Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been quite a few years since Ninjago had faced a serious threat. In the time, there had been a decline in crime rates, and many folk began to reminisce of former times before the villages had been terrorised with ghosts, snakes or even skeletons. Back when people would live in peace.

In that time, the ninjas had settled down in their personal lives, soon retracting from the public eye and relegating themselves to patrols.

This had begun shortly after the lovebirds in the team, Nya and Jay Walker, tied the knot. They requested a quiet wedding (to the disappointment of many fans), and had the ceremony at the monastery attended by their close family and friends. Cole, Kai, Zane and Lloyd were the groomsmen while Cole’s fiance, Vidia, Kai’s girlfriend, Skylor, and two of Nya’s friends were the bridesmaids. The day was bright and beautiful, which was surprising given that it was nearing the end of winter.

A few days later, Kai came home to an emotional Skylor. She was hiding something behind her back.

“Are you okay?” he asked, putting his case down. She put the object in his hands, which had two lines to indicate…

“Honey,” she replied, “I’m pregnant.” 

Kai was shocked, but very excited nonetheless.

When Jay and Nya came back from their honeymoon a month later, the couple organised a dinner and invited the group, hoping to tell them then.

They weren’t the only ones, though.

“Guys, we have something to announce.” Cole stood up, holding Vidia close to him.

“We found out this morning that I’m pregnant!” Vidia exclaimed excitedly. Everyone cheered excitedly, with the couple beaming happily.

“Oh, we were going to announce Skylor was pregnant as well,” Kai mumbled. 

“Congrats to you too!” Nya smiled. Another round of cheers was heard.

“I guess our kids will be good buddies,” Skylor replied.

… 

It had been one year since Jay and Nya’s wedding. 

In the one year that passed since that wintry day, things had changed.

Kai and Skylor were playing with their 4 month old son, Skai, and watching 3-month-old Cole Jr. (He seemed to respond to Cole rather than his other name Onyx, but that’s a story for another time). The two babies were sitting on opposite ends of the mat, not interested in establishing any sort of relationship.

The older Cole was outside on the porch. He had awoken that day to find Vidia had quietly abandoned their family and returned the engagement ring, and was quite bereft as a result. He was still processing it all, wondering what would have caused her to leave.

We didn’t have any arguments; in fact, she seemed in a good mood yesterday. She also mentioned that work wasn’t too bad, even though she went back so soon after Cole Jr’s birth. So why?

Jay and Nya were setting up the table inside.

“Should we wait for a better time?” Nya asked. 

Jay put down the plates he was carrying. “What do you mean? We’ve already told our parents. And they are going to find out soon.”

“But,” Nya replied, fidgeting with the napkins, “I feel like it can wait. Already Cole is pretty upset since Vidia left. Zane is also not here since he is busy repairing PIXAL’s codes, and Lloyd is doing patrols…”

“Are you nervous?” Jay asked, holding her hands still. “It’s okay if you are. But we have faced greater threats. Oni, dragons - heck, we even took down a djinn together. This shouldn’t be as scary.” He hugged her tightly.

As the group settled around the table for dinner, Jay stood up.

“Nya and I have some exciting news,” he stated. “We are-”

A loud knocking was heard. Lloyd had just returned from patrols. After he came in, Jay continued.

“As I was saying, we are-”

Skai threw up a bit of food on Cole Jr’s face, upsetting the latter. Both babies began to wail a bit. Skylor took Skai out while Cole took his son to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

“We can tell them after dinner.” Nya patted Jay’s shoulder.

After the babies were calmed and put to rest, the group ate their meal. As Nya placed the dessert cake on the table, Kai turned to Jay.

“You were saying something, dear brother-in-law?” Kai asked. Now it was Jay’s turn to quietly panic.

“It can wait,” Jay squeaked. 

“Why don’t we have some cake while we wait, then?” Cole replied. As he cut out a slice and removed it, little candies fell out of the cake, all baby themed.

“Ohhh?” Kai turned to face Jay. “This is what you had to say I assume?”

“Uhh, surprise?”

A round of congratulations were passed on to Nya.

“Dude, it’s okay,” Kai was trying to coax Jay, who had just shocked himself in nervousness. 

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Jay said while swinging back and forth. He was definitely okay.

…

By the time Nano Julian, adopted son of Zane, had turned 2 years old, three tragedies had befallen the ninja.

The first happened shortly after Nya’s daughter Jayde was born. 

It was no secret that Lloyd was single. After the fall of Harumi, he promised not to compromise his feelings while on the field, closing himself off from the prospects of love. 

He felt out of place now amongst the group. While he wasn’t the only single person there, he was the only one without a family or child. He never expressed his emotions, but there was a feeling of sadness when watching his friends enjoying themselves.

So, it came as a surprise when the ninja found out that Lloyd had disappeared.

They knew where he was - he mentioned it in his letter to the group - but he made it clear that he didn’t want to be followed. 

Give me some time alone, and I will contact you when I am ready .  

The second took place one year later. 

“Nya, are you sure you don’t want to sit out the patrol? You haven’t done one in quite a while,” Jay asked as he cradled a sleepy Jayde. 

“It’s alright,” Nya replied, adjusting her gi. “Besides, I need to get back out there, even if it is in simple things like patrols for petty crime. Besides, both you and Kai will be out there, so if I need a break, you can cover for me.” She pecked him on the cheek. “Now, get the things ready. Skylor will be here soon, along with Skai, and we need this one to be asleep.”

As they left the building and swung onto the roofs, Nya felt liberated. It was nice to be able to jump on the roofs and run intensely like she had before having Jayde. Not like that was a bad thing though , she thought to herself, reminiscing over the memories.

“Nya,” Kai called, “You good?” Focus, Nya.

“Yeah, I am,” she called back.

“Guys, you might wanna check this out,” Jay urged them to come over. 

They all peered over the edge. A group of street thugs surrounding a young woman. Easy stuff.

As they jumped down, the leader cricked his neck. 

“Looks like we got a challenge ‘ere, eh?” he cajoled to his mates. The woman slinked away, relieved but also less panicked.

“You picked the wrong day to mess with us!” Kai challenged. “NINJAGO!”

“Get them!” the leader cried angrily.

Kai took on one of the goons, while Jay and Nya fought off the ones blocking the exit. 

“Jay! On your left!” Nya called, just as one of the goons swung his fist. Jay fought back with his nunchucks, the lightning zapping the foe.

“You’re not as bad after a year’s break, eh?” Jay responded.

“Believe me, watching Jayde keeps you on your toes,” Nya called, pitching her spear to pin one of the goons. “She is deceptively swift, unlike what you think.”

“I know,” Jay grunted, trying to throw off one of the hunkier goons. “Remember when she out-crawled Skai?”

“Guys, focus!” Kai called out from where he was.

As they finished cleaning up the scene, the leader sneered at the ninja.

“You think this is over? Just you wait,” he swore angrily.

“Yeah, you can wait for the police to take you in,” Jay called back.

“I feel uneasy about this though,” Nya told. “It seems too easy.”

“No need doubt your abilities, sis,” Kai replied. “It’s just-”

They were interrupted with the sound of explosions. Smoke filled the air.

“What’s happening?” Jay called, confused. The smoke began to burn their nostrils. As they coughed, Nya yelped.

“Nya!” the ninja exclaimed in concern.

“HELP!” she called. 

“Where are you?” Jay shouted.

There was much panic as they tried to find each other. They grappled through, hoping to catch something - anything. A shred of cloth, or a tug of the shoulder.

But alas, when the smoke cleared, there was no Nya in sight.

After many weeks of the group searching and interrogating, they found all explanations led to dead ends. Nya had disappeared without a trace. Presumed dead.

Their group was now down to 4.

After the funeral, as the 4 families gathered, an argument broke out about their future.

“I don’t know guys,” Cole said, looking at the others. “We should lay low.”

“But who will look after the city?” Skylor fired back. “We can’t jeopardise their safety.”

“But we can’t jeopardise our family’s safety either!” Jay shot. “First it was Nya. Who next? One of our kids?”

“Don’t be irrational, Jay,” Zane stated. “After one attack, you’re going to fold? What about the people out there? Do you think it’s fair for them to suffer because of your cowardice?”

“Cowardice?!” Jay thundered. “I’ll show you cowar-”

“ENOUGH!” 

Everyone turned to face Kai.

“You have the deciding vote, Kai,” Cole explained. Kai took a deep breath in.

“While Skylor and Zane are right about our role in this city,” he sighed, “Cole and Jay are right. Just because we now patrol, doesn’t mean there is no defences. And what if this was a targeted attack? It is easier to regret our lack of action then it is to weep for another.” They all paused, remembering why they were there.

So it was decided. The ninja would go into hiding. They took on new jobs. And while they kept in contact, they swore not to tell their children of their activities as Ninjago’s former protectors.

Chapter Text

The bell rang out for the final time, signalling the end of the school year. Ninjago Middle School was bustling with children all leaving excitedly, with 6 weeks of summer holidays to look forward to. 

“Skai! Hold on a minute,” the teacher called. As all the kids left, he approached the teacher’s desk. “You had a request…”

“Yes,” he replied, fidgeting with the ends of his denim hoodie jacket. “I was wondering about the books…”

“Oh yes, you can take them back,” she chuckled, sliding the pile toward him. “Usually it’s phones I have to take off students… not usually textbooks from the grade above…”

“Thank you miss!” he chirped, as he quickly exited the building.

Outside, his cousin was fidgeting with a pocket book, The History of the Oni .

“You finally graced us with your presence, your Highness,” Jayde called, bowing as he came nearby. Skai punched her arm.

“Easy for you to say,” he shot back, “the teacher clearly overlooked you reading in class.”

“Because I finished the work by then,” she replied quickly, challenging him. “And I know how to pay attention while doing so.”

“Are you coming, guys?” another voice called out. They turned to face Nano and Cole Jr. Nano was carrying his skating equipment, while Cole Jr was dribbling with a soccer ball.

“Yeah sure,” Jayde replied, catching Cole Jr’s ball mid-air.

“Hey!” he called.

They slowly made their way out of the school and onto the main road. 

Skai walked ahead, making sure the path was clear. He was the self-proclaimed leader of their friend group of 4; he usually would chase off any people wanting to throw punches or woo the others. He was quite fiery, often using cuss words; that wasn’t to say he wasn’t smart about using them. 

Nano walked - or rather, he rolled - behind Skai. As the cyborg of the group - having parts of his body composed of electrical parts - he was the most logical and level headed of the bunch. At lunchtime, if he wasn’t outside ‘recharging his parts’ in the sun, he would be playing chess in the library with the school’s head of the maths department. 

Behind them was Cole Jr and Jayde, who were discussing the latest episode of their favourite action sitcom. 

Jayde was quite tomboyish in interests, having grown up with 3 other guys. However, even though she was one year younger than most of the class, she was one of the smartest. Those attributes drew out the respect of others in her class.

On the other hand, Cole Jr was respected due to his athletic prowess. When he wasn’t playing soccer or hockey with the guys, he was usually helping the others in his class to improve, or asking for last-minute help before a test.

As they reached the cross-roads, they waved each other goodbye for the day.

Skai walked on north, Jayde crossed to the east, while Nano and Cole Jr walked home westward.

They all recognised this could possibly be the last time they walked home like this. While they hadn’t got their offers yet for high school, they knew their group would get somewhat fractured. Jayde would probably get into the elite prep school, while Cole Jr could get a scholarship to a sports high school. Meanwhile, Skai and Nano, with their expertise in history and computer science (respectively), may have a chance at a specialist school; however, chances were that they would be heading to Ninjago High like their parents did (back when that was the only school in the area). 

They (their parents) were quite a tight-knit group; their parents were quite close as teenagers, according to Uncle Jay. Skai had fond memories of fingering pages of photo albums with Jayde when they were younger. Their eyes would stare in awe as they asked their parents about the stories behind the pictures, whether it was a blurred selfie of the group, or an image of his deceased Aunty Nya with a flustered Uncle Jay, or even Cole gazing at a cake.

Sometimes, however, their stories wouldn’t match up. One time, Skai had asked about the scar on Uncle Cole’s face; the latter had responded that it was from a ghost fight. However, when Jayde asked Cole Jr a few weeks later, he had said it was the remnants of a curse. 

Another such hole was the presence of a blonde kid seen with them. He was usually seen lurking in the back of the image, but a few times he was seen up close.

Skai remembered the one time they finally asked, when they were in grade 2.

...

“Who is that?” Nano asked, pointing to the blonde fellow in Jay’s wedding photo. 

“His name is… umm…” Cole struggled to get it out.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know?” His son looked a bit disappointed.
“It was Laloyd,” Skylor replied as she set the dinner mats out. She gave a strange look to Cole, as if to say Don’t you dare say anything more.

“What was he like?” Jayde asked with innocence.

“He was an… interesting character,” Cole stated slowly. “We first met him when-”

A loud THWACK was heard. It was one of Kai’s pen knives, which had just impaled the wall.

“We don’t talk about Laloyd ,” Kai grunted darkly, as he pulled it out of the wall.

...

Both cases had raised a lot of questions for Skai, both as a younger kid, but also his present self. Not as many as Jayde, who had a virtual theory board, but still a large amount. Each arose from little incidents like the discrepancies in stories, but also led to the mysteries around Laloyd… and even his aunty Nya.

Unlike Laloyd, which was a taboo subject, Aunty Nya wasn’t talked about out of respect. However, asking too many questions was something that wasn’t exactly looked well upon. The details surrounding her death were fuzzy. All they knew was that she had been attacked shortly before she died. Well… at least that’s what Jayde had told them. 

It wasn’t like he could ask the parents. They were tight-lipped, especially Kai - his dad. 

Skai shook his head. These ideas should be kept for another day, not now.

He saw his house was now in sight, and he ran home.

Chapter Text

The walk home for Jayde wasn’t too bad, considering it was a bus trip to the city and then a climb up the stairs to their apartment. 

She unlocked the door, expecting to find an empty household. Instead, her dad was there, brewing tea. 

“Dad!” she exclaimed, running to him. “I thought you had work today.”

“No, no,” he replied, “I worked from home today. It helps when you are an editor and your clients work electronically.”

“But why? Wait - you’re not sick are you?”

“No,” Jay answered, pouring the tea into two cups. “We have the official dinner in the city to celebrate Kai and Skylor’s anniversary today, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” Jayde replied nonchalantly, bringing the tea closer to her. “So will I be staying with Ms Sarka overnight?”

“You were, until she tripped over and twisted her ankle in the lobby this morning.”

“She did?” Jayde paused. “So then who will I be staying with? If not her, then who?”

“I couldn’t get a hold of any of the other neighbours, so…” Jay inhaled, “you’ll be staying in the Bucket household.” 

He waited for the outburst. The cry of “What the hell?” or any equal angsty teenage remarks. 

“OK,” Jayde replied, before heading to her room.

“OK? As in…”

“As in at least I have a place to stay.” She shrugged before opening her bedroom door.

Jay was left spluttering in the kitchen.

Jayde changed out of her school uniform and into some casual clothing. Pulling out the suitcase from the cupboard, she packed a set of pyjamas and a set of clothing for the next day. A sudden premonition overshadowed her. What if I spill something? Or if the guys spill something? She quickly pulled out a set of black clothes, a pair of runners and a jumper, before placing them in her suitcase. She then lugged it into the main area, ready to head off.

The car trip to the Bucket’s mansion was mostly quiet.

“So how is work?” Jayde asked.

“It’s good.”

“OK. Anything interesting?”

“No.”

“OK.” Silence.

“Do you ever get lonely without me?”

The car jerked to a halt in the traffic.

“What? Why?” Jay looked confused.

“Well,” Jayde answered, “I’ve been thinking about this since Mother’s Day earlier this year. And while it is nice to be just the two of us, I would think you’d get lonely after I leave. Seeing all the elderly couples around the area makes me feel bad that you haven’t dated anyone since Mum.”

“What about your Uncle Cole and Uncle Zane?” Jay rebutted. “They don’t have anyone else.”

“At least they live together Dad,” Jayde replied. “And that’s besides the point. What I’m trying to say is that you should, I don’t know, get out there and date? Even if you don’t find another partner, you’ll have your own friends who aren’t Barnes and Noble.”

The light turned green, signalling the car to move on. The rest of the trip was quiet, marred by the words each had said. Jayde thought she had pushed it too far - had she said too much? - but she knew how her dad really felt as she exited the car.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Dad,” she sighed. As she closed the car door and began the uphill ascent to the manor, she heard another set of car doors.

 “Jayde, wait!” Jay ran to where she was and enveloped her in a warm hug.

“I’ll think about it,” he whispered, before he left. She smiled to herself.

When Jayde had finally crescented the hill, she knocked on the vast mahogany doors. One of the maids answered it. 

“Good evening Miss Jayde,” she responded. “Please allow me to take your luggage to your room.” 

Jayde had visited the Bucket manor on a few occasions, though it was mostly just quick trips. She wasn’t too sure why though; it was easily the largest of the three homes, and about 40% of their parents’ friendship circle was located there (50% if you included PIXAL). Perhaps it was the number of servants, or the many rooms which were easy to get lost in, or the fact that there were so many priceless artefacts. (Skai had alleged that his passion for history stemmed from the sheer awe of the weaponry there). But the exquisite chandeliers still provided wonder as she walked through the hallways. 

“This will be your room,” the maid gestured to a simple room. 

Jayde pushed the luggage bag into the room, propping it next to the chair. She then pulled out the charger for her phone. Locating the power point, she plugged it in, ready for the night. 

The king-single bed, which was about 3 feet from the chair, had a small envelope propped on the pillow. Upon inspection of the contents, Jayde deduced it was from Cole Jr, based on the scratchy handwriting.

Dinner will be at 7pm, it read. Afterward there will be activities. Be prepared.

She raised an eyebrow, a bit confused. Weird.

Checking her watch, she saw it was 6:45pm. Almost time, I guess. She tightened her twin hair buns, fingering the streak of brown hair she had dyed to match her father’s. She remembered when she had turned 13 the previous year. After much conviction, she was allowed to dye a single streak. She saw it as a symbolism of the parental figure in her life. 

“Let’s do this,” she said, stretching her arms. 

“Do what?”

She realised the maid was still there. 

This was going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

Dinner was expected to be a quiet affair; just 4 teenagers, eating casually on something like pizza or ramen. 

But this wasn’t a normal dinner per se. This was a Bucket dinner. And just like the ornate house and the carved table, the dinner was going to be special. And Cole Jr was making sure nothing would go wrong. 

Nano tapped Cole Jr on the shoulder.

“Are you sure you don’t want to get into something else?” he asked, eyeing the choice of clothing. “We do have air conditioning if you are feeling hot.”

“No no,” Cole Jr replied, “I think it’ll be fine.” He exited their bedroom door, ignoring the raised eyebrow of his close friend. 

“If you insist,” Nano huffed, fixing the collar of his polo, before following him into the dining area.

He got the satisfaction of being correct.

“What the cuss are you wearing?” Skai looked quite confused. The choice to wear a tank top, shorts and crocs together was not exactly well received.

“Master Cole Jr, you mustn’t wear such clothing to dinner, even if you are trying to im-”

“Okay, okay,” Cole Jr quickly cut off the servant who was talking, slightly embarrassed at being chastised in front of the group, especially Jayde.

After changing into a button-up shirt and jeans (the crocs remained), he headed back to the dining area.

“Sorry about the delay,” Cole Jr cleared his throat. “We shall now commence dinner.”

“No need to be so formal,” Jayde responded. “This isn’t a banquet or something.”

At once she swallowed her words.

A flurry of servants rushed out of the kitchen and placed various foods of small portions on the table. There was fried rice, spicy noodles, some steaks as well as a medley of vegetables and other sides.

“Are you sure this isn’t too much?” Skai asked. “We don’t want to waste so much food.”

“Don’t worry,” Cole Jr replied. “Whatever we don’t finish will be shared amongst the maids and other servants, or preserved as leftovers.”

Jayde turned to Nano, who was on her left. “Are your dinners usually like this?”

“No,” he replied, scratching his metal arm. “Usually it’s more quiet and way less food.”

“Right,” she slowly nodded her head, clearly sceptical of his answer. 

After everyone had eaten dinner, the savoury foods were replaced with a small selection of miniature desserts. Jayde, not being able to choose between the brownie and the creme brulee, decided to take half of each. 

“I can finish off the other half,” Cole Jr offered. Jayde perked up.

“Are you sure? I can-”

“It’s ok Jayde, I will.” Skai’s eyes locked with Cole Jr’s as he took the half-eaten creme brulee from his cousin’s hands. He narrowed his eyes. I see what you’re cussing doing. Don’t.

Cole Jr sighed in defeat. He wasn’t able to pinpoint when exactly he had started to harbour a crush for Jayde, though he was sure they would not be reciprocated if he blurted them out. She was a pragmatist, the kind of person who would be able to advocate for peace. However, when it came to emotions, she wasn’t the type to spill them out in the open - her ability to control herself was the reason she was able to lead group projects. 

He figured his own feelings arose a few months ago.

It had been a stormy day, unusual for the middle of spring. Parents were informed to come and pick up their children if possible. His dad had volunteered to pick up Jayde and drop her at the bus stop. However, when the time came to pick her up, she wasn’t in the classroom. 

“Huh,” he thought to himself, before leaving the room. 

As he descended the stairs and walked toward the gates, he wondered where Jayde had gone. She didn’t have any school activities today - then she would have said something at lunch. And she couldn’t be down at the library since it’s closed. Maybe she was in-

“Are you ok?”

Cole Jr halted at the sound of her voice. Realising it was coming from the tuck shop area, he approached the covered area. He slowed down though. He was able to make out her distinct silhouette - who else wore their hair like that? - alongside a smaller one. Realising they had to be there for a good reason, he pressed himself against the wall, wanting to not be heard. 

“How about we go to the carpark?” A soft sniffle was audible. 

“B-b-but I don’t have the umbrella,” the smaller kid whimpered, “and I know momma needs it for the trip back.”

“How about you use mine?” Jayde replied warmly. “How is your leg? Does it still hurt?”

“A bit,” the kid sniffled.

“How about I carry you there, and you hold the umbrella?”

“OK Jayde!” The kid’s silhouette perked up. They headed in the opposite direction.

Cole Jr headed over to the SUV. As he climbed inside, Nano raised an eyebrow. 

“Where have you been?” Nano asked.

“Umm…” Cole Jr fumbled around for an excuse, “I was looking for something.”

“Did you see Jayde?” Cole asked from the front.

A knocking sound was heard; Jayde was standing outside, slightly soaked.

“Geez, Jayde,” Cole laughed, “where’s your umbrella?”

“Oh, I guess I didn’t see the weather predictions,” she replied, shaking her head. 

Cole Jr didn’t know if it was her mezzo soprano voice that sounded sweet on his ears, or the way her eyes danced excitedly with life as she talked. Maybe it was her soft and deft touch - a contrast from Nano’s colder hands or Skai’s rough and calloused ones - which brought comfort and common sense (when needed). Maybe it was her personality and maturity that was so familiar and yet so foreign... 

“Cole Jr?” The raspy yet cool tone of Nano's baritone voice brought him back to reality.

“What the cuss is wrong with you?” Skai’s fiery tenor slapped some sense.

“Where’s Jayde?” he asked frantically. 

“C’mon,” Nano pushed him out of the chair. “She said she would meet us at the games room.”

Chapter Text

Nano facepalmed, disappointed in the scene in front. It was embarrassing to watch his brother (that’s what they were, right?) play Romeo when Juliet wasn’t even interested. Well, to be fair, said Juliet didn’t know she was playing the part, and if she found out about it, she’d give a deft slap and tell Cole Jr to stop. 

It wasn’t that Nano was devoid of human emotion. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t mind the odd happily ever after… usually the kinds that were earned with BST (blood, sweat and tears). What Cole Jr presented gave the seal of BST… just to Skai and himself. It was painful enough to watch Cole Jr as he went about in his daily life… but add to that the agony of his pining of “Jayde this, Jayde that” and “I hope Jayde-senpai noticed me”... 

Speaking of said pain, Cole Jr whistled inconspicuously, grabbing the attention of the others there. 

“Are we going to do cuss or what?” Skai narrowed his eyes.

“Just a sec,” Cole Jr replied, stretching his arms. He walked across and gestured to a covered table. Pulling off the tarpon, he revealed a snooker set.

“We shall play 8-ball to start off,” he stated, “and then we will continue with other games.”

All three of his peers turned to him and raised their left eyebrows in sync.

“How does that work with 4 people?” Jayde asked. “It’s a two player game and frankly, I don’t think it’s fair for 2 people to sit out.”

“Simple,” Cole Jr replied calmly, “we play in pairs. I think it’s clear that I should be in a team-”

“With Skai,” Nano cut in. “And I will be with Jayde.” Skai narrowed his eyes at Cole Jr, while Cole Jr looked to Nano, a tinge of hurt. Oh, the betrayal.

“Okay,” Jayde broke the tension, “let’s begin, shall we?”

They decided in the order of Skai, Nano, Cole Jr and Jayde; alternating would mean that no one could call it unfair. 

As Skai struck the cue ball to break, Nano watched his brother closely, narrowing his eyes. He may not be Skai, but he knew that Jayde would not exactly be too open to Cole Jr undermining their friendship by talking about his crush on her. It was a good system for the first few rounds, since both he and Skai could make sure Cole Jr didn’t spill his feelings.

And the game was actually tight. Nano was worried that he would have to carry Jayde if she was horrible, but she was pretty decent. Add to that Cole Jr’s aiming skills from soccer and Skai’s somewhat hit-and-miss methods, there was an actual competition. It wasn’t like some game nights where the Julian father and son would end up thrashing the Buckets. Nano could still hear the disappointed tones of Cole as his son cried over their loss in Battleship.

It came down to pocketing the 8 ball. Nano came up to the shot after Skai pocketed the cue ball. Yes , he thought, this should be a flawless victory . He lined the cue ball, steadied his arm and hit the cue ball at a speed of 50 metres per minute. It was a bit too slow though, as the white ball kissed the black. 

“Darn it!” Nanon exclaimed, frustrated.

“Easy there, baby bro,” Cole Jr replied, patting the white-blond fuzz on Nano’s head. “We all slip up.” 

Cole Jr strode up to the table, ready to pocket the 8 ball and finish the game. He looked confidently as he was about to get this ball in and impress everyone, especially Jayde. 

“Any last words before I win?” Cole Jr crowed cockily, turning to aim.

“Um, yes actually,” Jayde replied. 

Cole Jr focussed. Ready. Aim.

“My aim was off because I couldn’t take my eyes off you,” Jayde whispered in his ear. 

In that moment, Cole Jr struck the cue ball with more force than needed. It followed the black ball in falling into the pocket into the corner.

“Let’s go, Nano!” Jayde fistbumped the cyborg in pure joy, having triumphed in the game. 

Cole Jr was left sputtering… but only for a few seconds.

“Care to explain what the cuss you did?” Skai growled aggressively.

“I-I-I can exp-p-plain, S-s-skai,” Cole Jr stuttered nervously. “It w-w-was j-j-just a little slip-up and I - eep!”

Cole Jr ran away from Skai, who had inherited his dad’s penchant for not only rage quitting, but also throwing items with a good aim. The cue in the wall that narrowly missed Cole Jr’s man-bun was evidence. 

“Get your cussing ass back here!” Skai screamed.

“Master Skai, please refrain from - ahh!” The servant in the room dodged the flying debris that were being thrown around the room.

Skai was yelling out words along the lines of ‘failure’ and ‘so stupid’ and ‘what da hail’ at the whimpering Cole Jr.

“Ok, Skai, calm down,” Jayde called. “Remember the breathing exercises. Easy does it.”

Skai lost some steam, taking large breaths in. 

Moments like these made Nano think that women were another species. How Jayde managed to calm Skai down in a matter of seconds was quite remarkable. Nano turned to Skai, who was now stretching his arms. Any semblance of a temper tantrum was now non-visible; the servants were quietly cleaning up the aftermath of the fight. They deserve a raise for what’s happened so far, Nano noted. 

“So all good, my dude?” Cole Jr replied, placing his hand on Skai’s shoulder blade.

“Cuss off.” Skai gave the jock a stink-eye. 

“Ok. I’ll just go.” Cole Jr moved his hand off Skai’s shoulder and shuffled closer to Nano.

Jayde smiled. “So what shall we do next?”

“Maybe something, um, less divisive?” Nano suggested.

“Oh,” Cole Jr nodded, seeming to understand the task. “How about Hungry Hungry Hippos, then?”

This is going to be a long night, Nano facepalmed.

Chapter Text

“Nice to get away from the hustle bustle of our lives, right?” 

Skai leaned back into his chair. The group had managed to book themselves in a quiet but highly exclusive restaurant in the heart of Ninjago city. It was linked to a prestigious hotel which had opened up some vacancies; given Cole’s connections, they were able to score an overnight stay as well. That was the collective gift that Zane, Jay and Cole had given to celebrate the 10 year wedding anniversary for Kai and Skylor.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been able to gather like this,” Zane mused, swirling his drink.

“And even longer since we - the originals - have met up,” Cole replied, sipping his sangria. “Not meaning to discredit you, Skylor,” he added quickly. “You’ve become one of us.”

“That’s true,” Skylor replied. “It’s been almost 25 years I think. And I don’t regret it at all.” 

“I certainly don’t,” Kai smiled cheekily, nudging her with his glass of sake. “We’ve been through highs and lows, but we’ve stuck pretty tight though.”

“And as the couple to have outlasted, I think you deserve it,” Cole remarked, punching Kai’s arm.

“Here’s to life!” Kai cheered. They clinked their cups in the toast.

“You’ve been quiet, Jay,” Skylor stated emphatically. “Are you ok?”

“No, it’s fine,” Jay replied quietly. “I’m good.” He pulled at his collar. “Actually I have an announcement to make.”

“What?” Cole raised his eyebrows cheekily. “Are you going to become a movie star or something?”

“I got over that phase!” Jay groaned as everyone laughed. 

“Then what?” Zane asked.

“I’m thinking of getting back into dating,” Jay replied. 

The group went semi-silent.

“Why?” Kai was the first to ask.

“I’ve just been thinking,” Jay replied. “Jayde prompted me earlier and I've been mulling on it since.”

“You should go for it!” Cole answered. “Who knows, you might meet some new people. Make some friends. Even find a special someone.”

“Or realise that they’re right there,” Zane chuckled as he pinched Cole.

“It’d be a good experience at least,” Cole answered. “I for one had made a few friends from the dates I had after Vidia. Same with Zane.”

“I can attest to that too,” Skylor grinned. “Especially when one of them was my maid of honour.”

“Just a word of advice,” Kai commented. 

“Yeah?” Jay asked.

“Don’t look for another Nya,” he warned. “I know the temptation is there, especially since she was - is - dear to you. But your relationship with her is unique, and it’s not fair to others if you hold up expectations based on that.”

“Oh ok,” Jay replied quietly. Skylor rubbed his arm.
“It’s all good,” Skylor responded. “He means well.”

“We’ll go get refills,” Cole pulled Jay and Zane’s sleeve. “Leave you two lovebirds alone for a minute.” The 3 men left, Jay sandwiched between the two. There was a brief silence

“Thanks,” Skylor replied as she looked down at her empty glass of tequila.

“For what?” Kai raised an eyebrow.

“I know you’d have your hesitance since he is your brother-in-law.”

“But I shouldn’t let my feelings get in the way of his life.” 

A sudden BZZT BZZT interrupted their conversation. Skylor picked up the call - a video chat from her niece, Jayde. 

“Hello?” Jayde responded, a hint of panic in her voice. There was incoherent shouting in the background.

“Oh hello dear,” Skylor replied. “Why are you calling?”

“Um, I may need some help,” she replied, turning the camera around to face the scene - a vexed Skai was chasing Cole Jr around with a pillow. There were feathers scattered everywhere, and Nano was trying to clean up the mess. 

“Oh my,” Skylor replied, while Kai snickered. Jayde turned the camera again.

“Is Dad there?” Jayde asked. “I also needed to ask him something, Aunty Skylor.”

“What’s up?” Jay replied from behind Skylor. He held his glass of red wine, being careful not to spill it on his blue blazer.

“If Skai is being a pain,” Kai replied, “just give him a warning from us.”

“I’ll try that, Uncle Kai,” Jayde replied. “And Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you send that copy of the book over? I have a feeling that I may need to take my mind off some of the, um, er, sights I’ve seen tonight.”

“I’ll see if I can when I get back to the lobby,” Jay replied.

“How’s the boys going, Jayde?” Cole asked. Skylor turned the camera to face the speaker.

“Oh, um, er, it’s okay?” Jayde squeaked.

“Are the boys behaving?” Zane inquired.

“No comment,” Jayde replied hastily, garnering laughs.

“Well, if they are hassling you too much, just call us and we’ll help,” Skylor assured, turning the camera to face her.

“Okay,” Jayde responded. 

“Who are you talking to?” Skai called. Jayde shifted the screen so that all 4 teenagers were in the frame. When Skai and Cole Jr realised who it was, they squeaked.

“You saw nothing!” they cried in sync. Skylor winked at Jayde.

“Well, take care,” Skylor replied.

“And Jayde?” Jay called.

“Yeah?” Jayde replied.

A dark voice suddenly boomed, “We’ve got you now, ninja.” 

Glass shattered, as Cole shouted, “Use your ice Zane!” 

The phone fell on the floor, its screen blurred as screams were heard. The catchphrase “Ninjago!” was shouted, before some thumps and thwacks resounded. 

Finally, silence as the call was cut.

Chapter Text

Silence rang out in the games room as the 4 took in what just unfolded. All of them were dumbstruck as they realised what had just unfolded.

Nano broke the silence. 

“What just happened?” he asked softly, as he fidgeted with his fingers.

“Wrong cussing question,” Skai replied from across the room. “We all saw what cussing happened.”

“I think he meant at the end,” Cole Jr interjected, throwing a ball in the air. “His - our - parents are ninja. The ninja. The ones we studied in-”

“Yes we know which cussing ninja,” Skai replied. “The ones that retired.”

“It all makes sense though,” Jayde sighed. The three boys turned to face her from where she sat.

“Care to explain?” Nano asked.

“Well, think about it,” Jayde answered. “Remember when we had power in the house during the thunderstorm after Dad ‘looked into it’? Or when the campfire got started up even though all the wood and the ground was soaked? Or even the fact that the icecream that Uncle Zane served was not a goopy mess even though it had been left in the fridge? These were all things that could be seen as coincidences - even miracles - but now, knowing they were elemental masters…”

“And the ninja went into retirement about eleven years ago,” Skai continued. 

“That was after the Water Ninja disappeared,” Nano added.

“Which was also around the time your mum passed away!” Cole Jr exclaimed. “Which means that, maybe…”

“Mum is still alive?” Jayde finished, slightly shocked. “Wait…that can’t be confirmed; it is possible that she is dead. Unless… those intruders who were after the ninja - our parents - also had something to do with her disappearance.” 

“So, what do we do now?” Nano asked. “We obviously can’t just sit here and wait for them to rescue themselves. If we do that, there’s no guaranteeing that those “villains” won’t come after us.”

“But we can’t just, well, find them,” Jayde replied. “We don’t know who they are and where they come from, and if we did, they would probably have some sort of cliche ‘secret hideout’.”

“So then what can we cussing do?” Skai asked. 

“If I may,” the servant in the room interrupted. “Master Cole has an archives room where he kept the ninja things.”

“How do you know this…?” Skai asked, unsure how to address the servant.

“It’s Shadow,” he replied quickly. “Now, if you may follow me…”

They left the games room, walked down a series of passages and came to an oil canvas painting of a baby Cole Jr. 

“Of course it had to be behind this embarrassing painting,” Cole Jr groaned.

The servant slid the painting, revealing a hole behind the wall. They all climbed inside as Shadow turned on the lights.

There were an array of objects, all drawing fascination for different reasons. Skai and Nano were observing the weapons, which were all weathered with age and mildew. There was a rack of swords of varying sizes, from small kunai daggers to oversized and ornate swords. A couple of dojo training items were also there, from worn wooden dummies to softer punching bags. There were some books neatly compiled on a shelf, all detailing different aspects of the ninja and their powers. 

Jayde pulled out one of the thinner ones which had a polythene cover. When she opened it, there were varying photos. Cole Jr peered over her shoulder as she fingered the images of their parents as teenagers. Eventually Nano and Skai came over. The 4 stood in a circle, looking at the images in the dimming light. 

As they flipped over the page, a small note fell out. Nano picked it up, holding it carefully in his metallic hand. He used his other hand to follow the loopy handwriting.

“Give me some time,” Nano voiced, “and I will get back to you.”

“This must be from Laloyd,” Skai noted.

“How do you know that?” Cole Jr asked.

“If it is here, then it has to be from someone who knows, which is our parents,” Skai replied. “And given this handwriting and the tone, I think it could be him.”

“Look,” Jayde gestured to the back. Nano flipped it over. 

“The Mountain of Impossible Heights?” Cole Jr asked. “That’s out of town.” Skai bonked him.

“Of course it cussing is,” Skai replied, slightly annoyed. “He wanted to be left alone, so what is a better place than there?”

“We should contact him,” Jayde stated blankly. The others gave her an incredulous look.

“But why?” Nano asked. “He said he wanted to be left alone.”

“If our parents are in danger because of these… fiends,” Jayde answered slowly, “and it has to do with them being ninja, then this guy would be our best bet.”

“So we just walk out of here - out of protection - and go and look for a dude who may or may not be alive?” Cole Jr asked, slightly confused. 

“Well, it’s our best shot,” Jayde replied. “Besides, as Nano pointed out earlier, we can’t just sit around and wait. And while we can’t find the villains, we can find help.”

“I agree,” Skai replied. “We should go out and find this dude, dead or alive.”

“I see your point Jayde,” Nano piped in. They all looked at Cole Jr. 

“Oh alright,” he sighed. “But if I die…”

“You won’t, you cussing drama queen,” Skai bonked him again.

“But we shouldn’t draw attention or bring weapons,” Jayde cut in, just as Skai was reaching for the daggers. “So we should change clothing.”

“To what?” Nano asked. 

“I think all black would work,” Cole Jr answered. “And wear a mask like that.” He pointed to the pictures of their parents in gi.

…

As the four left the manor, they told Shadow, “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be back by tomorrow.”

Once they were out of earshot, Shadow grinned maliciously. “Oh, I won’t.”

Chapter Text

“Mum? Why are those people dressed up like that?”

“Honey I have no idea.” 

The mother shuffled her child away from Jayde, Skai, Nano and Cole Jr. All 4 were wearing black t-shirts (except Nano, who was wearing a black polo) and black jeans. Jayde’s all-black converses blended in with her clothing better than Skai’s off-brand canvas sneakers and the other’s white sport shoes. They all had a black mask covering their mouths. The hikers’ knapsacks on their backs (swiped from the storage room) contained some snacks and their hoodies (if the weather became colder).

They were all standing in the main carriage nearest to the doors. Cole Jr and Skai were tall enough to reach the handrests overhead, but Jayde and Nano used the railings on the side. They were the only ones there, which was fair since it was nearly 11pm at night. 

Well them and that child. Who continued to stare at them

To be fair, they may have looked a bit strange. 

At the next stop, the mother dragged the curious child out of the train. As the doors closed they all breathed out, relieved.

“I think that’s the last of them,” Jayde observed.

“No cuss Sherlock,” Skai deadpanned.

The train lurched forward, until it got to the final stop. Nano looked at his watch. 11:30pm.

As they got out of the train, they observed the surroundings. The moon illuminated the rough and rocky footpath through the wilderness. 

“Shall we take a quick nap?” Cole Jr yawned.

“We have to move quickly,” Jayde replied. “It would be nice, but we can always rest up in the mountains where the others won’t find us.” She began to walk forward, followed by Nano (who had brought a small torchlight).

“She’s got a point,” Skai grumbled as he and Cole Jr followed behind.

They walked. And walked. And walked some more.

“Are we there yet?” Cole Jr asked.

“No,” Nano replied.

They kept going, trudging through a forest. Skai ducked out for a few minutes to relieve himself.

“Are we nearly there?” Cole Jr asked again.

“No,” Skai replied from wherever he was.

As they exited the forest, they continued following the footpath. It was becoming fainter and less defined.

“Are we almost there?” Skai asked.

“Cole Jr, for the love of - oh it was you,” Jayde huffed. “And to answer your question, yes. Just a few more metres.” 

A few metres later, they were facing the foot of the mountain. 

“What’s the time right now?” Cole Jr asked.

“Must be around 4:30am,” Skai replied, pointing to the tinges of colour that were cresting the hill and infiltrating the darkness.

“You’re not that off,” Nano replied, glancing at his watch. “It’s 4:47am.”

“We’ll take a break,” Jayde announced, passing around some protein bars. They all took one each and ate it. Nano leaned against the mountain, charging his arm and leg in the rising sun, while Jayde perched on a rock. The other two stood there looking out in opposite directions - Cole Jr looked northward, while Skai looked toward the south. 

After a few minutes of silence save for the chewing through honeyed oatmeal, they stretched and faced each other.

“How shall we climb the mountain?” Nano asked.

“Well we can do it in a number of ways,” Cole Jr began. “The best way would be to use a guiding rope to keep us all together, with a strong leader. Saying that, you also want to give space between climbers so that if someone gets tired they don’t drag others…” He realised he was mumbling and gave a quiet “Eep!”

“So who’s our leader?” Skai asked. 

“Simple - Jayde,” Nano replied. 

“Are you sure?” Jayde gasped. “Cole Jr clearly how to do this better than I do -”

“But you probably are the strongest in willpower,” Skai replied sincerely. “Besides, he’d be a strong back, right?” Skai patted Cole Jr’s shoulder a bit harshly.

“He’s not wrong,” Cole Jr answered, partly because he agreed but also since he didn’t want to incur the wrath of the fiery teen.

And so they began the upward climb. 

In spite of the sharp incline, the four managed to hike their way along. As they reached a plateau, Cole Jr eyed a worn bridge. 

The sun slowly rose, illuminating the sky. They continued walking while basking in the sunlight’s warmth and hearing the light chittering of some small birds (and the occasional hourly chime of Nano’s watch). As one felt tired, the others would encourage them to continue on with little snacks or sweets like gummy bears. But one thought weighed on their mind - how their parents were doing.

Finally, after ascending the stairs that seemed to stretch on, they reached the summit. Jayde breathed in relief, Skai sighed loudly, Nano stretched his somewhat sore muscles and Cole Jr exhaled audibly. 

As they reached into their bags, pulling out the reserve of orange juice, they took in the inspiring view around them. The clouds masked some of the wilderness below, but they could still eye the mountains peeking out. The faint scent of sakura lingered in the air, adding a subtle perfume to the picturesque view. Even the gentle rustles of the trees made them feel… at peace. Even in the midst of their circumstances.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice asked.

“Yeah,” Cole Jr replied. He jerked up. “Wait, who was that?”

They all turned and gasped.

Chapter Text

The blinding lights irritated Jay’s eyes as he stirred from unconsciousness. 

This isn’t the hotel room, is it…

He was aware that he wasn’t lying in a cushioned bed but stretched upright against a stiff board. He was also aware that he couldn’t move his arms or legs freely; they were pinned to the stiff board by metal handcuffs.

Well there goes that way of escaping, he thought.

“You’re awake,” Cole whispered. Jay turned his neck to the right to see the Earth ninja in a similar position to him. He noticed Zane, who was next to Cole, was still unconscious. Jay then turned his head to the left. Kai had his head facing away from him and toward Skylor, whose hands and feet were bound together.

Jay noticed that his suit - well most of it - was still on him. His white shirt, stained by the dirt and muck, was now a light brown. There were also a few drops of maroon - most likely blood. One of the cuffs on the shirt was burnt. The pants were similarly stained, but with rips around the knee areas. His shoes weren’t actually on; instead, his socks - the ash-coloured penguin ones that Jayde gifted him on Father’s day - had covered his feet. 

He winced, trying to recall what had happened the night before. 

He remembered dropping Jayde off, cuddling his daughter before she went.

He remembered going to the hotel while bemusing over what she had said.

He remembered celebrating with drinks for their anniversary.

He remembered Jayde calling via video chat.

Then something disrupted the peace of the restaurant… but what it was he struggled to remember. 

These adversaries knew their identities as a ninja, he thought to himself, but how? It wasn’t like they had been active for the past few years. So this group has to be somewhat familiar to us. But we’ve usually defeated the groups in their entirety if they’ve posed a serious threat to Ninjago, and essentially none have come to Ninjago after Lloyd. Unless there is another…

“Care to explain, Sherlock?” Kai softly grunted.

“I’m trying to think through who this group could be,” Jay whispered back. 

He didn’t need to wait much longer, for two of the adversaries had just entered through the wooden doors. They wore lab coats and were looking at their clipboards. It was hard to make out their specific identities, given that they were wearing black masks, black attire and even black hair. 

“Emo much?” Cole softly snarked, just as Zane stirred. The two ‘scientists’ ( let's just settle with calling them that for the moment ) stopped staring at their clipboards and nodded towards the immobilised ninja.

“You’re awake,” one of them sneered. “Good. Although we expected that you would have been knocked out for longer than that after the fight.” 

Oh that’s right, Jay recalled. A flash came to him.

“NINJAGO!” they all called out, their catchphrase from their younger days. The adversaries used some smokescreens to mask the fight. As the grey clouds rose through the air and into their nostrils, Jay covered his mouth. He and Kai removed their shoes, holding them up to use as weapons. Similarly, Skylor pulled out her hairpin. Zane shot out a blast of ice which pierced the smokescreen.

Then through the smoke emerged a figure clad in black completely. Their eyebrows were angrily pointed. They pointed their sword at the ninja.

“Surrender now, or else,” he barked.

“Never!” Cole shouted back.

As if they were in a hallucinatory dream, the figure multiplied, each figure possessing their own weapon. Jay drew his hands back to make an electric orb, while Kai’s hand were aflame. Cole punched the ground to shake it, but it didn’t rattle the ominous figures. Rather, they charged toward them. 

As Jay shook his head, trying to recall what happened in the panicked haze, he noticed the two figures whispering madly to each other.

“Come out and say it!” Kai seethed. “What’s the big deal with you cowards?”

“If you would calm down, Red,” one of them calmly responded, “we will explain why you are here.”

“You see, we’ve been after your kind for quite some time,” the other continued. “We want to dominate, and what would be better to do that than to use the defenders of Ninjago as its own downfall?”

“We started with one attack,” the first one took over, “but then only one was captured. The rest of them went into hiding, and we hadn’t been able to pinpoint their location. Until now.”

Wait… one attack… one captured?

“Do you mean… you’re the ones who took my sister?” Kai was fired up again. He had connected the dots just as quickly.

“Oh, you didn’t know? How interesting,” the second one noted. “It makes our job easier when we go after your-” 

He suddenly paused, realising that he may have been talking too much.

“Your what ?” Cole demanded, speaking out the thoughts of the other ninja there.

As if on cue, a man walked in. His dark hair was perfectly slicked to the right, not a hair out of place. His eyes remained fixed on the ninja, even as the two scientists talked to him. His suit was crisp, a dark brown with a crest on it… resembling the Bucket household.

“Shadow?” Zane whispered. “Isn’t he meant to be taking care of the kids?”

Shadow heard his name and smirked maliciously. 

“Don’t worry,” he purred. “They’ve just gone out for a little while. It would be a shame, though, if they were, oh I don’t know…”

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on my son!” Kai called. “Or my other nieces and nephews!”

“Oh, is that what you’re concerned about?” he taunted. “Perhaps you should have taken our warning seriously all those years ago… goodness knows what’s happened to the water ninja…”

At that point Jay lost it. He struggled against the chains, thrashing violently. These people had hurt his friends, his family and now his wife… They were scum of the earth.

Just as quickly, the scientists pressed a button, which tasered them all. As Jay felt his eyelids grow heavy again, he heard their voices. 

“Leave no trace when you bring them here…”

Chapter Text

The four teenagers turned and gasped at the man standing in their midst.

The man had his soft blond hair (which was laced with silver strands) pinned back in a low ponytail. His skin was clear, with little to no creases to denote age. He was wearing a green gi; a golden dragon was screened on the gi, starting from the left leg and finishing on the torso. He was currently leaning on a bamboo staff, only recently picked since it was not as worn with time.

But the most attention grabbing feature was his eyes. They weren’t brown like most of the citizens they’d run into. Instead, they were a hue of green, still as full of life as they had been in the faded pictures around their houses. It was one thing to see them caught in time, but to make contact with them in reality… seemed too entrancing. 

Cole Jr pulled his hand toward the backpack, ready to reach out for a weapon there. Skai and Nano instinctively stepped back, in case he swung at them. But Jayde held up her hand. 

“That’s one way to greet a long-lost friend,” the man chuckled. “But I suppose you wouldn’t remember me. I do tend to look different from the pictures after all.”

He pointed his staff at Cole Jr. “Cole Jr, I suppose. You share your father’s bushy eyebrows and passion for sports. Also very calm, much like him.”

He turned to Nano. “Although Zane is your adopted dad, Nano, it’s good to see that hasn’t stopped you inheriting his tastes in fashion.” 

To Jayde he said, “Jayde, you were a baby when I… went. I can see both of your parents in you.”

Lastly he turned to Skai. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, until he sighed, “It’s like I’m talking to a younger Kai here. Though that zest for life in your eyes… that’s from your mum.”

Silence passed, as they realised that the man was indeed Laloyd.

This… was going to be interesting. 

…

The four were seated around the training field. The grass wasn’t long and unkempt, but well manicured like any other lawn in the city. Nano and Jayde sat in the midst of the soft grass, stretching their sore joints. Cole Jr leaned against the training dummies nearby, while Skai was lying down on a bench, worn out from the trek. 

“So,” Cole Jr started as he was stretching his legs. “Uncle Laloyd-”

“It was Lloyd,” the green ninja corrected them. 

“How have you been?” he asked, without a qualm of hesitation. The others gave him a funny look. Really?

“Umm,” he scratched his neck, “it’s been okay?” 

Yep, awkward.

“How was the, uh, the trek?” Lloyd asked, equally unsure of how to sustain the conversation. “I know it was a struggle when I first came here.”

“It was too long,” Skai yawned from where he was reclining.

“Well, the sights were interesting,” Jayde perked up, somewhat optimistically. “Particularly when you cross the bridge.”

“Yeah,” Skai fired back, “the cussing view’s also great when you feel yourself falling.”

They laughed as they recalled their fiery friend shrieking after nearly falling through one of the wooden planks. The bridge had already been quivering; his disturbance sent the fragile frame into a full trembling mess.

“Gosh, that reminds me of the shenanigans your parents got into,” Lloyd chortled. The four of them looked at him curiously.

“Didn’t they tell you about their antics?” he continued. They looked at each other, then shook their heads.

“If you mean their antics as ninja,” Jayde stated, “then we can’t help you.”

“In fact,” Cole Jr noted, “we only found out about their double life recently.”

Now it was Lloyd’s turn to be surprised. “What do you mean?”

“They kept it a secret,” Nano started. 

“Yes, but why? Surely Kai was proud of his katana skills, or Cole and his brush with royalty. Jay and his claims to having fought a djinn, and Zane who made a major sacrifice. Skylor whose dad was a Serpentine cultist or Nya-”

At the mention of the former water ninja, Jayde’s face fell. 

“Do you mean… she’s no longer…” The other three boys nodded solemnly. 

“An attack,” Skai spoke. “Though based on… recent … revelations I feel like it may have to do with their work.”

It dawned on the former golden ninja why the teenagers had no idea about their parents’ heritage. For a few moments Lloyd lowered his head, an almost inaudible sorry passing on his lips. The teenagers exchanged glances, uncertain what he was thinking. Then he rose again, face solemn.

“So then why are you here?” Lloyd asked. “In fact, where are your parents?”

“You see, that’s the problem,” Jayde revealed. She then told him about how they had come to know about their parents’ double life. His face shifted into multiple expressions as she talked.

“We came here because we found out you were here,” Cole Jr blurted. 

“Not just that!” Nano cut in. “We also wanted to ask you if you knew who the enemy may have been. Though, in light of your perspective, I doubt you do.”

“And we wanted your help,” Skai pleaded. “You could help us to take these bastards down and help our parents.”

Lloyd paled. These kids… they want to run towards the danger?

He looked troubled for a few seconds, his hands trembling. Then he breathed in slowly and regained a calm image. He stood up, clutching the bamboo staff, his face hardened.

“I’m afraid I can’t.”

Chapter Text

The four of them looked confused and slightly horrified. Their expressions were caught in processing how they had been let down.

Let down by the one guy who could help them.

Finally Jayde broke the silence.

“Why?” she softly asked. Almost like a plea.

He felt a stab in his conscience. The pain was twisting through him like a knife. I have to protect them.

“I-i-i can’t tell you,” he stammered out. “And I think it’s best now if you go. You do have to travel back after all.” 

They sat there in shock. Then Nano picked himself up, and exited through the worn-out doors. Cole Jr followed him. Jayde waved a little as she walked out. Finally Skai looked at him.

“I don’t know what is troubling you, Uncle Lloyd,” he softly whispered, “but you shouldn’t keep it to yourself.” He quickly ran to catch up with the others.

Lloyd pushed his hair back off his face, a single tear streaking down his cheek. Seeing them only further reminded him of three things.

Firstly, his (lost) family. In the solitude and peace of the mountains, he had been content with staying in the presence of nature. Seeing the four of them chatting and smiling - each bearing resemblance to his former comrades - made him want to run back to Ninjago, to soak in the air of fellowship, of brotherhood, of-

He felt the pain as he remembered his sacrifices. His first love, who betrayed him. His father, who died for him. His childhood, lost in the name of sacrifice.

After embracing ‘the way of the ninja’, he had been headhunted by multiple groups, possessed, thrown into leadership head-first… and while he was appreciative of these, he also yearned for that innocence and naivety of childhood, of being able to play fetch with his father, of being able to hug your mother…

The next reminder was that loss of purpose. Aside from that brief time at Darkley’s Boarding School, he hadn’t really experienced a proper ‘childhood’. He had spent it plotting to be a villain (like his dad had been), or running from the consequences of it. Other than that, he had been a ninja. Always gearing toward that purpose.

Like a soldier.

After the peace, now what could he do? Sure, he still could train, but what for ?

He had found himself unable to sleep on many nights. The vivacity of some of the nightmares he had kept him from rest or peace.

Many of them took him to the dark cave, where he and Harumi had fought. The echo stung as she bladed him with those words: 

“You didn’t think… no one got hurt?”

To this day those words stung as he realised the implications of his actions - he had the blood of the innocent on his hands. 

Other nightmares took him to a mirror; but instead of seeing his reflection, he would see his father, his uncle or his grandfather - sometimes all 3 - point to how he had stuffed up. It didn’t matter how many times he tried swallowing the pill that ‘it was just a dream’ - once he had laid himself in the dream realm, no spinjitzu could save him.

It made him a bit bitter to see his friends transition to their normal lives with normal jobs and normal relationships, while he was isolated in his pain. But he didn’t know how to approach the subject, and he had always thought, Relax, it’ll take time.

That was a lie.

But perhaps the third - and most important - thing that flashed in his mind was the very thing that drove him away from his hometown.

He remembered the sequence leading up to that point very vividly, which is what made it all the more terrifying.

…

Lloyd had just arrived at the hospital.

“Took you long enough,” Kai chuckled, ruffling his shoulder-length blonde hair. 

“Hey!” he laughed lightly. After greeting Kai, Jay and Cole, he entered the hospital room. 

Nya was standing up, stretching. He was expecting her to be a bit more weary, but it had been a few days since she had given birth, and she had been quite resilient. She was talking with Skylor and Zane. 

On the bed, the three baby boys were curled up. Skai and Cole Jr were babbling incoherently, as if each could understand the other. Meanwhile the seven-month-old Nano - the newly adopted son of Zane - was sitting in a daze, but ever so often he would touch his robotic arm with such curiosity. 

Then he eyed Jayde. She was resting at that moment. 

“Would you like to hold her?” Nya asked. He nodded shakily. 

Why was he so nervous? He had done this for the other three babies.

As she was placed in his arms, he looked down at her. The pick-up had disturbed her, for her eyes fluttered open. 

That’s when things went wrong.

As their eyes made contact, her eyes turned from their hue of brown to a dazzling blue. As that happened, he felt his legs grow weak. The voices of panic from the other ninja were drowned out as a vision flashed before his eyes.

5 figures stood, knees bent, as they surveyed the city - a blur of smoke and chaos as citizens panicked. 

Each of these ninja had a mask donned on and a black coloured gi with a coloured armband. 

One had crimson hair whipping in the wind. Another had short milk-coloured curls. A third one had brunette hair like a flame, and the fourth had black hair tied back. 

The last one - the middle one - had two space-buns. As she looked up, those same blue eyes - the ones he had made contact with only moments ago - flashed at him.

A cold laugh suddenly caught his attention as his vision became blurry. The last thing he remembered was the haunting cries for mercy - much more terrifying than any nightmare he had envisioned before.

As he was shaken out of the trance, he realised he was on the floor, surrounded by Nya, Kai and Jay. As they asked if he was ok, he looked down and saw Jayde nestled on his chest  looking back at him, her eyes brown once more. 

At that moment, he knew he had to go. If he stayed, then he knew he would be responsible for another generation of suffering due to prophesies not of their own. He didn’t want any of them - Jayde especially, since she was destined to burden the role of leadership - to have to go through what he did.

And even now, as the silence lay in the Mountain, he knew that he was right… and wrong.

Chapter Text

There was an eerie silence as they trudged back. Even crossing the rickety bridge didn’t seem to elicit any response. Each one was deep in contemplation over the events, mulling over the loss of a potential ally, even a bit -

“Frick!” Cole Jr snapped, shattering the silence. Nano turned around to face him, pulling the rope back as the others went to move forward. 

“Hey!” Skai called out, as he and Jayde moved toward them. “What was that for?”

“Sorry,” Nano replied. “All good bro?”

“Of course I’m fine!” he seethed furiously. “We got turned down by the one person who could have helped-”

“Cut him some slack,” Skai attempted to reason, but a daggered look kept him quiet.

“And now we’re pretty much back to square one,” he continued, pushing his hair off his forehead. “I’m tired, I’m hungry, I-i-”

He stopped, as a tear rolled down his cheek. “I want my dad and home.” 

There was an echo of silence as they all understood - and agreed solemnly. The weight of his words sunk in. 

“Gosh, I sound so-” His incoherent words were stopped by Jayde wrapping her arms around him. 

If it had been any other time, or any other place, Cole Jr would have been overjoyed. But at that moment, he felt comforted more than anything. Two other pairs of arms entangled themselves as Nano and Skai added themselves to the cuddle. Soon Cole Jr wasn’t the only one with wet cheeks.

They were, after all, teenagers. And they could only handle so much.

“I think we should do something before we continue,” Skai stated. “My dad would tell me to do this whenever I’m frustrated, or anxious.” He gave a meaningful look at the three others before walking toward the ledge. 

“Careful, Skai,” Nano called, but Skai held a finger to quiet him. Then he turned around, and took in a deep breath. 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” he screamed into the abyss. Then he turned around.

“Screaming on a rooftop or cliff or even a pillow is a non-destructive way to relieve stress,” Skai explained. “It’s a practical way to vent, given that you feel the weight go away. I get it if you don’t feel comfortable with it though…” He looked down, slightly embarrassed. Cole Jr walked up to the area. 

“KYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” he bellowed. “HAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Looking up he sighed. “That isn’t too bad to be honest.” 

Nano looked a bit uncomfortable with shouting. “It’s ok, you can sit it out,” Skai replied, as Jayde followed in screaming out.

“Perhaps there are… other ways to distract ourselves on the trek back,” she stated hoarsely. “I’d like to be able to still talk to you without it feeling like I swallowed a mouthful of sand.”

“How about we.. umm…” Cole Jr struggled to get the words out. He was waving his hands frantically, as if it would somehow help. The other three looked at him, slightly confused. 

“Are we playing charades or something?” Jayde raised an eyebrow. The other two laughed lightly.

“Yeah!” Cole Jr finally clapped. “Something like that,” he mumbled afterward.

As they picked up the rope, Nano reasoned out. “We can’t though. I’d like not to have to duck when guessing Ducktales.”

“What about Never Have I Ever?” Skai offered.

“That drinking game our dads would play?” Jayde narrowed her eyes. “Skai, we’re all underage, and the only alcohol we have is for wounds.”

“We can just do a tally with our hands,” Cole Jr suggested. 

“I’d hate to say it,” Skai said, “but I agree with him.”

And so they set off, asking weird questions and discovering that, even though they had been in contact with each other for their entire lives, there were undiscovered sides of their friends as well. 

“What do you mean you like peanut butter and celery?” Nano sputtered.

“Just saying, can’t hate it till you try it,” Skai smirked. 

“It isn’t that bad,” Cole Jr agreed. “It’s also quite nutritious.”

“Et tu, Cole Jr?” Nano gasped melodramatically.

“Hold up,” Jayde grinned mischievously, “are we skipping the part where Cole Jr and Skai are in agreement? Has the world done a 180?”

“Hey!” the two boys yelped. Jayde wheezed out a laugh as Nano suppressed a giggle.

They were so caught up in conversation that they didn’t realise the time passing. As the sun dipped into the horizon, and the sky began to become darker, so too did their eyelids grow heavier. Their senses were dulling; they were losing vigilance.

“How about this? Never have I ever had a crush on someone here?” Nano asked.

“Oh c’mon,” Cole Jr huffed out. “That’s not fair.”

“What do you mean?” Jayde asked. “It’s just a silly question, right Skai?”

They turned and saw the space where he had been was now empty.

“How could he vanish like that?” Nano asked. 

“Perhaps a quick bathroom break?” Jayde scratched her head. “SKAI?”

“Wha-”

Nano spun around and saw Cole Jr disappear into the greenery.

“Jayde?” he called, a bit of uneasesiness in his tone .

"Yeah?" They heard the dull crunch nearby. Oh no.

“We need to run.”

“What?”

“RUN! NOW!” 

But it was too late. A smokescreen took over. As the fumes filled their lungs, they both dropped to the ground, dizzy and drained out. 

The last thing Nano saw was the dark figures enclosing around him.

“No…” he slurred out, before it faded to black.

Chapter Text

“Hey.”

Ungh. Not now, Dad.

“Get up!”

But it’s the holidays.

“I said get up!” A loud banging noise rang out. Cole Jr snapped awake. He attempted to reach to rub his eyes… except he couldn’t. He tried again, but it was pinned.

Was this what the pinned insects felt like when we did that project last year? Wait - no they were dead. Wait, am I dead?

He felt an icy hand strike his cheek. Nope, definitely alive. OW!

“When you said these were the children of the ninja,” one of the men iced out, “I expected something… better.”

“Oh these guys are the real deal,” Shadow ( wait hold on, what?! ) quickly answered. “They’re just like glow sticks. We have to break into them first.”

While the people in front - most likely the people who had pinned him like this - were discussing, Cole Jr observed the room. Vials of chemicals were held in various prisms. Some were neon in colour, the types of liquids bobbing up and down like a lava lamp. Others had more neutral and bland colours, more still in movement. What caught his attention was the steam puffing out of some of the beakers. It wasn’t being let out though - rather, it was being collected into a tank. But why?

“Hang on, what the cuss are you talking about?” Skai asked boldly, cutting through his thoughts. Cole Jr turned to his right to see the others. He heard Jayde mutter so subtle sarcastically under her breath.

“Oh yes, they’re all conscious now, ready to teach,” one of the others rubbed his hands, the tone of his words a bit malicious. “We are the Shadow Clan and we want to get your pow-”

“SHH!” the others covered his mouth to stop him talking.

“What he meant to say,” Shadow glared at him, “is that we have your parents. And the only way you’ll get to them, is if you give us something.”

“Seems simple,” Cole Jr nodded. “What though? Money?”

“Heh, we’re not a cussing charity case,” one of the goons sibilated. That comment earned him a swift kick in the stomach. 

“Not money,” one of the others piped up, as if to clarify. “We are after your powers. The elements.”

Huh?

“You’re bargaining?” Nano narrowed his eyes. “Why? What’s in it for you ?”

“Simple,” Shadow answered. “We can create a new order. Use the powers to enforce our laws and our ideas. Stop those who abuse their power, whether political or social.”

“And how do you deem who’s worthy of the elements?” Jayde tilted her head.

“Simple,” one of the goons - one with glasses - stated. “After giving judgement of character, we will raise them as our own soldiers.”

“Criteria?” Skai asked. "Care to elaborate?" 

“No. Not yet.” Shadow answered. A frenzy of conversation broke out amongst the members, wanting to argue against what had been proposed.

Wait a second…

“Guys, don’t listen to him,” Cole Jr whispered. “He’s sus.”

“No cuss, Sherlock,” Skai deadpanned quietly.

“This may be our only way out though,” Jayde reasoned softly. “Even if we do suffer, at least we have a way to get out and get help.”

“Not sure what you mean,” Skai stated.

“But Jayde,” Nano cut in, “what can we do if they backstab us?”

“They aren’t telling us the entire truth, I know,” Jayde mouthed, “but it’ll just mean that we have to beat them at their own game.”

They turned to the now quieting group of adversaries. 

“We accept,” Jayde called. 

“Good,” Shadow smirked. “That was the hard part. Now comes the easy part… at least for us.”

Cole Jr looked confused as they were released and marched off to another area.

They had all been subconsciously grabbing onto one another as they walked - perhaps a habit from the trekking - but Cole Jr could feel the loss of a warm hand holding onto his sleeve as they were forced apart. There were many twists and turns - it was too dark to determine the directions clearly. Eventually they slowed down, as Cole Jr was pushed into a room. Before he could get up, the door shut.

It was a sealed one.

“We will now engage your true potential through this gas,” Shadow’s voice came through. “Only by engaging in your elements will you break out of the haze. If not… then, well, you will join the group of corpses out the back.”

As he turned around, he could see the walls were made of glass, and the roof wasn’t too far above. When he turned around, he noticed the sight of Jayde, Skai and Nano in adjacent rooms.
Jayde locked eye contact and came to the point where all four panels made contact. The boys followed suit.

They tried talking to one another, but realised it was soundproof.

“60 seconds to testing begins,” an android voice rang out lifelessly.

Jayde moved her hands to form a letter. She was finger-spelling. They all watched carefully as her nimble fingers moved. P. A. X.

Peace.

She was right. They had to stay calm. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe ou-

“Commencing Test Formido.”

The room began to fill with a neon yellow gas. Cole Jr felt his body clench up, but he remembered Jayde’s words. Pax .

They all did, even as the gas filled their lungs… and their minds.

Chapter Text

Nano felt the fumes’ toxic tendrils reach into his lungs. He tried coughing them out, but it didn’t work. Instead, he saw a familiar figure in the distance looking away.

“Dad!” he called out, slightly excitedly. But as he ran toward him, he felt a sense of dread.

“Dad?” he asked again, moving to hug the figure. But his arms were stopped.

“I don’t know you, android. ”

The voice was cold, distant, venomous.

Nano swallowed. “Dad-”

“STOP IT!” Zane shoved him away. The feeling of his body hitting the floor didn’t seem to phase him. That pain of rejection stung more than any other physical pain.

A tear slid down his cheek. 

This can’t be happening.

…

Skai sneezed a few times. His sinuses were playing up as he inhaled the gas.

He rubbed his nose, and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly, a feeling of dread overcame him.

Yes, I remember this , he shuddered. He was 5 years old when the thief had broken in. 

“NO!” A stab of pain burst from his abdomen, where he had been knifed for defending his mother.
As he realised what had just happened, he felt a bit calm, knowing that he would be okay.

“Skai, come back!” His mother was now sobbing. He suddenly panicked. Wait! I should stop bleeding in a few seconds, not feeling like…

He felt his blood flow dropping, the air in his throat choking - he was struggling to breathe.

He perhaps - no - he was …dying. 

This can’t be happening…

…

Cole Jr was shaking. Yes, his fear was somewhat more trivial, but that still didn’t make him any less afraid. 

He couldn’t shake off the feeling. Yes, the metaphorical tenseness, even as he did try to inhale and exhale slowly. But that was also jarring as he felt millions of small hairy legs brush against his body, the tingling feeling making him shudder.

He tried shaking them off. Some did come loose. Others, however, merely flew around and began crawling on another spot of his body. 

As he reached out to the person in front of him - a saving grace - they turned around, revealing hideous mandibles and large spheres for eyes. It managed to open his mouth, and an intrusion of cockroaches poured out. The person also lost form, melting into a colony of cockroaches instead.

As any rational person would do, Cole Jr screamed.

This can’t be happening! AHHH!

…

Jayde found herself swallowed in darkness. She felt alone, isolated, lonely.

It was mildly uncomfortable, bordering on tense.

Suddenly she saw the faint figures of her dad in the distance, standing on the edge of a cliff. She reached forward to run, to move, but her legs were locked in. 

“Dad!” She tried calling, but no sound came from her throat. She could only watch in mortification as he fell.

She could do nothing to stop him. None of her preparedness could stop him from getting hurt. Except drive up the uncomfortable choke of panic, of anxiety, of true fear .

This should not be happening…

…

“Sir, we’re getting good results from cell 4. The subject seems to be receiving the gas well. They may be on the verge of-”

“Don’t get your hopes up too high yet.”

“What about the incident yesterday, sir?”

“That just showed us that the old ninja are showing signs of their powers fading. These ones are potent.”

“Shall we turn up the gas a notch, sir?”

“It’s a risk worth trying for, sir.”

“We’ll see. Give them a few minutes. If there is no progress then we will try again.”

…

The hairs on Cole Jr’s arm continued to raise as he felt the unnatural brush of the cockroaches climbing all over his arms. He really regretted not having long sleeves to soften the feel of the feet - something his legs and body were (luckily) spared of. Cockroaches continued to run all along the ground, making the once-seemingly dark floor more of a brown pattern.

Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t too bad. It was… oddly satisfying to watch them crawl around, as much as they were disgusting. Even the flying ones were okay, as long as they stayed away from his face. He wasn’t that comfortable yet with them. 

Suddenly the cockroaches were shrinking. No, that couldn’t be right . They were… fading? He couldn’t feel their tiny feet as much on his skin. Looking around he could see the room was coming back into view, with the gas still swarming around. Before he could inhale another whiff of the toxic fumes, he raised his arm to block his nose. Now to come up with a proper solution.

…

Skai found himself shaking his head. This was now the third time he had found himself dying. This time was recent, though. 

He had been falling for a long time, listening to the cries of Jayde as she screamed down the abyss he had fallen into. At this point, he was waiting for the dull crack to relieve him of the tension. He didn’t know when it was going to happen, but it ought to happen soon.

He shook his head as he contemplated on what brought him there. Why was it that he found himself fearing death so badly? It wasn’t the fear of death itself; that’s why it was ridiculous at this point that he was still imagining himself in death. No, it was rather the attachment he had to life. The fear that the bliss he was enjoying could cease at any point.

He thought about that hesitancy to take risks. Would it be worth it to have lived in regret? No, clearly not. So what was he waiting for?

There was one solution to that; to live life to its fullest. Rather than being hesitant about opportunities, he should try his best (within the capacities) to strive toward them. Maybe rather than hesitating about that history essay competition he should work towards it. Maybe…

He reached to brush the hair off his face… only to find it was somewhat cold. Hang on, I couldn’t feel that before …

…

Jayde felt more and more numb as she watched things spiralling out of control. People were dying. Her friends were abandoning her. Her sanity was slipping more and more as the waves of negativity continued to crash against her.

And she could do nothing but try to crawl in a ball and pretend it wasn’t happening.

How could she stay positive with this much suffering, with this much chaos, with this much pain? How could she remain focussed when things were out of her control? How could she keep her head up when it felt like she was drowning in the darkness of despair? Her lungs were about to collapse as she heaved to stay above the water. 

What is the point? she pondered to herself, tears falling down her cheeks. Life is all but suffering; I should stop trying to convince myself otherwise. She buried her hands in her face, as she grew numb. Her eyes shut themselves in an attempt to stop the pain.

Eventually the darkness swarmed her till she could not sense anything.

A spark came forth. Jayde snapped awake. Where is it? she turned her head. Where did it go? She tried moving forth, but there was nothing. Did I hallucinate that? She saw another flicker in the corner of her eye. Then, an unfamiliar glow, accompanied by a spine-tingling warmth. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the illuminated figure in front of her, then gasped.

It was a ghost - a familiar face, but only one that had been confined to the figments of her imagination and the frames of worn out images. No words did she speak, but Jayde drew closer to the bright figure. She felt a warm embrace, as if it were from everyone that had been lost before. Her heart, which had been beating rapidly, was now at ease. She felt… at peace. Even though all was lost, somehow all would be ok.

She didn’t know for how long it went on, nor when the ghost faded along with the illusions of darkness, but eventually she found herself in the walls again. 

…

Nano was shocked. Everyone had rejected him. They had sneered at him, spat in his face, turned their backs and slammed their doors. All because… he wasn’t like them. It gnawed at his heart as he felt more and more alien.

His cheeks were now fully soaked, his eyes sore from all those tears he had cried. He felt so… cold. Lifeless. Pointless. He rubbed his hands, feeling a numb iciness.

‘How appropriate,’ he muttered bitterly to himself, ignoring the goosebumps being raised. 

He tried to walk forward, only to stumble and fall. His palms ached a little - he had tried to catch himself on them, ridding them of the numbness that had been present before. ‘This isn’t fair,’ he grumbled, as he got up. Clenching his fists, he felt an urge to let out all of the anger from before. Why should he be treated differently? Why was he an outcast? Why him ?

“ARGH!” he barked out as he threw his clenched fists out. But it hit something briefly before he felt himself flying forward. A siren cut through his thoughts as he found himself just outside the cell he had been imprisoned in amidst the thick glass. What caught his eyes - and the others as they scrambled out of the now-opened doors - wasn’t that he had punched through the glass.

It was the icy shards on his fists.

Chapter Text

“We need to get out of here,” Jayde urged as soon as they all met up.

“What about… that?” Skai gestured to Nano’s hands and the icy remnants, which were beginning to melt.

“We can worry about it as we go,” Nano stepped forward. 

“HALT!” Two Shadow clan members called out from their left, their eyes furrowed in fury.

“RUN!” Cole Jr countered, as they ran down the east passageway.

The siren wailed louder and more piercingly. An automated voice droned on repeat, “Prisoners are loose! Prisoners are loose!” The sounds of doors opening to find the four teenagers boomed as more and more clan members came out. They needed to find a way to lose them. They could only run so far. 

“Wait!” Jayde called. 

“What?” Skai replied, a mixture of fear and urgency in his voice. 

“The vents,” she pointed upward. There was a loose vent grate. “Could we use those?”

“How do we get up there though?” Cole Jr asked. 

“We could climb up using one another,” Nano replied. 

“Then use me,” Cole Jr declared. The others stared at him as his ears turned pink. “Wait - not like that - I mean to climb up…” The others chuckled.
Nano went up first. Luckily the distance between them and the vent wasn’t too high, so Nano and Skai could get up easily. 

Suddenly a voice thundered, “There they are!” 

Jayde turned to see about 5 or 6 Shadow clan members at both ends of the hallway. 

“Don’t worry about them, just get up!” Cole Jr interlocked his hands to help hoist her up. As she got up the vent, she turned to help him up. 

“Grab on!” she held out her hands, as Skai held her ankles. The Shadow clan members were drawing closer. 

“Freeze!” one of them called out. Cole Jr looked torn.

“Come on!” Jayde cried. Cole Jr leapt to grab on… but missed and fell on the floor. Her eyes widened. He got up, steadying himself against the wall.

“Don’t worry about me just yet, Jayde,” he smiled weakly. He turned to face his captors as they came closer. I can’t give up now. Almost there…

“We’ve got you now!” one of the Shadow clan members sneered.

“No… you… DON’T!” he called, as earthy material shot out of his hands, trapping his chasers in a rocky case. Skai helped to lower Jayde so she could grab Cole Jr without him jumping, then pulled them up. The Shadow clan members grumbled and jeered as they closed the vent tightly.

“Well now what do we do?” Skai whispered. 

“Why are you whispering?” Nano whispered back.

“They could hear us through the vent grids,” Skai looked around at the tight metal walls. 

“Well I guess we can keep going,” Jayde sounded. “It should lead us somewhere safe.”

“It’s a bit dark though,” Cole Jr replied, a bit shaky. 

“We can hold on to each other’s ankles,” Jayde responded as she reached for her cousin’s left foot. 

“And crawl quietly,” Skai breathed as he felt for Nano’s socked ankle. 

And that was how they found themselves quietly moving around the vents, trying to find a quiet room. Ever so often they would pause to listen (through the grates) if a room had other people. Then…

“An empty room,” Nano announced quietly. “And by the looks of things it has a key.”

“That seems a bit suspicious,” Jayde countered. “What if it’s a trap?”

“Better to take a risk on it,” Skai replied. “Plus, we’ve got Rocky and Ice man to hopefully help, given they can do it again… wait, can you guys do it again?”

Cole Jr and Nano shrugged. 

“Fair enough,” Jayde shook her head. 

They headed down, one by one. Skai reached for the keys, and to their surprise, nothing was triggered. Looking around, there were 3 doors, but 10 keys. 

“Nano? Do you want to have a go?” Skai asked, throwing him the keys.

“Uhh, sure?” he replied uneasily, catching the keys. “But which one do we unlock?”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Open up!” someone called from the other side of the door.

“What the cuss?!” Skai cursed angrily. 

“Use this door!” Cole Jr motioned to the door opposite to the banging noises. Nano began fidgeting with the lock. 

“Any reason for that?” Jayde asked, as she pushed a wooden table to block the door.

“Just a gut feeling,” Cole Jr replied, clenching his fingers to try and manifest his earth powers again.

“We’re coming in!” the person called out angrily, the sound of keys rustling from the other side. 

“Hurry!” Cole Jr urged, still not having any success.

“I’m trying my best!” Nano snapped. He was halfway through the key set. 

“Three!”

“Almost there…”

“Two!”

“Nano!”

“One!” 

The door opposite to the four swung open the other way (o f course it did) , revealing a small group of Shadow clan members ready to attack .

“STAY AWAY!” Skai yelled angrily, running to punch the first assailant - their leader - trying to enter the room. Fortunately, the hot-headed teen's fist became alight with a yellow flame as he swung his fist. Although the attacker rolled back, Skai’s effort was not wasted - the table caught alight, putting a barrier between the teens and any attempts to enter. 

“Go around!” The leader barked.

“But sir, that’ll be a few min-”

“JUST GO AROUND DAMMIT!” The footsteps receded as the Shadow clan members retreated. 

“Skai, that was cool,” Jayde spoke with a small smile, “but…” She gestured to his hand.

His eyes widened as he saw the flames were climbing up his sleeve. 

“Cuss, cuss, cuss!” he swore loudly as he tried waving his arm to put out the flame. He finally dropped to the ground and rolled from side to side, putting out the fire.

“Good timing,” Nano replied, as he unlocked the door. The four were shocked at what lay inside. 

The room was dimly lit, but they could still see some of the things inside using the moon’s light streaming through the small windows high up. There were prison cells in the room, and inside were…

“Skai?” Skylor gasped. “Jayde? Nano? Cole Jr?” Skai hugged his mother through the bars as she began to cry.

Nano fumbled his fingers as he began unlocking the doors of the cells. Meanwhile, Jayde and Cole Jr walked down, checking who was there. From the looks of things, everyone’s hands had been bound by rounded gauntlets preventing them from using their fingers or powers. In the first two cells, there had been Kai and Skylor. In the next two cells was Zane and Cole, who looked tired but relieved to see their sons alive. Jayde continued wandering down, where she saw Jay. His bruised face lit up.

“Dad!” she exclaimed, hugging him through the bars. “Are you alright?”

“I’ve… been better,” he replied. “Nothing can rattle me after… well…”

He looked to the side. A sliver of the moonlight pierced through, landing on the dishevelled and worn out face of another woman in the cell next to him. Her dark ebony hair was matted and patchy, but what stood out were her eyes. That same determined look that Jayde had seen only a few times. She smiled weakly.

“Jayde,” Jay answered shakily, breaking Jayde’s shocked thoughts, “This is…”

“Mum?”