JAY'S P.O.V.

Well, at least it will be safer without Liz around. She was pretty dangerous, so I'm just glad she doesn't have a chance to hurt us anymore. For the past few days, Zane has been acting really depressed. He just sulks around the ship, never bothering to train or play video games with the rest of us. I guess he's just upset that Liz is gone. I mean, I knew he liked her, but he has to understand that this is safer for all of us. She put his life in danger, and yet he still misses her? I guess that, if it were Nya, I would feel the same way. So would Cole. That's besides the point. This is about Zane and Liz. If she just wasn't-

"Hey guys," Nya's voice rings over the intrcome, "there's something really...weird in New Ninjago City. You'd better go and see what it is. Over and out."

"Ugh, what now?" Kai says. He, Cole, and Lloyd walk onto the deck, along with me.

"Who knows, but it's better than doing nothing." I say.

"Hey, Zane, come on!" Lloyd yells. He isn't out yet.

"I'm comming! Let's go!" Zane says, running out and jumping off the deck.

"ZANE!" We all yell as we look over the deck. He's on his icecycle, falling through the air.

"Let's go, guys." Cole says. We all follow Zane and use our weapon vehichles. Lloyd uses his elemental dragon.

We land in New Ninjago City, where we see something horrific. We put our weapons on our backs and walk through the city. It's completely trashed, as if someone or something was looking for something. Worst of all, there are these black stains on the walls and on the ground, everywhere. We see something running through an alleyway. We decide to chase after it.

We catch up to the thing and stand back immediately. This man looks evil. He is dark, with dark eyes, black, raged hair, ash colored skin, black clothes, and blood covering his skin.

"Who...are you?" Kai asks.

"My name is-"

"Azzume!" We turn to see Liz.

She lunges at the man, who apparently is Azzume, and starts attacking him. She draws two white katanas and slashes vigorously at him. He dodges smoothly, but she changes her tactics and manages to get him.

"I thought you left them. They hate you, they are afraid of you. They do not want you around them."

Liz stares at him with hollow eyes, a stern expression on her face. "I will always be there for them." She says. "I agreed to leave them, keep myself out of sight, but still be aorund if they needed me. They may not want me, they may hate me, they may be terriefied of me, they may want to even kill me, but I am always there for them. You are a danger to them. You and I both know that you could kill them with the snap of your fingers, so I have to protect them. That's my job. I will not let you harm them."

She raises her head and a white light eminates from her, making her glow. Her body starts forming ice on itself, her hair catches on fire, electricity crackles around her, and the ground starts to break beneath her. Azzume looks at her with a terrified expression. He's scared. We decide to back away. Whatever is going on right now, I'm sure we don't want to be a part of.

"What's...happening?" I ask, trying to convey my terrified voice. It doesn't really work.

"This is one of her enemies." Zane says. "He must be the one who tried to attack us so long ago, but she took him down. He must be the one who is after our power. After our lives.

"You cannot kill me!" Azzume yells. "I will take their power, then their lives! It will be I who kills you."

"I highly doubt that." Liz says. "As I have said before, I will always protect them. With my life. You will never lay a finger on them." She says, pointing her sword at him. "Even when I am weak, even when I am near death, I will stand to protect them. I will always be there for them. I will never truly leave them." She turns to us. "I'm sorry, but I could not leave you. I may be a danger to you, but he is more of a danger."

"Right, no we're cool. You can stay." Cole stammers.

"Good. Let me just finish this." Liz says.

She takes a step forward, then blood comes from a wound on Azzume. She struck him seariously close to the heart. He staggers, coughs some blood, and falls to his knees. He gags, but he can't catch his breath. He looks up at Liz, who is now in front of him again, clenches his teeth, and dissappears in a cloud of dark smoke.

"Is he...dead?" Lloyd asks.

"No," Liz says, putting her swords back in their sheaths. "As long as this side of me is in control, and not the other side, I will not kill. He is wounded, but he will heal eventually. He retreated is all he did. I'm sorry for putting your lives in danger." She says. She starts to take off, but we stop her.

"Wait, so if you weren't there, we would be dead, right?" I ask.

"Well, yes." She says.

"Then why don't you stay?" Zane asks. "Obviously we need your help."

"You do not understand. I am the reason why he was here. If I did not exist, then he would not want to hurt poeple I hold close to my heart." She looks at all of us, but her eyes lingered on Zane before looking away. "I'm sorry. I have to go." She says quickly, then takes off.

"Wait!" Kai says, but it's too late. She's already gone.

KAI'S P.O.V.

When we get back to the bounty, we go and tell Sensei what happened. Zane stays out on the deck while the rest of us go to see Sensei. Maybe we shouldn't have told Liz to leave. We go into Sensei's room.

"Sensei, was telling Liz to leave the right thing to do?" I ask.

"Maybe. Maybe not. If she had stayed what would have happened? Would you be in danger? She will obviously never leave for good, so we have nothing to worry about." Sensei says.

"But, Sensei, what if we need her and she's not there?" Cole asks.

Garamdon comes into sight. I didn't even know he was there. "She will always be there for us, no matter what. It is apparent that she will keep us safe from her enemies, even if we send her away."

"But, she almost killed us!" Jay says.

"Yeah, but she also saved us." Lloyd says.

"As I have tried to tell you before," Zane says, walking into the room, "she will always think of us as her friends, even if we do not think if her as a friend."

"So what do we do?" I ask. "Maybe we need her around. You know, in case that guy comes back."

Sensei strokes his beard, thinking. "Do you want her as a friend or only for protection?" He asks.

"Protection." Jay, Cole, Lloyd, and I say at the same time.

Zane says otherwise. "Friend."

"Zane, did you forget that she almost KILLED YOU?!"

"Jay's right, Zane. She put you, all of us in danger." I say.

"But it was not entirely her fault." Zane says.

"I believe we should give her another chance." Sensei says.

"But, Uncle, why?"

"Lloyd," Garmadon says, "did you forget that your uncle took you in when you were bad? And when I helped them find you, they allowed me to stay with them, even though I was evil."

Lloyd sighs. "Fine." He says. "You guys in or what?" He asks us.

We sigh and nod yes. I guess we could give her one more chance. After all, she's always going to protect us.