Zane blinked, his sluggish systems making it hard to process the scene playing out in front of him.
Another flash of movement, as a gleaming blade caught a dripping wound and ripped through the feeble remains of the spirit's body.
An imposing grey streak cut through his vision, a gauntlet-clad fist striking hard enough to echo.
For a tense few moments, blows were traded. The air whirred with magic, flaring into evanescent light before pressing back down. Precious seconds were greedily snatched to charge energy, as Zane finally received an opportunity to pause. All the while, the fight roared on with new players, until one final well-timed punch broke the camel's back.
With one last, haunting scream, the spirit finally succumbed and disappeared into thin, inky tendrils.
"Finally!" At the familiarity of the voice, Zane's power source skipped unsteadily. "And stay dead, or you can eat more where that came from!"
With his triumphant cry, soft plumes of fire illuminating his face and lighting up his eyes, Kai turned to face them.
The moments afterward felt like dust settling in the wake of chaos. Zane, still processing everything that had happened, just stared, vision sharpening as his optics refocused. In the thick quiet that had settled over the room, he could hear voices—Jay and Cole—realizing what had transpired as well. Kai's face cautiously dropped, the weary joy shining over it slowly giving way to trepidation.
"... Kai?"
The voice was Cole's, quiet with disbelief. The earth ninja found his footing, Jay already steady behind him, eyes flickering over the people in front of him before he took a tentative step. Then another, and another, and suddenly Kai's ribs were being crushed in a desperate hug.
After that, it was easy to get swept up in the wave of ecstatic relief hitting everyone present.
"You're—you're alive, and Karlof too—"
"Where have you guys been? You never came back, we thought it got you-!"
"I'm okay, I swear, but what happened to you guys?! You look terrible."
"Hey—"
"It is wonderful to know you are both safe," Zane chimed in, being easily pulled into the bundle of ninja. Even through the exhaustion, his body lagging and heavy, the relieved laughter of his friends and the weary joy bubbling between them was contagious. Forceful metal gauntlets clinked against his skin as Karlof joined in, enveloping all of them with a heavy embrace off the ground that left Cole guffawing and Kai groaning.
"Alright, our ribs can't take much more of this," Cole said, puffing happily. "Come on, put us down, Karlof."
Reluctantly, the master of metal obliged.
"Is good to finally see ninja friends!" Karlof was slightly favoring one leg as he stepped back, Zane noted. "Have been lost long time, with only little fireball for company."
Karlof accented the statement by slamming his large, gauntlet-covered hand on Kai's shoulder; the red ninja huffed audibly at the force as Cole and Jay chuckled at him. Zane smiled as well, before noticing the dirty bandages on Kai's arm.
He knew Kai, for all his recklessness, was serious about medical care, but who knew if there had even been a chance to change them. Casting his gaze around the room to take stock of injuries, he noted Kai's arm, as well as uneven gaits on nearly everyone, although Karlof's seemed to be the worst. There were the gashes on his own metallic skin, wires poking out and leaking precious energy, that needed to be attended to. And they were all bruised and lacerated.
"I am sorry to cut our celebration short," he declared, "but we are all injured and tired. I think it would be wise to return so that we can all rest."
Kai looked over and nodded, watery light illuminating his face.
"Alright. Let's reunite the gang."
(A/N): And that's the last fully-written chapter! Sorry for the shortness, but I felt this was a good point to break the scene. Past this point, there will be outlines with written snippets and outlines of major plot points at different plot points, as a compromise between leaving the story fully untold and slogging through writing moments I'm not as excited about while I have a full-time job. (Good grief, this fic has really grown with me.) Theories, speculation, reactions and feedback all appreciated! :)