Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1:
WISHING STONE AND WILD FIRE
Sitting in the living room's couch, the brunette dressed in red hold an open photo album as he inspects the pictures. In every picture he have of his small family, he always wondered why he looks different from his sister and parents. While his little sister, Nya the elemental master of water have black hair and black eyes just like their mom and dad. Kai have brown hair and amber eyes. While Nya inherited her power from their mother... His fire origin is still a mystery from who he got it from. Because as far as the records go there's no documented nor rumors of his ancestors wielding the elemental power of fire.
"Aww.. is that a baby picture of Nya?" Jay said as he plopped down to the couch just next to the red ninja. "That's cute. But what's up with younger you? You look grumpy in this picture, as if someone burned your toy or something." The freckled boy asked and his finger is pointing at one specific picture
It was a picture of a seven years old Kai glaring at the camera, on his left there's his dad and on the right there's his mom holding a barely one year old Nya in her arm. "That's a stupid question Jay. How would I even remember that? That was ages ago Jay." The red ninja rolled his eyes, clearly not in the mood for the small talk.
"Hey don't get snappy Mr. Non-Morning person. I was just asking. Can you really blame a guy from getting curious about his girlfriend's family?" The lightning ninja shrugged, there's a silent pause for a few minutes before the blue ninja quickly snatch the photo album from Kai to give a closer examination at the photo. "Hey!!" Kai shouted glaring at the album photo snatcher. "No way!!" Jay shouted with shock laced in his tone, gaining the attention of the earth ninja who came out of the kitchen with a bowl of cereal. "What's with the loud shouting Jay? You're going to shake the whole building with your loud jabbering." Cole scolded.
"Dude you got to check this out, call Zane! You guys need to see this." Jay said ushering the taller ninja to fetch their other teammate.
"I don't know what you find soo interesting about my childhood photos Jay... But you need to give it back before I burn your hair bald." Kai warned, he is angry because he thought the short freckled ninja wants to make fun of his old photos. Jay jumped off the couch and take few step back, to be out of reach from the fire ninja. "Nuh uh, the others need to see it first before I return it." Jay holds the album close to his chest as if it's a precious heirloom.
Before Kai could even stand up from the couch and chase the lightning ninja, Zane, Cole along with Nya arrived just in time to save Jay from the raging bull. The blue ninja quickly show the others the photo. "Look this is Kai and this is Nya." Jay points out the seven years old Kai and barely one year old Nya in the photo. "Haha... So funny. As much as you want to joke about my grumpy childhood photo, it's not funny jay. You need to level up your joke next time." Kai said.
"For your information, I am not making fun of your photo. And second, how is it possible that you have a five years old age gap with Nya but still look like you are only one year older than Nya instead of five?! I thought we all are the same age!!" The lightning ninja complained.
"It was unexpected." Zane commented.
"Wait! Wouldn't that make you the oldest in the team?" Cole asked. "Yes. That would make Kai the oldest in our team." Zane said.
Nya chuckled behind them, "Kai isn't five years older than me. He is seven years older than me." Nya corrected as she enjoy the look of shocks and disbelief from the other ninjas. This is her favorite part about revealing Kai's age to her friends or strangers. Kai have a baby face that could make others think he is much younger than his actual age.
Jay quickly walks to Kai and returned the album photo to the red ninja. "You got to tell me your secret skin care routine man. I need to look youthful in my old age." Jay said, secretly hopping the blacksmith will tell him his secret youth formula.
"He don't have a skincare routine. Trust me, I've been snooping his room every month and found nothing." Nya helped her brother answer her boyfriend's question. "You've been snooping into my room?!" Kai shouted in outrage.
"Oh don't be stingy, I just want to borrow your shirt or maybe your leather jacket." The water elemental master revealed honestly. "Is that why I keep finding my clothes one by one missing?" Kai asked. The past few months he kept finding his clothes slowly disappearing from his closet. "Maybeeeee?" Nya smirked like a mischievous cat.
"Still can't believe that Kai is older than us." Cole repeated in disbelief.
"And his youthful baby face is all natural. This is so unfair..." The blue ninja complained.
"If you don't mind me asking, I do have a question that's been on my mind for a long time now." Zane confessed.
"Go on." Kai gestured his hand for the nindroid to keep going. "I have noticed that you look neither like your parents. Are you perhaps adopted?" Zane asked and the whole room is silent. "Dude you can't just ask that." Cole scolded the ice ninja.
"Yeah, he could look like his grandparents. And we never saw a photo of his grandparents. There's a huge possibility they also have brown hair and amber eyes." Jay said not knowing if it's making things sound better or worse. Nya could only facepalm at her boyfriend's blabber mouth. "Woah... Calm down guys. Am I adopted or not? I don't know. Probably." Kai answered.
Nya on the other hand didn't like the red Ninja's answer. "Kai... we don't know that for sure." Nya frowned at her older brother.
"It's kinda obvious doesn't it? I don't look like anyone in our family and I am the only elemental master of fire in the family. That should give a a loud alarm that I am adopted." Kai stated not letting the water ninja a room for argument. Suddenly the lights in the room turned red and the alarm blared. Everyone run to the control room, "What's the problem?" Cole asked Master Wu as soon as they step a foot inside the room. "Yeah, who do we need to beat?" Jay said all hyped up for fighting.
"A couple of serpentine is stealing a piece of glowing rock that is collected from a fallen meteorite. We have no information what they'll use the rock for. I need you all to investigate and stop them." Their old mentor commanded.
"Easy peasy. This will be a piece of cake. We will be back before you know it, Master Wu. I mean what could happen?" The lightning ninja grinned.
"Don't jinx us Jay." The hazel eyes red ninja growled. Literally growling like a feral animal, not just some angry noises. The freckled boy have no idea how the red ninja even manage to make that growling sound, and it makes Jay a lil bit nervous out of fear.
"We will do as you said Master Wu." Zane reassured. The five ninja put on their mask and run out of the monastery before summoning their elemental dragon. "Race you to the finish line. Loser pay for pizza!!" Cole announced before he and his dragon Rocky, fly full speed ahead. The others quickly chased the earth ninja.
The ninjas arrived to the desert where the serpentines gathered, all of them surrounded what it seems like a protective box glass that is protecting a glowing blue stone. The last one to arrive is Jay, meaning he is the loser who will have to buy pizza after stopping the serpentine. Hopping down from their dragon, Kai was the first one to take the lead "It's seems like you're busted." Kai smirked as he descend from his flaming dragon.
"Really? Busted? You need to work on your catchphrase Kai. We are not in some lame cop movie, so don't use the word busted." Cole cringed, the earth ninja should have known that the fire ninja always came up with lame introduction line. "Oh yeah? Can you think of a better catchphrase than that?" The red ninja challenged.
"Yeah, like... Get ready to get smoked." Cole proudly demonstrated with a pose that really screams Kai's vibe.
"Enough with the chit chat boys. There's bad guys here that we need to stop." The water ninja reminded.
Fighting serpentines was almost a regular routine for them. But there's one serpentine that caught his attention. A blue scales serpentine who wore a cloak. Kai quickly strike the suspicious serpentine with his sword. But the serpentine is quick on their tail and slither away before whipped their tail to smack the red Ninja's body to the ground. "Why... If it isn't the famed red ninja?" The mysterious serpentine hissed in a hint of delight. "Yeah, do you want an autograph or something?" The fire ninja cockily said with a daring smirk.
Kai gets up from the ground and was about to strike again but the tail of the serpentine quickly bind his body still. The fire elemental master struggled but couldn't get free from the grip of the cloaked serpentine. Kai also noticed that the others are busy fighting the small rank serpentine to even notice that he is currently in a hostage grip of the cloaked serpentine. "No quite the opposite really. I wonder why you are fighting against us the serpentine."
"Well, duh... You're the bad guys. Someone need to teach you cunning snakes a lesson." The red ninja said trying to stall the time.
"But you're one of us. You're not one of them." The cloaked serpentine hissed.
"Are you blind? I am not a serpentine." Kai raised one of his eyebrows as he stared at the cloaked serpentine. He couldn't see the serpentine's face due to the shadow of the hooded cloak. "You aren't a human either." The serpentine said. "What? You're crazy." Kai said although his heart is starting to race from anxiety.
'Calm down... He's trying to manipulate you.' Kai chanted in his mind as he tried to calm his racing heart.
The cloaked serpentine laughed, "Are you playing dumb? Or you haven't realized it until now?" The fire ninja stay silent, not knowing what to say. "Let me tell you a fact, master of fire. You, aren't a human." The serpentine stated. It was neither a question or a suggestion. The serpentine said it as if it's the decree of the sky and heaven.
"If I am not a human, then what am I?" Kai asked with lingering curiousity of what possible bull shit the serpentine could come up with. "You're a demon. A powerful demon." The serpentine answered.
"You're lying." Kai stubbornly pushed down his doubt as he glared at the cloaked serpentine.
"Then tell me, do you ever have the tendency to claw or bite someone instead of using your weapon when you fight?" The serpentine asked and the truthful answer is yes. The fire ninja does have the instinct that keep telling him to claw or bite his enemy instead of striking them with his sword. "Do you growl or hiss when you're angry out of instinct?" The serpentine asked the next question. He did, he growled at Jay earlier. And it wasn't his first time growling at someone. He remembers that he used to growl at his parents all of the time when he is younger.
The serpentine have an annoying smirk that reminds Kai of Phytor's smirk, the anger building up in the red Ninja's chest make him instinctly and accidentally let out a growl. The cloaked serpentine hissed in joy. "You, my child is a demon. And deep down you also know it. There's no need to deny it. We all are the same." The serpentine said
"I am not a demon. And we are not the same." Kai denied. "Deny it all you want, but you can't escape from what you are " the serpentine warningly hissed.
"Kai?! They got Kai!!" Nya shouted from afar when she saw her older brother is being held hostage by a cloaked serpentine. The water ninja quickly send a large splash of water to the surrounding serpentine to create a large distance, enough for her to run to rescue the brown haired ninja.
Cole quickly slammed his Sytch to the ground creating a large hole, trapping the serpentine he was fighting with and quickly followed Nya. The ice and lightning ninja quickly followed along after they defeated their own enemies.
"Let go of my brother before I drown you to the bottom of the ocean!!" The water ninja growled, channeling her inner 5 AM coffee deprived Kai. Her growl is an imitation of the red Ninja's growl, it is still quite terrifying although not as intimidating as Kai's growl. "Yeah hand over that baby face ninja or you'll regret it!!" Jay threatened.
"You still haven't moved on with that topic yet?" Cole frowned at Jay under his mask.
"Hey I am still amazed by today's fact, okay?" The lightning ninja tried to defend himself.
"We should focus on saving Kai." Zane reminded the two ninja.
The cloaked serpentine hissed a laugh "Or what?".
Jay took out something from his pocket to reveal a glowing blue stone that is out of the previous box glass that shield it. "Or we will break this stone! I've been watching the whole fight. And all you serpentines are afraid to even lay a scratch on the glass box. I don't know what it does but I know it's valuable!!" Jay said with his victory smile.
"You fool, if you destroy that stone, you will waste it's true potential." The cloaked serpentine said.
"Ha, I knew it. Now release our fiery friend." Jay commanded.
The blue scaled serpentine slowly place his tail down but did not loosen his grip on Kai. The snake demon quickly rotate and whip his tail flinging the sands under him to the opposing team. Temporarily blinding the rest of the ninja. "Ahhh my eyes!!" The blue ninja quickly dropped the stone to wipe the sand out of his eyes, Cole hissed, Nya cursed, and Zane try to quickly wipe away the sands from his lenses. All of the defeated serpentine stood up and quickly surrounded the four ninja.
The blue scaled serpentine quickly slither closer to the ninjas and take the stone before slithering away to his group of serpentines. Kai felt anger rushing, flame emerged from his hands. The red ninja gripped the tail that bounded him with a plan to burn the scales of the cloaked serpentine into releasing him. The dark blue scales quickly turn orange under the heat of flame. But the grin of the mysterious snake demon make the red ninja's gut clenched in fear.
"Struggle all you want red ninja... I am fire resistance." The serpentine revealed as he slithered to the group.
"It looks like the victory is ours!!" The cloaked serpentine said before removing his hood. "Mark this day as your downfall ninjas. Today, I, Ignis have succeed to do what our ancestors have longed to accomplish." Ignis the blue scaled serpentine with now orangish tail due to the heat took his time to do his villain speech.
"What could a glowy stone do to conquer the world? And even if you and your snake friends manage to conquer the world there will be other people that will stop you." The red ninja mocked.
Ignis showed the glowing blue stone closer to the fire Ninja's face to get a closer look of the stone. "This isn't an ordinary stone. This is a wishing stone. It could give you everything your heart desire... But it only have one time usage. And we will use it for our benefit." The serpentine said.
"Do what we can just snatch that stone from you and wish it destroyed." The earth ninja said.
Ignis smirked "And risking your friend's life?" as he tightened the grip on the red ninja. The pressure alone make it hard for Kai to breath.
"Don't worry the moment we, serpentines rule the land above. We will give you all quick death and be honored as our victory dinner. And we will add one more special bonus by having your name written in our history scroll." The serpentine named Ignis said with a laugh that could out rival Phytor's.
The thought of Ignis killing his friends and ruling the world make Kai overwhelmed with rage to the point that he didn't realize that his tip of his brown hair turning black before transitioning into a bright red with orangish hue. His brown hair turn into fire completely while his eyes have yellow sparks. The fire on the red ninja's hand grow brighter and hotter. Ignis shrieked the moment there's a painful boiling sensation on his scales, the serpentine quickly look at his tail to see the scales melting from where the red ninja gripped his tail. Ignis quickly loosen his grip on Kai and flung him away.
Kai who still have unfinished hatred with Ignis did not back down instead he charged on the serpentine while throwing fire ball at the serpentine and the small serpentines that try to block him from hurting Ignis.
From a far, Jay slowly moving closer to his water ninja girlfriend. "Uhh... Is it normal for Kai's hair to turn into fire?" The lighting ninja asked the water ninja for an answer.
"Must be new power because I never seen Kai's hair does that." Nya shrugged.
"Shouldn't we help him?" Cole asked while watching the red ninja giving second degree burn on Ignis and the other serpentine's with his flame. "Nah, Kai got this." Nya said stopping the earth ninja from stepping in.
"The fire is spreading in a rapid speed." Zane pointed out the fire that quickly spread and surounded all of them in a sea made of fire. Nya sighed, "Guys, help me put out this fire. Will ya?".
The water ninja splashed large amount of water over the fire. But the fire didn't die. The water only evaporated from the heat. The result is the same for Zane's ice. Cole and Jay also didn't manage to kill the spreading fire. "It's a inextinguishable fire!! How do we even get rid of an inextinguishable fire?!" Jay panicked.
"Kai!! Get rid of the fire!! Our powers can't extinguish it." Zane shouted at the red ninja.
Kai who is strangling Ignis stopped and saw the chaos he created. The red ninja couldn't completely control his power. He can let it out but not reverse it. So if his friends couldn't kill the fire. They're as good as dead while Kai isn't effected by the scorching heat of the wild fire.
"We will die together!" Ignis laughed. "If no one can extinguish the fire wouldn't that mean, you are killing everything that lives above the surface? How cruel unlike the hero I heard of." The serpentine mocked.
The fire grow hotter as the red Ninja's anxiety take over his mind. "Don't listen to him, Kai!! Your power is connected with your emotion!! So stay calm!!" The water ninja shouted from afar. The problem is the fire ninja couldn't calm down his racing heart, his mind is clouded with the instinct to survive. So the moment he saw the glowing wishing stone on the ground he took it. Ignis stare at him in panic, "Don't use a useless wish on it. You'll waste it's true potential!! Don't you dare use a useless wish on it. We could die together, less serpentine in the world... That's what you lot want anyway right?" Ignis shouted.
"I wish..." Kai started his amber eyes glowed gold.
"No, you fool!! You're ruining a perfect wishing stone!!" The serpentine shouted in rage even though his neck is still in the grip of the fire ninja.
"I wish for us to survive in a safe place." The fire ninja prayed for it to work. And in the next second he felt the world around him morphed, and his body teleported to another place before falling down. "Argh!! Kai, get your ass off me!!" Jay shouted. "Sorry!" Kai said in reflex.
Kai, Jay, Cole, Nya and Zane stand up and took off their hood. They're in a hallway decorated with purple and gold carpet. There's a lot of giant weapon hanging on the wall, and a bull knight armor on the hall. "Where the hell are we? And why are your eyes gold?" The water ninja asked.
Kai took out his katana to stare at the reflection of his eyes from the metal. Staring back at him is a pair of bright gold eyes. "Must be my power's side effect." Kai shrugged.
"Looks like some kind of rich people castle that is obsessed with bulls." Jay joked.
"Judging the weapons on the wall, I assume this isn't a safe place to trespass." Zane warned.
"It's not like we are willingly trespassing. We literally get tossed into an unknown place by a wishing stone." Cole added.
"Let's just get out of here before anyone find us." The lightning ninja suggested but before they could even blend with the shadow, a few bull clones lead by General Ironclad emerged from the sliding metal door. "Sir, we are soo glad to finally found you." An identical bull clone said behind the leading general Ironclad. "We must hurry before he blow up." The bull clones quickly ushered Kai and the ninjas to follow them.
"I think they mistaken Kai for someone else." Zane muttered for only the five of them hear.
"Just play along Kai, after that we will quickly find a way out." Cole suggested.
While walking down the hallway there's a few portrait hanging on the wall. "Look, I think we are in a demon royalty home." Jay whispered as he signaling the others to look at a portrait of a red haired man standing between a beautiful woman dressed in red and a tall bull demon. "We are screwed, they will eat us." Jay whispered.
"Stay calm Jay." Cole frowned.
Nya gasped when she saw a portrait of someone that look exactly like Kai but with gold eyes, the same shade as Kai's current eyes. And the one in the portrait don't have a scar and dressed differently from Kai. The giant double door is pushed open, to reveal a dining hall. What greeted them is what makes the ninjas nervous.
Red Son sit impatiently on his seat, waiting for his partner to arrive. The guest already arrived and MK is no where to be seen. "Even until now, MK can't be on time." The pig demon grumbled. This pig demon is Pigsy, his father in law, one of MK's father. "How long will we wait before we can eat?" The short tempered giant bull demon asked.
"Just a little longer father, he should be arrive soon." The red haired demon said.
The double door opened revealing MK in a red ninja costume along with four others. "Who's your new friend, MK?" The dragon girl grinned.
"MK, you're late. And you should have told me that you are bringing more guest." Red Son's eye twitched.
So it seems like the strangers mistaken Kai for MK, probably the brown haired man in the portrait earlier. Kai only nervously smiled fearing that if he said something, the group of what look likes demons would recognise his voice is in fact not belong to their dear friend, MK. They have entered the tiger's den....