Chapter Text
“C’mon, Kai!” Nya’s voice rang clear, light with laughter. “Come swim! I thought you were over your whole fear of water thing!”
“I am! I just… don’t like it.”
Nya erupted with laughter as she stood ankle deep in the ocean waves, rolling her eyes. Kai yelped as a stream of water shot him straight in the chest. He toppled backwards, right onto the ground.
Kai glared at her with mirthful annoyance, but before he could say anything, Lloyd scolded, “Hey, watch it! Nya, you nearly knocked Kai into me and Cole’s sandcastle.”
“Very rude,” Cole agreed, although he was clearly only half paying-attention as he meticulously placed seashells into the sandcastle walls.
“Way to come to my rescue, guys,” Kai grumbled, shooting them both a scowl that Lloyd met with a cheeky grin.
“HA! Why’d anyone wanna come to your rescue?” Jay teased light-heartedly, his curls dripping with seawater as he came up from the waves and to Nya’s side.
Nya smirked as she took her hand in Jay’s and taunted, “See, Kai? You know I’m always right.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Jay doesn’t count, he’s your yin!” Kai argued as Jay and Nya shared a look.
Kai muttered, standing up and brushing the sand off his skin, “I just wanted to work on my tan, jeez. Being this hot takes a lot of work, you know.”
Cole, his deep brown eyes twinkling, looked up from the sandcastle as he glanced at Kai and said, “Sure, buddy. Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
“Ugh, you all suck. Where’s Zane and Pixal?”
Zane’s voice suddenly shouted, “Right here! We are back with ice cream!”
Pixal said, “Unfortunately, they were out of mint chocolate chip. My apologies, Lloyd. We brought you rainbow sherbet instead.”
Lloyd sighed melodramatically, placing his hand across his forehead as if he were about to faint as Kai rolled his eyes. He came up behind his brother, bumping him and ruffling his hair as he passed.
“AGH!!!”
Kai and Lloyd shouted in unison as jets of water hit them both.
As one, the brothers whirled around to glare at a smirking Nya and a Jay howling with laughter as beads of water dripped down Kai and Lloyd’s faces.
Despite his twinge of annoyance at his sister, Kai couldn’t help but grin. He could stay in that moment forever… just him and his family… a normal day in Ninjago. No enemies attacking. No world in need of saving… just them…
But the scene was growing fuzzy. The faces were fading. The sky was shifting from cloudless and bright to dark and stormy. The ocean waves began roaring, angry and fierce. And from their depths a three-headed monster was rising, a monster that would swallow them all, a monster that would take them in its tentacled grasp, and–and—and…
Kai gasped awake, a sweat breaking across his clammy skin. He groaned with pain, an ache in his stiff muscles overwhelming him. Lacerations on his chest stung. He cracked open his eyes and blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of his blurry surroundings.
It felt as if his ears were clogged with water, but still he heard a voice, a young one.
“Momma! Momma! He’s waking up!”
Kai’s vision began to clear, and he quickly scanned the room he was lying in. A thin, light-weight cot was beneath him, a mountain of fur blankets covering his aching body. With some effort, he managed to turn his head slightly. The room was small and sparsely furnished. Kai spotted a wooden table next to him on which a glass of water, a roll of bandages, and a small pot containing some sort of strongly scented ointment sat. The floors beneath him were dirt, but a few worn-down rugs with faded colors lay scattered about. From out the window on his right, he could still hear the ocean waves crashing, a constant reminder of his sister. He spotted a stack of folded cloth and fabric, perhaps towels or clothing. Soft candlelight lit the space. Kai focused his attention on the doorway; there wasn’t a door, just long ropes with colorful beads hanging down from it. And through it walked a weary looking woman with a wide-eyed young girl following close behind.
The woman tied back her greying black hair as she approached, pulling a ribbon out of the apron covered in pockets she wore. Her eyes, so deep a brown they were nearly black, seemed kind despite their exhaustion. The girl followed close behind her, wearing a dress covered in an assortment of colorful patches. Her thin frame was nearly swallowed by the woman's, the hood of her sapphire cloak shadowed her face, but there still a sense of eagerness in her bright gaze.
His muscles screamed in protest, but Kai forced himself to sit forward.
“No need for that,” The woman swiftly objected, “You need your rest. Lay back down.”
Kai wanted to speak and object, but it was as if his mouth was filled with cotton. And her look was terribly stern… It made him feel like a child again.
The short woman pulled up a stool beside Kai’s cot. The little girl followed her with knitted brows, holding her hand and helping guide the older woman down.
“I’m fine, Kiyoko,” the woman reassured the girl with a gentle smile. “Why don’t you go make up a pot of tea for our guest?”
Kai’s eyes met that of the young girl’s as she looked at him, bright brown eyes sparkling with a thousand unasked questions and endless curiosity.
“But Momma—”
“Now, Kiyoko,” the woman chided gently.
Kiyoko nodded and swiftly turned on her heel, rushing out of the room.
“I’ll be back soon! I’ll make it so fast!” She called over her shoulder.
With a weary sigh, the woman shouted after her, “Don’t burn yourself!”
The woman's voice, soft like the fur blankets Kai laid under, said, “Don’t mind Kiyoko. She’s always eager to help me. My name is Yuna. I’m certain you have many questions. My patients usually do when they come out from a fainting spell. Allow me to hopefully answer a few. You’ve been out for a day or so. Your injuries are not life-threatening, and I suspect most of the venom will have run its course soon. It paralyzes temporarily, but you’ll be perfectly fine. You should consider yourself lucky the monster didn’t drop you from a greater height; your dragon companion made sure of that when they attacked the beast. Even still, you’re quite fortunate nothing is broken. Just take things slowly. You’ll be alright.”
Slowly, Kai managed to nod as Yuna reached to adjust the cushions beneath his head so that he was more upright. His mind was still swimming with questions, but he felt a bit better knowing nothing was permanent and he hadn’t been unconscious that long.
His words slurred, Kai murmured, “Rusty? Daidan?”
“Your companions? They reside outside the village… they’re a bit large for us to house, and your dragon friend did not seem particularly interested. The mech informed us you may find them close by, keeping vigilance over you. But I'm afraid you’re still in no shape to walk while the venom runs its course; you seem to be recovering from it faster than most but even still. While your injuries should all mend themselves and are not fatal, they still need time.”
Great. I just love sitting around and waiting.
As Kai began to gather his thoughts, the beaded curtain rustled as Kiyoko reappeared with a scratched up tray upon which a pot of tea sat. Kai watched in silence as the young girl poured some into a chipped ceramic cup, occasionally meeting his eyes before swiftly glancing away.
At an agonizing place, Kai slowly sat up with Yuna’s guidance. He huffed in annoyance at being so pathetic and shaky. Yuna took the cup from her daughter.
When Kai rejected her assistance, Yuna asked quietly, “You sure you don’t want some help, young man?”
Kai shot her a seething look; after all, he didn’t do this whole “being taken care of thing.” And when he did, it was only his mother and father who were permitted on the rare times he visited home... He’d hate for anyone else to see him so weak.
Kai groaned quietly as his arms screamed in protest as he tried to force them to move at his command. It was as if someone had chained all the training weights in the monastery to his limbs. Kiyoko kept staring at him with wide, curious eyes. Finally, Kai managed to reach out a trembling hand to take the cup. The tea sloshed around as he struggled to bring it to his lips. He tried to sip, only to wind up spilling warm tea right on his chest.
“ Shit! ” he hissed as the warm liquid seeped into fabric and blankets.
Yuna didn’t say a word as she peeled back the fur blankets, grabbing a cloth from her apron to quickly pat him dry.
His voice rough and his tongue wooden, Kai couldn’t help but ask, “Why’s the… tea… not hot?”
“Momma says to make it that way because patients are foolish and always spill it,” Kiyoko chimed. "Just like that!"
Yuna shot her daughter a withering look that Kai couldn’t help but smile at. Kiyoko shrugged her shoulders as her mother sighed.
“What? You do say that.”
Before Yuna could respond though, Kiyoko swiftly shifted her attention to Kai as Yuna finished mopping up the mess. Kai’s face flushed at having to be cleaned up after, and he couldn’t help but wish he was unconscious again.
At least the team isn’t here to see me like this. What would they think of me then?
As Yuna put aside the cloth with an all-too smug expression, Kai glanced down to see the damage to his gi— SHIT!
Where the fuck is it? That’s… that’s the only thing from home I have with me! And the photo!
Kai could see he wore a loose grey shirt that fastened in the front. But it was unfamiliar. It was not the top piece of his gi… He could feel stiff bandages covering him underneath. His breathing was short and raspy as he stared at Yuna with a feverish expression.
Kai choked out shakily, “Do you—what happened… my gi… there was a photo inside. Please, do you know… where it is?”
Yuna lightly placed a calloused hand on Kai’s shoulder as she said, “I found it, don’t worry. I understand these things are important. I had placed it here on the table for you though…”
With an arched look, Yuna’s eyes narrowed in on her daughter.
“Kiyoko…”
Kiyoko glared defiantly up at her mother but produced the photograph from the pockets of her long dress and handed it to Kai.
Out of habit, suddenly seeing a mop of short blonde hair where there was actually long brown hair, Kai immediately scolded affectionately, “You little rascal. How are you still getting into things?”
Kiyoko’s eyes widened as Kai swiftly realized his mistake.
There was an awkward silence, none of the trio speaking. Kai silently cursed how much of a fool of himself he seemed to be making. This was the worst. Maybe that stupid venom was making him act like this.
He hastily said, speaking no longer as physically difficult, “Sorry… just leave my things alone.”
Thankfully Yuna distracted Kai from his blunder when she scolded, “You know better, Kiyoko. I did not raise a thief, did I? If you truly wish to be a healer one day, you mustn’t cause such mischief. Go into the village and fetch your brother. He should be home by now.”
Kiyoko’s eyes watered, muttering in a tone so quiet Kai could scarcely hear, “Was just curious about the stranger, we never have anyone new. How else am I gonna learn about him?”
The small girl turned to go.
Kai interjected before Kiyoko could leave, “It’s fine. I’d be curious too… just stay out of my stuff, got it? Don't have much of it right now.”
When she looked over her shoulder, Kiyoko met Kai’s eyes and nodded slowly. Then, without a word, she left to enter what Kai supposed was the village he now resided in.
An exhausted look crossed Yuna’s features as soon as her daughter left, making her frown lines all the more visible, as she said, “Sorry about her…she’s usually good at not causing my patients too much trouble. Thank you for your patience with her. She’s never seen someone from outside Shimanai before.”
Kai sighed slowly, yearning for the ache inside and out to fade. He closed his eyes for a moment, but he swiftly opened them again when he only saw his family’s kind, smiling faces.
“It’s fine. I have little siblings. I’m used to trouble… she’s young, I can’t be too mad at her.”
Kai gazed down at the photograph in his hands once more, unable to tear his gaze away from Nya and Lloyd’s bright smiles. He could only hope they were faring better than him, that they were smiling right now, that they had each other even if he wasn’t there.
Yuna gestured at the photo and asked, “Is that your family?”
Kai nodded and said softly, “they’re my everything. I just need to get home…I just need to see them again.”
“And where is that?”
“A place called Ninjago, specifically the Monastery of Spinjitzu. I don’t suppose you know anything about getting there?”
Yuna’s mouth pressed into a thin line before she shook her head and said, “Afraid I haven’t heard of such a place. We don’t get much contact with the outside world with travel being so dangerous. We keep to ourselves here in Shimanai. It’s too dangerous to venture far, and going inland is a death sentence.”
Kai asked curiously, “So you really do know nobody outside this village?”
“Not unless the monsters that occasionally terrorize us count. They usually leave us alone so long as we don’t provoke them though. Recently though they’ve grown more aggressive....”
Yuna’s voice trailed off, a sorrow pooling into her eyes and aging her ten years. A hand reached to grab the chain of a necklace Kai hadn't noticed before, but whatever was on the chain remained hidden beneath her blouse and apron. Kai didn’t dare pry.
A grimace settled into Kai’s features. Nobody here would be able to help him get home…. And who was he kidding? This probably was a whole other realm! And he had no traveler’s tea. And though Daidan was a dragon, she had already said she couldn’t bring him home. She’d tried.
Kai stared in silence once more at his photo… would he ever see them again? He had to!
“I’m sorry,” Yuna said softly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I understand it must be difficult for you. Loss is something I understand all too well. I haven’t the faintest clue how you wound up here, young man, but I’m sorry you are.”
Kai didn’t want to think about it, shrugging her off but wincing at the pain the motion brought him.
“My gi… what happened?”
Yuna thankfully took the hint and subject change with grace as she said, “It was… badly damaged. It was all but shredded from the barbs… I’m sorry.”
Kai hesitantly asked, “You… you didn’t get rid of it? Did you?”
Yuna shook her head, and Kai sighed in relief as Yuna assured, “I wouldn’t have. However damaged it may be, it’s been set aside.”
With a determined scowl, Kai forced himself to sit forward. Yuna gave him a scolding look not far off from Master Wu’s stern look of disapproval whenever Kai overdid it. He shot her a glare, a silent, let me do this. Yuna didn’t interfere as Kai gritted his teeth with pain as he tried to stretch and move.
I have to get home. I can’t rest too long. As soon as my body allows it, I have to keep moving. So I can see them again… Master Wu, Jay, Cole, Zane, Lloyd, Nya… hang in there for me. I’ll be there for you soon.
A door slammed. Clomping shoes echoed.
Yuna sighed, rubbing her temples at the sound of boots stomping into what Kai assumed was a house. Something told the man that the stomping was not Kiyoko. Yuna slowly stood up, dusting off her apron.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Kai was left in silence after Yuna vanished. However, that silence did not last long because whoever had been doing the stomping decided to stomp themself right into Kai’s room.
It didn’t take long for Kai to recognize who exactly was rather moodily causing a ruckus. A thin boy with disheveled black hair tied out of his face and a katana at his hip stared Kai down. Brown eyes, identical to Kiyoko and Yuna's, studied Kai coldly.
“So mom’s still keeping you here, huh?” the boy asked irritably.
Kai replied shortly, “Well, last I checked, I am still injured and unable to walk. I think we’d probably both like for that to not be the case. Nice to see you again too by the way, Hiroto.”
Arms folded over his chest, Hiroto stormed right over to the edge of Kai’s bed. Kai met his angry gaze levelly; if anyone knew how to deal with anger, it was Kai after all. Kai glanced beyond Hirotos tense shoulder, seeing Yuna and Kiyoko following Hiroto rapidly.
If the teen noticed, he didn’t acknowledge his mother or sister’s appearances.
“I saw everything,” Hiroto said in a low voice.
“And what do you mean by that, Kid?”
Hiroto scowled and muttered “not a kid” before he continued by saying, “You’re an elemental master–”
Kiyoko and Yuna both gasped at this, and Kai couldn’t help but wonder, Why the fuck is that so important in this place? Rusty and Daidan make a big deal out of my fire too…
Hiroto ignored them and pressed, “You’re an elemental master of fire! And I saw your crazy swordsmanship! You had to have been trained, it was on par with Ayame, and she’s—” Hiroto’s voice caught in his throat before he continued, “She’s the newly appointed general defending Shimanai. And you had all of us fighting alongside you and a dragon and a giant mech! We should’ve had that fight in the bag! But I saw it! You hesitated . We were winning! Why the hell would you do that?”
Kai’s mind flashed to what he’d seen in the waves near the beast they had ruthlessly been attacking. Hiroto was right; Kai had hesitated. Of course the kid was right. This wasn’t even the first time. Had Daidan not gotten on his case a thousand times for the same sort of thing? Even Rusty had seemed to think Kai needed to toughen up a bit.
For once, Kai hesitated to speak, and this time it wasn’t because his tongue wouldn’t cooperate.
Finally, after several tense moments, Kai found the words.
“Where I’m from, I’m meant to be a hero—a ninja. I’m not meant to shed blood. My duty is to protect, not attack. That’s not who I want to be. Once you start letting things go, it’s hard to stop. I just can’t—there’s enough bloodshed as it is. As a ninja, it is my duty to defend, and that monster had something in need of defense too. Ninja never quit—we don’t abandon our code as soon as the going gets hard… I’ve worked too hard to let it all go again.”
Kiyoko chimed in, approaching Kai and Hiroto, “But are you really an elemental master?”
Even Yuna looked curious regarding this as she stepped forward slightly. Hiroto wrapped an arm around Kiyoko, his distrustful eyes a sharp contrast to his sister’s excited ones.
Kai grit his teeth as he forced himself to raise his hand despite his aching, protesting muscles. He held out his hand in front of the siblings, palm up. Kai closed his eyes, visualizing the power flowing through him and towards his open palm. Beads of sweat broke across his brow. Within his chest, something seemed to flicker and spark weakly. His other hand gripped the cot tightly as his body screamed in pain.
Finally, as Kai opened his eyes, a weak flame danced in his open palm. Kiyoko gasped with delight. Yuna blinked rapidly, seemingly unable to believe it herself. Even Hiroto looked impressed.
Kai couldn’t help but flash a crooked smile as he said, “Usually it’s much more impressive than that.”
Hiroto nodded and said quietly, “Yeah… I’ll say.”
Kai clenched his fist, the flickering flame vanishing in an instant.
“You really aren’t from around here,” Yuna murmured. “Elemental masters… I didn’t think they were real. I’ve heard stories of the fire masters, told to me by my great grandmother when I was a young girl. But I assumed it was just a children’s story, nothing more.”
Kiyoko asked eagerly, “Stranger, could you teach me how to make fire?”
With a chuckle, Kai answered, “I can teach you how to start a fire with flint and steel. But elemental powers? Those are genetic, and there can only be one master of an element at once. Sorry, Kiyoko.”
Kiyoko groaned, looking as devastated as if she had just found out she wouldn’t be able to eat for several days.
“Besides,” Kai added with a sigh. “I can’t stay here long. As soon as I’m well, I’ll have to get on the move with Rusty and Daidan so I can get home… I’ve gotta see my family. My sister. My brother. They need me.”
Pushing past Hiroto, Kiyoko protested, practically climbing onto Kai’s cot as she leaned against it, “But you just got here! You can’t leave already! Nobody new ever visits!”
Hiroto muttered, “Probably because we’re surrounded by monsters, and I thought Shimanai was the only place humans remained.”
Yuna said with a tired sigh, “Kiyoko, this young man has his own life.”
Kiyoko peered at Kai, her wide-eyed gaze boring right into him. Unable to be too hard on her, he shrugged his shoulders.
Kiyoko said firmly, “But he has to stay. He’s important for us. I can tell.”
“You’re just saying that because he has fancy fire powers,” Hiroto scolded, but his tone wasn’t harsh. “I love you, Ko, but we don’t know this guy. Not everyone is what you think they are. We don’t know what his so-called hero work involved or his true intentions. We don’t know anything about him! We don’t even know his name!”
All three family members looked at Kai expectantly.
Oh… I guess I never told them.
“It’s Kai. Kai Jiang.”
Yuna asked, stepping forward to wrap protective arms around both her children despite Hiroto being taller than her and Kiyoko not being far behind.
“And how do we know we can trust you, Kai Jiang? If what Hiroto says is true, you risked a lot of lives when you spared that beast.”
“I guess you can’t know. But know this: I just want to see my family again. Believe me, as soon as I'm well-enough, I won’t be a problem for you or your village. Thank you for your hospitality and help, but I’ll be gone before you know it. My family needs me. I have to see them again. I have to get home, I have to endure, for them.”