Destiny

The Search: Part 3

Amaya took the group to downtown Ninjago, where she saw Alex or what she thought was him, near a café and park. The buildings here were older, made of brick and closer together than Ninjago City. Despite being an older town it was pleasant, making you want to grab a drink from the café and sit on a bench in the park to enjoy the drink and scenery.

It was truly breathtaking, small hills rose here and there eventually rolling into dark mountains in the distance. The trees bending over the brick paths were leafless and had a breath of frost adorning their branches. The evening sun sparkled through the dripping icicles.

A gentle wind bit at their cold noses, fingers, and cheeks. Raelyn pulled her coat tighter around her. "Where exactly was he?" She asked Amaya.

"He was walking down that path," Amaya answered pointing at the sidewalk opposite the café. "I saw him when I came out of the café, they have the best hot cocoa by the way."

"We should search all around here, see if we can find a clue," Taylor said. "Rae, Nat, you two take the sidewalk here near the café. Cassie, Amaya, and I will take the other side." He started walking to the other side with Cassie and Amaya in tow.

Raelyn slowly headed up the street, making sure she took in every detail. She first read the sign above the café, 'Koji Café,' she knew the name Koji meant To Light the Way. Coincidence? Aoi would have told her it was destiny. Natalie on the other hand would have said it meant nothing, so she didn't bother to say anything to her.

The next thing she noticed was how Natalie poked her head into each ally, probably expecting to find a body. Raelyn just couldn't bring herself to do the same, so she checked the street side of things while Nat checked the dark narrow alleys.

They continued in silence for a moment until Natalie spoke up.

"Hey, I found something," she said softly after entering an alley.

Raelyn's heart sped up. She didn't know if she was mentally prepared for what she might see next. She held her breath and stepped toward Nat, who laid a hand on her shoulder before turning to what she had found. Tears threatened at Rae's eyes as she looked past Nat.

There on the ground was a black piece of leather and next to it was a small wooden square attached to a length of black string. Raelyn picked both of them up and took a good look at them.

"He was here," She said quietly. Of course she didn't have to look twice at the necklace to know it was his. She recognized it right away, there was the word hope written in Japanese. Besides that, it had a more emotional meaning to her. She pulled the necklace over her head and put the piece of leather in her pocket then glanced at Nat.

"Yeah," Nat said. "And he wasn't alone." She began looking at every inch of the alley. "He met someone, someone he wasn't expecting. Then he was attacked by another guy and captured." She looked up at Rae. "If I'm right, he should still be alive."

"I hope so," Raelyn said. "There are still so many unanswered questions. Who did he meet? Why did they take him? Where is he now?"

"I can't answer that, but maybe they can." Natalie gestured upward toward the roof. Three ninjas dressed in black crouched on the roof, watching their every move. Nat swiftly reached over her shoulder and pulled out her concealed katana. The ninjas sprang off the roof and landed in front of her. "Go get backup!" She yelled at Raelyn.