Into the Depths... AU Ninjago FanFiction

Chapter 10

This time, I woke up in my bedroom back at the monastery. I got up and walked into the training grounds to find the others had already started. "Hi guys!" I said as they looked at me, but when they did, they were disgusted.

"What do you want, you freak?" Lloyd demanded looking absolutely appalled.

"I thought you guys would be happy to see me?" My dream-self said hesitantly stepping away from them.

"Why would we, Kai? You abandoned us in that underwater prison!" Cole snapped at me.

"What? You're not making any sense!" I said, but everything started spinning as they're voices got louder. The ground opened up and swallowed me whole, my "friends" yelling names as I heard Maya saying "Humans destroy what they don't understand" as I fell into oblivion.

My eyes snapped open as I gasped. My breathing increased drastically, sitting up immediately. My friends wouldn't do that. They care about me and accept me for who I am, right? I tried to reassure myself, but it felt so real it was insane! My heart felt like it was going to explode from how fast it was beating. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm my nerves.

I threw the quilt off and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I looked over at the clock on the bedside table, it was only 07:26 in the morning. My mind was clouded as it replayed the dream again and again. What did they mean when they said I abandoned them? I'd never do that! Who in their right mind would abandon their friends? I thought to myself.

Then I twigged. Nya gave me that necklace. I can escape. . . I thought but was instantly reminded that if I left now, I'd never get my answers. I couldn't leave without knowing why I don't remember my parents. I pulled my gear out from under the bed and changed quickly as there was a knock at the door. "Coming." I said as I walked over to the door. I opened it quickly to find that Nya was waiting outside.

"Hi, Kai." She greeted me warmly.

"Hello, Nya." I sounded a little shaky from that vivid dream.

"May I come in?" She asked.

"You don't have to ask me y'know. This is your home after all." I pointed out as I got out of the way for her to come in.

She smiled as she shifted into her human form and stepped inside. Today she wore: a blue t-shirt with starfish on it; deep blue trousers with a stormy wave pattern up her left trouser leg; boots that had different shades of green with a gold lining around the sole with matching zippers and laces.

"Are you coming down for breakfast with me and mother?" Nya asked politely. I thought back to how I reacted at dinner yesterday, thinking that I'd be the last person she'd want to see.

"I dunno..." I responded shrugging my shoulders. "I thought she was still upset about me storming off yesterday."

"No. She expected that you'd react like you did when she told you that she was our mother." Nya explained.

"Really?" I asked surprised that the queen wasn't annoyed with me. Nya nodded.

"Alright." I agreed. "I'll try again with the queen."

Nya smiled. "I'll let Her Highness know to expect you today." She said giving a mock bow to me, that made me laugh. I hadn't laughed like I did since I was taken here. We walked out of the bedroom, switching to mermaid/merman form, and swam towards the dining room.

I took a deep breath before swimming in the actual dining room area and sat at the table for the second time in 48 hours.

                       Back in the Monastery. . .

Everyone had a restless sleep last night, especially Cole who had a really weird dream that night. It was so horrid that he couldn't think about it without a chill running up his spine.

He woke up in this prison cell, with mer-guards keeping watch. He looked behind him and found the others looking like they'd accepted defeat and had quit. All except for him and Zane. "What happened?" his dream-self asked everyone.

"What do you think, Cole?" Jay snapped at him, "Kai trapped us in this underwater prison!"

Cole shook his head in disbelief. "No. Kai would never do that!"

"Yeah, we thought the same." Lloyd said leaning against the bars next to him.

"Zane, what the heck is going on?" Cole asked, glancing nervously at Jay and Lloyd. The two of them looking like they were going to tear him to shreds.

"We searched for Kai but we got captured. About ten minutes later, guards came by dragging Jay and Lloyd out. When they came back they acted like a totally different person." Zane informed him, pointing to Lloyd and Jay as examples. 

"Leave me alone with the prisoners!" Someone demanded to the guard. He bowed before swimming away. Cole turned around to find that a woman with a golden crown with a sapphire in the centre, stood outside the cell.

"If you think you're going to turn me against my friends, then you've got another thing coming!" He reached through the bars to grab this mer-person by the collar as they started to glow a bright red. Once the glare had stopped, Cole found himself holding Kai by the collar of his shirt.

"What?" Cole stuttered as he let go immediately.

"Having this does have it's perks." Kai said as he showed Cole and Zane the necklace that Nya had given him.

"I knew you'd never trap us here." Cole laughed as Kai opened the cell door. Cole immediately pulling his friend into a hug.

"We have to get you guys out of here." Kai said urgently, pulling out of Cole's embrace.

"You're not going anywhere, TRAITOR!!!" The real queen screamed as she shoved Kai inside. "Here, have a new perspective on things." She said as she waved her hand with a twist on the end. Vapour came out of her hands and engulfed Kai as well as locking the cell door, trapping all five of them.

"What did you do to him?!" Cole demanded slamming his fists into the cell.

"I just made him see things the way your other friends see them." She said with a cruel laugh echoed as Cole's friends surrounded him and Zane. Jay and Lloyd started ripping out wires from Zane's titanium alloy. Kai just grinned wickedly at Cole as he drew his katana and lunged at him, running Cole through. Everything faded to nothingness as pain shot through his chest.

"GAH!!!" Cole sat up, gripping the side of the bed instantly. He tried to control his breathing, "What the hell?" He mumbled. He got changed and immediately went to check on the others. They had already started to finish the submarine. I think Zane jinxed me. Lucky for him, nindroids don't usually have nightmares. I thought to myself as Jay waved hello.

"Hey, Cole." Jay said with a smile.

"Hi guys." Cole responded still sounding very shaky. Putting that feeling of dread behind him, he walked over and started to help with the submarine. The four ninja worked tirelessly for hours on end. One thought and one thought alone motivating them to work faster: Kai needs them. After several test runs and doing a thorough diagnostic scan from Zane, the sub seemed seaworthy. By about midday, they'd finished the sub and tested some of its features once they were inside and it was in the ocean.

"Let's test the camouflage mode." Lloyd suggested as Zane hit the glowing green button. Soon the whole ship was hidden from view from ocean-life. They cheered in success.

"Now, who's ready to get our friend back?" Zane asked rhetorically as he started the engine and piloted the submarine to Kai's location. Although Cole kept thinking about that stupid dream. What if all that was waiting for us  there? What if it wasn't just a dream?