Chapter Text
The ninja were all sitting on the floor, comforted by cushions in the living room, crowding a low coffee table with a tabletop game.
Jay cleared his throat and raised his hand dramatically above his head. "Okay, my amazing team!" He lowered his hands and started to shake them. "Witness the ultimate master make his best move yet!" He shook the dice in his palms.
"Hun." Jay paused to look at Nya, tilting his head, "You've been hyping this move for five minutes and have not made it. Please! Just roll the dice."
Jay snickered as he continued to shake the dice in his hands, "Ah, ah, ah. Patience." Nya rolled her eyes to Jay's foolishness. He stretched his arms around and finally had rolled his dice. Watching as it bounced on the board. Before he could hype up the high number. The lights had begun to flicker. Disrupting all of the ninja. Jay was about to shrug it off, until suddenly. Everything darkened. No one could see a thing. "Oh, come on!" Jay whined.
Nya sighed of relief, "Does that mean we can stop playing?"
"No way!" Kai argued, flicking his fingers. Igniting a spark. A glow luminating over the table. "There, problem solved!"
Jay chuckled, "Heh, that's cute." Jay stood up from the floor and stretched. "But the master of lightning is here!" Jay walked over to the circuit box, crackling sparks of electricity from his fingertips.
"Wait!" Zane shouted, but it was too late. Jay already put the electricity back on. An instant pout from Kai as he made the flame from his palm vanish.
"Boom! Power restored!" He turns back to the table, he walks back to sit down. He heard a scoff from Kai.
"You get all the glory, but my fire was way more efficient."
"Hah!" Kai dropped his shoulders to Jay's immediate laughter. "I powered the whole monastery. You gave us two feet of light."
"Guys!" Everyone silenced when Lloyd spoke up, "Stop arguing. This game has gone on for hours! Can we just play it." They all nodded to Lloyd's request. Jay looks back at his dice and realised the numbers have changed to something muched lower. He dropped his jaw, not believing his eyes. Until he heard a few snickers exiting Cole's mouth.
"You-" Jay was about raise his voice at his raven-haired best friend. But got cut off to the lights flickering once again. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Maybe you didn't fix it." His girlfriend commented.
"No, I fixed it!" As Jay argued, the lights completely turned off again. Jay groaned and laid down on the ground. He sighed to himself and stood back up. "I'll fix it again, don't worry." Jay was walking back over to the circuit.
"Jay! I suggest that we should investigate the cause of the black-outs. Maybe you should stop relying on your-" Zane tried to convince before Jay made anymore idiotic choices.
But a jolt of electricity was sent into the box. "See? It's nothing." Jay gave a wide confident smirk. Until the power shut off again.
Nya stood up and patted her hands, "Okay, enough games. There's something going on." Jay sighed to the idea of something happening once again.
"It's alright. It shouldn't be that bad. Hopefully. Nya, Jay. You try and work on the circuit. Me and Zane will go check the power lines. Cole, Kai. Uh...clean up the game. Use your fire to help the others see, Kai." Everyone nodded to Lloyd's orders. Everyone separated to investigate the culprit of the power outages.
Cole was packing up everyone's characters and the board as Kai ignited his fire for Cole to see before him.
As Kai was picking up all of the dice with his other hand, suddenly. The faint warmth in his hands wasn't entirely there. His hands were beginning to feel cold.
"Are you okay?" Kai's eyes drifted towards Cole, not expecting the sudden question. "I need you to be my flashlight, fireboy." Kai glanced over to his hand that was previously lit up but the fire was no longer there.
"Right! Sorry!" He flicked his wrist and his flame had returned. He sighed of relief, thinking something may have happened to his power. He felt uneasy, like his soul was being sucked out of him.
-
Jay and Nya exited the monastery and had entered the training grounds. Jay sighing of frustration. Nya quickly perked up as she saw Lloyd and Zane walk up the stairs.
"Lloyd! Zane!" Nya welcomed, "How did the search go?"
"Not as pleasant as I would have wanted it to go." Lloyd commented, brushing his hair back with his fingers.
"I thought it was fine. Was not tiring at all. But we may have found the reason as to why the power keeps going out."
"Good!" Jay spoke, "The circuit box is fried! So tell me it isn't my powers that are screwing up and there's something else we could possibly blame?"
Everyone directed their gaze to the nindroid, expecting an answer. "Well, I'm not familiar with what it is. It's a distorted figure. Looks as it's someone shadow. But it's alive itself."
Lloyd stepped forward, "We saw it sucking the energy out of a car. I think it's just some type of...energy stealing creature?"
Cole and Kai exited the monastery, joining the other ninja. "A creature that steals energy?! Well, that's just perfect! It's got to be targeting us!"Jay complained.
"It probably thinks we have an unlimited power supply because someone keeps powering the monastery." Nya chimed in. Cole and Kai glanced at each other, feeling at unease about this new threat.
"Zane." Lloyd spoke, causing Zane to look over to the green ninja. "You said you can locate energy signals. Maybe you can find something that's similar to that creature we saw. Then we can go stop it once you find it." Zane nodded and rushed back into the monastery. "Jay, go join Zane. He might need your electricity." Jay sighed and quickly followed after Zane.
Kai raised his hand below him, staring at his palms that were new frozen cold. He clenched his fists, trying to feel a familiar warmth. But nothing. He didn't want to believe that the creature could steal powers as well. If so, why would it go after his? He couldn't have another situation like he did with Aspheera. He couldn't keep losing his fire. He was the fire ninja. He didn't want to re-learn his lesson, but what is he if not the fire ninja?
"Kai." Kai snapped out of his trance, to look up at his green-eyed brother. "You look out of it. You alright?"
Kai widely smirked, "Never better! Can't wait to beat this thing to a pulp!" The green ninja smiled to Kai's response.
Zane and Jay rushed back out, Zane frosting up his hands as Jay took out his nunchucks. The others looked at their unexpected reaction, confused as to why they were prepared to fight. But they joined, not wanting to risk any danger.
"It is here." Lloyd looked over to Zane as he announced the whereabouts of the creature.
The nindroid activated a vision of his, scanning the training grounds. Hoping to find where it may be hiding.
He felt a burden, hovering over one of the ninja. He quickly glanced over to Kai and saw it's presence nearby.
"Kai! Watch-" Zane attempted to warn his friend, but the figure had grabbed onto Kai with shadowed tendril.
Kai grunted, trying to escape it's grip. But it was becoming useless. Kai reached for his sword in his sheath and quickly sliced through the creature. Hope as it would work. But another useless move. Went straight through him.
"Is it a ghost?!" Jay asked, pondering on the strange abilities. "It can touch us, but we can't touch it. It has to be! Cole! You should know!" Cole felt offended by the comment.
"Guys!" Kai whined, trying to leave the shadow's hold. "A little help here?!" More tendrils took a hold of Kai. The feeling felt cold. Felt as frostbite was creeping beneath his skin. Shaking him to it's core.
But that wasn't the only thing that unnerving the fire ninja, or. The red ninja.
Kai's heat was quickly being drained out of his body. "Use your fire or something!" Nya shouted, Kai struggled to light a flame. It had flickered between his palms. But quickly vanished.
"No! Not again!" Kai yelped, but it would not let go of the ninja until it felt it was done. A faint grumbly laugh from the creature arose, giving Kai shivers in his back. But Kai couldn't feel as strong. His body feeling weak.
Kai slowly dozed off, and as the creature felt it was done. It swung Kai into a wall of the monastery. "Kai!" The ninja shouted as their friend was thrown around. Lloyd looked back at the figure but it quickly vanished.
-
Feels like deja vu. A flame inside me being sucked out of me. Once again. I've learnt the lesson. I'm more than my fire. I always was. I'm still a ninja. A ninja. How long have I been a ninja?
Too long. Am I supposed to be here? Why does it feel....empty. I feel out of place. Destiny pulled me years ago. But now I'm just dragging the title of the fire ninja. Or the red ninja. I've always been a ninja. Nothing else. Is that a bad thing? No. I save lives. But...
Kai gasped as he arose in his bed, coughing as he suddenly woke up. Waking up from what felt as a never-ending dream. He looked to his right, to find a tray of food, a glass of water, a candle and medicine. He smiled to the thought, knowing how much the others cared for him.
He spots a small card on the tray and picks it up.
Kai,
If you are reading this. I am glad you are awake. I've prepared a meal for you. Please eat and hydrate yourself. I left a candle for some warmth. Come get me when you are done.
Zane.
Kai smiled lightly as he read the note left by his titanium friend. He looked back at the food and noticed Zane had made waffles. Kai drooling to the sight. He sat up and grabbed the tray and utensils resting on top.
Whatever that dream was, what his thoughts were rambling in his mind. He chose to ignore it for now.