Children of Destiny
Hi guys! Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving! Unfortunately, this chapter is kinda short but we'll see Sayuri get started on her training, how each groups are faring, & even some fluff between one of the couples so I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 51: Unknown Forces
"Things are always easier said than done and that may very well be an understatement when it comes to controlling your powers." Jay got his young daughter prepared to take the first step to being in tune with her elements.
"So what exactly do I have to do?" Sayuri looked up to her father for guidance.
"Try not to think of the outside world, at least not much. Then concentrate on your powers and only on those."
The nine-year-old took her father's advice to heart and held an electronic prototype for another P.I.X.A.L. and sparks immediately went off around it and nothing seemed to go wrong…
…for the first several seconds.
Small bolts of electricity soon crackled out of Sayuri's control and the whole thing exploded.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" The little girl panicked.
"No need to apologize," Jay halted her, "We all had moments like this when we started training. Just give it some time."
Since she was still so young, patience was a virtue Sayuri lacked and Jay had to admit it was yet another quirk she got from her mother so thankfully, having Nya for a wife gave him experience when it comes to dealing with an impatient kin.
"I'm still no good describing this sort of stuff but a long time ago, Sensei Wu said, 'good things come to those who wait'. Even now it still sounds cliché to me but he means every single word he says so just give that piece of advice a chance." The blue ninja said.
All the advice made having her powers seem overwhelming for Sayuri but she was in no mood to give up. She finally found that special spark within her and she won't let it go to waste.
"Okay! I'm gonna do my best!" She stood up with her head held high.
"That's the spirit!" Jay jested as usual, proud that his daughter shared his optimism.
They still had a ways to go but with their optimistic spirits, those times will soon fly by.
Since there was nothing else to do but wait for Skalidor's inevitable arrival to Arbouria, Forrest decided to take his mother's place in running her flower shop by using his powers to grow more plants and going out in public to cater to the customers' needs but Liana made sure he wasn't stuck doing it all himself by lending a hand in managing the shop.
"Thank you and I hope your mother recovers." Yet another neighbor said while taking leave.
The Julien siblings lost count on many times he's heard his mother's clients said that. Like his father, Forrest hated lying but he didn't want his mother to be exposed and have the townsfolk come at her with torches and pitchforks just because she had the body of a Serpentine and the last thing she needed was to be judged.
Even on break, Liana and Forrest still had the arduous task of looking after their mother before their father comes home from school.
Faint chewing sounds echoed from the kitchen and it won't be for another hour until their dad gets back so it didn't take a wild guess knowing who was causing it. Their mother developed an appetite for meat since her transformation among other quirks but they still saw and accepted her for who she still was deep down.
"Mom, are you feeling any better?" Liana asked upon seeing their mother go through her third roast beef sandwich.
"I'm fine." Heather answered in between mouthfuls of beef.
"Do you need anything before we head back to the shop?" The teal ninja offered.
"I'm gonna need more blanketsssss." Heather complained.
"W-w-we'll see what we can do…" Her son stammered.
The changed kunoichi felt terrible for being unable to do much but demand more and more due to the changes of her anatomy. It wasn't easy being warm when you're married to the ice ninja and have a daughter with the same powers to boot…
"I'm sssssorry for all the trouble I caussssed…"
"It's not your fault so there's no need to apologize." The kunoichi of ice interrupted her.
Heather sighed, letting her forked tongue slip out with a hiss. It was awkward interacting with her family but she can do little else but hope for a way to change her back…
"How do you feel about what happened with Ssssayuri?" She tried starting a different topic to talk about.
"Honestly, I'm still quite shocked. The possibility that she would end up sharing the exact same elements as her brothers never crossed my mind before, let alone having two." Liana admitted.
"Well, we've seen stranger things happen… uh… n-no offense…" Forrest mentally kicked himself for his unfortunate implications towards his parent.
"No need to apologize. I'm jusssst grateful you ssssstill chosssse to be with me."
"Do you think Sayuri will actually join the team?" The nature ninja turned to his sister.
"She's still so young… so naïve… Mr. and Mrs. Walker did say that they'll handle her training…" The white kunoichi replied.
"But they're still busy researching those Serpentine DNA samples. Will they have enough time to properly train her?" Forrest faced his experienced mother for answers.
"Jay isssss much more resssssourssssseful than he letssss on. I have faith in him asssss well assss Nya." Heather said.
"By the way, we have to head back to the shop." Liana reminded Forrest of their schedule.
"Fine. Mom, remember to stay indoors, okay?" The teal ninja advised her.
"I'll be fine."
The Julien siblings already did what they could for their mother.
Now they had to leave all their hopes in the hands of fate…
The ninjas have been going through one hell of a conga line of trauma but they weren't the only ones affected by this series of unfortunate events.
Garmadon felt an even greater sense of upcoming doom as of late and hearing of the kunoichi's disturbing transformations to Sayuri's powers awakening. Even his attempts to meditate out on the craggy mountains just outside his home did little for his mood.
Haruka also noticed her husband's distant behavior lately and knew what was going on and the feeling of helplessness pained her.
'Those nightmares he's been having is starting to get to him…'
The ever thoughtful woman was at a loss on what to do with her husband. She respected that he most likely wanted to have his space but if she doesn't do anything or at least try to help, he might succumb to the darkness that still lingers deep in his heart much sooner than any of them would like. It only got worse when even he had the visions his granddaughter had. More often than not, he would wake up in the middle of the night, mumbling to himself, or wander around the mountains surrounding their house.
"Garmadon, it's been a while. You should go and get some rest." Haruka stood at his side.
"Not even that which I seek is within my reach…" He muttered cryptically.
"The past is in the past and the future is in the future."
"But whatever Iris saw in her visions, no matter how hard any of us tries, they'll always come to pass and the same will hold true with Willow's. I truly fear there is nothing we can do but delay what will only happen anyway."
"Even then, we still live in the present. It's strange when you really think about it…"
"What's strange?"
"Though people are meant to live in the present, their minds are always caught up in either the past or future. Even though time can only flow like a river, we're always obsessed with flowing backwards or going too fast. We humans take even time itself for granted."
"Humans are naturally imperfect beings. They strive for a sense of purpose and fulfillment only to keep wanting more, not caring of the things they've worked so hard to get, only to cast them aside like useless dolls." Garmadon's pessimism was starting to show…
"That's part of being human," Haruka responded solemnly, "We are heavily flawed creatures."
"I thought I'll never know what it is to fear again since I was bitten by the Great Devourer but…"
"Are you scared?"
"…Yes…"
"What are you afraid of? Tell me."
"Haruka… I'm beginning to fear… myself…"
"W-why…?"
"You're not the person you used to be. That isn't who you are anymore. It's time to move on."
"If only things were that simple…"
"Garmadon… what's happening to you…?"
Haruka had faith in her husband ever since they reconciled but with the way he's been acting as of late, she began to feel like he was becoming lost… in himself…
"I still try to move on but I still fear that my past is also trying to flow through the rivers of time even after I've shed my old ways, trying to catch up to my pace." The former dark lord sighed.
"That's no longer who you are. I know you're stronger than this. So does your brother and even Misako too. We don't want to see you fall… not a second time," Haruka leaned towards him, as if to comfort him as well as herself, "Must history be doomed to repeat itself…?"
"Unfortunately, not even I can answer that…"
"You mustn't lose hope. Our son went through much more than anyone should and went as far as to sacrifice his own childhood to bring peace and order to Ninjago and even to save you. All of the ninjas faced countless trials to be where they, and even we are now. None of us should let all their hard work and efforts be in vain."
"If only I can share your optimism…"
The fear deep within Haruka's heart grew stronger as her husband continued uttering such dark words: words that could come from…
"I'm not letting you go back." Haruka said cryptically but Garmadon knew what she meant…
"I don't want to either but we'll see…"
Jay and Nya slumped on the sofa at home, exhausted from teaching Sayuri how to control her elemental strengths but their efforts weren't fruitless. Their daughter now knew how to stay in control when her powers were active but she still needed some work in keeping them in control when she wasn't using them.
"How did I do?" Sayuri turned to her parents.
"You're doing fine," Nya answered, "We still have some more lessons to do but other than that, you're passing with flying colors."
The nine-year-old beamed at
"You told me, Chris, and Kyle about the final battle from a long time ago…"
"And what about it?" Jay brought up his daughter so she sat in between her parents.
"You all got to fight the Overlord and then you did that in Ninjago City. Will Chris and Kyle do it again soon?"
"It will happen but hopefully not soon."
"Will I get to join in?"
"You still have so much to learn and even if you master your powers, the Overlord still isn't an easy opponent to deal with. Our elements were at our full power when we fought him the first time and even then, we barely managed to emerge victorious." Nya reminisced on that fateful battle that made her and her companions heroes.
"It must've been hard…"
"Well that's an understatement." Jay chuckled.
"Anyway, another important lesson to learn is that we weren't bestowed with these powers to brag or simple do 'cool' things. We use our powers to help those in need and to protect Ninjago from any forces that threaten its peace. With big privileges come big responsibilities and don't ever take your gifts for granted." Nya advised her daughter.
"This is a lot to take in but at least try to understand." The blue ninja goaded her.
"I will." Sayuri nodded.
The Pyrrhus twins still haven't gotten any news concerning Jay's studies of the Serpentine DNA and there were still no signs of Acidicus or even the Serpentine anywhere. Although they clearly wanted to protect their mother, they couldn't help but feel that their decision to part ways with the team was too foolhardy. They're father was always home and still had plenty of fight in him so why stay?
"Do you think we should've stayed with the group?" Akira asked before Alex could start.
"I don't know. I really wanted to check on Mom and it's a relief she's safe. I don't know how to say this but half of me wants to stay but the other half thinks it's best to go back." The kunoichi of wind shrugged.
"I understand how you feel. We all have our own agendas to fulfill though."
"But…"
"Hey, stop worrying about it. We'll find a way to change Mom back and then we can rejoin the team. No biggie."
"No biggie!? NO BIGGIE!? How can you say that at a time like this!?" Alex shoved Akira away.
"Hey! I'm only trying to help! Nobody's perfect!"
The orange kunoichi only groaned in aggravation over her brother's choice of words.
"Forget it! There isn't much we can do… but it still pisses me off."
"I know how you feel. We can just hope for the best."
"And what if that isn't enough?"
"Then we'll just have to keep fighting. I know that's what the others are doing too…"
"NINJA-GO!"
The group that still traversed the mainland found themselves in yet another skirmish with the nindroids. Small versions of them with high-pitched voices that almost made the humans laugh surrounded the ninjas. They may have the advantage in numbers but the humans fought with a fury that can't be matched.
Days of nonstop training proved fruitful when Leon obliterated a couple of nindroids with just a fraction of his powers as the green ninja, giving his remaining teammates a chance to attack.
"Earth!"
"Water!"
The ground split in two, accompanied by violent tremors and a tsunami gushed forth, drowning any poor nindroid who was too close to the chasm or wore away through their endoskeletons. Chris and Kyle drove in for the kill, using their elements to rend their very body structures.
"These guys just don't give up, do they!?" Amy managed to remark before slicing a few robots in two with the Scythe of Quakes.
"Enough talk! Concentrate!" Kyle retorted, stabbing a nindroid with the Steel Kunai.
The nindroids seemed to still have errors, such as assuming they had a higher chance of victory in this round because in the end, the humans emerged victorious.
"Good work guys!" Leon commended what remained of his teammates.
"It would've been faster if the others were with us." Amy mused.
"We'll be back together eventually. I just hope it's soon…" Kyle replied.
"But hey, none of us can predict the future… Maybe except for Willow. Too bad she's not with us…" Amy added in a sheepish tone.
"Don't worry about her. Once Willow gets one of those visions of hers, she'd tell us right away." Leon commented from his experiences back home.
"What about the others?" The lightning ninja brought up the other ninjas who left the group.
"Of course we wouldn't leave them out! Even if all of us are far away, we're still a team, aren't we?" The kunoichi of water tried to encourage them.
"You're right," The green ninja nodded, "No matter what gets in our way or how many times we argue, nothing will ever get in the way of our friendship!"
The others just stared at Leon like he was a freak and they swore they could even hear a couple of crickets chirp.
"Okay… that was cliché as hell but you understand what I'm trying to get at, right?"
"Yeah."
"It's getting late. We should head back." Chris summoned Wisp to go back to the Bounty...
With no new information, the ninja and kunoichi had plenty of time to themselves.
With Chris on guard duty, Kyle found himself chatting with Melody yet again.
What was this strange force that kept pairing them up together?
Nonetheless, the couple whose personalities were essentially the opposite still enjoyed being in each other's company. Too bad the awkward silence made things a little uncomfortable.
"It must be pretty neat coming from a family of inventors." The kunoichi of water tried to start the inevitable conversation.
"Sure is. They often bring home prototypes for their inventions and let us try it out." Kyle said.
"Is there any you consider your favorite?"
"Not really. Each of them had their own appeal, such as the one Dad intended to turn the lights on and off with a simple clap and had it installed in our home. The thing is, it worked a little too well so it got annoying and in the end, Dad threw a fit and the whole idea was scrapped."
"Your Dad seems like a fun guy." Melody chuckled.
"He can be a bit embarrassing at times but yeah, he's still fun to be around."
"What about your mom?"
"She's more serious than Dad but she's also one of the smartest and strongest women I know. I also appreciate her for that and that's why my cousin Alex looks up to her so much."
"What about your parents?" Kyle threw the question back at the purple kunoichi.
The raven-haired girl thought of all the memories she and Amy had with their parents and the one thing that remained constant was music.
"They've always surrounded me and Amy with love for as long as we can remember and that's simply what they are. They're very loving and have taught us so many values in life. My dad can be overprotective at times but we know he just cares for us deeply and our mom does too. She even told us she quit being an idol so she can be a proper mother to us and she always had ever since but that hasn't stopped her from singing. Our house was always filled with both love and music. Amy and I also like to sing and dance but I'm usually more into the latter while grandpa says that Amy has a natural talent with singing."
"I've heard her humming a couple of times back when we trained at the monastery and even I have to agree that she does have a great singing voice."
"Do you plan on taking your parents' place when you're older?"
"Actually, I haven't thought much of it. I do like working with gadgets but I never really thought of making a living out of it. There's still so much I want to do and I need to grow up some more before I know what I want to do besides being a ninja. What about you?"
"All my parents said was that as long as I'm happy with the path I choose, they'll be happy too. But… I'm also not sure what I want to do besides being a kunoichi… I like to think I'll find what I want to do one day… but that's still a long day away… or if it'll happen at all."
"Let's not worry about that for now. We're only fourteen so we have some time before we find our life's calling."
"Thanks Kyle…"
Melody felt those warm pangs in her heart that only happened when Kyle was around. She had yet to understand what it was but what she did know was that she liked him…
She really liked him…
All of a sudden, Melody pressed her lips against Kyle's cheek. The metal ninja flinched a bit but for some odd reason… he didn't mind. Usually, he wasn't one for open displays of affection but with Melody… it was different.
Was it because their personalities were already different?
Or was it the little quirks they shared?
Or something different altogether?
But Kyle could no longer bring himself to care and actually smiled shyly towards Melody, whose face had a rosy pink blush.
"Uh… not that I'm complaining but… what was that for…?" The yellow ninja stammered.
"Actually, I don't really know… except that I really enjoy all the moments we have together…" The raven-haired girl leaned closer to him.
"You don't mind being stuck with someone like me?" The metal wielder blushed in turn.
"Stuck? Of course not! I really enjoy being with you! You're smart and always know what to do! You're an important part of the team and it just wouldn't be the same without you and… and…"
"And what…?"
"I… I don't know why but… I really like you…" Melody's blush grew even brighter and Kyle could feel his heart skipping a beat.
Melody was an attractive girl but there was more to her than her looks. She was the 'heart' of the ragtag bunch of teen ninjas and she also had the courage to look on the bright side of life, even in the darkest of times. She was unique in her own way and never afraid to admit it, which the yellow ninja admired.
Now he was pretty sure he also harbored feelings he never felt before towards her. He knew he was feeling it towards her but what he didn't know was what it was. But in the end, he couldn't deny it.
"I… like you too…"
Kyle shifted towards Melody and she leaned her head on his shoulder and they felt content.
The destroyed punching bag was put back together like it was in a reversed video when Willow used her time powers. Just because she was back with her parents didn't mean her training was put on hold. Lloyd always made sure that his children's elements stayed in shape and his young daughter was no exception. As always, the semi-retired hero watched over his daughter while she demonstrated her unique prowess.
"How did I do?" Willow turned to her father once she was done.
"You've made some progress since we last met but you still have a long way to go."
The pink kunoichi sighed but she learned from her father that being a ninja will be full of trials.
"Do you think Mom will get better?"
"That is a question that can't be answered… for now."
"And do you really think I'll have what it takes to save her and the other changed kunoichi?"
"That is why you mustn't let up in your training. Only then will you find the answers."
"But Dad- "
"Not even I can know or do everything. That is why you and the ninjas work with one another. There are some things each of us are knowledgeable of and that is why it's important to work as a team. Believe me, I know from experience."
The kunoichi of time felt foolish for thinking her father was an all-knowing wise man but even if he was the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master, he was still human, just like everyone else.
"I'm sorry…" Willow whispered.
"You don't have to apologize," Lloyd threw his arm around his daughter to comfort her, "We all say and do things we end up regretting but acknowledging our wrongdoings are important."
"Guess even someone like you makes mistakes…" She looked up at him.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." The aged hero let out a rare chuckle.
Lloyd could see much of himself in his daughter and hoped her journey will end like his…
How was it?
Hopefully the whole group will get back together & as you can tell, I have some REALLY big stuff planned out over the next several chapters. Until then, reviews are appreciated!