The Reign of the Oni

Chapter Three - In Which the Ninja Have a Date

Cole's POV:

I placed my hand on the doorknob and opened the door, expecting to be greeted by my dad and the rest of the Royal Blacksmiths. Instead, I was face to face with a familiar girl with golden hair. Her face was still painted white, but she wore a simple dress and didn't have her crown. It was odd to see the Queen of Shintaro in such a casual setting. 

"Queen Vania?" I asked, my face twisting in surprise. 

She smiled. "Please, just Vania."

Wu shut the door behind her and smiled. Before Vania could explain why she was there, Wu ushered us all into the game room. Misako brought in a tray of tea and set it down on the table. She looked between Vania and I and winked. I blushed and turned away. For the most part, we all loved how Misako treated us just like she would Lloyd. She was the mother the rest of us never had. But I guess that has its pros and its cons.

"So," I said, glancing back at Vania. "What brings you to the Monastery?"

"I'm actually here to meet with your new Emperor and Empress," she answered. She picked up a teacup from the table and sat back in her seat. "My father had an alliance with the former rulers of Ninjago, and now that they have been replaced, I have come to assure that we wish to maintain that alliance." She set down her cup, her face suddenly filled with panic. "I'm sorry if that was impertinent. I have every respect for the former Emperor and Empress. Their loss was felt deeply in my kingdom." 

I looked over at Lloyd. His head was down and his hands were in his lap. He looked upset. It didn't make sense why he was always being cheated out of happiness. If you were to ask me who in the group deserved their happy ending, it would be Lloyd. Everytime things started to look up for him, someone had to drag him through the mud. I would never understand why the rest of us got to be happy and he got his dad resurrected from the dead. 

"We should celebrate!" Jay said. "It's not every day we get to hang out with a Queen. We should do something."

"What about Chen's Noodle House?" Kai suggested. "We could invite Skylor."

Nya shook her head. "If we invite Skylor, we're not going to Chen's Noodle House. It won't be relaxing if she's at work."

"Is that okay?" I asked Vania. I didn't want her to be pressured into hanging out with us. 

She smiled. "I would love it."

***

I stood in the basement next to my bike and brushed my hair back, trying to keep it out of my eyes. Kai, Zane, Jay, and Lloyd were all right behind me, but the girls had yet to walk out of the elevator. We hadn't seen them since they abducted Skylor and locked her away in Nya's room. It wasn't like we were going anywhere fancy. I hadn't thought that a diner would require much preparation. Then again, what did I know about girls? 

The doors to the elevator opened and the four girls walked out. My breath hitched when I saw Vania. For the first time, her face was no longer painted in white. Her face was covered in freckles, and her golden hair toppled over her shoulders. She wore one of Nya's gray halter shirts and a black skirt. I was surprised when she walked all the way across the room in four inch heels. 

"How do I look?" she asked.

"You look . . . amazing."

I could hear the rest of the Ninja laughing behind me. I glared at them. Bowing, I gestured my hand towards my bike. Vania smiled and walked over to it. I helped her onto the back before getting on myself. I handed her my helmet.

"What about you?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I'll be fine." 

I revved the engine and waited for Pixal to open the secret door. It led out onto a dark, rainy sky. I regreted not keeping an extra helmet as I drove out onto the dirt road. Once I started to pick up speed, Vania wrapped her arms around my back and closed her eyes. I laughed, sure she had never experienced anything like a bike ride before.

"I don't like this at all."

"You fly," I argued. 

"That's different!" she screeched, squeezing tighter. 

I couldn't help laughing. I hadn't realized how much I had missed her. That time in Shintaro had been amazing; despite the Awakened Warriors trying to kill us. But now that she was Queen, she couldn't just come and visit whenever she wanted, and the same went for me. Sure, things seemed down at the moment, but Sensie Wu had told us over and over that we have to stay vigilant. I shook my head, deciding to just enjoy tonight. Vania was here, and that was all that mattered. 

When I pulled up to the diner and killed the engine, she finally opened her eyes. I jumped off the bike and held out my hand to help her down. Once she was off the bike, we both looked down at our entwined hands.

"There you are!" Jay called. "We thought you would never show up."

I jumped and pulled my hand away, my face turning red. Jay grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me into the building. Once inside, we saw Skylor. She was already sitting down at a table. Next to her was a girl with brown hair pulled into braids and glasses resting on her nose. I didn't recognise her, and I turned to Jay, raising my eyebrows in confusion. He shrugged and shook his head.

Skylor got out of her seat and walked over to Lloyd. "This is my friend Kenzie," she explained. "I thought you two could hang out?"

Lloyd faltered. He looked back at Kenzie, sitting in the booth and looking out the window. "Sure?" he answered.

Skylor clapped her hands together. "Great! I'm sure you'll like her." 

Lloyd smiled, but it was an uneasy smile. I doubted he was looking forward to offering the girl company. But never in a million years would he have told Skylor no. In all honesty, I think Skylor intimidated him. I couldn't blame him. Skylor would have to be at least a bit off to like Kai. 

Our group of ten squeezed into a booth with a table shoved at the end of it. I was next to Lloyd and Zane, sitting across from Vania. Lloyd sank low in his seat as Kenzie droned on and on. The waitress pressed her lips into a tight smile when she saw how many of us there were. She struggled to keep track as we kept asking her questions and changing our minds. She asked Pixal what she would like, but Pixal shook her head. 

"I am incapable of eating," she explained.

"Forgive me if this is rude," Vania said, "but if you can't eat, how can Zane?"

Zane paused. "I . . . I don't know."

Kai laughed. "I think you may have just created an existential crisis for Zane."

Vania blushed in embarrassment, her cheeks warming with pink. The white paint always covering her face really just covered up all the things that made her so beautiful. I straightened, glancing around the table. It was a good thing no one here could read minds. 

Our group talked late into the night. It was a twenty-four hour diner, so once the food was gone, we ordered milkshakes and kicked back. We could tell the workers weren't pleased, but they didn't make any attempts to kick us out. We stayed at the diner until one in the morning. I offered to drive Vania to the hotel she was staying at, so by the time I got back to the Monastery, everyone was already asleep. I creeped into the bathroom and changed into pajamas before climbing into bed. As I lay awake, my mind replayed all the best parts of the night. And when I finally fell asleep, my dreams featured a girl with golden hair.