Now that she's at the monastery, there will be more Aster than there was in previous chapters. And I have less time, so I will be uploading super slowly.
*Aster*
"This is really getting out of hand," Kai complained, rubbing his multitude of bruises. "I have been training for days, but I never get pass more than half of the obstacle course. It's impossible!"
"But you could do it," she reminded him, "If you had more time, right?" Kai nodded miserably. "Then make more time," Aster poked him in the arm, and left for her own room, leaving behind a bewildered Kai. She had a plan in her mind's eye, where Kai had a pretty good chance of beating the course. He'd have to somehow stop Sensei from finishing his tea. Aster would have told him outright, but she was worried something in his training might go wrong if she did.
On the other hand, she had her own training to worry about. She'd been going out onto the rooftop every night to practice her newfound levitation, and had gotten to the point where she could send her kite shooting into the air in a spiral, and bring it to land safely next to her. She was aware it wasn't much, and it wouldn't be much use in combat, but it was something she could do that no one else could. It was a power that belonged to her, not braver Kai, or Nya, who was better at almost everything she put her hand to.
Pulling the kite off its place on the wall, she set it down in the corner of the obstacle course. Kai was asleep in his room, and Sensei was probably in his room doing weird old people stuff. Wu hadn't said anything in particular, but Aster assumed she probably wasn't allowed on the course, as it was "too dangerous". Scoffing, she shot off, dodging, ducking, and shoving the dummies out of her way, then flipping over the shifting logs. She came to an abrupt halt less than thirty seconds after she had started.
Aster grinned triumphantly, picking up her kite again and vaulting up to the rooftop. She didn't need the tree anymore; her nightly work on the course had improved her coordination by far. Throwing the kite as far as she could, she told the wind to bring it up, and as it did more and more often, it obeyed. She spent a few more minutes before attempting what she'd never succeeded in before- levitating something else. Aster reached for her katana, which she'd strapped to her back. This will be useful when we go to rescue Nya. When she let go, the sword remained hovering in front of her.
Good. She'd marked an X on a large oak tree on the very edge of the mountain, and with a flick of her wrist, she sent the katana flying at the tree. It hit the centre of the X.
Aster punched the air in triumph. "I did it!"
"A worthy effort," a voice spoke from behind her. She whirled around to face an amused Sensei Wu.
"Sensei," she dipped her head. "How long have you been watching?"
"Since the first night," Wu admitted. "You are more powerful than I thought. I did not know that you would train yourself if I did not."
"Why didn't you train me?" Aster tilted her head. If she was so powerful, why ignore her completely?
"I thought you should have a chance to grow up, before you began training," Sensei confessed. "It seems you did not need it. Should you wish to, I can help you train." Aster nodded without hesitation. To have an opportunity to become the best was worth whatever she had to give. "How have you been spending the days?"
"I've been reading in the library," Aster answered truthfully. She had learned a few interesting facts about daggerweed, a herb which could exchange two peoples' life forces, but she had also spent a lot of time napping, as her nightly training routine gave her no such opportunity.
Sensei nodded thoughtfully. "I have some letters given to me by Kai's father. You may want to study them." Then as an afterthought, he said, "If your training is to begin in earnest, you will need your rest. Go to sleep." Aster nodded again, and climbed down the walls to her bedroom. She fell asleep almost immediately.
The next morning, she scanned through Hotaru's letters, all of which made her smile. Her bright adopted father seemed to shine through the letters, which reminded her of the old days, when they had lived together as a happy family of five. But what interested her most was a letter that dated ten years ago-
Wu,
Thank you for sending me the map. I have had no trouble at all, hiding it from my extremely curious son Kai. In case you're wondering, that was sarcasm. Kai is ironically going through a ninja phase, with his sister Nya. Those two have been poking everywhere in the shop, and Kai has no end of cuts from scrabbling around the swords. They almost found the map yesterday, but their youngest sister needed feeding, and they were temporarily diverted from their search.
About their new sister. I'm sure you remember Aria? Nami's friend, the one who punched Arcturus in the face? After the war, she went to the Cursed Realm, to find Haunted Asters. She spent a few years there after she got them trying to get out. Apparently she only escaped with the help of a ghost named Morro, who seems to really hate you. Not quite sure what that was about.
After coming out, she tried to go home, but she was pregnant with Morro's child. Again, I have no idea how that was supposed to happen. But she was rejected everywhere, and eventually wound up here, in Ignacia. You know how Nami loves her, so she stayed with us for a week or so, before she gave birth to a little girl. She died after we promised to take care of her kid.
Aria named the girl Aster, and Kai and Nya love her to bits. They know she's adopted, of course, and I plan to tell Aster when she's ready, hopefully in a few decades or so. Aster has adorable, big, black eyes, and she's got black hair as well. We've found a streak of hair that isn't quite black, though. It seem sort of green, and Nami thinks it'll get brighter as she gets older.
What Nami tells me is that Aria told her Morro was a Master of Wind. So there's a possibility that Aster will be a Master of Wind as well. I know you promised you'd help us train Kai and Nya when they're ready, but if it's not too much to ask, can you help out with Aster as well? It would help out a lot, because I'm not sure my setting her on fire would help anything.
Thanks,
Hotaru
Aster read the letter over and over again. Her mother finally had a name- Aria. And her father knew Wu, somehow. She'd be sure to ask Sensei who Morro was, although she dreaded his reply. The one who punched Arcturus in the face? She grinned. Hotaru didn't read bedtime stories to his children, the way other parents did. He regaled them with tales of the Serpentine war, which Tsunami objected to, as she said it made the children "ten times more hyper", rather than lulling them to sleep.
As she now knew, Hotaru was a Master of Fire, and so he would have participated in the War against General Arcturus. So had her mother, apparently. And not only had Aria been on the winning side, she had punched a Serpentine in the face. Respect.
"I see you enjoy reading the letters," Sensei said, walking into the room.
"Sensei," Aster greeted. "How did Kai do?"
"He failed," Sensei said smugly. "Again."
"Too bad," Aster shook her head in mock sadness. "Sensei, who's Morro?"
"And old student of mine," Wu sighed, staring off into the distance. "He believed himself to be the greatest, and left the monastery to find his own destiny when he was proved wrong. He met his doom in the Caves of Despair, and was banished to the Cursed Realm to stop him from destroying one who was more powerful than him."
Aster nodded, slightly disappointed. Then again, it wouldn't be fair if both her parents were amazing. "I heard something, on the way to the archives," she began hesitantly. Sensei indicated for her to go on. "I heard voices. Three male voices, in the East Wing." Wu's eyes widened.
"Do not tell Kai of what you heard," he rasped. "He will be distracted from his training." He paused before asking, "Do you know anything about the Golden Weapons?" Aster frowned before replying.
"There are four of them, one for each element, right?" She looked at Wu for correction. He nodded.
"Four, one for each Pure element," he amended. "There are many elements, but Fire, Earth, Ice and Lighting are the ones which Ninjago was created by. We have four ninja, one for each Pure element. Kai is not alone. The voices you heard belong to Jay, Cole and Zane, Kai's elemental counterparts."
"Will we meet them?" she asked. Wu nodded.
"When Kai is ready," Sensei answered, and both of them turned to the window to see Kai complete the course again and again. "He is capable, but he must learn to see things from all perspectives, as I believe you already have."
Aster took the compliment silently, although she couldn't take full credit. Living with headstrong Kai and gentler Nya at the same time had shown her that the world could be seen in various ways, from a wonderful home, to a dangerous, but unavoidable place.
"Are you ready to practice your powers?" Wu queried. She nodded enthusiastically, and walked outside to the courtyard, which Kai had deserted to go clean himself up.
"Your wind is not solid, but a force that repels," Sensei stood at the steps. "Do not let this hit you." And with no other warning, he threw a shurikan at her. Reflexively, she sent a gust of wind that knocked it out of the air. "Good," Wu acknowledged. "But rather than returning weapons to your enemies, use them against them." And with that, he sent another shurikan at her. Keep it in front of her, she ordered the wind. The shurikan floated in the air, and with a flick of her wrist, she shot it back at Wu, successfully pinning his gi against the wall. "Come with me," Wu beckoned, taking the shurikan off himself and walked to a room. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside, and hesitantly, she followed him.
The room was a shrine to all things ninja. Old, stained, and ripped gi hung on one wall, and parallel to them were six untouched gi. Four were red, white, blue and black, with leather cords across the chest and around the waist. Each of them had an elemental symbol set into a gold brooch, which were pinned onto the cords. Further to the right, there were two green gi. One was a bright leaf green, with grey-blue armour highlights. The other was simpler, more like the other elemental gi. It was a darker shade of green, almost black. A black leather cord circled around from the shoulder to the waist, with an eagle set into its silver brooch.
"Guess which one is yours," Wu offered, watching her, amused. Aster blushed, and closed her mouth.
"This one?" she stroked the dark green gi. Sensei nodded, smiling. "Wait… If this is mine, and the four are the elementals', who's is the lighter green one?"
Wu's face closed. "For someone else," he said. Aster understood she was being dismissed, and bringing her new gi with her, she retreated into her own room.
*Sensei Wu*
A day had passed since he had given Aster her gi, and he was now sitting on the monastery's porch, ready to watch Kai complete the training course. "Go!" Wu called.
Kai shot off like an arrow, completing the first section with ease. Wu hastily made himself a cup of tea, but just as he raised it to his lips, Kai threw his wooden practice sword at him, knocking the tea to the ground. Oh. Smart. He began to make himself another cup, but when he looked up to check on his progress, Kai was nowhere to be seen.
"Will that be one sugar, or two?" Wu turned to see Kai leaning smugly against a pillar, grinning. "So, when am I going to learn this Spinjitzu I've been hearing so much about?" Kai called out as Wu got up to go inside the monastery.
"You already have-" Wu began to say, when a small figure burst out of the monastery.
"You did it!" Aster yelped, hugging Kai. "You did it!"
"Aster," Wu reminded sternly. "What happened to your studies?"
"Sorry," Aster said apologetically, fixing her face into a sombre expression which did nothing to hide her dancing obsidian eyes. "I just saw from the window." Wu shook his head in amused exasperation. Aster did have some childish qualities, after all.
He walked into the monastery, into a large room. Three heads turned to face him, eyes shining in anticipation. "Sensei." His three other students bowed.
"What is it?" Jay asked, jumping to his feet eagerly. "A mission?" Cole and Zane immediately reached for their weapons, and Wu laughed inwardly. They act like Aster.
"Yes," Wu announced. The three teens whooped and cheered, pulling up their black hoods. "Tonight, I want you to find a person, who will be hiding in the West Wing. Attack him, subdue him, do what you must." Wu instructed. Jay and Zane looked to Cole, who gave them a confident nod. Wu had noticed that the other two ninja had begun to look at Cole as somewhat of a leader figure, which made sense, what with his being the Master of Earth.
This will be Kai's last test, Wu thought as he left the room amid eager discussion. If he can hold them off, he will truly be ready. Sensei had no doubt that Kai would pass, but he hoped Kai would not injure his elemental counterparts.
Aster walked into his study as the sun set, for her practical lessons. He had told her of Kai's test, and that if things went according to plan, she would meet the other ninja in a few hours. In preparation, Aster was dressed for the first time in her gi. This is what Morro should have looked like.
Then again, if Morro was still at the monastery, Aster wouldn't be, and neither would the ninja. Focus, he reprimanded himself. "Attack me," he ordered, and Aster shot a gust of wind at him in response. Making an attempt to dodge, Wu lunged to the side, only to be blasted in the chest by another gale. "That was good," Wu acknowledged with a nod before charging at Aster, striking down with his Ninjō.
The two weaved and danced around each other for hours, before grunts and yelps echoed up to Wu's study. "That will be the ninja," Aster guessed. Irritation filled Wu. Honestly. That doesn't sound like anything I taught them.
He marched down and flung open the monastery's door. "Stop!" he barked.
The three in black gi turned to him. "Yes, Sensei."
"Wait a minute," Kai frowned in confusion. "They're your students too?"
Wu began to nod in agreement when Jay cut in. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You never said anything about a fourth! There's always three- three musketeers, three…" Jay continued babbling.
"What he means, Sensei," Cole interrupted, shooting Jay a warning glare, "Is that the three of us trained together. We're solid."
"Doesn't seem solid to me," Kai and Aster said in unison, before Kai turned to Aster.
"Who are you?" Kai asked suspiciously. Wu sighed in exasperation. The boy couldn't even recognise his own sister.
"Not one of us," Jay shrugged.
"She is," Wu countered. The ninja looked at each other in bewilderment.
Wu performed his Spinjitzu, and when he came to a stop beside Aster, the four teens were garbed in their respective gi.
"This is Kai, Master of Fire," Wu informed the other ninja. Kai was now dressed in crimson, with the fire emblem on his brooch. "Jay, Master of Lightning."
"That's not all I'm the master of," Jay boasted, before launching into another series of babbling. Next to him, Aster rolled her eyes at the ninja in blue.
"Mouth of Lightning, more like," Cole muttered, before he said in surprise, "Wait a minute, I'm still black."
"Black ninja is Cole. He is Master of Earth."
"Nice to meet you, kid," he smirked at Kai, who glared at him.
"I'm not a kid, wuss," Kai snarled.
"There ain't nothing in this world I'm afraid of," Cole retorted, crossing his thick arms.
"Except dragons," Zane, who was dressed in white, added.
"Dragons aren't from this world," Cole huffed. Wu heard gasping coming from Aster, and he turned to her in concern. To his relief and amusement, she was only laughing.
"This is Zane," Wu continued. "Ninja of Ice, and sealed with sixth sense."
"I sense this one takes things a little too seriously," Kai grinned. The other ninja laughed, but Zane tilted his head, impressed.
"You have the gift too?" Zane asked, intrigued.
"It was a joke," Jay snorted. "Your sense of humour, remember?"
"A joke," Zane echoed. "Yes. Ha ha." Jay shook his head in exasperation.
"And this is the fifth ninja," Wu placed a hand on Aster's shoulder, who pulled down the hood of her gi.
"Aster?" Kai gaped. He growled at Wu. "I thought you said it was dangerous, that it would be difficult. But you're going to bring a defenceless ten year old to save Nya?"
"Nya's my sister, too," Aster cut in before Wu could say anything. "And I'm not defenceless, Kai."
"She is correct on both counts," Wu agreed. "Ninja, this is Aster, Master of Wind. She may not have a Golden Weapon, nor was she chosen for this. But she is here, she is powerful, and her destiny is intertwined with yours-"
"We're going to save a girl?" Jay interrupted. "Is she hot?"
"Back off," Kai and Aster snarled in unison.
"Enough," Wu said sharply. "We must go to the first Golden Weapon, and bickering will not help."
"I thought you were going to teach us Spinjitzu," Cole frowned.
"Spinjitzu is inside you all," Wu said amiably. "Come, let us take the carriage. My feet are tired."
He turned to walk back into the monastery, leaving the five ninja in the courtyard, looking at each other uncertainly.
They are a team now, whether they like it or not, Wu thought viciously. Then, more doubtfully, he thought, I hope they are ready. The fate of Ninjago rests on their shoulders.