Children of Destiny

Holy crap! I can't believe I got so many reviews on the wham chapter! In return, I've updated with a chapter showing how the families are dealing with these sudden changes & of course, the original ninjas will make an appearance! So sit back and enjoy!

Chapter 48: Fusions & Schisms

Zane covered the chips on the wall with paint while he was busy repairing the house as much as he could on his own.

Zane was reluctant to call for services to repair his house as that will put his wife at risk of being exposed and become a pariah in her hometown but he wasn't too keen at the idea of hiding her like she was some epidemic in the scenario that he does call for outside assistance.

As for Heather's job, he hated to lie but claimed that she was very sick and unable to work until further notice. He knew that nobody can be universally accepted but his wife had already gone through more than she should have and the last thing she needed was to have rocks thrown at her because of the way she looked now.

"Heather? Are you out here?"

The garden was still an overgrown mess and in the middle of it was Heather, who did nothing but stare at the plants surrounding her.

"Heather…" The former nindroid placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, making her flinch.

"Zane…?"

"Are you feeling any better?"

The former kunoichi only sighed but even that sounded unhuman what with her forked tongue slithering between her lips.

"I can't hear them anymore…" Heather reached out and touched a leaf. Normally, she can hear whatever it had to say but it stood silent in her claws.

"Perhaps they have nothing to say…" Zane tried to find an explanation to his wife's inability to communicate with her beloved plants.

"It'sssss not that… I even tried to assssk them if there'sssss anything I can do and if there'sssss even a cure but I can't hear them… And when I tried to make them shrink or grow, I sssstill can't do anything… It'sssss like I lossssst my powersssss…"

"Kai and I have contacted Sensei Wu and there will be a meeting later today. Perhaps we'll find a way to change you back or at least an explanation to the loss of your elemental power. Please have patience."

"Zane, you're too sssssweet to put up with me…"

"I'm your husband and you're my wife. I'll never leave you, whether I'm a nindroid or you're a Serpentine. I still love you."

Zane kissed his wife's forehead, not caring how strange the cold scales felt on his lips. He knew Heather was still the same deep down and nothing can change that, not even her current body, from her forked tongue to her tail.

"Can you move?"

Heather was still getting used to slithering around but she soon able to move around with little difficulty. However, that didn't make things any less strange than they already were.

Fortunately, Zane was a very patient man and was willing to help his wife, no matter what.

Kai woke up to see it was past noon according to the alarm clock. He was given the day off from work after what happened yesterday but he was in no mood to rest, not as long as his wife was something they've always despised. He finally noticed that he was in bed by himself because he practically forced Aria to sleep next to him when they got home and like Zane, told everyone in town that she had fallen ill and can't work for the time being.

"Aria…?"

The fire ninja hoped Aria didn't do anything drastic while he was asleep. After quickly brushing his teeth and getting dressed, he went to search for Aria but fortunately, he didn't have to look very far. Kai found his wife curled up where the warm sunlight from the window met the floor with her tail coiled around her. It would've been cute if that snake wasn't a former human…

"Aria… wake up." The fire ninja gently shook her awake but was in for a shock.

The kunoichi of wind let out a startled hiss and that in turn startled her husband.

"E-easy there!" Kai raised his hands in self-defense.

"Sssssorry…" Aria muttered and let her tail unravel.

"Hey, no need to apologize. I just wanted to make sure you're okay- well, as okay as you can get with your… damn…" The ninja turned blacksmith stammered, trying to figure out what to say to Aria without offending her.

"Kai, I don't want you sssstresssssssing yourssssself out becaussssse of me. It'sssss not eassssy for me either but we have no choissssse but get usssssed to it until we find a way for thingssss to go back to the way they were."

"But until them, I'll stay with you. I promised to never leave your side and I plan on keeping it."

"Kai…"

Aria shifted closer to her husband and leaned on him, relishing the warmth of his body. Being a snake, she felt more comfortable in warmer areas and was grateful that she was married to the fire ninja.

"We have to go. Sensei Wu arranged a meeting today and maybe we'll find a way to change you back." Kai offered his hand to her. Aria hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

"Kai, be honesssst with me… Issss my appearanssssse bothering you at all…?" Aria finally asked.

"Of course not! It's who you are inside that I love, not your looks!"

"Are you ssssure?"

"Why on earth would I lie to you!? I didn't understand these feelings I had for you when we first met and now I know that I will do anything for you, even if you're now a snake. I love you."

Not caring that she was a Serpentine, Kai embraced Aria and kissing every part of her scaly face, from her cheeks to even her lips. Aria wanted to kiss back but didn't want her fangs and forked tongue to unnerve him and reluctantly, held herself back.

Kai whistled for Flame and helped Aria get on, making sure no one was around to see her in her current state before hopping on as well and the elemental beast took off.

Wu was visibly dismayed when he first saw Iris partially mutated but knew better than to judge a book by its cover. The Serpentine were only able to change their victims' bodies but not their minds, thus he quickly accepted her back into the monastery.

Lloyd's parents also heard what happened and were rightfully alarmed. It wasn't very long since their son called that they insisted on coming to the monastery that they came back with him on the Golden Dragon.

"Why did this have to happen…?" Haruka held the pink kunoichi in her arms out of sympathy.

Garmadon also felt terrible for Iris but another sense of foreboding grew in his heart.

One by one, Iris' visions were coming true and before long…

The former dark lord shook such ominous thoughts from his head. What he should be worrying about now was his daughter-in-law's current form as well as Heather and Aria, who happened to arrive with their husbands.

Haruka nearly fainted but Wu and Garmadon kept a straight face that hid the emotions running rampant in their brains.

Wu was disappointed that the Serpentine were still as relentless as ever while Garmadon felt a deeper sense of upcoming doom…

The last to arrive were the Walker's and Charbonneau's, who still have yet to see the women as Serpentine and no one was looking forward to their reactions.

The other couples finally saw Aria and Heather as Serpentine and Iris caught in between.

Everyone reacted differently but they all shared mutual shock.

Cole was completely speechless and his darkened skin was now white as a sheet. He knew what it was like to change into a snake after his experience with the venom years ago but never had he expected to see any of the kunoichi fully changed.

"Oh-oh my…!" Luna felt awful for her sisters even shed tears for them.

"This… can't be… This can't be real…!" Nya heard of what happened from Kai but not even the former kunoichi leader was prepared to see the changes for herself.

The hideous sounds of retching echoed and everyone turned to see Jay vomiting on the floor, clutching his weak stomach. The ninja turned inventor heard everything from his wife before the meeting but he wasn't even prepared to react the way he did upon the sight of the companions he traveled with as Serpentine but Kai immediately took it as an offense.

"Jay! It's bad enough my wife is suffering! Did you really have to insult her!?" The ninja turned blacksmith grabbed the collar of his brother-in-law's shirt.

"I… wasn't trying to… insult her…!" Jay managed to gasp between deep breaths.

"Kai, wait!" Aria slithered up to her husband, "He didn't puke on purpossssse. No one can and I don't blame him for reacting the way he did ssssso sssstop it."

Kai stared at his wife and even with her slit pupils, her sky blue eyes still shone with honesty.

"…Gomen…"

After Jay got cleaned up, the original ninjas gathered for another meeting to find a solution to the kunoichi's unfortunate transformations.

"Iris, you're the kunoichi of time," Cole pointed out, "Didn't you try to reverse it?"

"I tried to use my powersssss but I lost accesssssss to them."

"What do you mean?"

"The transssssformation not only affected our bodiesssss but it had alsssso sssssstripped usssss of our powerssssss."

"The sssssame thing happened to me," Heather added, "When I tried to communicate with the plantsssss, I couldn't hear them at all."

"It appears that not only were your bodies changed but the transformation also stripped you of your elemental powers. The Serpentine were never meant to wield the elements and now that you're identified as such, your connections with your powers may be lost." Wu theorized.

"Thissss issss all my fault!" Iris bitterly wept, "I wassss being ssssso ssssselfish and all of you had to pay the prissssse for my childishnesssssss!"

"Iris, this isn't your fault," Lloyd attempted to sooth her, "You weren't the only one they were after. You know better than any of us that fate can be very cruel…"

"But…"

"The past is in the past," Haruka spoke up, "Now we must look forward because only the future can answer our questions now."

"But the next quessssstion isssss whether we can be cured or not." Aria pointed out.

"I was injected with the transformation venom a long time ago and Luna was able to get it out of my body and maybe she can do it again." Cole offered.

"I don't know," Luna hesitated, "This is direct Serpentine DNA we're taking about, not venom…"

"We won't know unless you try. Please Luna, you're needed more than ever."

"I can't say the procedure is painless but I'll give it a shot…"

The former humans remembered how violently Cole reacted when Luna cured him and braced themselves for the pain while their husbands held them in case things turn violent.

The former diva gulped but couldn't back down on her sisters when they needed her. She called upon her elemental prowess and tried to heal them as she had done for Cole. Heather and Aria remembered the pain the black ninja went through when the venom was removed but the pain coursing through their bodies from head to tail was too much for them. Their husbands tried to hold them down but their tails thrashed and knocked over anything within their reach.

"SSSSSTOP!" The changed kunoichi cried and their tails nearly hit their sister.

Luna quickly backed off, realizing her powers were taking a dangerous toll on them.

"Come on Aria. You've been through worse. You can survive this." Kai goaded his wife.

"I…I can't…" The former kunoichi was still reeling from the pain she couldn't even describe.

"Why don't you try again?" Cole asked his wife, who sadly shook her head.

"Nein. I sensed something different when I tried to take out the DNA." Luna answered.

"What is it?" Zane asked.

"Back when I removed the venom from Cole's body, I sensed it was still partially separate from his DNA but then again, he was poisoned while the kunoichi have been infused with Serpentine DNA, which obviously infected their genetic makeup much more than the venom had done for Cole so it didn't work."

"Can't you try another tactic?" Lloyd asked.

"Unfortunately, it's impossible to do it without putting their lives at risk. The Serpentine DNA is so heavily intertwined with their own and trying to remove it so quickly could hurt them more or worse…" The kunoichi of water answered.

"What about Iris? She isn't fully transformed." The green ninja pointed out.

"Let me have a look before I try again…"

Luna held Iris' hands and tried her healing techniques on her. The DNA didn't infect her as badly as Heather and Aria and she was able to get some results. Iris hissed painfully when some of the patches of pink scales smoothed down into human flesh but the brutal sensations became too much for her and she screeched until Luna stopped. The pink kunoichi noticed the differences but this was the closest she can get.

"I'm sorry. This is all I can do." Luna apologized.

"The Serpentine DNA is also heavily intertwined with hers but not to the extent of Heather and Aria but unfortunately, I couldn't purge all of it."

"So the only thing we can do now is find a cure." Nya suggested.

"But even if there is a cure, no documents have been made of it." Zane reminded her.

"Then we'll go and look for it!" Kai got up.

"I'm afraid it isn't that simple," Haruka shook her head, "With the exception of increased blood pressure to reverse the effects of the Fangpyre's venom, there is no known case of any human being directly infused with Serpentine DNA and such a scenario could've been easily dismissed and thus… there's a chance there is no antidote… I'm sorry."

"I guessssssss we'll be sssstuck like thisssss forever…" Heather stared at her claws sadly.

"Don't give up now. We'll find a way to change you back." Zane tried to console her.

"What about your daughter?" Jay suggested, "She also has time powers and if she reaches her true potential, she could reverse time so you wouldn't be changed in the first place."

"My granddaughter is a human being, not a tool." Garmadon coldly stared him down.

"But she did try to change usssss back," Aria pointed out, "Assss long assss she'sssss willing, we should at leassssst try to have faith in her."

"But even if she finds a way, it will take a long time before she can fully control the true powers of her element." The former dark lord pointed out.

"I understand that this will make you uncomfortable but perhaps I can borrow some DNA from you so I can figure out how it works and if possible, I might be able to come up with a cure." Jay offered to help.

"You're not gonna do anything weird are you?" Kai glared at his brother-in-law suspiciously.

"O-of course not!" The blue ninja stammered, "I'm just trying to help!"

"You already know what it'ssss like to be a sssssnake ssssso we might assssss well ussssse every chanssssse we've got." Iris accepted his offer.

The changed kunoichi were hesitant at first but also decided to give the inventor a chance. They gave him some samples of their DNA to their brother, who swore not to take any underhanded advantages of them.

"Jay, do you understand what you're doing?" Zane asked his brother just to make sure.

"Yeah. It's better to try than not try at all."

The kunoichi were now grateful for the lightning wielder's unfaltering optimism and knew this was one of the few occasions that they were willing to try anything and hope for the best…

Things weren't exactly better at the Destiny's Bounty even after the veteran kunoichi left.

The ninjas were still shaken by what they saw in the Bone Forest, especially the children of the kunoichi who were changed. The Charbonneau sisters and Walker brothers knew that they may never understand how they felt and gave them their space.

Forrest stood by the railing, clutching the wood so tight it started to warp.

When he first saw his mother as a Serpentine, Forrest tried to keep a calm face so he wouldn't upset his parents more than they already were but since they're gone, he let his emotions run loose. The plant wielder's body shook while he let out strained sobs whilst thinking about what transpired. His parents didn't deserve to suffer anymore but he couldn't do anything to protect them and they were the ones to face the consequences of his failures.

'Some hero I turned out to be…' He thought bitterly.

Soon, he was joined by someone who understood his thoughts.

"Forrest, is everything alright?" Liana came out and noticed her brother's bad mood.

"What do you think?" He retorted harshly.

"I'm upset too but looks aren't everything. Even though she's a snake, Mom is still Mom."

"It's not that!" The teal ninja snapped, "It's not about Mom turning into a snake! She's still the same inside and I still love her… but I…"

"Just let it out."

"I feel like I've failed her… If only we got there sooner, she wouldn't be stuck as a snake."

"The fates can be cruel and we can't win everything."

"H-how's Mom doing now…?"

"Dad sent us a message and said Mom's doing fine. They had a meeting earlier and the original ninjas are looking for a way to change her back and we should do the same."

"Do you think it's THAT simple!?" Forrest exploded again, "Do you actually think that some cure will just miraculously float down from the sky and then BAM! The kunoichi are human again! It doesn't work like that! You can't just wish for something then expect someone to just hand it to you! That's not how it works!"

"Forrest, I'm not trying to undermine anything! We have to stay strong! For Mom and Dad!"

The white kunoichi's words struck hard for the plant wielder, who remembered the wise words his parents gave him since the day he was born.

"I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize… we'll find the Serpentine and make them atone for their crimes."

"They better…"

"Control your temper." Liana held Forrest's fists in her hands to calm him down.

The teal ninja took deep breaths and although it wasn't easy, he finally cooled down and with Liana's help, can eventually move on...

Alex could've sworn someone cranked up the heat because the halls were hot like a sweltering summer day but she knew better.

'He's probably letting it all out…'

The orange kunoichi went for the training room where the heat seemed to be coming from and opened it, keeping a jaded expression when she saw the state of it.

Blackened debris was everywhere and parts of the walls have been scorched and even a couple of holes marred them. In the middle of the room was the culprit of the destruction. Akira glared at his sister and without a second thought, nearly took out his rage on her too but she created a gale to disperse the flames.

"Akira, stop it! I'm pissed off too but going on a rampage will make things worse!"

"How will I make things worse!? Things can't possibly get worse than they already are!"

"Mom wouldn't want this! She wants us to stay strong and we have to keep going! For her!"

The red ninja hated to admit it but his sister was right. There was nothing he can do about the past and his mother's transformation but just thinking about it made him let out an angry roar and the room grew hot again.

"Akira!"

The blonde twin realized what he had done and grudgingly relented.

It was natural to feel angry but that didn't give him the right to let his emotions consume him. He gave Alex an apologetic look she accepted before they began to take their first uneasy step to what the future may hold.

Skalidor and Acidicus were beyond pissed that the ninjas have took off with their queens when they were finally changed into their more beautiful Serpentine forms. Pythor was annoyed that Iris' transformation was halted midway but still considered her much more attractive than she was as a full human and shared the other tribal leader's anger.

"Damn that Zane!" Skalidor destroyed every bit of debris he could get his claws on, fantasizing that it was the ice ninja he was tearing to shreds rather than the scrap metal in his hands.

"Our mates have been wrongfully taken from us and we shall not rest until they're back where they belong: with us!"

"What about the Overlord?"

"He knows of the successful transformation and gave us one last chance to retrieve our mates from those filthy humans. This is our one and only chance to take back what is ours."

"And we better get my queen along the way." Fangtom pouted, still annoyed that he didn't get to have Nya for himself when the other leaders said they didn't have time.

"Stop being so jealous. You'll get to have your mate soon enough." Pythor dismissed him.

The Serpentine slithered out of their cave and out towards the kunoichi's respective homes...

Now that the Pyrrhus twins and Julien siblings got all of their emotions out of their system, the new generation had to resume their duties as the protectors of Ninjago.

"The Serpentine are practically out for our blood so should we go lay low for today or head back to our hometowns? They do have a history of holding grudges…" Liana pondered.

"I'd say the families whose moms have changed go back while we handle any other suspicious activities." Chris suggested.

"Can you handle it by yourselves?" Forrest asked.

"Don't worry about us," Amy responded, "You have your own problems to fix. Leave the snakes and the Overlord to us."

"I understand." Liana nodded.

"I just hope no one will see Mom…" Akira said.

"Save your worries for later. For now, our main objective is to find a way to change our mothers back." Leon cut him off.

"But what if there's no cure?" Forrest pointed out.

"We'll just have to accept it. It's not easy but we know better than to judge someone because of their looks. At least our mother's minds haven't changed." Liana concluded.

"No!" Willow cried, "There HAS to be a cure!"

"Do you think the Serpentine also have an antidote? If there's anyone in the entirety of Ninjago who know how to reverse the transformation, it's them." Kyle pondered.

"I'm not sure about that," Alex retorted, "When you really think about it, why would they make an antidote for something they want in the first place?"

"Well, if something went wrong, they could've made an antidote just in case. You know, just to start over again if their experiment failed."

"Possible but still, they don't seem like the type to do that…"

"And things aren't always what they seem. If they do have an antidote, it's very well hidden... at least until we can get our hands on it."

"But that will make six of us and only four of you to deal with whatever the Overlord has up his sleeve! You'll be outnumbered!" Akira exclaimed.

"There's ten of us so one of us will have to stay behind." Liana added.

"I'll stay here," Leon volunteered, "Willow has time powers that she'll need to brush up and the one person who can potentially cure our moms is her."

"L-Leon…!" Willow was too astonished to say much.

"Willow, Mom needs you more than ever while we search for a way to change her back. You're important to not just us but all of Ninjago. Please try to understand."

"…Okay…"

The Pyrrhus twins and Julien siblings summoned their dragons with Willow hitching a ride atop Shard but lingered so their teammates can see them off.

"Can you handle everything by yourselves?" Liana asked just to make sure nothing happens.

"Don't worry about us and we'll stay in touch." Amy reassured her.

"Your parents need you now so this is where we must part ways for the moment." Misako said.

"Well… until we meet again… good luck."

The ninja and kunoichi bade farewell to one another before separated again.

With the team split in half, they'll have to work harder than ever to bring peace to Ninjago…

Wow…

This story may start taking a dark turn cuz I have a few more wham chapters up my sleeve. So will the kunoichi ever be changed back into humans? How will the divided team fare? When will the next wham chapter come out? Review & stick around to find out!