Last chapter! I hope you all like it. I'm a bit nervous about this one.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago.
Chapter X: Dying Flames
Kai's throat was sore and dry. Not only from the smoke that surrounded him, but the emotions that came with seeing that cursed wasteland. Once again, he had to lay his eyes on what had once been the city and once again, he thought of all the lives that had been lost. Today, he would avenge them, today, he would destroy Flint, and today, the city could finally begin their longest process of rebuilding yet.
"Okay, guys," Kai said as he strapped his breathing mask on and put his hood up. "Remember, we're trying to cause as little damage to Borg Tower as possible. It's all the city has left. Follow me until we get to Flint. Then, have at it."
The monsters all smiled, glad to have new orders from the fire master himself.
"Ready?!" Kai exclaimed.
He took two katanas from their sheaths and placed them in a comfortable position so he would be ready to run.
Just as he was about to order them to charge, a soft thud sounded behind followed by, "You weren't gonna start without us, were you?"
The fire master turned around to see none other than Cole, having just dropped down from the Destiny's Bounty.
"Cole!" Kai exclaimed.
Immediately following the earth master came Lloyd, then Jay and Zane, Pixal, Gravis, Griffin, Nya, and finally, Skylor.
"Hiya, hotshot," she chuckled awkwardly.
The fire master grinned in response saying, "Hey."
"Are you okay?" Nya asked.
Kai smiled as he remembered the explosion. He nodded and said, "Luckily. You guys ready?"
"Depends. What's the plan?" Skylor asked.
"Well, with this whole army, might as well charge right at him," Kai replied.
Skylor smiled and nodded as she stood next to him, ready to run. The ninja, elemental masters, and samurai behind all did the same.
"Ready!" Kai shouted again.
"Yeah!" everyone cheered.
A pause came as they looked to Flint in his tower. He was going to be a difficult enemy to beat, but he was outnumbered. And as Kai's confidence grew, so did his team's.
"Charge!"
In a huge stampede, the army ran for Borg Tower.
Flint's eyes widened as he saw the heap of red that was coming towards him. It was overwhelming.
As they grew closer and closer, Flint's fear turned to excitement. His pain would soon be over, even if it was sooner than expected. Unfortunately, he didn't believe the fire ninja was ready for the full extent of his power back. No matter, Flint thought. I'll just have to make sure he goes down with me.
A blast of ice shot up into the air, causing everyone to stop right in their tracks and look up in awe. Both Jay and Kai couldn't help that feeling of terror that filled inside, though.
Out of that blast came a loud, long roar and the face of a giant, white monster. He then did the same with the powers of earth and lightning. Flint now had a bigger army than the ninja!
"What the-?" Lloyd started, but it was then that their enemy appeared right in front of them, got into Kai's face, and said, "Are you ready for lesson 3?"
The fire master scoffed. "You're joking, right?"
"Not at all." Anger was beginning to take over. "Humiliation is an important step to take for someone like you."
"Like me?"
"Yes."
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but the 'humiliation' factor is all on you. I have your army and will soon have them too!" Kai gestured to the elemental monsters that were slowly making their way over. "I have the masters of creation!"
"Wait what?!" Cole exclaimed, and all the fire ninja's fake confidence was dashed away. "How are we gonna get them on our side?"
"You can't!" Flint snapped at him. "They are more than just a mere army. They are my children." A pause as he looked away. And then, quiet as a whisper yet passionate with some sort of love, he said, "They are not toys."
"You're right. They're living beings. That's why I'm giving them a chance to make their own decisions and live out in the world."
In Flint's anger, he didn't realize that one member of the team had gone missing. Instead of standing right next to her fellow fighters, Skylor stood right behind Flint, crossbow aimed to his back.
"You are arrogant, fire ninja," Flint remarked.
"You're the only one who thinks that's a problem," Kai smirked.
Not yet, Skylor thought, finger on the trigger. Flint would not stand still.
"With the power of mind as my aid, I can easily disagree," Flint continued to pace as he said so.
Kai's breath hitched in his throat as he took a step back. He tried to tell himself that Flint was lying. His friends would tell him if they had a problem, right? And he would gladly stop, right?
"You have too much faith, fire ninja," Flint sounded disgusted.
Mind? Wait. Can he hear me? Skylor's thoughts were so loud. Too loud.
"Excuse me," Flint nodded to the fire ninja then looked directly to Skylor.
It felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening!
Before she could even figure out what to do, he was there. Right in front of her. He took out his dagger and activated Kai's fire, heating the weapon before placing it against her neck.
In pain, she screamed, but her pain didn't last long as it was only a few seconds later that the red clad ninja had his arm around Flint neck so he could pull him away and throw him to the ground.
Immediately, the older man jumped up, sending a strong punch to Kai's jaw, knocking him over. The fire ninja was back on his feet quickly, though, jumping back up and slicing his katanas at the man, but Flint placed his armored arm in the way, pushing it off. Before he could counter-attack, Skylor joined in with a kick, which he also blocked. Lloyd yelled as he built up his power and sent it Flint's way, immobilizing him for a moment.
Just as the green ninja was about to join his friends, Zane placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "They will not be able to take care of Flint if those monsters arrive. We must fight back."
Lloyd nodded before calling to the fire monsters, "Twenty of you for each of us! Anyone who's left, do as you please!"
The monsters looked from the younger ninja to Kai, who struggled to nod, letting them know that they could trust him.
As they divided themselves as Lloyd said, they ran to join the fight.
Flint still didn't notice. He was too focused on making sure no one landed a blow on him, using the power of speed to make this certain. The masters of fire and amber were a formidable duo.
As he tried to block, he noticed a single fire monster running at an upcoming ice monster, destroying it. His eyes went wide as he realized what just happened, and Skylor landed a punch, using Cole's earth and Griffin's speed. Suddenly, the villain wasn't blocking as many punches as were being landed. He tried to get back to his old rhythm but found it impossible. So, he activated the power of earth and stomped, sending a tremor outward from him and knocking the two fighters over. Then, he felt a wave of heat come at him. A flaming fist. He expertly dodged this and struck back with the power of ice, fully encasing the master of fire.
"Kai!" Skylor yelled.
"Well, well," Flint said as he turned to the redhead. "It seems we're alone. Where are your friends?"
The ice monsters roared up ahead, beginning to create flurries as they came down to the water ninja and her fire monsters.
In response, the water ninja shot her power at them, but one ice monster used this to his advantage, freezing the blast and throwing it at a fire monster, destroying it.
"Okay. So no water," Nya's eyes were wide with emotion as she realized what she had just done. She sighed and turned to the nineteen she had left yelling, "Go get 'em, boys!"
Zane ran with his fire monsters straight towards a group of lightning monsters on the west side of the city. As he scanned the surrounding areas and saw how easily the ice monsters could destroy the fire ones and vice versa, he realized that using his own power could easily hurt his team. So, he removed his shurikens from his back and threw them at the lightning monster in front of him, only for them to go right through him.
As they came back to Zane, he knew that he wouldn't be much help in this fight. But he could lead the fire monsters.
"We are not here to hurt them! Just to make sure that Flint doesn't get his help. Do you understand?" the nindroid explained.
The monsters nodded before charging at their new brothers made of lightning. One of which shot lightning out of his mouth, shocking Zane.
Jay ran alongside his new teammates to get to the earth monsters, but he soon found himself far behind them. With his power gone, he couldn't keep up, but he had to try.
He watched as monsters punched and roared at each other. The elements mixed in ways he had never seen them mixed before. It was beautiful. But soon, he could no longer watch the show as an earth monster used his power to bury the lightning ninja in the cold dirt.
The master of amber had finally managed to melt the ice Kai had been trapped in using his power. He shivered as he stepped toward her and said, "Thanks, Skylor."
"No time," she responded. "Flint sped off. We have to go after him."
The master of fire nodded before turning to look at the wasteland below. From the little hill he was on, he could see as Lloyd struggled to keep the lightning monsters off his back, as Gravis was punched in the face by an earth monster's power, and as Pixal used the Samurai X mech to repeatedly punch an earth monster. Then, he saw as red streaks from Griffin's element went to different parts of the battlefield, turning the tide in favor of Flint. Definitely not the master of speed.
"Skylor! What do we do?" Kai was beginning to panic. He couldn't help any of his friends.
The master of amber took his hand into hers and opened her mouth to say something, but it was then that Flint crashed into the both of them, punching Kai repeatedly on the ground before activating the power of lightning in his hand which came dangerously close to the fire ninja's chest.
"Are you ready to feel the most painful death you can imagine?"
"What happened to humiliation and me being ready to take back my fire?" Kai asked.
"You'll never be strong enough," Flint hissed.
Kai watched as the electricity in the older man's hand came closer and closer. The light was so bright. Maybe if he focused on that, it wouldn't hurt as much. But suddenly, Skylor was on top of Flint. She used the power of gravity, along with her body weight to throw herself and Flint to the ground before trapping him in the earth and grasping onto his arms.
"I've always wondered if this could work!" she exclaimed.
In amazement, the fire ninja watched as an orange glow moved from Flint's chest to the tip of his fingers, entering into Skylor. She was not able to take nearly as much as Flint had, but it was enough to do what she did next.
Using the powers of lightning, earth, and ice, she called to the monsters.
Immediately, they all stopped and began making their way towards her.
"We're done here," she said. "Give up."
Slowly, the rocks around Flint began to move as he freed himself. He stood up to face the master of amber, stumbling as he did so, looking to her with tired eyes, and finally, letting his head drop.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Unlike the fire ninja, you have not done anything wrong."
In less than a second, Flint used the power of speed to take Kai up to Borg Tower. The next thing the fire master knew, he was watching as each and every one of the monsters exploded in the city below, all around his friends.
"No!" Kai cried.
Flint let his hand drop; the work he had committed being done. He turned to the fire ninja, who was now weeping on his knees, and said, "This was all supposed to be between you and me, but it seems that the others just couldn't understand. I'm sorry."
The brunette couldn't help it. He tackled Flint and punched him with a flaming fist over and over and over again. How dare he hurt his friends! How dare he hurt those creatures! How dare he hurt Ninjago! He continued to punch until his hand was sore, until his arm was sore, and then used his katana to cut his side, his arms, his legs, his face. He wanted Flint to feel as much pain as possible, and as he lifted his katana above his head to deliver the final blow, he stopped. He looked to the older man below him and saw someone who was in pain, just like him, and that scared him. All confidence that told him that he could never become such a heartless monster dissipated as he realized there had to be a way to save Flint, or there wouldn't be a way to save Kai if he ever fell that far.
The resonance of a clanging sound echoed through the floor as the katana dropped.
Flint laughed. For the first time since Kai had known him, he was actually laughing. He laughed and laughed and laughed until he couldn't laugh anymore. Then, he just sat there, struggling to breathe.
"You mean to tell me that after all these lessons, after all this training, you aren't even man enough to kill me?!" he was screeching now. "You can't even avenge your own friends!"
He used the power of gravity to throw Kai off of him and towards the edge of the tower. Then, he ran. Kai didn't even have time to think before they were both falling.
In desperation, the master of fire grabbed hold of a windowsill with his left hand and onto Flint with his right.
"What are you doing, fire ninja?!" Flint screamed.
The younger man couldn't respond. He only cried out as he used all the strength he could muster to pull Flint up. He failed. Instead of bringing them both up, Kai started sliding down. He shoved his feet into the tower, managing to keep himself up.
The explosion from the fire monsters had caused the fire in the city to reignite, and those flames were growing higher and higher until finally, they reached him.
His muscle constricted in a way that made it near impossible to breathe as his leg started to go cold. It felt like forever as the fire crawled up his leg, but that was before he felt a tug on his arm. The tug brought both him and Flint through the window and to safety, and that savior was the one who hit Kai's leg until the fire was out.
Once it was clear that the master of fire was completely safe, the master of earth yelled, "You're okay!"
Cole couldn't help but squeeze him in the tightest, yet most relieving hug Kai had ever received.
The master of fire began to sob.
After a moment, Kai finally managed to ask through hiccupped breaths, "Where are the others?"
"I saw Lloyd and Griffin on my way up here! They're looking for the others. I can't believe you're okay!" Cole's smile disappeared suddenly as he saw something behind the fire master. "Look out!" he yelled.
Gravity had caused Kai to fall to the side as he moved at an alarming rate across the floor. As soon as Flint had pulled him close enough, he punched him hard in the stomach, then the face. "Weak! Pathetic! Naive! How do you expect me to trust you with your power with this attitude? Saving me? You're a child! Even with my children at your side, you can't defeat me!"
Kai lifted his head ever so slightly as the beating took a pause to see Cole tackle him before being sent hard through a nearby wall by gravity. Smoke began to come through the window and the fighters were beginning to have trouble seeing.
Quickly, the fire ninja scrambled to his feet and ran over to where he believed Cole was.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yep!" the earth master replied before the two took their weapons out.
"Hey, Flint!" the younger of the two called to the villain. "Over here!"
Even blind, Kai could tell Flint was getting close.
"Cole! Run!" the fire master yelled.
And the earth ninja tried, but the power of gravity was much too strong. Flint brought them both to him so closely that they could see him even through the smoke!
"No," the Metalonian said. "You come here."
With a flick of his wrist the two ninja were thrown with ease over the building's edge!
"Gravis!" Cole screamed.
The ground came closer and closer at an exponential speed. All hope was lost. Just like that, they were done. They couldn't help but close their eyes. No need to watch it happen.
A second passed. Two, three, five, ten. Nothing happened. In fact, that falling sensation was gone. Slowly, Kai reopened his eyes and saw that he was right above the ground, floating.
"Gravis! I'm so glad you're-" Kai stopped as he looked up. It was not the master of gravity that had saved them, but the enemy.
"Oh, and I'm the one who's weak for saving you?" the fire master asked with a sly smile.
Like I said, this is between you and me, Flint responded in his thoughts as he dropped Cole off and flung Kai back up, throwing him into a desk.
A crack could be heard as pain shot up Kai's arm.
It took quite a while for the master of fire to finally opened his eyes, and even when he did, it seemed he had no desire to move. So Flint wandered about. That was until he began to get a taste of his own medicine. Someone was in his head.
That was some trick, Neuro was gaining control. Kai told us you thought of those creatures as your children, yet you killed them with no remorse.
Who said I have no remorse? Flint responded.
Suddenly, a bolt landed immediately next to his foot.
What is this? Flint couldn't help but ask the master of mind.
I enjoy my distractions, Neuro responded.
He burst through the door, causing a look of relief to come over Kai.
"Neuro! How did you escape?"
"He had some help," Skylor responded as she jumped down, aiming her crossbow toward the villain. Lloyd jumped down beside her, energy ready.
Flint raised an eyebrow. "Does no one understand the point of a private lesson?" he asked.
Rolling his eyes, he used the power of speed to rush at Lloyd, grabbing him by the shoulders so that his power began to drain. The green ninja's legs went limp and his vision darkened. Then, he fell.
Flint felt rejuvenated as the power of energy rushed through his core. With a slight smile, the Metalonian picked the now unconscious green ninja up and threw him at the charging master of mind. Neuro was forced to slide down in a duck to prevent from stabbing Lloyd with his sword. He then jumped back up, into the air, and let out a battle cry as he threw the weapon down. Flint dodged this with ease and kicked upward towards Neuro's stomach as he grabbed the sword for support. Neuro jumped out of the way to avoid this kick as he grabbed for his sword. The two sent punches and kicks to each other, trying to keep the other from gaining the weapon, but this task suddenly became much harder as Skylor swung her crossbow at Flint, allowing for Neuro to finally retrieve his sword.
With the master of mind having his weapon back, Flint used the power of gravity to take one of Kai's katanas. Blade was against blade as Flint pushed into Neuro. The master of fire activated his power through his foot, setting is ablaze. With a grunt, he managed to kick directly into Flint's side. A crack could be heard as the enemy screamed in pain, dropping his weapon and falling to the ground.
"I didn't take enough of your power it seems," Flint strained as he struggled to stand back up.
A fist came flying towards the villain's face, which Flint caught just in time. He then used the power of earth to hit the owner of this fist, knocking Neuro out. Then he used lightning to shock the master of amber, rendering her unconscious.
"Now, as I was saying," Flint continued as he walked slowly to the fire ninja as a result of the pain from his broken ribs, but he screamed out as a blow was delivered to his jaw, knocking him over. As he scrambled back up, he made eye contact with the fire ninja, flames rising hot around them both.
"Stand down, Flint!" Kai yelled, eyes darting between him and Skylor. "This isn't what Ember wanted!"
Flint only screamed in response as he ran at the fire ninja, throwing a punch towards his face, which Kai accidentally caught with his bad arm, immediately causing him to stop as a painful shock shot through his body. This gave Flint to perfect opportunity to kick Kai towards the window.
Stuck on his back, Flint decided to draw the katana he had stolen, placing the blade to Kai's neck.
The fire master groaned as he tried to get back up, but that familiar cold feeling against his throat sent a dangerous chill through his core.
"Come on, again?" Kai grunted.
"What? Am I becoming too predictable?" Flint teased as he knelt on Kai's arm. Kai's broken arm.
Tears came to the fire ninja's eyes, his face went pale as he struggled to breathe, darkness blurred his vision, but one thing remained clear in his mind. This had to end.
"Was she crazy too?" he struggled to say.
Flint stared at Kai long and hard, anger continuing to overflow as he said, "She was pure."
"So continue that legacy!" Kai begged.
"Why should I?"
"So people can remember her."
"It will make no difference. She's dead."
"Yeah but-"
"She's dead!"
Silence.
Everything seemed to disappear as tears fell off of Flint's cheeks and fire rolled up his back as if there was a huge weight on his shoulders.
"I'm sorry," Kai said. "Really, I am, but this isn't the way."
Flint chuckled. "You think I care?"
Kai shook his head.
As that same, blank expression returned, Flint stood up. Then, he helped Kai up onto his feet.
"Can we at least talk about this?" Kai asked, hope beginning to seep through.
Flint almost let out a smile. Almost.
"Not a chance."
The older man delivered a roundhouse kick towards Kai's head, forcing the fire ninja to grab the leg and flip him onto his back. A flame came to the fire ninja's fist as he shot next to the man's face, but at the last moment, Flint moved right into the blast.
Kai gasped as his eyes went wide in horror. The fire had hit his throat and blood was beginning to seep out onto the floor.
The fire ninja closed his eyes as he felt tight hands grasp his wrists. As he opened them once again, he saw his enemy looking up at him with another crazed smile as he said, "You really can't change."
The fire ninja could barely breathe, could barely even move as the full extent of his fire returned and the hands around his wrists fell to the floor. As he stood there, looking down at the man who caused so much trouble these past few weeks, all he could think about was Ember.
"Well..." Kai had to say it out loud. His throat was so dry, he wasn't sure if it could form words. "Hope she still likes him up there."
"Kai?" that voice. Oh, how he loved to hear that voice.
He turned around to see Skylor begin to stir. She sat up and asked, "What happened?"
The fire ninja just smiled as he knelt down beside her. "It's over," he said. "We won."
The redhead looked confused for a moment as she looked outside. "The fire's still there," she said.
"Yeah," Kai responded. "Nya's gonna have to use the water stone."
Skylor nodded as she took the fire master's hand and helped him walk back down to the former city. It comforted him. Whether it was from their breakup, having to kill the villain that reminded him so much of himself, or from how exhausted he was, he wasn't sure. But Skylor's hand in his was something he needed.
As Kai and Skylor walked across the hard ground, flames growing all around them, they searched desperately for their friends. It felt like ages before they finally discovered a white form.
"Zane!" the fire ninja yelled.
"Kai!" the nindroid called back.
He ran over to his brother and embraced him, letting go only when Kai asked, "Where's Nya?"
The ice ninja turned to where a large flame was beginning to dwindle and pointed.
With a smile, Kai thanked his older brother and ran towards the flame. Sure enough, Nya was behind it, using her power in an attempt to put it out, but she didn't look happy.
"Nya?" he said.
The water ninja looked to Kai and said, "You can put out the fire, right? You can absorb it, right?"
Tears began to prick his eyes as he saw how terrified his sister was. All he could manage to say was, "You can put it out."
"No! I can't! I can't!" she cried as she placed her head in her hands.
Words he hadn't heard since they were kids. Words filled with fear. But she was never fearful. Nya was never scared of anything. At least that's what many thought. Kai had known what each and every one of her fears were, though; inside and out. He knew that she was afraid of letting him down, something he's always tried to help her through. He knew that she was afraid to be alone when she was young. He knew she was afraid of being weak, it was the reason she never listened to him when he tried to protect her. "I can take care of myself!" she would yell, but now, here she was, needing him to take care of her.
"Nya," he said gently as he rubbed his good hand along her arm until he reached her shoulder, which he grasped gently. She seemed to be barely aware of her surroundings. "Nya, listen to me."
The younger of the two began to focus her gaze on the older.
"You are the master of water, my sister. You defeated the Preeminent, single-handedly destroyed Wojira, saved my life more times than I can count. You're amazing!"
A slight smile escaped her lips, but it was soon replaced with a deep frown. Her eyes overflowed with tears as she said, "What if I fail? What if...what if I lose myself again?"
"You brought yourself back last time," he said with a proud smile. "And this time, I'm not leaving your side."
Nya blinked back a couple tears, then took in her surroundings. After a quick breath to subdue her fear, she looked Kai straight in the eye and said, "Give me the stone."
Kai smiled as he reached down into his pack, backing up as he took out the blue, glowing essence of water.
The water ninja fought the urge to fall back and instead, pushed forward. Six feet apart, five feet apart, four, three. He stopped and held it out towards her, beginning to changer her skin to water as a result. "I can do this," she said with a breath.
She grabbed the stone and immediately, her transformation was complete. The fear in her eyes was unmistakable, but Kai only nodded as he said, "You got this."
Nya nodded as well before summoning a burst of water, shooting her high into the sky. Then, she outstretched her arms, sending a waterfall into the flaming field of the former city, leaving behind nothing but ash.
As Nya floated back down to her brother, the now soaked ninja throughout the city hollered and cheered. They had won.
And as Nya handed the stone back to Kai, he started to really let that sink in. They had won.
Five months had passed. Kai's arm had since healed, and the city hadn't ceased in their effort to rebuild. They had even almost finished rebuilding the west side. One of the buildings that had come back was the seafood restaurant Kai and Skylor had gone for their date when the whole mess started. When Kai heard about this, he decided it was about time for a redo.
In a suit and tie (and no band-aid), Kai walked over to Skylor's temporary room in the monastery, until her home in the city was rebuilt, and knocked on the door.
The master of amber was quick to open it but was incredibly surprised by what she saw.
"Kai?" she asked. "You look fancy. What's the occasion?"
"Well," he started awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was thinking...we make a pretty good pair. And I was hoping we could make it official. Do you want to go out?"
Skylor couldn't help but gasp softly as Kai handed her a beautiful white rose. She barely brushed the petals for fear of staining them.
As she carefully placed the flower in her hair, she looked to Kai with shimmering, amber eyes and said, "Yes. I will be your girlfriend again. But on one condition."
Kai appeared confused and maybe a little nervous.
"What is it?" he asked.
"You won't breakup with me next time there's a villain," she smacked him lightly as she said this.
"Right. Sorry," Kai looked down in guilt.
"Hey," she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You were scared, I understand. But you gotta suck it up. Especially now that I'm a ninja."
"Yeah," Kai nodded. He stopped suddenly, though, when he processed what she had just said. "Wait what?!" a huge smile appeared on his face.
A similar smile appeared on Skylor's as she said, "I talked to Wu about it this morning. 'Your training begins at dawn,' he said."
"That's great! We have to celebrate this!"
"What did you have in mind?"
"What do you think about seafood?"
"I love it! Just, no fires this time."
"Never again," Kai agreed.
And with that, Burning to Ash is officially over! I hope you all have enjoyed this story. I know I sure have. Let me know what other kind of stories or scenes you would like to see. I'm hoping to write a Jay centered story next, but we'll see!
Have a great day/night!
#God'sNotDead