Street Rats (Ninjago fanfic)

Chapter Three-Seeing the Light

A/N: Is it just me, or does Kai not really seem like a tea person?

"Sensei, I don't understand," I tried to explain to Wu the next day, as we watched the others train. Jenny and Alex were sitting on the side lines, Jenny eating shortbread. "They're criminals."

"They are my students, Kai," Wu replied calmly and poured himself some tea. "Do you expect me to turn them away?"

"They're not even training though," I protested. "You said they should as well. And how is shortbread even meant to unlock their potential?" Jenny glanced over at us then and her cool blue eyes narrowed into slits, like a suspicious cat. I found myself wondering what her element could be, as I stared back at her. She was small and lithe, so an aggressive element probably wouldn't suit her. She had a delicate, pale complexion and wavy black hair that tumbled down to her waist. She was not aggressive but you knew when she was in the room. Wu glanced from her to me, then smiled.

"They need to find themselves again," he replied to my question. "For years, they have focused more on existing than truly living. If the latter includes shortbread, then so be it." We turned our attention back to Jenny and Alex. Jenny had started an argument with Jay while we'd been talking.

"And how the holy bunny rabbits are we meant to prove it?" Jenny was saying. She had got to her feet and was pacing in circles around Jay, like a lioness stalking her prey. Somehow, her childlike language joined with her silent, languid movements to make her seem intimidating.

"Train with us," Zane joined in then.

"Yeah, Sensei did say you would." Cole interjected. 

Jenny paused and exchanged a look with Alex. A whole conversation seemed to pass between them, in that one look. Then Alex got to her feet with a sigh and Jenny gave Jay the rest of her shortbread. They strode confidently into the middle of the courtyard, positioning themselves so they were facing each other. In sync, they stepped into a fighting stance, watching each other carefully. 

Then Jenny leapt into action and they began to train. They fought like demons: they looked for weaknesses in each other's technique, and waited for a chance to exploit them. At first, they fought entirely in hand to hand combat: no elements used. 

But then Alex shifted her form to a brown wolf and leapt to pin her sister down. Jenny disappeared before she could, though. Alex shifted back, but Jenny appeared behind her and swept her legs out from under her. They wrestled on the ground for a while, until Jenny started glowing blindingly bright. 

The element of light. Of course. 

It suited her.

Alex moved backwards, rubbing her eyes, and Jenny disappeared once again. They continued with hand to hand combat again, though Jenny remained invisible this time. It eventually ended with Alex turning into a gorilla and pinning her sister down. Jenny became visible again, laughing silently. Alex shifted back and rolled off her, holding a hand out to pull her up. Jenny took it, still grinning.

"See, they belong here," Wu addressed me then, sipping his tea. "They will have to restart their training though, since they never actually finished it. Be nice to them. They've been through hell and back." Jenny walked over to join us then, out of breath, but happy.

"Well," she began, once she'd got her breath back." That definitely shed some light on some of my weaknesses."

"You certainly seem to be glowing," Sensei replied in amusement. She beamed back at him.

"That wasn't too bad," I told her. "For a street kid." The grin turned into a wicked smirk at that.

"You like what you see then, darling?"

"You wish."