Children of Destiny
Hey guys! I hope you'll like this chapter cuz it'll focus on one of the original couples & it's honestly one of my favorite chapters I've written so far, even though I'm kinda pissed right now for other reasons. Also, I just got 200 reviews! I can't believe how many reviews I already have! Thank you & I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I had writing it!
Chapter 12: Some Enchanted Evening
Aria was on her way home and heard the familiar sound even before she reached the driveway.
The sound of pounded metal echoed in the Four Weapons shop. It was irksome for some but to Aria, it was the sound of home. She still cherished her time in her birthplace of Villa Celestia but ever since she married, Ignacia was her home.
Kai crafted an intricate blade to put on the naginata for Mr. Narita.
"How was work?" The former ninja asked his wife.
"Same as usual," The Mediterranean woman replied, "But Charlotte's still having some trouble with ballet. She can never stand en pointe for more than a couple of seconds."
"I'm sure you'll be able to teach her," Kai said, "No one in Ignacia's a better dancer than you."
"S-stop it!" Aria blushed and jabbed her husband on the arm albeit in jest.
It was nice having the house to themselves but the couple thought it was still lonely without the pitter-patter of not-so-little feet.
"If Akira and Alex were here, I'd tell them to do their homework and study while you'd be in the kitchen making dinner. It's funny that we never realize how much our children meant to us until after they leave." Kai mused aloud.
"Yeah…"
Kai knew how his wife felt but he didn't want to see her being so melancholy.
The one good thing about not having the twins around was that they had plenty of time to be a loving couple. Kai had an idea that he was sure will cheer up his wife. He had this planned for a very long time and now was the right time.
"Hey Aria," He started, "I have plans for tonight. Just wear something fancy."
"Kai, is there some catch?" Aria stared at him with a quizzical look in her baby blue eyes.
"You'll see." Kai only answered before they went to get changed…
Kai felt his cheeks warm up seeing his wife in a passionate red dress with embroidered details in orange and sparkling gold sequins and her wavy dirty blonde hair down from its usual bun but decorated with a red flower and Aria thought her husband was still quite handsome in his black and red suit. Without Breeze to make the trip short, the ninja couple drove off into the sunset towards Ninjago City. Once they were actually in the city, Kai told Aria to close her eyes and to keep them closed until he says so.
Finally, they were at their destination but the former kunoichi's eyes were still closed. She was tempted to sneak a peek but her husband was adamant on his command.
"Can I open my eyes now?" Aria asked as Kai guided her out of the car.
"Hai." The former ninja answered and his wife finally opened her sky blue eyes.
Aria gasped at the sight in front of her.
They were at the Festa del Sorriso, the fanciest Italian restaurant in all of Ninjago. The food and service was said to be superb but it was extremely expensive and reservations always had to be made months in advance.
"Kai! How did you- "
"I got us a reservation right after the kids first left for the monastery." Kai confessed.
"You didn't have to go through so much just to make me happy."
"Too late." Kai was already on his way inside, forcing Aria to follow him.
Although the Mediterranean woman felt bad for making her husband spend a fortune for one night between them, she was still touched by his loyalty to her.
The other patrons stared at the already famous couple as they approached the maître d. Even dining in the same restaurant as them was like a huge honor for them.
"Oh my…!" The finely dressed maître d practically hyperventilated at the thought of talking to two of the legendary ninjas, "If it isn't Kai and Aria? What can I do for you?"
"I made a reservation here a while back." Kai said.
"Right! Kai Pyrrhus!" The employee found his name on the list of reservations, "Right this way!"
The interior also had a luxurious atmosphere as it was filled with glamorous décor and was well lit with several extravagant chandeliers. The chairs were lined with plush velvety cushions and even the napkins were folded into intricate shapes like swans.
Kai and Aria have never experienced anything like this in their entire lives.
The couple were finally able to kick back and relax as they indulged in the priciest wines Ninjago had to offer and dine on gourmet food so delicious it should have six stars.
Although Aria was having a wonderful time, she still can't forget about Akira and Alex who were still out fighting the Overlord's army. Even Kai noticed her gloomy sighs.
"Aria, is something wrong?" He asked.
"It's still strange not having Akira and Alex around," Aria confessed, "I mean, we're just sitting here eating fancy food and they're out there trying to stop the Overlord's return."
"We'll help them when they need it."
"But they still need us."
"We can't coddle them forever, Aria. They need to stand up on their own two feet."
"I know… But I still see them as my little children…"
"I do too."
"And being a mother, I can't stop worrying about them. I'm actually starting to regret teaching them to control their powers and sending them off."
"Think about how your parents felt when you went away to be a kunoichi. They were probably worrying just like you are now and it's all part of destiny. Nothing ever goes as planned and we already know that all too well. But what we can control is how we can deal with the challenges life throws at us. Only our children can decide which path to take. We'll have to guide them as parents but they have their own destinies to fulfill."
"I guess you're right," Aria sighed, "I remember my parents were very worried when I agreed to join you guys and now I understand how they felt that day. I also don't want to have complete control over Akira and Alex's lives. I want them to have their own experiences. When they left, I was happy but at the same time, really sad."
"I felt the same," Kai admitted, "But I'm also proud of them. I know they'll prove themselves in the challenges that await them. Even if things get tough, I'll be there for them."
"I understand how you feel. I'm also proud of our children and I love them very much but I want them to know that, even if they're so far away."
"I'm sure they know."
"I hope so… Next time we see them, I'll make sure they do…"
"I know you will."
The ninja couple kissed and gazed at each other lovingly before resuming their romantic dinner.
Outside the restaurant, people were scrambling to get away from a mysterious figure trudging towards the building. The person wore the same hooded cloak as the Overlord's henchmen. He stood before the Festa del Sorriso, sensing a strong presence inside. He sensed a warm feeling like a fire coming from the building as well as another aura that gave off a feeling like a breeze blowing freely through the skies.
He knew he was in the right place…
The maître d' was still giddy to have talked to one of the famous ninjas but kept a straight face with the other patrons until a mysterious man in a hooded cloak arrived.
"I'm sorry sir but I must ask you to leave."
The man seemed unfazed and simply swung his arm, causing the civilian to be flung a few feet. The spectators were already terrified and made a run for it. The ninja couple in the restaurant were immediately alerted to the unwelcome guest and was more than ready to defend Ninjago as he finally reached them.
Kai and Aria immediately recognized the person as one of the hooded men the new ninjas had encountered on their first mission but this time, the mysterious figure has shown up not for the new generation but for their parents. Kai instinctively moved in front of Aria.
"Who are you and what do you want!?" The former fire ninja growled at the intruder.
"I have come to claim what is rightfully mine." A deep masculine voice practically echoed from the figure's shadowed hood.
"What are you talking about!?" Aria was bewildered by this menacing stranger.
"Everything you have and everything you hold dear. All of it could've been mine but he took all that away from me!"
"He?" Kai asked in bewilderment.
"Richard Pyrrhus! Damn him!" The whole building began to shake under the hooded man's rage and even the chandeliers swung about.
Kai was shocked that this eerie stranger knew his father but he continued to speak.
"I would've been the greatest blacksmith in all of Ninjago if your impudent father hadn't ousted me in the first place!"
"What about my father!? How do you know him!?"
The mysterious man only let out a battle cry and lunged at Kai and the two immediately starting exchanging fists, much to the horror of everyone else in the restaurant. Kai socked the hooded figure in the gut, who fought back by scratching the former ninja's face with nails sharp enough to break skin.
"KAI!"
Aria was horrified by the spectacle but refused to just stand back and let this stranger beat her husband to a bloody pulp. She may be older but her skills never got rusty.
"NINJA-GO!"
The former kunoichi became a bright orange tornado whose winds were strong enough to blow away everyone and everything in its way, including the Overlord's disciple. The minion was sent flying into a nearby table but the kunoichi of wind quickly forgot about him.
"Kai!" Aria was by her husband's side in a flash.
The former ninja's face was marred by bleeding scratch marks but he seemed fine.
"Kai, you can't fight him like this!"
"Stay out of this Aria," He still warned her, "This guy seems to know my father…"
"And let you get beaten up!? No way!"
Despite his overprotective instincts, Kai was grateful to have someone like Aria as his wife. She was just as strong-willed as he was and was always by his side.
But they still hadn't forgotten their assailant across the room.
The man got up but realized too late that Aria's windy Spinjitzu blew off his hood, exposing his real identity.
Everyone gasped at the sight of his true face.
"Is that… Jacob…!?" One of the civilians recognized his face from his missing poster except…
"How can it be?" Another spectator asked, "He's not supposed to look that young!"
"Jacob!?" Kai and Aria stared at their assailant in shock.
With Jacob's hood gone, they can see his bluish green eyes burning with intense hatred and his ash blonde hair framing his face.
"You!" The wicked man snarled and pointed at Kai, "I could've had all this if you weren't here!"
"Me!?" The accused was still confused by the stranger's grudge, "What did I ever do to you!?"
"You shouldn't even be here!" A dark aura formed around Jacob like a ticking time bomb, "You should've never been born! If only you never existed!"
The dark aura burst forth from Jacob's body like a shockwave and Aria threw herself in front of Kai only to be caught by the malevolent energy and flung to the far side of the restaurant. She hit her back painfully against the wall and collapsed into a crumpled heap on the ground like a lifeless doll.
"ARIA!"
Now the former ninja's blood really boiled seeing this strange man taking out his grudge against him on his wife.
"FIRE!"
The entire room practically glowed as Kai summoned the full force of his elemental power. His body seemed to be made of flames instead of it being ignited. Another stream of flames burst forth from his hand and with a few simple movements of his arm, the fiery blaze went straight in Jacob's direction but the formerly missing man was protected by some invisible shield which also sent the flames everywhere else except for him. Some of the furnishings already caught on fire and the citizens scrambled to get away from the blaze.
"Shit!"
Kai was forced to reabsorb the flames before they cause any more damage.
"I wouldn't use any firepower if I were you," Jacob boasted, "You wouldn't want these innocent people to get hurt, do you not?"
"You son of a bitch!" The flaming ninja snarled at the corrupted man.
Aria's pained groans brought Kai's attention back to her.
Now Kai knew how Aria felt when he was stabbed in her place many years ago and made a dash towards his wife and found her sprawled out on the floor. Her dress was torn up in a few places and her dirty blonde hair was a mess but she was alive.
"Aria!" He cradled the olive-skinned woman like a newborn baby.
"K-Kai…?" Aria was still weak from Jacob's attack but tried to get up.
"No!" The hotheaded man halted her, "You're too weak to fight!"
"I can get up." The former kunoichi was able to get up but not without extreme pain.
"Don't move," Kai halted his wife, "You were beaten up pretty badly."
"I'm not the only one," She retorted, "We still have that creep to deal with."
The ninja couple turned to face Jacob only to find out…
He was gone!
Much to Kai and Aria's shock, Jacob disappeared as if he never even existed in the first place. All that remained were overturned tables, some of them charred, and the few civilians who stayed behind to see it all unfold.
"Kuso! Where the hell did he go!?"
"I don't know," One of the waiters confessed, "I wasn't paying attention to him. I'm so sorry."
"Great! Just great!" Kai threw up his arms in frustration, "That bastard got away and it's all our fault! Some heroes we are!"
"But at least we know Jacob's name and appearance," Aria tried looking on the bright side, "We now know what to expect when the Overlord makes his next move."
The ninja turned blacksmith was still vexed by his failure became the very least of his concerns the moment thoughts of his children reached his mind.
"We must leave at once!" Aria exclaimed, "He could be going after our kids!"
"But don't you need any help?" A female patron asked, "You don't look so good. N-not that I'm trying insult you or anything…"
"We can handle it." Kai dismissed her as he and his wife examined the full extent of the damage done to the restaurant.
As if one night at Festa del Sorriso hadn't already cost a fortune…
Akira still felt out of it when he woke up.
For some reason, he felt like something terrible happened. He had no idea how right he was…
"Akira!" Alex cried out to her brother all of a sudden once he got ready.
"What is it?" The fire ninja asked, still feeling groggy.
"It's Mom and Dad!" The younger twin exclaimed, "They were attacked last night!"
"NANI!?"
Akira's fatigue was gone in an instant. The Pyrrhus twins wasted no time making a beeline into the bridge before anyone else could. Displayed on the main screen was Kai and Aria, the latter covered in bruises and the latter's face was covered with scratch marks.
"Mom! Dad! Are you okay!?" Akira asked.
"We're fine," Aria answered, "Your father got into a bit of a brawl but he'll live."
"Uncle!" Even Chris and Kyle were shocked to see their relatives in such a terrible shape, "What happened to you!?"
The ninja couple explained how their dinner date was ruined by a cloaked stranger but it wasn't easy telling their story with all the interruptions.
"Dad! Who attacked you!?" Alex wanted her parents to get to the point.
"It was one of the Overlord's men." The former fire ninja answered.
"Another one!?"
"He got away before we could get more information but at least we know his identity."
The new generation began answering all sorts of questions at once until Kai lost his patience.
"All of you be quiet!" He shouted and that had the kids fall silent.
Now that everyone has calmed down, Misako can finally ask her questions.
"Can you give us his name?" The scholar asked in a calmer manner.
"The man's name is Jacob," Kai started, "All we know about him is that he seems to have had a history with my dad."
"He knew Grandpa?" Akira and Alex were astonished by the mention of their grandfather.
Richard died many years before the twins were born and all they knew of him were the stories their father and aunt told about him.
"He kept talking about how my dad 'took what was rightfully his'," The former ninja continued, "My dad was a renowned blacksmith in his time so he must've been a rival of sorts when they were young except that Jacob looks like he's around my age."
"It's just like with Ronin." Misako spoke up.
"Who's Ronin?" Aria asked.
"Ronin is another one of the Overlord's agents," The scholar began, "He and I trained together as candidates in learning the way of the ninja but he was exiled for his greed and arrogance. He would be the same age as Wu and Garmadon now but he appeared as if he hadn't aged at all. It's as if time froze on him."
"That's strange…"
"Strange would be an understatement," Misako coolly retorted, "These ominous events are just the beginning of something terrible to come."
"Akira, Alex! Please come home!" Aria begged to her children, "Jacob and the others will come after you and they're much stronger than you! You won't be able to defeat them yourselves!"
"But who will stop the Overlord!?" Akira complained.
"We'll fight in your place," Kai vowed, "I will NOT let you get into any more danger than we've already let you."
"Aria, Kai, I understand your concerns as parents and your children still aren't ready but they'll never be able to fulfill their destinies if you keep them locked away from reality." Misako said, "You must also remember that they're not alone. All the new ninja and kunoichi will battle the forces of evil as one. You've done the same many years ago, have you not?"
"But they're not ready to face the Overlord!" The hotheaded father protested.
"They may be young but they still have each other as well as their parents. The one thing they need above all else is their parents' support. If you don't, they won't be able to accept destiny or even fail Ninjago when they're needed most."
"I… I know…" Aria felt terrible for being so fearful instead of supportive to her children.
She wanted Akira and Alex to reach their full potential but she can't stand the thought of them getting hurt.
"Your children may not succeed in all their missions but that's all part of making mistakes and it may sound odd but it's vital for their development. Everyone makes mistakes but at least they can learn from them and grow stronger."
"But there's one thing that's still bugging me." Alex said all of a sudden.
"What is it?" Kai asked his daughter.
"Could the Overlord de-age someone…?"
The new generation have almost forgotten that Ronin and Jacob should be far older than their real ages and there was no one in Ninjago who can reverse someone's age. Iris had powers over time but she had never de-aged anyone before. Even though she achieved full control over her powers, she still believed it was too dangerous to manipulate the flow of time on a human body and even advised Willow against it.
"I don't know for certain but all these events are disturbing enough." Misako murmured, "Back during the final battle, before he took Garmadon's body, he had very little power by himself. He often had to rely on the Stone Warriors and Garmadon himself to do his dirty work. But he was still weakened by his battle against the First Spinjitzu Master so we don't have any idea what he was capable of before that fateful event."
"Or when he plans to strike again…" Forrest added.
"That's not important for the moment," The bespectacled woman said, "For now, you will keep up with your training."
Next, Misako gave her final words to the former fire ninja and kunoichi of wind.
"Kai and Aria, I hope you'll recover from this incident and if you find any more information, tell us right away."
Kai and Aria nodded in understanding but before the communication can go out, they had one last piece of advice for their children.
"I know it won't be easy but you mustn't give up," Aria finally showed her support to her kids, "You have to keep fighting not for yourselves or us but for everyone in Ninjago. As your mother, I'd be worried sick but as long as you're content with your destiny, I'll have nothing against it. I also want you to know that no matter what happens, I'll always love you and nothing will ever change that. You have your destinies to fulfill and that's all I want from you."
"Akira, Alex, listen to us," Kai added, "No matter what happens, you'll always have your friends and family by your side. The world out there is full of dangers but you'll never face them alone. Your mother and I wouldn't want you to miss out on all the experiences you can make."
The Pyrrhus twins felt touched by the heartfelt words of their parents.
They were truly lucky to have them.
"We love you both so much and good luck." Their parents said one last time before the screen went blank.
With their parents' words echoing in their heads, Akira and Alex never felt more encouraged in their lives and now looked forward to their destiny…
The Overlord knew of the inevitability of his most valued henchmen's faces being revealed and wasn't as angry as he was with Jacob than Ronin but that didn't make him any less pleased by his failure and idiotic decision to attack the fire ninja in public.
"I apologize," Jacob bowed down, "My anger has clouded my judgment."
"This better not happen again!" The Overlord snarled at his underling, "If any of you do such a foolish thing again, the consequences will be dire!"
"Forgive us my lord but we grow impatient to exact revenge," Ronin spoke up, "I just think it's better to strike first."
"I have to agree." Jacob added.
Unfortunately for them, there was one thing the Overlord hated more than anything and that's having his henchmen go against him. Without saying a word, he inflicted a brutal punishment.
Ronin and Jacob screamed in pain and horror as their hands shriveled up in front of them.
"No! Don't do it! Please!" Jacob begged with a hoarse voice.
"We won't fail you again! We promise!" Ronin also pleaded with a harsh voice.
"You better."
The Overlord undid his work, allowing Jacob and Ronin's bodies to return to normal.
The remaining three cloaked men stared in astonishment. They had no idea how their lord was able to do such an unusual feat.
Before any of them can ask, the dark lord spoke first.
"I have my own way of doing things," The Overlord said cryptically as if answering his minions' questions before they can even ask, "The foolish ninja and kunoichi have their 'order' but I have the powers of chaos and discord."
Now knowing their master's wicked temper, the henchmen decided not to question him.
The Overlord still lurked in the shadows, keeping the source of his powers a well-hidden secret.
"When do we make our next move?" One of the remaining minions asked.
"And what about us?" A disembodied voice also questioned the Overlord.
"Soon," The evil mastermind answered, "We shall wait until those foolish brats get consumed in their hubris. Then you shall strike."
The Overlord's other 'allies' were something of a special case.
They also had quite a history in Ninjago and fought with the ninja and kunoichi far more often than him. When he discovered their reasons for joining him on their mutual quest for revenge, he was frankly disgusted but if it meant getting them out of the way, so be it.
Those brats and their washed up parents have no idea what he has in store for them…
How was it?
If you wanna know why I'm in a bad mood, it's because I got to see Cinderella on Friday. It was such a beautiful movie but I had to sit through Frozen Fever where Elsa just seems to get more & more overpowered. The worst part is after the short, most of the audience left just as I predicted! There were like 10 people left, including me! It pissed me off beyond belief! This is what I meant when I said the Frozen fandom stoops even lower than bronies & Hetalians!
I apologize for ranting & once again, thank you SO much for 200 reviews!