Thank you as always for following and reviewing, RandomDragon2.0 and RPM Shadow, a huuuge special thank you to you both :)

Just a note, if you do not know what an onsen is, they are hot springs found all round Japan. They look beautiful, and one day I will visit one! A ryokan is a small guesthouse/hotel which is located by or has an onsen as part of it.

The Onsen and the Ninja Hug.

"If I'm a filthy earth demon, what does that make you?" Cole slammed his grimy black mug into the sink, Kai having just found it somewhere in the gym area whilst they had all been completing their weekly cleaning chores. In fairness, Cole couldn't remember the last time he had used the mug, and looking inside it, it did look kinda, urgh, was it moving? However, earth demon?

"Huh, so come on then, what are you?" Cole put his hands on his hips and eyed Kai indignantly.

"Brothers, you do not need to…" Zane's voice rang out wanting to defuse the situation.

"It's ok Zane, I've got this." Kai waved the concerned nindroid down, then turned back to the waiting master of earth.

"Well Cole, you see its funny you should ask, but I…" Kai took a step back and lowered his eyes, running a hand through his spikes in preparation.

"…well I'm just a little ol' ,red hot, luurveee machine!" He wiggled his hips and spun on the spot, looking up into the now astonished eyes of the master of earth. Smirking Kai blew him a kiss as he danced, much to the merriment of Jay and Lloyd who had stopped in their tracks from cleaning up in the lounge to watch the spectacle developing in front of their very eyes.

"Kai, just no!"

Kai stopped mid dance, one hand on his hip and the other raised up to the sky, Saturday Night Fever style. He looked over his shoulder, grinning at his mockingly disdainful little sister.

"Not even a little?"

"No Kai, not even a little."

"Aww, way to dampen my style sis!" Kai pouted as she shook her head and rolled her eyes, depositing the colossal pile of dirty washing she had gathered on her precarious adventure into the boys' rooms down onto the floor by the washer.

"Well I am the water elemental sweetie, and it's really the only thing to do when you're busy dorking it out big time." She warily picked up a pair of green socks, wincing and throwing them into the washer.

"Oh you just got burned!" Jay sniggered from the lounge. "Ha ha! The master of fire got burned!"

"So when's she coming to pick you up, oh masterful master of lurveee?!" Cole snorted, grinning over to the chuckling red ninja, who was clad in his faithful red hoodie and favourite jeans, leaning on the worktop now that his mad dancing moment over.

"Oh right about now, if you mean me… and we now have an elemental master of, what was it now…luurvee?" Skylor was leaning on the doorframe taking it all in quietly, also wearing her orange hoodie and jeans, but hers were of the super skinny variety clinging perfectly to her frame, arms folded and an amused smirk across her face.

"Oh, huh, that would be me." Kai sidled over to her, planting a kiss on her cheek and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Really?" She raised her eyebrows, turning and looking him in the eyes, smirking. "Oh I guess I've not seen you use your powers yet then?" She burst into laughter along with the others, Jay squealing "burned again!" as Kai just blew out an "ouch!" and rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

Skylor kissed him. "Ah I'm only kidding with you. You ready?"

He straightened up, shooting her an amused, hooded eyed look which spelled out just you wait then leant over the central isle worktop, grabbing his bag which was lying on the floor where he had deposited it. "As I'll ever be, I guess."

She took his hand, murmuring "Trust me." Kai nodded and took a deep breath.

"Ok, see you tomorrow guys."

The ninja and samurai waved the couple off, Kai ignoring Jay's cries of "Did you pack your snorkel? Rubber ducks?"

"He'll be ok, right?" Jay turned to Lloyd, suddenly more serious. They all knew what Skylor was planning, and they agreed with her that it should work out. But Jay could just about make out in Kai's stride how nervous he was, something they did not see often from their confident, hot head of a brother. They could all see it.

"He'll be fine, Jay. If this works out the way it should, it can only make him stronger." They all nodded in agreement, turning back to finishing off their chores, leaving Lloyd looking out as his brother closed the monastery gate behind them, remembering his words to Skylor when she had first approached him with the idea. But I sure hope you know what you're doing.

"Come on Kai, you can do this."

He had to admit, the small, traditional ryokan she had found was idyllic, set in the mountainside of one of the dormant volcanoes to the west of Ninjago City. It had taken a good few hours' drive and quite a few albums worth of singing at the tops of their voices to get there, arriving in the dark before he got a chance to fully take in where he was and what she had planned. He was thankful that it was a small, very private establishment and the owners virtually left them to it, seemingly not perplexed at all by his refusal to get into the water, preferring to sit at the edge of the open air torture pool. They were currently the only guests there, meaning that they had the steaming hot onsen to themselves, and he was more than content to lay on the rock ledge at the side, basking in the heat from the water and gazing at the mountainside rather than get into that treacherous, dark and suspicious liquid that she was so happy to wallow in.

She knew he had a stubborn streak, but jeez he was being difficult about this. She had purposefully chosen a hot(!) hot spring as she knew that was where he would feel most at home, most comfortable and hopefully most relaxed. But as soon as they had woken up that morning, curled together in their sheets, and he had spotted the view of the onsen out of the window, he had frozen.

"What is that?"

"That is an onsen."

"I know." He had deadpanned. She had mentally rolled her eyes. Then why ask?

"Kai, it's a really good one, and it's not deep, and it's really private here…"

"I'm not getting in." He had drawn his knees up to his chest and scowled at her, almost making her giggle at the child like expression on his face.

"Aw come on, you might enjoy it."

"I won't."

"You promised to trust me."

That had made him falter, his eyes flickering to hers and melting slightly. She did a little happy dance inside: progress, however small, she would take it. He had tenderly kissed her then, distracting her from the task at hand, and they hadn't surfaced from their room until midday. But finally, she had coaxed him down to the water's edge.

She tried again, swimming over to him and gazing up at him, taking in the toned body lounging quite happily like a lizard on a rock.

"Just, just come and dangle your feet in."

"No thank you." She couldn't see his eyes as he had elected to put on his sunglasses whilst he basked. Come on Kai…

"But, not even to come and give me a kiss?" It was worth a shot…

"Nope." Oh FSM, Lloyd was right. This was going to need plan B.

She gracefully pulled herself out of the water, causing Kai to look over and flinch slightly as she came and sat next to him, the water running down her nose onto him as she leant over and kissed him instead.

"Well if you won't come to me." she shrugged as she pulled away. He raised an eyebrow and pushed the sunglasses onto the top of his head into his hair, sighing and shuffling over on the smooth rock to make room for her. She leant back into him, sighing.

"Tell me about it."

"Huh?"

"Why don't you like water."

"I don't dislike it. I just, well I hate it! It makes me panic, I… I don't know why." She turned and looked at him as he stumbled over his words.

"So nothing has ever happened…?"

"No, no dramatic drowning incident or anything like that. I just, when I'm in it, like a pool of it like that," he gestured to the steaming onsen, "I just… I can feel this fear gripping me, and I can't control it. I just have to get out before, before…"

He was shaking a little, and she turned to face him properly, placing a hand on his.

"Do you think it's because of your element?"

Frowning, and looking beyond her at the swirling, steaming pool he sighed.

"It's the only thing I can think it might be." It made sense, fire being so easily quenched by water. And that confirmed to her that he was never really going to get over this, but she could help him find a way to temporarily over come it.

"What if I can find a way to numb that fear?"

He snorted. "What, are you going to ply me with sake and then throw me in?"

"Well it's an idea, but no." He looked at her face, reading her eyes. Oh, she was serious.

Kai blew out his cheeks softly. "Go on, explain then…"

Kai had his legs dangling in the water and she could almost cry with elation! Although she did not want to get too celebratory prematurely. From the look on his face and the dangerous amber flecks in his eyes he could bolt up and away from the water at any moment…

He could feel the water in-between his toes irritating him and prickling at him, swirling around his calves and he honestly felt like he was dangling his legs into acid. It was taking all his willpower to keep him from just jumping back up, apologising to Sky and just begging to go back to their room, away from this liquid torture. He could feel the fire building in his chest, screaming for release. No, he couldn't do this, and he suddenly jerked a leg back up out of the water. But then she was there, hands gently holding his on the pool side, leaning her body against his legs. Not trapping him, trying to reassure him. He looked blindly towards her and realised she was talking to him. With a shake of his head he tried to refocus and hear her above the rushing of his blood in his ears.

"Kai, I'm going to do it now." He weakly nodded, his eyes watching her as she closed her eyes and held her left hand up to her head, right hand still clutching his.

"Trust me."

He almost gasped as he felt her, a sudden pressure in his head, causing him to put his free hand up to his. And then he felt the calm begin to swirl over him, surrounding him like a warm blanket, lifting the panic away from him. He blinked and looked down wide eyed at her as she opened hers, bringing her left hand down from her head and taking his other one, guiding him. He held her gaze unwaveringly; her deep green eyes looked different, they had a slightly luminescent blue haze to them that he hadn't noticed before, but then he suddenly realised he was in the pool. He was in, in the pool? He turned sharply, panic starting to build again. But she noticed, and that warm blanket feeling cocooned him again, as warmly as the arms which were now holding him as he adjusted to being in the water, feeling it lap around him, supporting his body weight. He was speechless; they both were. It had worked! He was in the water, and even though he wouldn't say he was absolutely loving it, he was able to tolerate it. And that was more than he had ever been able to do before. He felt her wrap her legs and arms around his body, locking her soft, cherry scented lips onto his and he closed his eyes. She was still there in his head and the pleasure and happiness he could feel from her as they kissed was almost overwhelming, feeling incredible when coupled with his own. But the lapse in her concentration allowed that blanket to flutter and pull away slightly, so they broke apart, gazing at each other in wonder as she reached back into his mind.

"I think we might need to write a letter of thanks to Neuro." She murmured, arms and legs still wrapped tightly around him and lips mere millimetres from his own after she had regained her control over his panic, dampening it down using the borrowed mind control power from Neuro, the elemental master of the mind. Kai could see she was tiring now though, so gently brought them both back over to the edge of the pool, pushing himself back out and resuming his position with his legs dangling into the water, although now without the panic. She lithely climbed out and sat next to him, giving a small shake of her head and then she was gone, his mind completely his own again. He eyed the gently swirling water, the feelings of animosity returning but slightly more controlled now, and turned to Skylor as she leant into him, head resting on his shoulder.

"Thankyou. That was, incredible."

She smiled, hugging him tight. "I don't think you're going to be swimming the Ninjago Bay anytime soon, but at least we know a way to get you into water now."

"Yeah. Absolutely."

Kai had driven them back to the monastery, mainly because Skylor was absolutely exhausted from using Neuros "borrowed" power for so long. He gently woke her up as he reversed the car up to the gates with a gentle kiss and a soft "We're back." She stretched and yawned as she slammed the car door shut, reprimanding him gently for letting her sleep for most of the journey. However they both stopped in their tracks as they heard the excited babble of the others just inside the monastery gates, looking at each other in puzzlement. Pushing the doors open and peering round, they could both see Nya and Jay at the centre of the excited throng, who then turned to see Kai and Skylor's arrival. Lloyd and Cole's faces dropped, whilst Zane and PIXAL set their mouths into slightly concerned expressions as they eyed the returning master of fire and his girlfriend.

"Ok guys, what's up?" Kai quizzed, then spotted Jay's beaming face and the equally beaming Nya clutching onto the master of lightening. He's only gone and done it!

"Finally!" Kai dropped both his and Skylor's bags and ran over to the newly engaged couple, crushing them both into a huge bear hug. Nya giggled and Jay squealed, whilst the others around them all noticeably relaxed; the overbearing big brother was ok with this.

Suddenly Nya pushed away from Kai and whacked him on the arm. "You knew?!" She scowled at Kai, turning pointedly to Jay and then back to Kai again, arms now folded.

"You knew? And you managed to not say anything?" She looked incredulous but then grabbed her big brother and hugged him tightly.

"I just knew there was something odd going on with you. Odder than normal." Kai grinned and kissed her on the cheek.

"Congratulations sis. I'm so, so happy for you." Skylor walked over and smiled at the deliriously happy couple.

"That's fantastic news, congratulations to you both."

"Ninja hug!" Lloyd shouted, launching himself at Nya and Jay. And with that they all merged into one giant, clashing ninja and samurai bundle, hugging and laughing until they had to break away after Jay complained he could no longer breathe.

"So how was the onsen, Kai?" Jay eyed up the red ninja as he scooped up the discarded bags. "I see you didn't drown?"

"No I didn't drown, Jay! It was, really good." He smiled as he looked over to Sky as she walked into the building with Cole, catching her eye and she beamed back.

"Yeah, really good."