Son of the Raging Tide

Chapter 7

Kai was only five years old when his parents disappeared. His sister, however, was only three.

Imagine, a five-year-old and a three-year-old suddenly find themselves completely alone in the world, left to fend for themselves and wonder why their parents left them. They both had to grow up very fast. But perhaps, most of all, Kai.

When Kai finally realized that his parents were really gone, that they weren't nearby and they weren't playing a game and they weren't coming back anytime soon, he went straight back to his sister. He didn't cry, not immediately. He focused taking care of Nya first.

He led her back inside, because they weren't supposed to play outside without someone to watch them. He got her something to eat (thankfully there was whole bowl of fruit where he could reach) and when she asked where Mom and Dad were, he told her that they would be back soon. He even made Nya take a bath and put her to bed, all the while telling her that she'd see their parents when they woke up.

But that night, Kai couldn't sleep. He stayed up and watched out the window, hoping and praying that his parents would return. He did cry then, wondering what he would do if they didn't come back, wondering what might have taken them and if it would come for him and his sister, too. Their dad had told them stories about monstrous snake creatures that would raid villages and gobble people up. It was a long night for him.

In the morning, Kai's words weren't enough for Nya, and when she started crying, he stopped. He had to stay strong for her. He made do with what he could and continued to take care of his little sister to the best of his ability. He was too afraid to leave the house, and it wasn't until a few days later that someone finally came by and found out that the children were alone.

Kai continued to watch over Nya as they grew up. As she got older, she started to become more independent, and he had to start letting his little sister take care of him as much as he took care of her. Between foster homes and orphanages, they were the only constant thing in each other's lives, and so they held each other close.

Kai eventually had to stop blaming mythical snake people for what had happened to his parents and, for a while, bounced between the idea that either they had abandoned him, or something far worse had happened. Either way, he had no way of knowing, so he learned to let it go.

He thought that his life would even out and become steady when he was old enough to take Nya and return to their childhood home to restart his family's old blacksmithing business. But then he was kidnapped by Garmadon, and Nya became a Fire Ninja, and things just got weirder. Turns out snake monsters were a real thing, they were just too trapped to be kidnapping people.

Life went on, and Kai had to adapt to all sorts of new situations. He learned to live as part of a family that was bigger than he could have ever dreamed, he learned to live in the sky and even the ocean without feeling panicky. And he learned to start trusting in people again, to open himself up to new relationships without the fear that they would leave him. Kai had gone through so many changes in his life, it had become second nature to embrace anything new and learn how to reshape himself to fit the circumstances. He almost thought he could handle anything life would throw at him.

That is, until Master Wu asked him to become a Water Ninja. That was certainly the hardest change of all.

But at least, this time, he had his family to help him with it.

. . . 

Shortly after the scuffle with Bansha and Soul Archer, the team returned from the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master with a weary Lloyd in tow. Kai just about tackled his little brother gave him the biggest bear hug that he'd ever given him.

"It's good . . . to see you . . . too . . ." Lloyd choked out.

Kai finally let him go so he could breathe again. "Man, if I see Morro, I'm gonna blast him with so much water that he'll be pouring it out his ears from the Cursed Realm for weeks."

"You'll . . . what? Kai, why are you dressed like a ninja?"

On the way back to the tea shop, Kai told Lloyd about his newfound abilities, and Sensei Wu recounted the way Kai had harnessed the water to save them moments ago. Kai basked in his friends' praise as a newfound sense of pride washed over him. He never knew that being a ninja could be as rewarding as blacksmithing. Gaining some control over his element felt almost as good as forging the perfect sword.

When they got back to the tea farm, Cyrus Borg had already begun making preparations to help them fight Morro. He'd made brand new ghost-busting vehicles for Jay, Zane, and Cole. Kai had to admit, he was a little jealous. If he was a ninja now, shouldn't he be getting cool stuff like that, too?

He was brought back to the present conversation when Borg mentioned Morro.

"I hear Morro has opened a bridge between our two realms," he said. "It'll take time for the Preeminent to cross."

Sensei Wu nodded. "Which is why we need Lloyd to use his powers to destroy the Realm Crystal before that happens. If Ninjago is cursed, the other realms are sure to follow."

"But they'll be expecting us," Nya pointed out. "And Morro still has the Sword of Sanctuary. Even with all these fancy new vehicles, how are we supposed to get close?"

Jay pulled up in his blue Ghost-Taker beside them. "Yeah! We're supposed to take on an army of ghosts?"

"Maybe I can lure him out," Lloyd suggested. "He said he always wanted to be the Green Ninja."

Kai didn't like the sound of Lloyd putting himself in the line of fire like that. Not after everything the others had gone through to get him back.

"No," Sensei said, to Kai's relief. "He will not leave the Realm Crystal unguarded until his master is freed."

"But even with our powers back," Cole said, "he's seen all of our moves."

Kai got a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach as something else came to mind. He'd only just managed to get some semblance of control over his elemental power, but maybe it was time for him to step it up. After all, Sensei Wu often said that experience was the best teacher.

"Then we'll show him something he hasn't . . ." Kai said, half to himself. He lifted his head. "A Water Ninja!"

"But, Kai . . ." Nya looked worried, and he understood her hesitation. "You only just started your training. And you haven't even found your true potential. Are you sure about this?"

The only thing he was sure of was that he didn't want to get left behind again to worry over his friends. Maybe he wasn't ready. But that had never stopped him before. Ninja or not, he'd have to accept his role if Ninjago was to survive.

"I want to do this," he said. "Besides, you didn't see that awesome wave I created back there. I'd say I've got a pretty good handle on my powers already." It wasn't entirely true, he wasn't even sure if he could do it again if he had to. But he had to shake this doubt that was holding him, or he'd never get anywhere. Confidence, he'd learned, was also a pretty good teacher.

Nya smiled. "If you say so. You've always backed me up as a ninja, and even long before that. Now it's time I return the favor.

"Kai's right," Cole agreed. "He's our greatest weapon."

"Brother sharpens brother, sibling sharpens sibling," Zane said, nodding between Kai and Nya. "We'll all be there to help you along the way."

Lloyd came and put a hand on Kai's shoulder. "Our greatest power isn't what we can throw at him. It's what we have right here. A united team."

Kai noticed that Nya looked thoughtful. "But if they know we're coming straight for them, how about we show them not every path is a straight line?"

Zane cocked his head. "Intrigued. Do you have a plan?"

Nya grinned. "I'll explain on the way."

. . . 

A/N: Thank you, Nya, for that perfect segue for me to end the chapter on. Also, I'm not 100% certain when Lloyd would have found out (in the show) that that Nya's a water ninja, so correct me if I was wrong on that.