Kai had his hands in the pockets of his varsity jacket as he made his way home. He and his sister, Nya, had just gotten off the bus and were only a couple of minutes away from their house. Kai returned from his thoughts and turned to see Nya also deep in thought, although she seemed to be angry. Kai wasn't surprised by this since he felt the same way.
"Hey, Nya, what are you thinking of?" Kai asked in a friendly tone, trying to lighten the mood.
"What do you think I'm thinking of? Lloyd, obviously."
It was silent for a moment as the two trudged on towards their house.
"Why do you think we were there?" Nya asked, breaking the silence. "And why do you think we can't remember anything?"
"I don't know, sis," Kai replied.
"You don't think he did something to us, do you?" Nya wondered, "You know... as his father did to our parents?"
Kai stopped walking immediately. "That trash," Kai said through grit teeth, "Had dare not."
Nya patted his shoulder even though she also felt the rage build up inside her.
"Then it's a good thing we're ninjas now, Kai," Nya said, "We'll take the both of them down and get our parents back for sure."
~X~x~X~x~X~
What's going on? Where am I? Why is it so dark? Someone? Anyone? Is there anyone out there?
"Son, you're awake!"
What? Who the hell is the person? Did he just call me son?
"Is he awake already, honey?"
That feminine voice! It sounds so familiar but I can't recognize it.
"Yes, he is! Although he's not saying anything."
I can't help but step away from the source of this voice. It's still too dark to see anything so I can't just trust whoever this is. Maybe my eyes are closed. Wait, why can't I open my eyes?! What's wrong with me? Am I in some sort of coma? But if I was, I wouldn't be able to walk away from these strange but familiar voices.
"Oh my, he seems to be shaking."
What is this? Why is he patting my hair? Also, why is this so comforting?
"Don't be afraid, son. Your mom and I will always be here."
Why am I smiling? Why does this feel so nice and warm? Is this heaven?
"No, it's not."
Who's this mysterious voice? Wait, why does it seem like that voice is mine?
"This is all a dream. Your parents are gone."
What? But-
"Remember, Kai," The voice said, "They're gone. And it's all he and his father's fault."
~X~x~X~x~X~
"So it's our turn to patrol the city. Any idea where we should start from?" Said Jay as he, Cole, and Zane entered the secret base of the Secret Ninja Force.
No response was gotten from Cole or Zane, making the atmosphere awkward. Jay rubbed the back of his head in confusion. He walked closer to the guys and put his arms around their shoulders.
"What's gotten into you guys?" Jay asked the two, "You've both been pretty quiet since we left school."
"Come on," Jay continued, "You guys!"
Still no reply from Cole or Zane.
"Wait, did you two fight?" Jay gasped, "What was it about? Come on, tell me!"
"No, we didn't fight, Jay," Zane said, "I guess I was just lost in thought."
"You were thinking about Lloyd, weren't you?" Cole muttered to himself.
"What do you mean, Cole?" Jay asked.
"Nothing, never mind. "
"Wait, if this is about us coming out of Lloyd's house with no memory of how we got there, we could always just talk about it," Jay suggested. "Right, Zane?"
"Yeah, I g-"
"I asked a couple of freshmen during my free period about the hunt," Cole said. Jay and Zane turned to Cole with keen interest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"That's fine," Zane spoke, smiling, "You may continue."
"Yeah, Cole! What did they say?" Jay asked filled with hope.
"Nothing useful," Cole answered with a sigh. "Just that freshmen weren't allowed to join in on the hunt meaning they know absolutely nothing about Lloyd."
"Ack! The one time we finally get rid of those douches, they become important to us!" Jay said pulling on his hair. "What kind of world is this?!"
"I was wondering the same thing," Cole said.
"Well, we can't let this down our spirits guys," Zane said to cheer them up, "We need all the energy for the night ahead."
The two agreed with Zane and they all went to change into their ninja suits. Zane was happy with that even though his real reason for closing the topic wasn't a happy one. Zane sighed to himself as he picked out his weapons.
"I hope all this ends soon."