Novaturience of a Ninja

Prologue

Kai trudged across the deck of the bounty, steps like molasses. For a fire ninja, he had certainly lost his spark. Even the classic spiky hair atop his head drooped.

"Anyone seen my sword?" His voice scratched, but whether from the crying or the more recent lack of use of his it, he couldn't be sure.

Nya glanced up, wearing an expression nearly as glum as her brother.

"No, I haven't, sorry."

The once fierce, loud, and somewhat competitive siblings had grown drastically quieter since losing Wu. Guilt was powerful, unconceding even for the most stubborn and determined of ninja.

A sudden force may be no match for a large rock, but if it is weathered down too much, it will become more brittle.

Zane shook his head, not to clear that sudden observation out of his mind, but from the sudden weight of knowledge of it as truth. Yes, the team still had Lloyd as their leader. Still, that did nothing to raise the team morale. As often as all of the others had tried, the heavy cloud hung over all of them.

So much has changed. I did not want to lose Master Wu either, but I did not anticipate so much grief from Kai or Nya.

His blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully, watching as Nya dragged herself onto a cot and wordlessly opened a book. An act that, while not unusual for many individuals, was most unusual for someone as upbeat and strong as Nya.

Yet another change since Wu's departure. Training became too dull, too bland. The same ninja who once groaned at each painful lesson, each hard truth, would now become placid as soon as anyone brought up training. Lloyd worked to ensure that the lessons were engaging in one way or another, even extremely challenging. Nothing. Each of them still carried out their duties and fought, but for many of them, the passion for it vanished. As long as nothing changed for the better, things could only take a turn for the worse.

Twenty minutes since Nya had curled up on the cot and Kai had slumped down to hug the wooden floor, and nothing. No words had broken the silence, a silence, Zane knew, that could stretch for hours. If not for the conversations that Jay tried to carry on whenever all of them ate together, the nindroid suspected that it might be days before the two siblings exchanged any words.

There must be something. This cannot go on. It's taking its toll on each of us, which means we all need to find some way out of this. He emitted a metallic sigh. If only there were an opportunity to change things up. I am certain that it wouldn't take much, but there has to be a place to start.

Just as he began cycling some more drastic ideas of how to get his friends back on track, Lloyd stepped into the room. As soon as he noticed them, a bright smile appeared on his face, something that Zane decided must have been an act.

"Hey, guys. I was wondering where you'd gotten to. I didn't think to check down here, though." He paused, almost expectantly. "After all, the weather outside is great. The sky must be the clearest I've ever seen, and it's nearly as blue as Jay's gi!"

Unfortunately, for all his efforts, the green ninja only received a muffled groan from the floor in response. Nya actually looked up from her book to watch her brother on the floor.

"Y'know, I don't really think that face planting yourself on the floor will make it any easier to see the sky."

Zane nodded quickly, hoping to continue the conversation. The group sorely needed to talk, and perhaps he could convince Nya to continue doing so, rather than sticking her nose back into the book.

"I quite agree. After all, if we were to see the sky through the floor, that would pose quite a problem."

He immediately watched his friend's face in hopes that she would offer up even a hint of a smile, but to no avail. Still, the fact that she appeared more engaged than usual in the proceedings was surely a good sign, wasn't it?