If my chest didn't cover my heart, I'm sure the world could've heard it. I stood there, frozen, unable to move. I didn't know what to do.

I looked to my right quickly, eyeing Nya who was just as scared. Gently, I slipped my hand in hers behind our backs and squeezed it, reassuring her that we'd get our parents out safely. She gripped it firmly in response.

I reverted my gaze to the people that stood in front of us, holding our parents captive with a dagger to their necks. I didn't dare move.

I observed their clothing, looking closely for any symbols or signs that might give me a clue of where they came from. My eyes landed on a star with teardrops and an 'x' over it. It made my stomach drop when I realized the people executing kidnappings was after our parents too.

"Look... we don't want any trouble..." I started to step forward but the end of another switchblade was pointed to my neck.

"Move and we'll kill them." the mysterious masked man threatened while holding my father and the blade at me.

A clap of thunder roared over the storm, sending white-bluish light across the land. I gulped at the blade that was held underneath my chin.

"If you touch them-" Nya started, her voice getting lower and angrier than normal.

"What do you want?" I quickly said, desperately wanting the knifes to be lowered.

"Not much, it's simple. Get out of our business, and we'll get out of yours. We know you're the ninja."

"Then if you knew that why would you mess with us?" Nya shot back quickly. I stepped on her foot and gave her a warning glance. Turning back around I let go of my balled fists and held them up, showing surrender. Nya nudged me back and I gave her a 'follow along glance'. She rolled her eyes and mirrored my actions.

"We'll leave you alone, just... lower your knifes..." I slowly heated my hands without them noticing. I glanced at the switchblade and touched it with my hands, warming the metal underneath my palms. "we can resolve this peacefully."

"And how do we know you're not planning something?" another man asked, gripping into mother harder, making her whimper. It sparked the anger inside me as I narrowed my eyes and smirked.

"Cause' you don't." I simply said before grabbing the blade and expertly throwing it at the arm that threatened my father's neck. The man screamed in agony, instantly dropping the knife and directing his attention to the blade that burned the inside of his skin. I performed spinjitzu and released my mother while Nya held a katana to the other man's chest.

I held my attacker by the collar of his shirt, lifting his body off the floor. He gripped onto my wrist weakly, struggling to get out.

"Why did you even try?" I asked mockingly, gripping onto his shirt harder.

He grunted, digging his fingernails into my skin. "W-we came here to deliver a message. T-though it may not seem like much, we will get stronger."

Nya scoffed. "That's all you wanted to tell us?"

I pierced his fear-filled eyes with my gaze. "We're not gonna let you loose. Nya call the commissioner."

"Already on it."

We tied the imposters together and threw them in the corner, keeping a close eye on them while we waited for the police to come. We explained everything to our parents, the kidnappings, the symbol, the random attacks on people.

"That is odd," Ray said while Nya cleaned a minor cut on his shoulder. "I wish we could help, but, I think our bones are getting too old." he placed a hand on my mother's.

I smiled. "That's okay dad."

Nya finished bandaging and stood up. "But it worries me. What if they go for you again. Or what if they go for the others' parents?"

We sat in a quiet silence, thinking to ourselves.

A knock on the door sounded. I turned on my heel and opened the door, reveling the commissioner with two of his police behind him.

"What is it now?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

"Some weirdos decided to attack our parents for no reason." Nya chimed in from behind me.

"And we think they're from the group of rebels who've been terrorizing the people." I added.

The commissioner grunted. "Wouldn't be surprised if they were. Where are they?"

I let the police force in, pointing to the corner where they sat uncomfortably on top of each other and tied tightly with ropes.

"Very well. C'mon boys, let's get em'."

I watched as the commissioner and his team slapped hand cuffs around their wrists, dragging them to their cop cars.

"Thank you ninja, once again. These guys will be going to Kryptarium, under strict watch."

"Good. Thanks for your help commissioner." I said, opening the police car doors for them.

"Eh, don't mention it. Have a nice night."

"You too."

And they drove off, the sound of the sirens fading in the distance. Nya and I turned to our parents and hugged them.

"Let's take this inside. It's far too wet to be hugging out here." my mother chuckled, leading us towards the small blacksmith shop.

Nya still wasn't satisfied. "But you guys are okay, right?"

Ray laughed. "Our daughter, always overthinking. Yes we are okay."

Nya huffed and crossed her arms. "I'm only looking out for my family."

I punched her lightly. "We're joking Nya," I shut the door with a thud. "so, how've y'all been?"

Our parents directed us to their small living room, taking a seat on the sofas. It reminded me of my childhood. All the times I spent sleeping, reading, and playing with Nya while we wondered where our parents went. It gave me sad memories, reminding me of all those times we spent holidays without a real family, or when I'd sit on the couch and cradle her to sleep while she cried for our parents out of fear. Nonetheless, it brought us closer, maybe a little too close where in the past, I'd freak out if Jay even talked to her.

"Oh we've been fine. Same old same old." my father answered, waving his hand in a circular motion. I smiled at us, peacefully chatting together.

Maya nodded. "Not anything different, our lives are boring. Tell us about yours."

Nya and I looked at each other. I pointed to her, motioning for her to share first. She scoffed playfully.

"Well aside from ninja business, Jay and I are doing great. We wanna have a kid, but, I don't think right now's the best time."

Our parents agreed. They turned their faces to me, and my heart rate instantly increased. I knew they wanted more info on Cole and I.

"Well..." I started slow. "Cole and I are also doing great."

My mom started squealing happily. "I was so happy when he asked if he could take your hand in marriage. When are you thinking of having the wedding?"

I shrugged. "After this whole crisis."

"No poop Kai." Nya mumbled.

I rolled my eyes. "Anyways. He's so caring and kind and adorable and cuddly and such an amazing person-"

"I didn't come here to listen to you ramble." Nya interrupted my perfectly good speech.

My parents smiled.

"My son. I didn't know he was this in love," my dad commented with a chuckle. He sighed. "I remember those times."

We'd spent a good hour catching up with our parents, talking and laughing as if we picked up from where we last were. It felt so calming and reassuring that we were still intact, where we can bond together like old friends, not just as relatives. My heart fluttered and felt warm, the family-bonding conversations fueling my happiness.

I glanced at my watch, gesturing to my parents that it was time to go. They understood, and demanded us to visit again soon. Nya and I promised to, and we took off in the midst of the storm, feeling the pouring rain hit our backs.

"We should've taken one of the vehicles if we knew it was gonna rain this much." Nya complained.

"Yeah, that would be a lot smarter. Though it would take us a couple hours longer if we did."

"True."

We rode in silence for the rest of the ride home, occasionally making comments about the kidnappings and what not. I thought about all the innocent people being terrorized, including our parents. It made the anger boil inside me, igniting my inner impulsive attitude to take out their entire secret army out myself. I knew I couldn't do that all alone, but if I had the chance to, I definitely would.

Finally, the monastery came in sight. By the time we reached the mountains, it stopped snowing, leaving Nya and I frozen cold from the rain. The mixture of ice and water didn't work well for me, and I had to control my fire element from setting us on fire. That would not be good.

"Home sweet home. What time is it?" I asked while we fell from my dragon.

"Time for you to get a watch."

"Time for you to get a better joke!"

"Time for you to change your attitude!"

"What about time to get inside?" a voice interrupted our argument from the monastery doors. We looked over at Jay who eyed us questioningly.

"Why're y'all so wet?" he asked, letting us in.

"Because when it snows, it rains somewhere else that's not in the mountains." Nya retorted sassily, shivering cold as Jay slid the doors closed.

He gave her a 'it wasn't my fault the weather does that' look. "Good day to you too."

She grumbled and quickly kissed him on the cheek, leaving to change.

"Don't know why she's so annoyed. She's literally the water ninja." Jay mumbled to me. I stifled a laugh and walked down the hall to change myself.

Cole was in our bedroom, reading... again. Seriously, when does he ever stop drawing or sticking his face in a book?

But I had to admit, he did look so peaceful and surprisingly, good-looking for sitting in one place, knitting his eyebrows at the page. I stared through the door at his silky black bangs that fell over his face, and his muscular arms that showed through his sweatshirt jacket. It made me blush, and I felt like I fell harder and harder for my soon-to-be husband everyday.

I opened the door, stepping in. He looked up and smiled, closing the book and walking towards me.

"Hey babe. Why you all wet?" he asked.

"It rained where my parents where." I explained, walking over to my dresser and picking out a fresh pair of clothes.

He scoffed and laughed at the same time, walking out the door. "I'm gonna get some food."

"K'. Have fun."

The door closed with a thud. I took off my wet clothes (with a large amount of energy required) and slipped on the dry ones, walking out the door and looking for something to do. I decided it wouldn't hurt to help Zane and Pix with their vehicles or whatever, so I took the secret passage down to the monastery basement.

Small, downward-facing lights dimly lit the dark staircase. I felt the cold, stone walls with my fingers, helping me guide myself down.

We'd recently built this to hold the Samurai X vehicles and suits, as well as our other motorcycles and cars. It was very convenient, given the last secret place we stored all this stuff was in the middle of nowhere.

I finally reached the bottom, adjusting my eyes to the brighter lights. Zane and Pixal were working on reinforcements for my new motorcycle, and it looked pretty dope. Sleek and fast, easy to handle and stylish, no one couldn't asked for a better vehicle.

"Yo Zane, Pix. Why didn't you tell me you we're gonna work on it?" I asked with a cocky smirk, silently awaiting the moment I could speed off in my new, hot ride.

"Oh, greetings Kai. It was supposed to be a surprise, but we are glad to have any assistance on this task." Pixal said while Zane wired some new upgrades in the engine.

"Sweet. Whatcha' need help with?"

Pixal dropped her wrench and guided me over to the blueprints. I scanned over the notes, mentally checking off the things I could do, and the things I couldn't.

"Sure, I can do some of those."

Pixal smiled. "Great. Let us get started."

By the time we finished, I looked like a hot mess. But the motorcycle was great, and I couldn't wait to try it out.

"Thanks guys for doing this. This baby looks just as hot as me." I leaned confidently on the high-raised seat.

Zane beamed. "I am glad you like it. Pixal and I appreciated the help."

"Yeah, anytime," I swiftly lifted myself on my ride. "well, time to give this sweet motorcycle a test run. Be back in a flash." I winked. Zane gave me a thumbs up as I turned the engine, revving it a couple times. The hidden garage door opened, and I sped off, racing through the mountain valleys.

Acceleration increased. Breaks are better. New controls. More comfortable seat. Expanded horse power. Sleek look.

I smiled daringly, testing the speed.

Unbelievably cool.

The controls screen was upgraded and bigger. A music and weapons button appeared on the screen. Curious, I clicked the weapons option and two laser blasters surfaced from the sides.

"Oh my gosh! AWESOME!!!"

With my sunglasses and this baby, I'll be the coolest guy cruisin' down the streets, not to mention kicking evils' butt with style.

Midway through my ride, the sun started to set, casting tall shadows across the valleys. I decided it was time to go back in when it started to snow.

A loud bustle of voices and shouting emerged from the entrance, confusing me. I knitted my brows and pressed the button, automatically sliding the secret door open.

"What's all the-"

"Grab his hands! Grab his hands!" Jay screamed as he held a man's legs together, struggling to tie them.

"I am!"

"Cole get on top of him!"

"Someone disarm him!"

My teammates tripped and ran into each other, stumbling over themselves and miserably failing to contain one guy. I facepalmed. There were five, professionally trained ninja against one measly intruder; how in the world were they not able to control him? At this point, the man was the least of my worries. The fact that my teammates couldn't communicate clearly and struggle to fight one guy, really concerned me.

I sat there, waiting unimpressed, letting the boys and girls finish the fight.

To be honest, I probably would've done the impulsive thing and started a fight I couldn't finish, but when I'm looking at the bad method, I really realized how dumb it looked.

They finally finished, holding the poor intruder in an awkward position. Cole was on top of him, probably crushing his guts flat. Nya had him in a head lock, his neck bent at a near breaking angle, and Zane had frozen his feet to the floor. Jay was holding his hands behind his back as Pixal stood off to the side, not wanting to get involved.

I looked around for Sensei, but he was nowhere to be seen. Probably meditating or sleeping or something like that.

"Guys! What's going on?"

"What's going on?" Cole mimicked me. "while you were testing your new motorcycle, we had to deal with this guy!"

I wrinkled my nose in anger. "And this person is..."

Nya eyed me with concern. I knew something was wrong. "Kai, when we came back, we lead another member from the... secret force."

My stomach dropped. What if they overheard something important? What if they found our weaknesses? Even worse. Now they know where we live. My heart beat faster by the second, and my back started to sweat, leaving me feeling guilty for the problem I caused.

"Kai! You should've known!" Cole instantly scolded me once I closed the door. We'd called the commissioner, again, for him to pick up the intruder and drop him off at Kriptarium Prison. Once the police force left, Cole had angrily dragged me to our bedroom. I was a little scared to be honest; I never liked his bad side.

I looked at my fiancé annoyed, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration.

"Babe, how was I supposed to know?"

"Don't call me 'babe' right about now. You're a ninja. You're supposed to be aware of your surroundings!"

I groaned, just wanting him to be quiet. "Ok! Maybe I couldn't been more aware. But that's beside the point-"

"Beside the point!" Cole interrupted, backing me up against the wall. "Because of you, they could've stolen important information from us! Do you know how bad that is?" he ran his fingers through his hair angrily, yelling while turning on his heel. "they know where we live now! Isn't that just great?"

My hands crumbled into fists, heating with fire as I advanced towards him. "You don't think I know that?" You don't think I know how badly I messed up?"

"I dunno. Do you?" Cole responded bluntly halfway turned around, his arms crossed tightly atop his chest. He sighed. "I don't wanna see you right now."

I scoffed hard in disbelief. "Fine. I don't wanna either."

I whipped around and headed for the door. If Cole provoked me any more, I think I would've ticked the fourth time the monastery was destroyed.

I slammed the door shut again, stomping down the hallway. My body itself was a light, dimly illuminating the dark walkways in an amber glow. I couldn't go to sleep, not now. I was too angry.

Roughly ripping a blanket that was hanging from one of the couches, I plopped down, pulled the sheet over myself, and exhaled slowly.

"Hey bro, you okay?"

I looked over my shoulder, spotting Nya who was leaning against the doorway.

"What? You got kicked out too?" I asked with an attitude, eyeing Nya who came over to me and sat on the edge of the couch.

My sister shrugged. "No. Jay did lecture me, but it wasn't as bad as yours." she placed a gentle hand on mine. "its ok. Every couple has arguments here and there, it's inevitable."

I sat up, scooting over for Nya. She smiled and joined in next to me, leaning on the couch headboard with her knees against her chest.

"If only we were more careful."

I nodded and hummed in response. She rested her tired head on my shoulder, exhaling the guilt. I brought an arm around her, bringing her smaller body towards mine.

Soon, I heard her soft snores, feeling the rise and fall of her chest against my side. I glanced over at her, snickering at the drool that was dripping from her mouth. Sitting with Nya did calm me down, and I felt much more relaxed and able to fall asleep. I leaned against her, letting my heavy eyelids slide shut, engulfing my vision into complete darkness.