Tuesday

Wu carefully made his way along the gravel path leading to Ignacia. Today, he would recruit Kai and Nya, the masters of fire and water. He had known their parents quite well, and was saddened that they had gone missing. He wondered where they were. He knew for a fact that they wouldn't have just abandoned their children. And, that meant that they had not gone willingly.

Wu glanced ahead, seeing a small town coming into view. He veered off the path into the trees, not wanting to be seen. He knew that most people would recognize him, from when he and Garmadon had been chased out of the city. It had been broadcasted all over the land. The teenagers Wu had recruited hadn't recognized him since it had happened ten years ago, and back then, they had been probably too little to understand what had happened.

A little ways south from the small village stood the blacksmith shop. It was close to the village, and Wu could still see the houses clearly. He walked up to the shop, uneasy that he was now in the open and could be potentially seen from the village. Since the shop had no door, Wu came and stood at edge, right outside. Kai was attempting to make a sword, and looking very frustrated about it. It was all twisted, not straight at all like it was supposed to be. Nya stood off to the side, looking on.

"Kai, you made it too quickly!" Nya scolded him, the both of them having not noticed Wu. "Be patient!"

"Ugh," Kai moped. "I was patient!"

"You call that patience?!"

"Yes, yes I do!"

"Hello," Wu said, interrupting the siblings argument.

They both turned to look at him, Kai instantly glowering at him.

"Hi," Nya replied, giving Kai a chiding look. Kai rolled his eyes. Nya returned her gaze back to Wu, smiling. "Would you like to buy any weapons?" This was their first customer in months, and Nya was not going to waste this opportunity just because Kai was in a bad mood again.

"No, thank you," Wu replied. "I—"

"If you're not going to buy anything, then go away. We're busy!" Kai interrupted him.

Wu raised an eyebrow at that.

"Kai! Don't be rude!" his sister whisper-yelled at him.

"Hmph," Kai grouched. He tossed his twisted, unfinished sword onto the anvil and crossed his arms, scowling.

Nya turned back to Wu. "Um, sorry about my brother. He can be a little—" she coughed, pointedly looking at Kai—"rude."

"I see…" Wu replied.

Kai glared at him. "If you're not going to buy anything, then I said skedaddle!"

"Kai!" Nya shouted at him. "Don't be rude!"
"I see I am not wanted here," Wu said, a little surprised by Kai's hostility. Of course, he knew that Kai's father had had the same temper. He turned to leave, hearing Kai say, "Good riddance!"

As Wu walked off, he pondered what he should do now. He hadn't thought about what would happen if they refused. He supposed that having two less ninja wasn't that big of a deal, but right now there were only four.

Wu entered the trees, still intent on not being seen.

Suddenly, he heard rustling and the snap of a twig breaking a couple of yards away, and he immediately bolted up into a tree, taking his bamboo staff with him. Peering down, he saw a group of people emerge. A few were speaking in hushed tones, and they were obviously trying to lie low and not be seen. They had katanas and other weapons strapped to their backs and waists, and they were heading in the direction of the blacksmith shop.

Oh no, Wu thought, eyes widening.

"They think we only attack the city, do they? Well, we'll show them! It wasn't only the city that made us outcasts! All purebreds deserve to die!" one of them said, eyes alight with anger and eagerness.

Half breeds, Wu realized. He had to warn Kai and Nya! But before he could move, they all suddenly bolted towards the shop, taking out their assorted weapons.

No! Wu leaped down from the tree.

"Kai, he might've changed his mind!" Nya said, hands on her hips.

"No, he wouldn't have!" Kai retorted. "He just wanted something from us! I know that look. I'm not getting sucked into his problems or whatever it is he wants us to buy!"

"Ugh, Kai!"

Suddenly, someone dressed in black appeared in the opening. He held a katana, and behind him several more people arrived.

"Uh…" Kai and Nya both said, alarmed.

"Take them prisoner!" the man clothed in black ordered.

Kai leaped into action, grabbing one of the few decent swords they had left, one that his father had made, and then swung it at the guy. Nya grabbed a spear, battling two more.

"Nya! Get out of here!" Kai ordered her, desperate.

"No! What about you?!" Nya replied.

"I'll be fine!" Kai told her, even though he really had no idea if he would be. With a sinking feeling, Kai realized that they were surrounded.

Suddenly, Nya screamed. Kai's head snapped in her direction, and saw that two of the intruders had grabbed Nya. Nya struggled, trying to free herself, but one of the men landed a blow to her head and she went limp, unconscious.

"Nya!" Kai swung his sword, fear for his sister permeating his mind, trying to reach her, but he was blocked by another person. Nya was dragged off, and Kai quickly lost sight of her. Kai snapped his attention back to the man in front of him, and then realized that it was him against five others. He didn't stand a chance.

One of the men must have snuck behind him, because Kai was suddenly thrown to the ground. He landed hard, the breath knocked out of him. One of the people kicked his hand, making him drop his sword, and then the man kicked it away, out of Kai's reach.

"Hey!" Kai growled, trying to get up. He froze however, seeing that the person he had been fighting had raised his sword, ready to deal him a death blow. Kai's eyes widened in surprise, knowing that there was no way he would be able to avoid it.

"Don't kill him! We need him, remember?!" one of the men snapped at Kai's attacker.

"Eh, he's a human. I at least want to kill one of them," he replied back.

Kai raised his arms in front of his face, ducking his head, and waited for the pain. Suddenly, though, the man shouted in surprise. Kai glanced up, and saw a—a—a golden tornado?! The tornado swept through the mob, and then tossed them all out against the wall, the forge, and out the door. The tornado spun to a stop, and Kai gasped in surprise. The same old man that had just come here a few minutes earlier stood in the tornado's place, holding a bamboo staff.

Kai quickly scrambled to his feet, trying to shake off his shock, and then glanced down, seeing his sword about a yard away. He dove for it, and in that time the mob had gotten back up and were attacking the old man. Kai thought, he doesn't stand a chance! But then, he saw the old man kick one of the guys in the face, and then slam another into the floor. Kai gaped in amazement. Soon, all the men were chased off, and they all fled into the trees.

They have my sister! Kai suddenly remembered in alarm. He gave chase, intending to try and rescue her.

"Kai, don't!" the old man called to him.

Kai ignored him. He was grateful that he had saved his life, but he hadn't saved Nya's, and now Kai was going to find her. He didn't care what the weird old man thought about it. Kai got as far as the treeline before he was suddenly thrown down from behind. Kai gave a startled yelp. He felt a stick press into his back, and a foot hold him down.

"Get off of me!" Kai growled, trying to stand up. The old man didn't budge.

"How do you intend to rescue your sister?" the old man asked. "You couldn't even fight seven of them. The Outcast has far more than seven."

Kai stilled, a cold feeling coming over him. The Outcast? "They're half breeds?"
"Yes."

Kai growled. "I don't care what they are! I'm going to rescue my sister!"

"I will train you to become a ninja. That is the only way you will be able to rescue your sister."

Kai stilled again. "A ninja?"

"Yes. I am already training others."

"I don't have time to train! I need to rescue her now!"

"If you try to go after her now, they will kill you. I can train you. The rest of my ninja can help you."

Kai thought about the man's offer. "What do you want in return?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Kai asked skeptically. "Yeah, right! Nothing is ever free!"

"Fine. If I train you, will you clean my monastery? It tends to get dusty very quickly."

Kai was beginning to think that this guy was crazy. "Whatever, weirdo. Let me up!" Kai instantly felt the pressure leave his back, and he stood up, dusting himself off. He looked at the old man suspiciously. "Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Wu," the old man replied.

"Uh huh… So, when does this training start?"

"Immediately," Wu replied. "Follow me." Wu walked into the woods, glancing around warily.

Kai hesitated, then followed him. "Why are we going the way the half breeds went? I thought you said we weren't going after them right now?!"
"We aren't. This is the way to my monastery."

"Why can't we take the path?!"

"We will, but not right now."

"Why?"
Wu didn't answer him.

Kai huffed in exasperation. He looked ahead, wondering where his sister was and if she was okay. After his parents had disappeared, she was all he had left. He desperately hoped that she was alright…

Kai followed Wu up a steep mountain, on stairs that were carved into its side. He wondered who in their right mind would build a monastery on the top of a mountain. It would be so annoying having to climb up and down these stairs every time you wanted to go to the city. Or anywhere, for that matter…

At the top, Kai gazed skeptically at the monastery. Wu led him inside to what seemed to be a courtyard. What surprised him, though, was that Zane, Cole, Jay, and Lloyd were there. They all turned to look at him. Each of them held a katana, and it looked as if they had been sparing with one another.

"So this is why none of you wanted to do anything after school," Kai stated.

"Uh, heh, sorry…" Jay mumbled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"You're gonna be a ninja too, then?" Cole asked.

Kai's face darkened, and he frowned. "I'm going to be a ninja, yes, but only to save my sister."

They all looked at him in surprise.

"Nya? What happened to Nya?" Jay asked, eyes wide in concern.

Kai growled, scowling. "She was kidnapped by a bunch of half breeds. They took her to the Outcast."

"What?!" the four of them gasped.

"What do they want with Nya?!" Lloyd growled.

"I don't know. But if they hurt her…" Kai trailed off. They all knew what he was going to say. If Nya wasn't okay, then the half breeds would be as good as dead.

"We have to rescue her!" Jay exclaimed.

"We will, but not now. You all are not ready yet," Wu replied.

"Oh, come on! We have to go now! Who knows what they'll do to her!" A pause. "Maybe they'll eat her!"

Kai's eyes widened in alarm.

"I highly doubt that," Wu admonished him. "If they wanted a meal, then they wouldn't have taken her alive."

They all looked at him, eyes wide, except for Lloyd who was staring off to the side, frowning.

"Now, continue with your training. I will teach Kai the basics."

They all nodded sullenly, and then continued sparring with each other.

A few minutes later, Wu was beginning to realize that training Kai would be much more difficult than the other ninja. He wouldn't stop questioning his instructions, as if he thought Wu was continually trying to deceive him in some way. It was obvious that Kai didn't trust him at all, which, was fine, but it would make training him a lot harder.

A couple hours later, Wu told them that they could stop for the day. A few of them sighed in relief.

"You may all head home," Wu told them. They all turned to leave, but Wu halted Kai with his bamboo staff. "I believe you promised to clean my monastery?"

They all looked in confusion at Kai.

Kai blinked in momentary confusion. Then he groaned, nodding. "Fine…"

"Why did you promise to clean the monastery?" Cole asked.

"'Cause Wu's training me to become a ninja so that I can save Nya, remember?" Kai replied, like it was obvious.

Cole gave him a confused look.

"Uh, I thought this ninja training was free?" Jay asked in confusion, glancing at Wu.

"It is," Wu replied. "Kai wouldn't agree to train under me unless he could repay me somehow, since he didn't believe me when I told him that it was free."

"What, you guys get all this training for free?" Kai asked skeptically.

"Uh, yeah?" Cole said.

Kai stared at him disbelievingly.

"And," Wu added, "Kai, you will call me 'Master Wu' from now on, at least while you are training under me."

Kai scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Whatever, weirdo…"

Wu sighed. "It seems I also have to teach you some manners…"

Kai glared at him.

When all of his friends had gone home and Kai had finished cleaning the monastery, Lloyd and Wu began the journey back to the Outcast.

"Uncle Wu, what are we gonna do?"

"I will train Kai, and when he is ready, along with your other friends, you and them will venture into the Outcast and try and save Nya," Wu replied.

Lloyd frowned, looking at the ground. "And when will that be? We may be too late."

"Your friends are quick learners. I doubt Kai will be any different, especially with his sister at stake. They will be ready soon."

Lloyd gave a frustrated growl. "I don't understand why the other half breeds have to cause so much trouble! They're only making their situation worse!"

Wu nodded in agreement, gazing ahead morosely.

"Do they really think that if they attack people, that they'll just invite them back into society?!"

"They blame the people for casting them out. They want revenge."

"I know, but…" Lloyd sighed. "I just don't understand. Why kidnap Nya?"

"I don't know, but I think they wanted Kai, too."

"What's wrong with half breeds?" Lloyd asked quietly, looking downcast. "Why are we so hated?"
Wu didn't answer right away. After a few moments he replied, "No one knows what started the hatred towards half breeds. Some believe that the oni started it, and that it then spread towards the others—the dragons and humans. They believe that the oni didn't want other blood in their kingdom. The oni despised dragons and humans, and still do."

"I still don't get it," Lloyd mumbled.

"Neither do I," Wu agreed.

Kai walked home sullenly. When he reached the blacksmith shop, it had grown dark. He saw that a few embers from the forge were still glowing faintly, but the fire had long since gone out. Kai knew to never leave fire unattended, but he had been in too much of a hurry and had been panicked, and so had completely forgotten.

He didn't immediately go inside. He stood there, gazing at his home. It felt empty. He missed Nya. He briefly wondered if he would ever see her again, but immediately shoved the thought out of mind. He would rescue her. It was just a matter of when, and how.

Sighing, and feeling very lonely, he trudged inside.