Earth, Fire, Ice, and Lightning. (a Genderbent Ninjago Fanfiction)

Four Weapons, not "For Browsing"

~4 weeks later~

Nicole

Sensei was gone this morning, as pointed out by Zinnia. By now, we all had mastered the training course and had recieved black ninja gis. In secrecy, we've been helping out with small problems around Ninjago city. 

Now, it was April. The snow from March had finally subsided, and today was bright. The early sky outside the Monestary glowed amber from the newly risen sun.

"I wonder where Sensei could be?" Jayne had asked over a breakfast of cereal, as no one really felt like cooking... and it was my day.

I was a suckish cook, but that was an understatement. 

"She is most likely just out in the market to purchase more food and supplies," Zinnia thought aloud.

"Yeah, we are running low on stuff," I chimed into the conversation.

Once finished, we got dressed and went outside to the courtyard to find the stone ground damp with spring dew. I flipped open the dragon statue and bopped the red button, causing the training equipment to pop out. 

"What first?" Jayne asked.

"Hmm... what about defense?" I suggested.

"Seems appropriate," said Zinnia.

I nodded, bringing out the dummies and punching bags, signaling to the others for our training for the day to begin.

And so it did.

Kailee

Clang! Clang! CLANG!

Well, Nathan was up, I guess. I slowly opened my eyes to see the bottom of the bunk bed above me, which was my younger brother's. My head turned to the full bed in the corner of the room that once belonged to my parents until Death had plucked them from my brother and I, one by one.

Sighing, I sat up in my bed and threw off my scratchy blankets, peering out the window that looked out over Jamaikai Village. The rice workers were out in the fields by their cottages, tending to their crops. The sky above was a pale orange, peppered with wispy clouds. The sun was fairly low in the east. The clock on the wall read 7:48, so it was still pretty early. 

I yawned and grabbed some clothes, stepping into the bathroom. I threw on a white shirt and tan pants along with my brown workboots. After skimming my brown hair with a brush, which didn't do much, my hair still stuck up in random places, but I didn't care, and rubbed my green eyes. Then, I wolfed down a granola bar, brushed my teeth, and went downstairs into the shop, throwing on a beige apron.

Nathan was standing over the anvil-like thing in which we pounded the metal over for our weapons. Now, he carefully made what currently looked like an intricate dagger, getting in every little groove, as far as I could tell.

I stepped over to him. "Good work, little brother," I patted him on the back.

He looked up at me, his black bangs hanging in his eyes a little. I would have to make him cut his hair later. 

Yeah, I watched over him now, since our parents were.... lost. I had to take care of him, make sure that he would never slip away from me. Nathan and the blacksmith shop we had inheirited from our father, Four Weapons, were all I had left.

"I'm not 'little', Kailee," He replied, putting his project down and standing up, his dark eyes boring into mine. "I'm nineteen."

"Yeah, but you're three years younger than me," I remarked, "So, techinically, you're little."

"Who cares, it's not like you can fight or anything," He sneered, "You're a girl."

"Once again, I'm older than you. And, for your information," I spat, "I'm ten times as better at fighting than you are."

Nathan snorted and went back to his dagger, ignoring me. I huffed, grabbing a slab of metal from the scrap pile and jabbing it into the fire pit, gloves on. Once it was tinted tangerine, I pulled it out, placing it on the anvil-thing.

"To forge the perfect weapon," I recited, "You first need the right metal and plenty of heat."

I banged it with my hammer until the metal took the shape of a sword.

"... Cool it off...." I dunked it into the cool water that was in the wooden bucket next to the fire pit, steam billowing from it, "...And..." I pulled it out, hopeful to recieve a perfect, shiny sword, "Presto!" I exclaimed, but frowned to find a bent, twisted sort of thing that couldn't even cut soft butter. "Aw.."

Nathan chuckled from behind me, "You did it too quickly Kailee," he jutted a finger at me, "You need to be patient. If father was still here he'd say..."

"I know, I know," I cut him off, "No matter how much fire you have, experience isn't something you learn overnight," I quoted. "That may work for you Nathan, but I'm going to be a better blacksmith than dad ever was!" I set the 'sword' on the thick wooden table that held the scrap pile. 

Nathan shook his head and began to polish some of the items that aligned the walls and shelves of the shop.

Suddenly, an old woman carrying a bamboo staff hobbled into the room. She wore white and red robes, her thin white hair in a bun held by chopsticks. She held her head down, a hand behind her back.

"Hmm," she said, "You're metal is loud and heavy, useful to slow one down. Useless in the art of stealth." She walked around, gazing at the weapons. "All tools for a Samurai, but none for a ninja?"

"Ninja?" I chuckled, "You're a long way from finding a ninja in these parts, old woman," I replied. "And the shop is called 'Four Weapons', not 'For Browsing'. Either buy something or go peddle your insults somewhere else." I was pretty up close to her face now, her eyes looked into mine with a knowing look on her wrinkly face.

"Ha! Too bad," the woman replied. "I thought I'd find something special here."

She turned and began to leave the shop, her head down once more.

Nathan frowned, gesturing for me to try and settle something. I turned to go get the lady. "Let me sh..." but she was gone.

"Where'd she go?" I asked. "She was just..." I set down the helmet I was holding, hoping to sell. "Forget it."

I was about to go back to forging weapons, when something changed in the atmosphere. I didn't know what, but something was up. I turned, to see the sky grow dark. Barging out of the door, I gazed up at the sky, along with everyone else who were in the fields. Dark purple clouds quickly rolled in, shielding all light from hitting the earth. 

Then, the humming of engines was to be heard. Coming up over the hills were big, chunky, white, purple, black and grey vehicles. As they drew closer, I saw that the cars resembled bones and skulls. And, as they came nearer more, the roar of machinery growling louder and louder, I could see the drivers of the vehicles, in all of their bony, creepy glory.

Skeletons.