Ninjago: Heart of the Storm (Slow Editing)

Chapter Six: Secret Ninja Force

Over the weekend, as well as the weeks that followed, Audra was suckered into being part of the Secret Ninja Force, where she did her best to learn all about being a ninja and many myths that she had read from the library regarding Ninjago. She started to form tight ties with the two Ninja Masters as well as become good friends with Cole, Kai, Jay, Nya, Zane, and Lloyd.
Audra thinks of the two masters of the academy were pretty interesting to say to the least. Master Wu has given her unique tasks that'll help her with her ninja skills and socializing with the other ninjas more often. While Sensei Garmadon helped Audra connect herself with her Element and help her clear her mind with meditation whenever she gets extremely nervous. Koko learned that Audra was a strong reader and a clever writer just as well, but she was feeling homesick. Due to that, Koko lets Audra help her with the ancient writings and history that she had picked up in her past travels.
Audra has started to think the boys and Nya as another family. Cole is the empathetic brother, Kai is the protective brother, Jay is the funny brother, and Zane is the smart brother. While Nya was the only girl in the team, but the two of them both became close.
But Lloyd is a completely different story. Every time they spend their time together, Audra felt her heart become warm at the sight of him. She feels happier whenever she's near Lloyd as they talk, practice, hangout, or work together. She started to feel a little shy around Lloyd while Master Wu, Sensei Garmadon, Misako, Kai, Jay, Nya, Zane, and Cole knew what she was feeling.
In the training course, Lloyd frowned as he watched Audra was stayed in the shade and by herself. A part of him really wanted to go see if she was alright, she'd seemed pretty tired from the night before, but then there was the part that was unsure. They hadn't seen each other for a long while, but they finally met and bonded to each other like siblings.
Lloyd wanted to talk to her, particularly because Sasha was clearly a bit of a loner and needed acceptance. But when Lloyd hesitated, it was in this moment that a punching bag struck him in the side. Lloyd tumbled across the floor with a loud "Oof!" The others and Audra all looked at him, laughing a bit at the clumsy tumble he'd taken.
"And the Mighty Green Ninja has been defeated by the Evil Punching Bag!" Cole chuckled.
Lloyd picked himself off of the ground, snorting softly. "Nah, it didn't defeat me. It just caught me by surprise for once. Hngh!" He sent a kick into the punching bag, which broke free and skidded off to bounce against the ground. "Now, the evil punching bag has been defeated... Muahahaha!" He snorted, breaking off quickly.
Kai rolled his eyes. "Come on. We heard enough of that when you were a kid." Kai smirked as he playfully trapped Lloyd in a headlock. Lloyd wheezed as he tried to escape the older teen's hold, laughter bubbling in his throat. Sensei Garmadon leaned against the wall, watching their antics with a slight smile and was clearly reminiscing of their brotherly bond at the sight of the duo. Audra chuckled in amusement at the sight of Lloyd being messed around with Kai.
"How about you all take a break?" Master Wu suggested to them gently.
At those words, the Secret Ninja Force went towards the living room. Audra watched them from a fair distance as she quietly followed them to the living room. Nya sat on Lloyd's left, Kai on his right. Zane stood behind him, leaning casually against the back of the couch, and ruffled the top of Lloyd's hair before settling on the ground in front of the couch. He was soon joined by Cole and Jay as they also settled on the ground, leaning against the couch with Zane.
Before Audra could use the spare chair, she noticed that Lloyd was beckoning her over to his side of the couch, gently patting his shoulder as if to offer her a place to rest. The Teal Ninja couldn't help, but smile at his kindness, and walked towards them before sitting beside the Black Ninja. Gently, the Teal Ninja laid her head against his left shoulder, and he in turn wrapped an arm loosely around her back to ensure she wouldn't fall while she rested against his side.
Zane turned on the TV to whatever show Nya had suggested. Something about a missing dragon prince, humans, elves, magic, and fantasy violence. But as they each watched it together, Audra gazed at the gathered Ninja, noting their similarities and differences with each other. That's when a sudden question had entered Audra's mind as she gazed at them curiously. She has always noticed the bonds that ties them together like a group of siblings. But Audra has always wondered how they each became the legendary Secret Ninja Force that she has always been hearing about before she moved here with her family. Did they met in school? If so, how did they get know about their Elemental Powers?
She snapped out of her questions when she saw Kai had affectionately wrapped his left arm over Lloyd's shoulders, who let out a small noise of contentment as he snuggled into his embrace. Kai ran his fingers through Lloyd's hair and gave him a gentle squeeze. Soothing warmth radiated from the Fire Ninja and Lloyd soaked it in like a little brother.
Audra took notice of Zane talking softly to Jay for the last few minutes. Zane was a little confused about the attempted jokes that Jay was trying to tell his Ice Brother, but it was backfiring pretty badly and it was getting Jay a little annoyed. The sight of it amused Audra. She soon spotted Lloyd speaking quietly to Nya by texting through their phones. Nya smiled at Lloyd knowingly and caught Audra's confused expression, in which Nya winked at Audra playfully and confused her even more. Even though they were supposed to be watching this show, the Ninja's reactions to each other were free entertainment to her.
She suddenly decided to be bold and ask the main question in her mind. "Um... How did you all become a team?" All of the Ninja smiled at Audra's question and Nya paused the episode. They all remembered of how they each became a team and learned more about Lloyd's true nature from the stupid rumors that spread throughout the city.
"Well, it all started when Master Wu had seen a vision regarding me and the others," Lloyd spoke up, but he remained snuggled up next to Kai's side. "He soon sent me to track them down."
Audra smiled at that. "How did that go?"
"When I went to school, I soon learned that a trio of boys have gained Elemental Powers," Lloyd replied.
"I was in my art class when the whole entire counter had collapsed in front of me," Cole said sheepishly.
"I accidentally electrocuted myself when I was doing a science project," admitted Jay.
"I accidentally froze the freezer in my cooking class," Zane said.
"And I saw all of their incidents," continued Lloyd. "I secretly gave them notes to come here and let Master Wu train them."
"And when we come here, I admit that we were each surprised to see that Lloyd Garmadon and the Green Ninja were one and the same person," Jay cut in.
"After we befriended each other, we started to search for the remaining Elemental Masters," Lloyd continued on his explanation. "Fire and Water."
"That's when I came in," spoke up Kai. "I was getting a headache out of my math homework when I felt something warm burning in my hand. It was Fire! I was surprised to see that it didn't burn me as I held it. But I managed to make it disappear before anyone could see it."
"I was getting frustrated due to a project that involved me and Kai's family tree," Nya told them. "That I accidentally let my temper get the best of me and the sink started spraying water all over the classroom."
"I found them," continued Lloyd. "And I gave them both respective notes to the warehouse. They had arrived here and became the two newest members of the team."
"And it looks like I'm part of it too," Audra said softly.
Audra then gave Lloyd an endearing smile as she looked at the boy she cared for so much, his presence giving her an instant sense of happiness. Lloyd couldn't help, but feel himself melt a bit under such a loving expression from his crush, and not just that, his cheeks began to heat up again as well.
Before he had the chance to speak to Audra, sirens have suddenly pierced through the air and the sound of airborne mechs filled the air.
The Ninja all paused what they were doing as they exchanged glances. When their eyes fell on Lloyd, he grinned. In a few smooth moves, he vaulted over to his mech and let muscle memory take over as he flipped switches and his dragon roared to life.
"Alright, Ninja," Lloyd called. "Let's do it to it!"
Audra's new motorcycle rose out of the warehouse in all its purple and golden glory, catching the sun and practically illuminating the gold designs. She steered it over the scene of the crime to join in on the mission with the Secret Ninja Force.