Emeralds and Roses

Some Secrets Are Best Kept Secret

Kai was in his suite pulling poses infront of the mirror when he noticed the clock behind him strike midnight in his reflection. He ran out onto the balcony and just like clockwork there the guards were doing their rotation.
Looking up he signaled Cole and Lloyd to land on the Bannister and hastily make their way inside, silent as if they were never there.
It was Jays turn next but before he could jump down Skylor Kai's neighbor and present crush walked out the two doors beside him.

Jay landed on the Bannister like his two friends had done before him but Kai was quick to push him off so that Skylor wouldn't see. The noise Jay made got her attention and she looked in their direction "what was that you said?" she asked while Kai stumbled to come up with some sort of excuse
"oh uhhhh-um- I said- OHHH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL night" he chuckled nervously praying to whatever God was listening that she wouldnt question further.
"what do you think happened to Karloff?" she asked curiosly
"I feel horrible if I had known what would happen-"
"ah you did what you had to do to stay in the tournament" she reassured interrupting him in the process. "Im sorry if I was cold to you earlier... Maybe its good to have friends here"
Jay was barely hanging on and his patience was wearing thin and Kai wasnt helping the situation.
"you had asked about my power" she said again and Kai looked back up frantically to seem unsupicious
"uh yeah woah its so cold out better call it a night" he rushed and disappeared back into his room.
He didnt want to but he had to cut it short so that she would leave and he could help Jay.

Skylor shrugged and went back into her room. Not even a second later Kai came back out and helped heave Jay onto the balcony and they both disappeared into the room. "you just had to leave me hanging huh romeo" Jay complained and when they made it inside they found Lloyd and Cole lounging about on the sofa's in Kai's suite.
"woahhhh nice digs" Jay laughed walking up to the two which naturally triggered Cole's rant about how Kai's room was so much nicer than his and then began stuffing his mouth with the chocolate covered shell peas sitting on the coffee table in front of him.
Cole then proceeded to fling himself onto Kai's bed, "man my bed's made of rock".

While Cole made himself comfortable on Kai's bed the other three began planning how they were going to find Zane but Lloyd found his mind wandering.
The news of Y/N being Cole's sister had come as a shock to him, it was bad enough that Cole never bothered to tell him that he had any siblings Especially since she was an elemental master but the fact that the others knew but he didn't that stung.
"hey guys, can I ask a question?" his voice was firm, like he was sure of himself and what he was asking, but his face showed the opposite. He was trying to figure out the whirlwind that was his thoughts and he was having a hard time doing just that.

The others silence prompted him to keep talking so he did, "Cole why didnt you tell me you had a sister and how is it that everyone knows but me?" Lloyd didnt want to admit it but he couldn't understand why his team would keep such a secret from him
"oh haha you see its a long story but we actually met her-" Cole was the first to interrupt Jay, knowing that it was probably best he told the story rather than Jay.
"It happened when you were captured by Pythor and they were still searching for the fang blades"

A yong girl with long dark hair was sitting outside of her fathers home playing with two wooden dolls.
She led a simple life, being only 10 years old she'd spent the last 6 months waiting patiently for her brothers return from the Oppenheimer school of performing arts.
Her father was exceedingly proud of his oldest son, somewhat disregarding his daughter in the process. Cole was continuing the family legacy of oneday becoming the next leader of the royal blacksmiths.
His letters arriving from Ninjago city were always her favorite event of the week, each time there would be two, one for her father and one for her.
He'd tell her all about his classes, the friends he made and how they were forming their own quartet, even sending photos of them all together on occasion but he never
visited.
A cherry blossom leaf brushed her nose as it gracefully swooped to the ground, how was it that something as simple as a leaf could have the one thing she wanted more than anything in the world
Grace
If she had grace or even balance for that matter maybe she would finally excel in the ballet lessons her dad had been pushing her into since she could remember
With grace she would stand a fighting chance at hopefully one day winning her fathers love but that was a distant dream that she would not see become a reality for very long
The leaf and sound of footsteps not far away is what made her finally look up. The little girl recognized that mop of raven hair and tall build from even a mile away.
It was Cole

He finally came home. Jumping to her feet she raced towards him screaming his name
"your home" she sighed as she tackled him into a hug
"god Y/N your getting so big" he laughed "I missed you" she squeezed him tight not wanting to let go in fear he might disappear again
"heh I missed you too lil sis"

On their walk back to their fathers small home that also doubled as a dance studio where he now coached young dancers and performers Cole introduced her to his friends
Zane
Kai
And Jay
She was partial to Kai, he told her that he also had a younger sister he was sure would adore her.

The time their little group spent with Cole's family was like a dream to Y/N. She had forgotten how amazing it was having her older brother home and even asked to help in their performance when she learned that they would be performing in the same competition her dad always did.

But then tragedy struck.

During one of the rehearsals she overheard a heated conversation between her brother and his friends
"we get the trophy and we get out of here, if I have to spend another moment here I might just go crazy"
Her brothers words shattered her beyond repair and all she can remember after that was that she ran, she ran and she hid.

Y/N missed the performance, she missed Cole saving their dad and she missed her brother revealing that he was a ninja and never went to the marty Oppenheimer school of performing arts.

"so yeah thats what happened" Cole sighed and Lloyd looked horrified. "gosh I never knew..." his eyes trained on the ground they were interrupted by Kai asking if they could get back to the current issue at hand.
"we travel by shadow, cover every square inch of this place until we find him."
Kai was right, they had to focus on Zane before anything bad happened.
"the island's big we'll need to split up"
"no we stick together-"

Their little argument was very suddenly cut short by Cole his voice panicked when he tried to call their attention
"COLE I GET IT YOU LIKE MY BED BUT WILL YOU STOP PLAYING AROUND WE NEED TO FIND ZANE"
Kai's fuse was cutting short, he didn't like that their team was split up. It felt empty without Zane and now that they had a chance to find him he couldn't believe how Cole wasnt taking this even the slightest bit serious.
"I think I know how we can search the island" Cole said smug that he had dound a way even though Kai had somewhat lost his temper on him

And thats how all four of them ended up lying next to each other on Kai's bed, awkwardly. Kai looking the most uncomfortable of all. "okay I feel ridiculous" Lloyd was the first to point it out but Cole was persistent. "I must've done something to trigger it. I was laying here then I stretched-" as Cole pushed his head up the cushion pushed a button hidden against the wall and the bed spun. Next thing they knew the four ninja were hanging from. The ceiling holding desperately onto Kai's bedding so that they didn't fall.

" ahahah secret passageway COOL!"