickly turns a few of them on. Something lurches within the machine.

"Alright, looks like we're all set," he waves me and Kai forward. "Engine Revival: Attempt One is a go."

"You ready, Ash?" Kai asks as he brandishes his gleaming sword toward the open hatch of the engine.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I grimace as I raise my arms and try to steady the slight tremble in my fingertips. Spitfire whirls tight around my wrist, brushing my skin with the comforting warmth of his claws. I take another deep breath. "Let's go."

Jay gives us a glance and flips another switch. "Okay then," he still sounds nervous. "Ready… Set… Go!"

Fire explodes from me and Kai, merging in a multicolor stream of flame that rushes into the engine. Kai grunts and I take a staggering step back, digging my toes harder into the ground as I concentrate on the hatch before us. Spitfire coils happily around my arm, excited to share some of his power, even for a trivial purpose.

Something clicks over the roar of fire and the ground lurches underneath our feet. I nearly topple over into Kai but manage to regain my balance before I crash to the ground. Jay makes a noise that sounds a lot like a mad scientist, but it's drowned out by a loud groan of wood as the ship rises out of its rut and into the air. There's another sound and a rush of hot air blows into our faces. Nya yells at us to stop and Kai and I finally let the flames die.

The engine thrums healthily and the quietness is almost deafening after what's just happened. I remove my goggles and wipe my forehead free of sweat.

"Well that was exciting," I let out a breath, but catch it again as I choke a laugh at Jay's windblown hair. He gives me a little annoyed look as Kai bursts out laughing.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad!" Jay struggles to smooth down the wild tangles in his hair.

"Actually I think it looks cool," Nya muses as she lifts her goggles. "I don't know, it's more… wild."

Jay blushes but stops messing with his hair, and Kai rolls his eyes from beside me.

Something clatters overhead and the intercom comes to life with the grating sound of static, making us all cringe. Another scatter later and Lloyd's voice screeches in.

"Hey, uh, Nya? The computer's doing things."

What kind of things?"

"It's blinking a lot," the kid answers. The glaring sound's subsided, and his voice is comfortable to listen to now. "And uh, it keeps showing things on the map. I think that's a tree… No, maybe a telephone pole…"

Nya lets out a gasp. "That must be the alert system," her auburn eyes widen. "Lloyd, get Sensei!"

"Uh, okay."

"What is it?" Kai asks as his sister drops the tablet and starts to push out of the room. We follow closely, wobbling a little from the now unfamiliar lurch of the airship.

"After Desmond got into your head with all those spells, Sensei and I set up a system that could track that type of magic," Nya explains as we head for the control room. "In high enough levels, the computer could pick it up and tell us where it's coming from."

"So you found a way to track Desmond?"

"Maybe," she frowns as she throws open the door.

Sensei stands inside with his nephew, staring at the bright computer screen as it flashes and warps. Nya heads straight for the keyboard and starts typing, frantically hitting keys as the screen gradually starts to diminish.

"It looks like it found something," Nya says. "But it's confused. The sensors are overloaded."

"What does that mean?" Lloyd asks, looking between Nya and his uncle.

"It means whatever's setting off the alert is big," Nya answers grimly. "Really big."

"Do you think it's him?" my voice wavers and I cough to clear it up.

"I don't know."

The door opens and Cole and Zane enter, looking a little frantic.

"What's going on?" the black ninja asks. "We saw you running."

My hands shake despite myself. "It's Desmond. Nya might have found him."

"What?"

Nya lets out a frustrated growl. "I can't narrow down the area. The signal's too big. All I can tell is it's close. Well, sort of." She sighs. "It's at least in this part of Ninjago."

"All that's here are trees and tiny villages," Zane says. "Why would he be here?"

"Desmond has a plan, one we have been unable to understand so far," Sensei says slowly. "He must know we would be trying to track him. Whatever this is, he is doing it deliberately."

"So what do we do?" Jay asks. "What if it's a trap?"

"Sensei, we don't even know where he is," Kai says. "Even if we wanted to do something, we couldn't."

Sensei's dark eyes turn to me. "Everything Desmond has done so far has been to make you lose control. He must be trying to do that now as well."

I shake my head. "But that doesn't make sense. He must realize I'm in control now. If he's going to end this, then why not go after Ninjago City? There's nothing for him here-"

The words die in my throat.

"What is it?"

"Arashi."

"What?"

I can hardly force the sound from my mouth. "Arashi. The village where I grew up. It's… it's near here."

The air in the room drops.

Nya steps back from the computer. "He wouldn't."

"It makes sense," I swallow the sandpaper in my throat. "What better way to throw me out of control than to take me back where it all started, where I-"

The dark memories hit me like a tsunami, filling my head with the screams of all the people I hurt, of the sound of the roaring flames, of my own laughter as I watched them all burn. I try to shake them off as Spitfire's grip tightens around my wrist.

"We can't go back there," Cole shakes his head. "Not if it means reliving those memories."

"What else are we supposed to do?" I turn to him. "I can't just stand back and watch those people get hurt again. We have to do something!"

"This will be extremely dangerous," Sensei says. "As I said before, Desmond's plan is very elaborate. This is most likely a trap."

I shake my head. "I told you already, I've accepted what I am. I couldn't protect my village before, but now that I have the chance to redeem myself, to stop them from being hurt again," I look up into his dark eyes. "I can't walk away from that. Even if it means putting myself in danger."

"Whatever Desmond's planning, it's going to be a show-stopper," Kai says. "Are you sure you want to do this, Ash?"

"I don't have a choice."

"Then we're going with you," Cole says. "If you're going to face Desmond and Hale, you're not doing it alone. And we sure as hell aren't going to let them get to you."

I can't help a small smile. "I appreciate it."

"Then it is settled," Sensei takes his walking stick in his hands. "Nya, set a course for the village of Arashi."

His eyes turn to the rest of us. "It will take some time for us to get there. I suggest you each use this time to prepare yourselves and be ready for whatever Desmond has in store. I have the dark feeling that Ash will need all of our strength come tomorrow."

"Thank you, Sensei," I say. "Seriously."

My heart pounds a million times a second, rattling my thoughts with all the memories, the emotions, the darkness that comes with every moment I think of the man who destroyed my life. All these years of training, lies, of running away- they've all led up to this. To facing him.

But do I even have the strength to do it? To end this the way I should? To really become the ruler I was born to be? Desmond surely chose the right place for our final battle. Even after receiving my power, the memories are strong enough to make me nauseous, to make me question myself. Can I really hold onto my ideals when I see those buildings, the remnants of the village I destroyed?

You have to my voice whispers to myself as I face my friends, the people so willing to go to battle with me. You just have to.