Chapter 84
Break In The Ground
.:Violet:.
The two stayed in that position for a while. Violet was extremely grateful towards Kai and Lloyd for their pep talks. In a way, it helped her to believe in herself once again that she was safe. Perhaps everyone is safe whenever they're at home with their family and loved ones. Suddenly, the door to the training room swung open and the curious ninja poked her head from Kai's chest to see Lloyd, Cole, Jay and Zane enter the room.
"Violet, Kai, there you are!" Jay suddenly cried out before slapping a hand over his mouth.
"Where else would we be?" Violet piped up with a slight smirk. She wants to be the Violet she was before, not the cruel or cold person Lloyd said she was. By doing this, she still can protect the others and Lloyd was right, it was better to tell them now. Immediately from her comment, huge grins broke on the guys face.
"Yay you're back!"
"Jay, don't say it like that!"
"Well I'm sorry for expressing my mind." The blue ninja teased. Violet missed this. She missed the old times when they can goof off. The air tamer felt like she can change to her old self but at the same time, she can't really let go of the cruel stuff that happened to her.
"I'm glad you're feeling better Violet." Zane said on the rest of the four's behalf.
"Thanks to Lloyd and Kai, I do feel better although I don't think I'll be completely the same but I'll try to be."
"Lloyd kinda told us so there's no need for you to tell us again-"
"Jay! That was supposed to be a secret!"
"You really need to stop being a motor mouth."
"Hey! Violet deserves to know that we know. This is about her after all."
Upon their playful banter, Violet found herself chuckling. When she looked back to Kai, his warm eyes remained on her. Slowly he closed his eyes and leaned his head forward. At first, she saw the haunting image of Vincent but then it morphed into the night she and Kai shared on her birthday. When their lips touched, Violet couldn't help but hungrily kissed back.
"Yeah, err it's sweet that you're better Violet but it doesn't mean you and Kai can make out in front of us." Upon Cole's words, she felt Kai left her lips.
"So why are you guys still here?" Kai asked with annoyance in his voice.
"We were going to train… Wanna join us Violet?" Lloyd asked timidly. The female ninja nodded and crawled out of Kai's laps and onto her own feet.
"But don't go too hard otherwise you'll reopen your wounds."
"I won't Zane." She reassured the Nindroid and stretched her arms.
.::.
"Don't rely on your eyes; use your ears to help you whenever you're temporarily blinded." Violet instructed as Cole finished tying the blindfold around Lloyd's face. While Lloyd stood in the middle of the training room, everyone else stood around him, loaded with weapons. To prevent hurting Lloyd, Violet decided it would be better to fight with blunt, wooden daggers in case if her reflexes from her mission kick in.
Everyone looked around at each other. With a nod from Zane, all five ninja –minus Lloyd- crept forward. Violet kept her eyes on Lloyd to see him turning around, his head tilting to wherever he could hear any sounds. In perfect time, she, Kai, Jay, Zane and Cole lunge forward with their weapons readied for strike. Immediately, the boy clad in green jumped up, missing all seven weapons (one sword, scythe, nunchucks and two daggers and shurikens). Keeping a slight distance back, Violet watched with amazement as Lloyd kicked one of Zane's shurikens out of his hands before landing. When Cole swung his scythe down, the blonde grabbed it and pulled it away from the black ninja and held it up just in time to block Kai's sword. Lloyd then placed one end on the scythe on the ground and used it to prop him up; he then swung around and kicked his feet out. While Violet dodged it, Lloyd managed to kick Zane, Jay and Cole in the face but lost momentum in his spin to kick Kai. The girl could tell the others were getting frustrated. As Cole jumped to land on Lloyd who was on the floor, the blonde jumped up. Jay swung his nunchucks but only to miss along with Kai. Lloyd then landed on all fours and kicked his leg out and kicked Jay in the stomach. Violet decided it was time to join in.
Being swift, she lunged forward and swiped her daggers. Lloyd quickly dodged her daggers and jumped over her. Violet turned just in time to see he was about to kick her in the back. She flipped backwards and threw the wooden dagger. Lloyd's hand then came out of nowhere and knocked it out of the air. The other four boys charged back into the fight but Lloyd was able to fend himself. Violet was impressed how far the boy progressed. When Lloyd's hand lit up with green flames, Violet went in again. The boy seemed to notice someone was going after him since he started to throw punches. Violet slid onto the floor, dodging the boy's hands and sliding between his legs. She then tumbled rolled on the floor once she was on the other side and turned on one foot and the other kicked the back of Lloyd's knees. The blonde boy let out a startle cry as he fell onto the floor. As he fell, the room shook violently that Violet stopped from attacking the boy.
"What was that because I'm fairly sure that wasn't Lloyd who managed to shake the Bounty?" Violet asked and she looked around to see the four original male ninjas slowly getting up.
"Earthquake? Maybe Lloyd accidently used more than his fire element."
"No, it wasn't me, I swear." The young member of the group announced, lifting up his blindfold. Suddenly, the door once again swung open to reveal Nathan.
"You may want to see the news channel- Violet!"
"Hey Nathan." Violet smiled gently and the older boy ran over and pulled the small girl into a tight bear hug. "M-My back!"
"Sorry."
.:Kai:.
"NGTV reporter Gayle Gossip on the scene of what appears to be an earthquake rocking the city of Ninjago but it's earthquake like no other as scientists have yet to figure out the cause. What's worse is that the aftershocks are getting worst!"
And just then, another rumble shook the bounty, making everyone fall over. Kai's eyes immediately went over to Violet to see her land on Nathan. In a way, he was relieved she was fine but mad that Nathan was the one who caught her.
"But if it's in Ninjago City, how come we can feel the earthquake on the shore?"
"Lloyd, don't forget this beach is relatively close to the city." Zane pointed out but Cole sighed.
"That doesn't matter. Jay, you're the fastest. Go up to the bridge and tell Nya to set course to Ninjago City if she isn't already working on it. Come on everyone, let's gather Wu and Misako."
Immediately Jay ran to the bridge while Violet got off Nathan and headed towards Kai.
"Err… Who's Misako?"
"You know that new lady on board? Yeah, that's Misako. She's also Lloyd's mother."
"What?"
"It's a long story…" Kai sighed.
.:Violet:.
Ninjago City was a mess. Not even a mess, a disaster. The earthquake took a toll in some buildings, making them collapse. Large chucks of the road fell to form uneven cracks and the ground would always shake lightly. Violet watched as the five male ninja and Nathan made a human rope to save a woman who unfortunately fell in one of the cracks. She would have joined but Cole (who's holding the base) told her it would be better if she didn't otherwise it would cause tension on her back.
Violet looked around, trying to see if she could save anyone without hurting her back. She then saw a little girl, about seven years old hugging a lamp post. The ground rumbled violently that the air tamer lost her balance and when she looked back to the boys, they were still trying to save the woman. Violet looked back to the girl to see her fall and the building sign that was near her close to falling off the building. Not wanting a repeat of Jamanakai, Violet sprinted forward. But a loud snap was heard and the sign was falling. The ninja went dived forward and when she touched the ground, she tumbled roll and grabbed the girl. Pulling her into the roll, Violet curled her body around the girl and then they hit the building. Seconds later, the sign fell where the girl was.
The caramel-haired girl groaned in pain as she uncurled herself from the girl, knowing for sure she reopened the wounds on her back. Damn, why can't I heal myself quickly anymore? Violet looked down to the girl and made sure she's alright.
"Are you okay..?" She asked gently and the young girl nodded her head.
"I lost my parents…" She whispered.
"It's alright; I'll help you find them okay?"
"Okay… Are you the purple Ninja?" The young girl asked as Violet helped her up.
"Yes, I am." Violet replied with a soft smile, trying to mask the pain and hide her back. When Violet held the girl's hand, she could feel her trembling in fear. "What's your name?" Violet asked, trying to draw the girl's attention to what was happening.
"M-Mabel."
"What a pretty name."
"Violet!" The called ninja looked around upon hearing Kai's voice.
"I'm here!" Violet waved her free hand to gain the ninja attention. Immediately, she saw worry on the other's face. "I'm fine."
"Your back Violet!" Zane argued and when Mabel tried to take a look, Violet turned her body so the youngster won't see the wound. Violet was so glad she changed into her ninja gi.
"It's fine. I'm going to find her parents; you guys go and help as many people as you can… We don't need a repeat of Jamanakai Village." Violet instructed as she picked up Mabel and placed the girl on her hips.
"Violet, if you bump into any stone warrior, don't engage a fight."
"A what now?" The said ninja asked at Kai's word of wisdom.
"Don't worry, just go." Cole interjected and Violet nodded her head before running off.
She could feel the young child wrap her arms around her neck and head tucked into her neck. Violet could only mutter some words of comfort to the child but they would always end short whenever another crack appear in the ground. Suddenly, a low grunt was heard right behind the purple ninja and Mabel let off a scream that made the ninja's ear winch. When Violet turned around, she saw a red hat emerging from the crack before a stoned head with bright green eyes appeared. She wondered if this was what Kai meant about a stone warrior. However, Mabel's hold on her tightened and in return, Violet held the girl tighter.
Hoping that her powers were replenished enough, Violet shot out a hand towards the warrior that ran towards them and the wind picked up around them. The air tamer went to blast the air at the stone warrior. At first, it struggled but then marched on towards them. Are my powers still not ready yet or is it just the statue? Knowing, this won't work; Violet spun around and ran with the stone man chasing after.
"He's gaining up on us!"
"I'll lose him." Violet reassured the girl. "Are you scared of heights?"
"I don't think so."
"Good." And then she shot into the air. Mabel squealed in delight, making the ninja sigh with relief. When she looked back down, the warrior shook its fist at them, growling. "Can you see your parents from up here?"
"I-I don't think so- there they are!"
.:Kai:.
"Come on everyone, up the stairs!" Kai bellowed over the terrified cries of the citizens of Ninjago City as everyone went to the top floor of NGTV's building. However, Kai kept his eyes out for a certain purple ninja, so far nothing.
"Can you see her yet?" Nathan asked as the samurai stood next to him. Kai only shook his head and sighed.
"No I can't… You don't think they bumped into a group of them do you?"
"No… She's strong, she should be able to even if Misako said they're made out of an indestructible material."
"I hope you're right…" Kai muttered as he stepped out of a building to see a small army of warriors coming towards them. "Come on Violet, hurry up."
"We need to barricade the doors!" Cole's loud voice was heard but the fire tamer stubbornly shook his head.
"No, Violet isn't here yet."
"Kai, you heard her, she doesn't want a repeat of Jamanakai Village. She's fine. Once we're in the air, we'll pick her up once we see her okay?" The leader asked softer than before and placed a hand on Kai's shoulder.
"Ok…"
"Wait for us!" Both ninja's head perked up at the plead and when Kai turned his head to its direction, he saw Mabel and two adult running towards the building.
"We close it after they come in alright?" The black ninja asked, Kai could only keep his eye on them.
"Do you know where the purple ninja is?" Kai asked as they came in, puffed and tired.
"I'm so sorry, she was with us but once we got chased, she told us to keep going…" Mabel's father panted with sadness on his face. The brunette looked back to Cole with pleading eyes.
"I need to get her, please." He pleaded to the leader who looked pained on what to do next. Chocolate brown eyes met with amber, somewhat giving a look that granted permission. "Thanks Cole." And Kai slipped out of the closing doors.
.:Violet:.
She finally understood what was going on. She remembered reading in her father's letter that someone called the Overlord created an indestructible army, the Stone Army. These artificial warriors must be them. Looks like my father wasn't joking when he said indestructible. Violet thought as none of her powers had effect on them. But then her father said that the Spinjitzu Master sealed them under Ninjago City…
The pieces clicked. In one of her visions, she remembered seeing the serpentine trapped in a large stone cave with green venom… Perhaps the Great Devourer's venom brought the army alive…. But it doesn't explain how the serpentine got trapped in there. Now that's left of her visions to be proved is the one for Kai to protect her from something, Nya and Cole getting together and Sensei Wu turning evil.
Suddenly, Violet could hear low growling and she sighed with exhaustion. She has been running away from these things for ages. She saw the news on the TV and told Mabel and her family to run to the NGTV building while she held some of the warriors back… more like run away. The ninja's legs started to ache from the excessive running. It wobbled and buckle under every step and stride she took to get away like jelly. Violet looked over her shoulder to see she has lost interest in the warriors that chased her but one. Due to this distraction, Violet ended up not looking where her feet were going and tripped over a bag someone dropped in order to get away. The ninja of air groaned at the impact and when she tried to get up, her limbs protested and refused to obey her orders. Violet could feel the road vibrate with every step the Stone Warrior took towards her. Winching, she rolled over –ignoring the fact she could get an infection of her back- and she met face to face with the Stone Warrior. It's beady green eyes stared her down, a low and rumble chuckle came from its stony mouth.
It was nearly like Vincent all over again. Violet hated the fact she was weak and vulnerable, she couldn't protect herself or the people around her. When the sword was raise with the sunray reflecting off the steel, she closed her eyes with defeat. Suddenly, she heard the sound of metal against metal and two low grunts matching each other. The tamer of air immediately opened her eyes to see the back view of Kai defending her from the warrior. It proved another vision. Two visions in one day never happened before.
"Move Violet!" He shouted and Violet could only nimbly nodded her head and used her elbows and feet and drag herself away from the fight.
"Now I know why you told me not to engage in a fight." The girl said as she tried to stand up, her muscles were hissing at her but she couldn't let Kai defend himself.
Once she was up, she looked around to see a metal pole on the ground. When Violet looked around to see where it came from, she saw it was from the construction site above. Get back on topic. Violet picked it up and ran towards Kai and the warrior. She jumped over Kai with a flip and when she landed behind the Stone Warrior, she hit the metal against its head. In Violet's mind, the metal was supposed to make a crack in the stone, not bend over the warrior's head. The creature gave Kai a shove and looked back to her, furious.
"Oops." She muttered sheepishly and when the warrior opened his mouth to yell at her, she quickly shoved the end of the pole into its mouth, startling the creature.
"Come on!" Kai's voice was then in her ear as he grabbed her hand and dragged her away.
"Why did you come back for me?"
"Why wouldn't I?" He asked with a charming yet goofy smile flashed at her.
"I don't know. Tell me." Violet smirked and she watched as Kai's face drop before a smirk also entered his lips and his amber eyes twinkle in amusement.
"Because you're such a stubborn girl who doesn't listen and always needs her butt to be saved."
"Excuse me, I saved your butt more than you saved mine!" She proclaimed with a frown presented on her brows but she couldn't stop laughing.
"You look ugly like that."
"Kai!"
"Love you Violet." He then chuckled before he quickly scooped his arms underneath her.
"Hey, I can still run!"
"You're injured plus you look like you're about to collapse any moment now." The brunette told her, the smirk disappearing but the twinkle still in eyes. Violet could only sigh as she let Kai carry her. Their banter made her feel safe despite the situation. She didn't understand, if no one is safe –especially in this crisis- how come she felt safe now; laughing as if there's nothing wrong along with Kai? "Oh no."
"What?" Violet asked as she looked up to his face, his brows were set deep as his eyes were on the sky. When she looked up, she saw the Bounty flying with a light cloud of smoke from the booster.
"We need to find another way onto the ship." He told her.
"Put me down."
"Vi-"
"Put me down." She repeated a little bit sterner. He nodded and she looked back at the ship to see it was staying near the building before watching Sensei Wu and Misako jumping from an open window and onto the decks.
"What, do you have a plan? Because if you do, you need to put it into action quick." Kai told her and when she turned around, she saw a large wave of Stone Warriors coming towards them.
"Geez Kai, you really underestimate me…" Violet sighed as she grabbed his hand and used the remainder of her energy to fly them up to the Bounty. She struggled with the weight but she managed. "I saved your butt."
"Technically both of ours… But I saved you first, if I haven't we wouldn't have this problem."
"If I remember correctly, without my help, you would have been impaled by Garmadon's sword in the Temple of Fire months ago… wait, is that a year now?"
"I don't know but that doesn't count."
"Yes it does-"
"Fine, you have this point." Kai muttered and Violet smiled.
"I think I'm starting to like this game."
What do you think? Sorry for the terrible ending but I had writer's block for this chapter. So once again, I'm sorry. Mabel plays a big part for after Rebooted as well. But massive thanks to everyone who reviewed, it means way more than a lot to me: FlameNinjaofDarkFire, Darkrainbow, Jayla Fire Gal, Applejack ninja lover, ALookIntoMyWorld, ImaginationOverdrive, Rachymel, ElementzGirl7, MortalNinjas, CarlyShi208 and I'm Rat. Also thanks to the silent readers ;)
FlameNinjaofDarkFire: For me, my favourite season would have to be Tournament of Elements/Rise of Ancient Evil. But thanks for your opinion on the splitting of Undercover or not ;)
Darkrainbow: I'm not sure if you read properly or maybe I didn't write it well but the reason Violet ignored the others when they tried to help her is so she could protect them from herself. When Violet unlocked her true potential and Scarlett was released, the older sister mentioned how Violet got her full powers and it able to bring any building down. In Jamanakai Village at the end, that was proven and after hearing that, she wanted to space herself from the others so she can't hurt them even by accident. Plus she was going through Post-Traumatic Stress so that is also one of the factors why she didn't listen. I wouldn't either, I would appreciate some alone time.
Jayla Fire Gal: Awww thanks!
ImaginationOverdrive: I'll send the link for you ;)
Rachymel: Exams over, YAY! I'm on a two week break but I'll be back for school next week…
MortalNinjas: Ummm… I don't understand what you mean by 'façade' and why I put it in. In case if there's two different meanings or something, façade also means a mask or disguise.
I'm Rat: Awww thanks!
Also please please please please please read my friend McKennaCarson15's story Collapse into Caliginosity, she rewrote it and it's really good and it would make her day and my day too :) Also check out Zane ninja of ice & Hannahchickenbutt1 & McKennaCarson15. They're the most amazing people I've recently became friends and they're awesome! Once again, thanks to everyone ;)
Xoxoxo – ZaneLoverFan88