Children of Destiny
Okay! We're finally gonna see if Amy will find her true potential! Unlike the previous true potentials, hers will be more 'emotion-driven' so I apologize if it's boring. But there's gonna be a couple of cameos so please enjoy!
Chapter 33: Soul-Searching
By the next day, Amy was up and healthy but her mind still wandered.
'Where will I go…?'
The green-eyed kunoichi thought a lot about her purpose amongst the team as of late as well as if she can even accept help. She didn't even know what to do for them anymore…
Or even if she was meant to be a kunoichi…
Amy pondered over her place and purpose in life but can't find the answer. She might have to look elsewhere…
"Amy! Are you feeling better?" Melody inspected her once she showed up in the bridge.
"Yes and no." The black kunoichi answered.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't feel sick anymore yet I still wonder how I fit in with the team and what to do next."
"You just need to find your true potential. Let us help you."
The purple kunoichi approached her sister but the auburn-haired girl backed away.
"That's part of the issue," Amy shook her head, "I still have trouble accepting help. I also don't know how. I don't even know where to look. Maybe this is something I must do on my own…"
"Amy, is there something you need to tell us?"
The earth wielder came to the conclusion and knew she can't sugarcoat the truth…
"I think I need to leave you guys."
Amy braced herself for the other's reactions and they had every right to react the way they did.
"WHAT!?"
The kunoichi of earth sworn that her teammates' cries were heard across the skies of Ninjago.
"SIS! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"
"WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY!? THIS ISN'T WHAT SENSEI LLOYD TAUGHT US!"
"YOU CAN'T LEAVE US! YOU'RE PART OF THE TEAM!"
"I didn't mean leave you guys permanently! It's sorta like what happened with Liana. I feel like I need to go on my own personal journey." Amy tried reasoning with them.
"Why have you decided on this?" Misako asked in a calmer tone.
"I'm not sure about my place here anymore… I'm not saying I'll leave you guys forever but I feel like I need to branch out more… maybe spend some time alone to find myself…"
The old scholar only nodded in an understanding way. She had done some soul-searching when she was traveling and that helped her come to terms with who she was.
"Amy, are you sure you'll be able to handle it by yourself?" Melody pleaded her to stay.
"I'll be fine. I just need to find my place." Amy shook her head, still adamant with her decision.
"Then let us help you." The sister of earth still insisted.
"It's not that simple," The black kunoichi sighed, "I already don't want to be a burden and this is something I have to figure out for myself."
"Amy…"
"Please take care of yourself. I want to leave knowing you won't get hurt."
"I won't…"
Melody knew that for now, this is what Amy wanted and needed. She already unlocked her true potential by listening to her mind and heart and it was now Amy's turn...
It was tough for the ninjas to say goodbye to one of their own, even if it won't be forever.
"Are you sure you really want to do this?" Misako asked, wanting to make sure Amy was aware of what she was getting herself into.
"Yes." The black kunoichi answered, resolute in her decision.
It was still hard for her to leave the team but this was something she knew she had to do to find true inner peace with herself and maybe find her true potential. So many times have the ninjas learned that some things must be done for the greater good and this was one of them.
Amy gave her brethren a bittersweet backward glance before leaping off the railing.
The ninja and kunoichi watched with heavy hearts as Amy summoned Rocky and flew away.
"I can't believe this…" Kyle whispered in disbelief.
"Do you think Amy will be able to find what she's looking for?" Leon asked.
"The main question is what she is looking for. That is entirely up to her." Misako answered.
"What do you mean?" The green-eyed ninja tilted his head.
"Like Liana, Amy will need some time to recuperate away from us. She must find her own way back down the path of a ninja..."
Amy felt some of her tension scatter into the winds around her but she still didn't feel at peace. So many thoughts were going on in her head and she didn't really have a clue on what to do or where to go.
"What am I gonna do now, Rocky?" She asked her dragon even if that won't do any good since all the elemental dragon can say a low-pitched purring sound.
The earth wielder sighed with only her dragon to listen to her troubles. What she needed more than anything right now was some guidance.
At least there may be a place that could help her…
Luna was surprised when the doorbell rang at such an hour.
"That's strange… Cole won't be home in a couple of hours…"
The German woman still decided to be a Good Samaritan and opened the door to be surprised yet delighted when she saw who was there to greet her.
"Amy! You're home!" The former kunoichi diva wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter and cried tears of joy.
Though she hasn't told her mother the real reason she was visiting, Amy was also happy to be home again, even if it may be brief.
"I missed you so much!" Luna continuously kissed her daughter's face.
"I missed you too." The kunoichi of earth also embraced her mother.
Amy really missed this, being home with her mother doting on her and Lorelei snuggling on her lap. This is what home is to the kunoichi of earth but she wasn't here to relax. She needed some advice on what she truly needed to steer herself back on the path of a kunoichi.
"Amy… why isn't Melody with you? Why did you come here by yourself?" Luna asked once she noticed that her youngest child wasn't with her and there was no sign of the ninjas.
"I really did come here alone." Amy confessed.
"Why? The ninjas need you." The German woman was slightly disturbed but wanted to wait for her daughter's explanation before reacting.
Amy felt a slight pang in her heart knowing she left her whole team behind.
"I kinda hit a bump on the road to my destiny and I feel like I need some time finding my place and role in the team."
"How so?"
Amy spent all day telling her mother what the ninjas have been up to, from finding the hidden chamber under the Temple of Light to the ninjas finding their true potentials.
"You must've been through some truly unforgettable adventures." Luna sighed with nostalgia.
"I guess you can say that…" Amy rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"And what about you? Have you found your true potential yet?"
"No. I'm the only one left," The black kunoichi lowered her head in shame, "I try telling myself that patience is the key but I still have that feeling you get when you're behind…"
"I had that same feeling when I lost control of my element."
"You've told me and Melody before."
"Just because you're the last one or left out doesn't mean you'll be stuck that way forever. Even the greatest heroes have their humble beginnings. You remember the stories your father and I told you and Melody of our lives before meeting each other, no?"
"You already told us. Even Lloyd told us of how different he was in his childhood."
"You should learn from our past and our experiences that the way you are now may not be who you'll be in the future. You'll find your life's true calling later and even what you're looking for."
"You really think so?"
"Of course. As your mother, I have faith in you."
"Mom…"
The silence between mother and daughter was all too quickly broken by the door opening and the man of the house announcing his arrival.
As always, Cole came home to be greeted with a kiss from his wife.
But what he didn't expect was one of his daughters sitting in the living room.
"Amy…!" Cole was very surprised to see his daughter here when she should be with the ninjas but was nonetheless happy to see her again. He held her in one of his famous organ-squishing bone-crushing hugs but that was another thing the black kunoichi missed.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the ninjas?" He asked after he and his eldest child had their little reunion.
"I'm kinda taking a hiatus from the team. I'm on a personal journey to find my true path." The black kunoichi answered.
"But your path is with the ninjas."
"That's the issue. I know I belong with the ninjas but the question is how I belong with them. I try to lead them but it's been really hard."
"How so?"
"Well, the last couple of days has been pretty hard for me and I'm at a complete loss on what to do with myself."
"You can tell us so we can help you." Luna offered.
"Um… promise me you won't freak out?" Amy looked down shyly.
"We'll try." Cole said with a slightly uneasy voice but didn't want to discourage his daughter.
The kunoichi of earth was hesitant to tell her parents what happened before she left the team but told them anyway. Just as Amy had predicted, they were worried when she told them she fainted at one point during her training but convinced them she was okay now. The kunoichi of earth explained her problems but it wasn't easy for her because after being entrusted by them to take care of the others and after being imbued with such a big responsibility since she was a child, she felt like she disappointed them…
"You might think I'm a disappointment…" Amy sighed and buried her face in her hands.
"Sweetie, we're not disappointed," Luna pulled her daughter's hands away from her face so she can look straight into her eyes, "No one's perfect and can even make mistakes in what they do best, including us."
"Dad, have you ever felt like the world was on your shoulders back when you were leader?" The black kunoichi turned to her father.
"Oh yeah," Cole felt the memories come flowing back, "I felt like that all the time…"
"How did you manage to deal with it?"
"I may have been the team leader but I was aware that I can't do everything by myself. Nya was also something of a leader to the kunoichi and we felt like we had to be the team's guides. But there were plenty of times we needed help and our brothers and sisters were able to help us in the same way we sought to help them. I did whatever I could for the team and in turn, they did what they can to help one another, including me."
"And what about prioritizing your own needs?"
"We all had our own needs and I had mine too. Before I found my true potential, I struggled to reconnect with my own father and thought I should deal with my problems alone but the ninjas insisted to help out. I wasn't too keen on dragging them into my problems but they wanted to help me not out of repayment for leading them but because I was one of them. I may have lead them but I was still their equal. You all have your own skills to balance each other out, such as the Walker brothers' inventing skills and Forrest being more proactive compared to his sister's calm personality. You're all unique and can help each other overcome your flaws."
"But I'm also having trouble accepting help. I don't mind helping others but I'm not particularly fond of the other way around. I feel like I'm being selfish if I prioritize my own needs."
"I also know how that feels." The former leader of the ninjas nodded, "Like you, this also caused problems for me. For example, I got so caught up concocting plans for the team that I didn't get much sleep. I wanted to do my best but I faced the reality that I can't do it all alone. After all, I was only human and there were times even I needed someone to lead me."
"But would placing my own need before others mean I'm being selfish?"
"Not exactly but if you think about only your needs, helping others solely for the sake of helping yourself, or offloading your problems onto others without making a single effort to solve them, that is selfishness. When I told you to look out for your sister, I didn't mean ignoring your own needs. If you have a problem and can't resolve it by yourself, you should look for some help."
"Even if they might ridicule me?"
"Your reputation as either strong or weak mean little to your life as a kunoichi. You're all part of a team and they'll understand and try to help you. You've grown up together so it's natural that you'll have each other's backs. Those leaders you see in the show are just overly idealized 'role models' that can do absolutely everything by themselves and have no problems. They're fiction and this is reality. No one can do it all themselves or bear the weight on their shoulders without any consequences. When you know you can't do it, you can count on your friends to help you."
"And what about my path? I'm still not sure what I'm looking for…"
"You will find it," Cole looked at his daughter with the same emerald eyes she possessed, "You are the kunoichi of earth who possesses fortitude and cares for her loved ones. No matter how rough the road will be, you will endure all hardships until you'll find what you're looking for."
Amy thought of her parents' advice and finally took everything they told her to heart.
She may be the dependable kunoichi of earth but she also had people to depend on too.
"Mom… Dad… thank you."
The kunoichi of earth embraced her parents, knowing she can always count on them to give her support when she needed it.
The remaining ninjas struggled to move on without Amy just like they had back when Liana took a hiatus from the team.
"It's so strange having to train and even live here without Amy…" Alex sighed.
Without the sisterly kunoichi of earth around, the ninjas felt like they had no sense of direction, even if the path was clear to them.
"Knowing I've done the same thing before, now I feel bad…" Liana finally knew how the ninjas felt when she had to leave them for a while.
"Sometimes, a seemingly bad thing can be a blessing in disguise," Leon tried to keep the team from losing hope, "It's one of the things Gruncle Wu told me and Willow many times."
"How so?" Akira asked.
"Even if bad things happen, they can give us an opportunity to learn something such as what to do to keep them from happening, information on the enemies, and even ourselves."
"I guess that's true…" Liana also remembered that her hiatus helped her discover who she was and figure out her own problems.
"Do you think Amy will learn that?" Chris asked.
"That is solely up to her," The white kunoichi replied, "I've learned that we're the ones who can decide what we truly want. If she doesn't want to learn it, she won't but I still hope she does…"
The ninjas stared into the horizon, knowing that Amy was somewhere finding her own path…
Amy was back to exploring Ninjago on Rocky, resuming her personal journey. Her father's kind advice comforted her but she was still searching for herself and what she needed.
'Just because I need help doesn't mean I'm weak… And focusing on my needs isn't selfish… But I still feel… incomplete…'
Amy's mind thought of a place that can offer some hints and one destination came to mind…
Her next stop was the Cave of Despair, where the Scythe of Quakes was first found and Rocky's 'home' before meeting her father.
"This brings back memories, doesn't it?" Amy petted her dragon's blunt snout before it scurried into the caves where it once lived.
Amy trekked through the dark cavern as if the answers she was looking for lucked somewhere in the subterranean maze until she finally came to where her Golden Weapon once stood. The Scythe of Quakes gave a very slight shake as well as a faint glow in reaction to its former resting place. She knew this may be a sign and cautiously approached the exact spot where the scythe once rested. She heard of her mother's endeavors in the Trial of the Elements and wondered if something like that will happen…
But nothing happened.
The black kunoichi was confused and frustrated that she seemed to be going in circles.
"Give me a sign!" Amy's voice echoed in the abandoned mines, "Anything!"
'Really? Is this really what I need? More boredom?' She asked herself sardonically.
The Scythe of Quakes still glowed and Amy began to feel its aura. It started to feel as if the light issuing forth was actually trying to speak to her if it was possible. The auburn-haired girl freed the weapon from her belt and looked at it like a person.
'Look not at what is before you but see what can't be seen by the naked eye…' A disembodied voice echoed seemingly from out of nowhere. It was an elderly voice heavy with wisdom. Amy never heard such a voice before but it sounded familiar.
"W-who's there…?" She brandished the Scythe of Quakes in case it was an enemy trying to fool her into letting her guard down.
'The answer is there but at the same time, it isn't…' The deep rich voice continued.
'Look not at what's in front of me…?' Amy wasn't sure what the voice was talking about.
There was nothing but the walls of the cavern and herself.
'But what if it meant something else…?'
Soon, an idea popped up in the black kunoichi's head: meditation.
The kunoichi of earth tried meditating to sort out her mind. Mr. Julien once said that it can help clear one's psyche and lead them down the right path and even what they're looking for. Being a patient young woman, she wasn't ready to give up after going through so much, there was no way she was going to give up now. The familiar voice's advice echoed in her mind and with each echo, she delved deeper into those words' true meaning.
'See what can't be seen by the naked eye…' Amy repeated the advice to herself.
The kunoichi of earth didn't understand at first but slowly, she started to realize what they truly meant. What she was looking for wasn't an object, person, or even a location. It was something that can only make her feel complete and safe and sound. In fact, that was what every people in Ninjago needed. What they need to feel whole wasn't a single thing or phenomenon. It was actually many different things that each individual interpreted as the one thing that made them feel like they had direction.
With that revelation, Amy finally figured out what she needed.
What she needed was right in front of her the whole time.
Her bond with her sister and just being a part of the team made her feel whole, even if it wasn't her that was looking out for them. She also learned from her father that there's no problem in getting help in return for helping them.
It was all in front of her all along.
The one thing she needed was to be the kunoichi of earth she already was.
"I finally know." Amy's whispers echoed through the Cave of Despair.
The black kunoichi stood firmly on her own feet atop the strong and solid earth.
"I know the way!"
A soft glow radiated from Amy's body in a brown hue akin to the fresh soil that nourished trees and all sorts of plants with specks of green like new grass.
Even with no one to tell her, the kunoichi of earth knew what was going on. She knew what she needed and nothing held her back anymore.
'I found it… I found my true potential…!'
But not only did Amy finally realize what she needed and found the right path but she was now sure what that voice who spoke to her belonged to.
'The First Spinjitzu Master…'
Even eons after his departure from this world, he still guided the ninjas, even to this day. Amy knelt down and prayed to the creator of Ninjago in gratitude for guiding her in her hour of need before leaving the caverns and return to that she needed most.
Loud cries echoed in the dining room of the Destiny's Bounty.
The ninjas and kunoichi screamed with their tongues burning from the unexpected heat coming from the homemade pizza that was today's lunch. Once the scorching heat was finally quelled by several gallons of milk, they were already pointing fingers at a certain someone.
"LEON!" Everyone glared at the second green ninja.
"It wasn't me this time! I swear!" The green-eyed ninja held up his hands in defense.
The fair-haired teen's face was also red and sweaty and his tongue out like a dog's, proving that he too was a victim of whoever murdered the ninjas' lunch with unwanted spice.
"Then who did this!?" Melody cried.
"Wimps." Akira sneered before taking a big bite of pizza.
The others stared in disbelief as the red ninja ate the ultra-spicy pizza like it was nothing.
"What?" The red ninja asked nonchalantly, "I like things spicy."
The ninja and kunoichi felt like fools for forgetting that it was Akira who was the cook for today. After all, he was the ninja of fire.
"Are you sure you wanna be with this guy?" Forrest whispered to Liana.
"Who knows?" Liana shrugged, "Only time will tell if Akira and I will get romantically involved."
"I can make something else if you want." Chris offered.
"Ooh! Are you gonna make Dad's zappy burgers?" Kyle gushed.
"What's a zappy burger?" Forrest asked.
"Our dad's inventions aren't just machinery!" The lightning ninja boasted, "He's a pretty good cook in his own right too! Seriously, once you've had a taste of his legendary zappy burger, you will NEVER settle for any other burger again!"
"Are you saying my cooking sucks?" Akira pouted.
"Uh… some people have different tastes…" Liana tried to put the fire wielder down gently.
"Hey, more pizza for you." Alex playfully jabbed her brother's arm.
The red ninja narrowed his eyes at his sister but ate his pizza while the others went to help his cousin repair lunch.
"So what makes a zappy burger different from other burgers?" Willow asked.
"You'll see." Chris smirked, ready to teach his younger brethren how to make what can only be the best burger in Ninjago.
"Don't forget about me." A feminine voice said not far behind them.
Already surprised by the unexpected guest, the ninjas couldn't believe who they were seeing at the dining room entrance.
"Amy!" Melody rushed up to greet her sister, who hugged her back with just as much fervor.
The ninjas also joined in on the reunion and embraced their teammate.
"I missed you so much! Did you find what you were looking for?" The sister of earth asked.
"I finally know what I need and that's to just be with you guys." The black kunoichi answered.
"And your true potential?"
Amy stood back and the radiant light emitting from her body said it all.
"You found your true potential…!" The purple kunoichi gasped at her sister's glowing form.
"I did get some help from Mom and Dad… as well as him…" The green-eyed kunoichi said once she returned to her normal self.
"He?" Melody cocked her head.
"He wasn't exactly there but I heard his voice… I feel that he's still watching over us…'
"The First Spinjitzu Master," Misako answered, "Even now, he still watches over us."
"Now that we all have our true potential, what do we do now?" Willow asked.
"There's only one thing left to do…" Kyle went to the bridge, followed by everyone else but only Chris knew what was going to happen.
There was a certain switch their father told them about that they can only turn on once all the ninja and kunoichi unlock their true potential should something like that happen. The moment they hit the switch, the whole room was darkened but small lights hidden throughout the room until now revealed themselves and music started playing, giving the room a nightclub feel.
The ninja and kunoichi cheered and even Misako decided to let them have some fun after going through so much to get their true potential.
Now, the ninja and kunoichi can get a well-earned break and being fueled by zappy burgers, the young heroes danced the night away, celebrating their greatest achievement yet.
Phew!
Now all the elemental ninja & kunoichi got their true potential! After so much action, it's time for them to have a break so the next chapter will be a light-hearted reprieve from all the drama that's been going on.
But what will the ninjas do next?
Will they have what it takes to fill in their parents' shoes?
As always, review to find out!