I'm back. It's as simple as that. When I get hit with writer's block, it always hits hard and I apologize for that. Stress from education has been alleviated now that it's midterm and I'm ready to split my focus between writing and school once more. Without further ado, let's continue the story.

Chapter Thirteen: Struggle

"You need to snap out of it!"

She glanced around hesitantly, adjusting to the humid air of the forest after being in the warm, dry interior of the small house in the woods. Lucas had taken a few steps forward, both blades brandished dangerously. His stance teetered on the thin line between offensive and defensive. Although, from what Laurie was slowly gathering, her cousin looked more prepared to go on the attack. "I don't know where your focus keeps wandering off to, Laurie, but I need it here right now."

Nodding very slowly, the Ninja of Wind caught Lucas' gaze as he turned his head. The mixture of anxiety and hesitation in his hazel grey orbs was masked well by pure determination. He was ready to attack whatever, or whoever, necessary in order to make an escape. It's Kai though, Laurie's thoughts interjected, unwillingly pulling her eyes up to the familiar figure still looming before them. "I'm here," the red head answered softly, voice barely audible in the now muggy air. "I'm with you, Lucas."

"This is all really touching," the spiky haired brunet smirked, twirling his own elemental weapon in his right hand before focusing it on his targets once more, "but it sound to me like you want to take the hard way out." Eliciting no response from either of his former teammates, Kai took a careful step towards them, narrowing his blazing, violet eyes. "That's fine though. It's always more fun to fight anyways."

Guilt and pure fear spread through Laurie's body like a wildfire, tingling outwards from her stomach to her extremities. This was her fault. Maybe, if she had just tried a little harder to help Lloyd when he needed it, he would still be alive. All of her friends would still be with her and none of this would be happening. With her grip intensifying on the polished wooden handle of her dagger, Laurie felt the prickling of tears beginning to irritate her. "But, we don't have to fight, Kai," the girl pleaded, her breaths coming in unsteadily. She knew it was a long shot, a gesture beyond hope itself, but she just had to try. "Lucas can help you. He helped me. We…we don't have to fall to the Overlord. We can fight him together."

He scoffed, a sound that took Laurie's spirit and crushed it into dust. "You always were a bit naive," Kai replied. "Wishing for the best even when everything is obviously falling apart. There's no redemption in this world, Laurie, and it's better for you to realize that now. The Kai you knew is gone. He's never coming back." The girl before him shrank back at his words and he smirked, enjoying how easily he could break her. "What are you even fighting for anymore? The battle is over. Lloyd is dead. There's no use running from your inevitable fate, so give up."

Give up.

It was beginning to sound very tempting. The red head shifted uncomfortably, feeling her lip quiver slightly. Every day was a fight, one that she fought because she did not know what else to do. The world was shifting and changing all the time. If this was what it had become, there was no stopping that, no going back. Maybe it was time to just accept that. "No," Laurie said, her unfocused gaze settling upon Kai once more. "You wouldn't want me to give up, not if you were still the person I loved." She swallowed hard, trying to eradicate the lump of anxiety sticking forcefully in her throat. "Lloyd wouldn't let me give me up either. If he was still here, he'd be doing everything in his power to take Ninjago back from the Overlord."

"Lloyd failed because he was weak," the Ninja of Fire countered, narrowing his eyes. Without warning, he leapt forward and brought his sword down in an arc. "So are you."

Laurie stood frozen, instinctively holding her right arm across her face and bracing for the impact of the weapon. The was a growl and the girl let a few seconds tick by before she opened her eyes, not even realizing she had closed them to begin with. Her cousin stood in front of her, both of his weapons crossed over one another, successfully blocking Kai's attack. The two former teammates were pushing against each other, a pure battle of strength. "Get out of here, Laurie," Lucas yelled back, keeping his eyes locked on his opponent. "We'll regroup in a little bit, I promise."

She felt speechless, but tried to grab for any words she could. "I'm not gonna leave you here," she argued, finally getting ahold of herself. "This is my fight too." As Laurie stood there, feeling as if time was slowing down all around her, she finally came to the conclusion that her cousin was forcing her to make the right decision. You know you can't hurt Kai, her own thoughts echoed. Whether he's himself or not, you just wouldn't be able to. Conceding defeat, Laurie started to back away. "Fine, I'll leave," the Ninja of Wind sighed, "but only because you told me to and I trust you have a plan."

"I always do," she heard Lucas reply as he brought his right leg up and kicked Kai square in the chest. Laurie held her breath as she saw Kai stumble backwards for a brief moment before lunging towards her cousin again. A brilliant flame erupted from the end of Kai's sword and then the scene disappeared behind a thick curtain of fog.

Lloyd failed because he was weak. So are you.

Feet pounding hard against the ground, Laurie attempted to push Kai's words from her mind. Lloyd had never been weak. He had been the strongest one of them all. When it looked like they had initially been defeated back on the Dark Island, he had chosen not to give up. Her younger brother had taken charge and convinced everyone that they could still stop the Overlord, even when he was injured. Even when all hope seemed lost. "You didn't die for nothing," Laurie whispered to herself, feeling a renewed sense of energy welling up within her. "We'll stop the Overlord, no matter what. I'll make sure of it."

"Will you?" chuckled a condescending voice that echoed through the otherwise silent forest. Laurie wanted to stop and survey the area around her, but instincts told her differently. She had to keep moving. "I'd like to see that. It'd sure be a lot different than hiding in the shadows like you usually do." The sound reached Laurie's ears and she tried to ignore it as best as she could, focusing on the dark blurs of trees whizzing by her instead. They were trying to get in her head, psyche her out, but she was not about to let that happen. "You probably wouldn't be up for the task. You're a coward."

"It seems to me like you're the coward," Laurie shouted back, finding it increasingly difficult not to argue. Her gaze swept across the area in front of her before she finally came to a stop, standing her ground and gripping her dagger tightly. No more running. No more hiding. If it was a fight they wanted, then she would be more than happy to oblige. "So, if you're not, then show yourself." As the sound of her labored breathing gradually subsided, the Ninja of Wind backed up into a nearby tree. At least no one could surprise her from behind now. The thick blanket of fog still covered everything in sight. It was a nice aid for being furtive, but it was also a hindrance. "I said show yourself," the girl demanded once more.

There was a sudden rustling from the foliage above her and Laurie leaned her head back against the tree, staring up into nothingness. Unexpected pain erupted from her abdomen and the red head sucked in a breath, directing her attention back in front of her. "Here I am," smirked Cole, throwing yet another punch towards his enemy. More prepared this time, and with adrenaline flooding through her body, Laurie dove off to her right, rolling across the ground and landing in a crouch. She unsteadily got to her feet and spun around in time to duck underneath a kick. "Ya gonna fight back?"

"Gladly," Laurie growled, lunging forward and thrusting the small blade in her hands towards her former teammate's left shoulder. Cole side-stepped the attack and twisted his body around, managing to land a kick to Ninja of Wind's chest. She stumbled backwards, clenching her teeth together and narrowing her eyes. Losing was not an option. Laurie had come so far and there was no way that she was going to give in and allow herself to be overtaken so easily. Combat was like an intricate dance, the two fighters fluidly moving around one another. "I know I've been running for a while now, but I'm not going to anymore."

Cole's right hand flew down towards the golden hilt sheathed around his waist. In no time at all, his elemental blade sprung to life, a green glow spreading through the fog. "No, you won't be running anymore," the raven-haired teenager replied, jamming his weapon down into the softened soil. The ground quivered and shake, throwing Laurie off balance. She fell to a knee, her eyes still locked on to her friend. As suddenly as the phenomenon had started, it stopped. The Ninja of Wind scoffed, returning to her feet as an unforeseen tingling pain spread from the small of her back to the rest of her body. "Because we've got you now."

She could feel every muscles tighten against her will, her arms and legs slowly becoming numb. A strangled cry stuck in her throat as she fell to the ground, motionless. The pain ceased, but the discomfort and weakness remained. Trying hard to catch her breath, Laurie stayed down, her ice blue eyes searched for an answer to what had happened. Jay walked into her line of sight, his own blade unsheathed and sparking blue. Realization slowly dawned on the red head as Jay gingerly took his foot and flipped the exhausted girl on to her back. "Nighty, night," he said, touching the tip of his weapon against Laurie's chest.

The electricity coursed through her body once more, plunging her into complete darkness.

So, I'm just going to be focusing on this story of mine for now. I'll update every other week, probably on Saturdays. This gives me time to make sure that I'm enjoying what I'm writing and not worrying about what anybody else thinks about it. Also, I'm still writing a collab story with TombRaiderNinja, so my focus is split between two stories. Plus school. So, yeah.

After I finish this story, I'll move back to my Shifting Winds Rewrite. Promise. See you on November 1st.