***Finally, a chapter. I've been planning part of this for sooooooo loooooooooong...so, I hope you like it! Also, which do you guys say: soda, pop, soda pop, Coke...or something else entirely? I'm just wondering what you like to call your fizzy drinks.***

***(Kai's POV)***

My eyes don't want to finally drift open, but they do.

It was a long night. That horrible party. The fight with Nya. The fact that Skylor's supposed to be staying with us until things cool off with her dad.

She's been really quiet since last night. Then again, that could be because I totally lit into my little sister. Skylor was not happy, to say the least.

That's when I realize the sun is streaming through my window, and I'm awake way too late.

I jump out of bed. How did I sleep through my alarm?

Oh, yeah. I don't have a phone anymore.

I stumble over my blankets and run to my closet, pulling a shirt on. Where are the girls at?

Oh, poop. It's Nya's birthday. I forgot Skylor had planned to take her swimsuit shopping this morning.

I groan and shove my way into the shop. A quick glance at the wall clock says it's after 10:30. That means I missed one of the pick-up orders for today.

Have I ever mentioned I'm a horrible blacksmith?

I'm just pulling on my apron when someone clears their throat from the front counter.

"Hi, Kai," my little sister says.

I frown and turn. "N-Nya? What are you doing here?"

She shrugs. "What you said last night during our argument really got me thinking about how I've acted toward you, and...I wanted to apologize. So, here I am, covering the store for you."

She slides off the stool behind the counter, and I realize she's dressed in her old jeans and oversized shirt. She doesn't have any makeup on, and her hair is pulled back in its usual low ponytail.

"Nya...where's all that stuff Skylor got you?" I ask.

Her eyes are subdued. "I decided not to wear it anymore. Since the new 'me' makes you unhappy and all..." She sighs and comes over to me in a hug.

Something's not right about this. I feel...guilt. These are not good feelings.

"Okay," I say slowly. "What about your outing with Skylor? The one where you were supposed to go shopping? It is your birthday, after all."

"I canceled. I figure if you end up letting me go to the beach tonight, I can just wear my old bathing suit."

That's it. If Skylor's taught me one thing, it's that my sister deserves to have a say in her life.

I get down on one knee so I can look right into her eyes. "You listen to me, Nya Smith. I was angry and scared last night when I yelled at you, and I'm sorry."

She blinks. "What?"

"I'm mad you were at the party, but I'm madder about how I reacted over it. I was a jerk to you, Sis."

"Um...okay? But I came out and danced to that song, when you said I couldn't be anywhere near that beach last night."

"Yes, but you apologized. Well, not in so many words, but I get that you're bad with apologizing, so I'll let it go." Standing, I pull her into my arms. She did say her love language was physical touch.

"Kai, what are you doing?" she wonders.

"I'm telling you to go be yourself. I love the passionate, determined person you're becoming, even if it means we argue. A lot. And when you dress like other girls your age...it might break my heart, but you look absolutely beautiful."

She stares at me, dumbfounded.

"Go be yourself, Nya Smith. At least to an extent. You still aren't allowed to date, or vandalize the monastery, or skip college, but...I'm not going to stop you from embracing your best qualities even more."

Her smile is slow, but it eventually turns into a huge grin. "You mean...I'm still allowed to celebrate my sixteenth birthday at the beach tonight?"

"That was never even in question."

"And you're not opposed to me being a ninja anymore?"

"I'm still incredibly terrified, but...no, I'm not going to suddenly not let you come to practice."

She bounces. "And I can participate in fun after-school activities?"

"Um...no. Sorry, Sis, but I really need your help around here right now." I scratch the back of my head. "Let's take things slow."

"Oh, Kai, you're the best!" She smooches me on the cheek.

"I try to be," I wink, one arm still wrapped around her.

Nya beams at me, but her words don't make sense. "Skylor, you can come out now."

"Huh?" I frown.

Skylor pokes her head out of the utility closet. "That worked well," she says.

"Wait – Skye? What are you doing here? I thought Nya said she canceled your outing."

She rolls her eyes. "Where else would I go, Kai? I'm not facing my father yet. And I had to be here, just in case you didn't see how miserable your sister was. I had back-up plans to plastic wrap your toilet seat."

I should be mad, but I start laughing.

I ruffle my sister's hair. "Thanks for watching the shop for me this morning. Did...did you get that pick-up order done?"

She nods emphatically. "Clearly, I'm the better blacksmith."

"Okay, well, before thoughts like that go to your head..." I shoo her away. "Go shop for a new bathing suit. And bring back some snacks, would you?" I pull out some cash and hand it to her. It's not a crazy amount, but it should cover what we need.

She counts the money, then hugs me again. "See you this evening, Big Brother."

"See ya." She practically skips out the door.

Skylor joins me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "You're not a bad brother, Kai."

I plant a kiss on her forehead. "I would totally go for your lips, but it'd be really awkward if a customer came in and saw that. Might not be good for business."

She laughs. "You're something else." Her expression darkens.

"What's up?" I frown. "You've been quiet since last night."

She waves away my concern. "It's okay. Something...something happened at the party last night."

I immediately go into overprotective mode. "Did some drunk guy – "

"No! Why do you always think that?" She shakes her head adamantly. "No, something disturbing happened. But I don't want you to worry, so I'll tell you after Nya's party tonight."

"Skye...you've already sent my suspicions into overdrive. Please tell me at least a little."

"Okay, well...after I called for emergency help, Shade showed up and said I was in danger."

My eyes widen. "Wait – Shade? Your jack- "

"Kai."

I hold up my hands in surrender. "All right, all right. So...what did that idiot want?"

"He said I was in danger," she sighs, fingering the cotton of my shirt. "He talked about my dad wanting to take my elemental power so he could use it to bring my mom back."

"Are you sure he wasn't high or something? I mean, we were at a party."

"Kai...he mentioned Sensei Yang."

"What?"

"Think about it. If Shade is involved with Yang, doesn't it explain why that freak knows so much about my past?"

I pull her close, resting my chin on the top of her head. "What does he want with you?"

"I don't know," she confesses. "But if what Shade said is true, then it has something to do with my power and my parents."

"Skye...I can't let you and Nya leave now. What if Yang sends someone after you?"

"Kai, I'm sure we'll be fine."

"But I'm not!"

The door creaks open, and Nya's head pops in. "What's taking so long?"

Skylor pleads with me with her eyes. Her expression says, "Don't you dare tell your sister a word I just said."

I don't want to scare Nya, either, but...

I force a smile. "Sis, is there someone on the team who'd maybe like to go shopping with you? Skylor isn't feeling well and wants to get some rest."

Nya moans. "Don't tell me you plan to kiss under the counter as soon as I leave."

I can't help but smirk, just a little. "No, she really isn't okay. But hopefully, after some rest, she'll be all good for your party tonight."

Nya thinks for a moment. "I bet Lloyd will come with me. Since he isn't able to be at my party and all, maybe he can convince Master Wu to let him skip a few hours of training." She pulls out her phone to text him.

"Good thinking," I say, relieved. As long as I can keep Skylor in my sights, I'm sure she'll be fine.

Of course, my relief is quickly replaced by concern. Why would I let Lloyd and Nya hang out unsupervised?

Skylor notices my face and laughs a little. She places a hand on my arm. "They'll be fine, Kai."

"Yeah, but what if they're not?"

Nya holds up her phone triumphantly. "He can come pick me up! I'm going to go get changed!"

She runs and gives me a hug, then does the same for Skylor. "Do you need anything?" she asks her.

Skylor shakes her head. "No, I'm sure a little sleep will do the trick. Thanks, though."

Nya squints at us. "I've got my eye on you two."

I roll my eyes. "Go get changed already."

She sighs. "I'm going, I'm going." Crossing her arms, she heads for our room.

"Well," I smile down at Skylor, "looks like we're together for the day." My lips find her temple.

Skylor snickers. "I hope Lloyd's good at picking out girls' bathing suits."

***(Skylor's POV)***

Kai and I essentially just sit and talk all day. It becomes clear to me why he and Nya don't have a lot of money: He is a terrible blacksmith. The occasional customer filters in and out, most of them not buying anything. I begin to wonder how Kai keeps this place open.

I clear my throat. "Kai...why did you decide to become a blacksmith?"

He shrugs. "My dad was, and it was the only useful skill I had when my parents died, so..."

I nod. "Okay. Um, are you sure there isn't any job you could get that might...provide better for you and your sister?" I think a fast food position would beat this.

He sighs. "I get to choose my hours this way. It works better with being a ninja. I mean, sure, before Sensei Wu found me, I occasionally sought employment, but...it was hard to work for someone else and care for my sister, you know?"

I frown. "Why didn't you two go into foster care?"

"I was terrified of being separated from her, to be honest."

I rub his arm. "There are a lot of people who would've been willing to help keep you two together."

He stands from his spot behind the counter and walks over to the wall. His finger grazes a photo.

I recognize the faces in it from reading his mind. Those are his parents.

"Skye, I made a promise the moment I found out my parents had died in a car crash," he sighs. "That promise was to never, ever lose someone I loved again."

"Kai..." I follow him to the picture. "You can't promise that."

He shrugs. "I mean, the only other person I really loved at the time was Nya. Naturally, I did what it took to ensure I could always be there for her."

I shake my head. "She's strong, Kai. Stronger than either of us know. She would've made it."

Hard eyes turn on me. "Are you suggesting I should've let us be separated?"

"Of course, not. How could you even say that? I just...I don't want you to think it's your fault when people you love get hurt."

He sighs, reaching out his fingers to hold mine. "Sorry, Skye, but a promise is a promise."

We hear footsteps on the porch and leap apart. No need for Nya to see us having a moment.

"Skylor!" Nya smiles, pushing open the screen door. "You're up. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thanks. Now, show me what you've picked out."

Lloyd steps in behind Nya, and I guide her out of the room. Kai will probably want to have the "what-did-you-try-with-my-little-sister" chat.

It turns out, Nya actually chose some cute little numbers. I mean, Kai most likely won't be thrilled, but what's new?

I poke my head out of their room, ensuring Lloyd's gone. "Ready for her to model?" I ask Kai.

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Will you be wearing a bikini?"

"Haha. This is about your little sister, not me."

"I'm just saying," he sighs. "You'd look really good in a two-piece."

"That won't be happening, Kai." I step out to join him. "All right, Nya, come out when you're ready."

Her face appears at the door. "Close your eyes," she commands her brother.

"Why are girls so pushy?" he groans, placing his hands over his eyes.

"Okay," Nya nervously says. "Now promise me you won't freak out when you see me."

"Nya, you're scaring me."

"Just do it!" she yells.

"Fine, fine. I promise. Let's get this over with."

She slides her entire body out the door and takes a deep breath. "All right. Um, you can look now, Kai."

I watch his expression, knowing it'll be priceless. Nya's two-piece shows off her toned body really well. I guess she must've been training with the guys since before she realized she had powers.

Her brother's eyes slowly open. They get huge, demonstrating his surprise.

To be fair, I was a little shocked, too.

"Good grief, how much do you use the training course at the monastery?" he shouts.

She shrugs. "Oh, here and there." Her toe scuffs along the ground. "Do you like it? Is it too showy?"

"Duh!" Kai screams.

I roll my eyes. "Oh, Kai. It's just going to be us and your team. Give it a blow."

"I don't want anyone ogling my sister!"

Nya laughs. "Don't worry, Kai. No one has ever ogled me before."

"Before, you've always dressed like a stay-at-home mom! Even I, your brother, had no idea you were hiding..." He gestures to her.

I clap my hands. "So, Nya looks fabulous, and we need to be going if we don't want to be late for her party. Let's pack up, everyone!"

Kai looks like he wants to protest, but I plant my lips on his cheek and go get changed.

By the time I'm out, Kai already has a bag of potato chips open. He's wearing khaki shorts and a t-shirt, and he has sunglasses poised on his forehead.

Of course, he looks like he's fresh off some magazine cover.

"I thought you were wearing a bikini," he complains, seeing my modest one-piece.

I wink at him. "I specifically asked Nya to pick me up something a little less revealing. Just for you, of course."

He sighs. "Skye, you ruin all my fun."

Nya runs out of the bathroom with a pair of shorts and a top thrown over her suit. "Kai, stop bothering her. I'm going to be running behind for my own party!"

Groaning, he stands and grabs the snack bags. "Fine. I'm on my way."

***MUSIC CUE!***

The car ride there is filled with Nya and I singing obnoxiously. Kai turns up his country radio station to the max, but it does nothing to drown out our voices. He tries rolling down all the windows, too, but it's to no avail.

Suddenly, Nya stops mid-song. "I can see the beach from here!" she squeals.

"Oh, joy of all joys, she shut up!" Kai exclaims.

I laugh. "Oh, come on. When was the last time you saw her this excited?"

He thinks for a moment. "Good point, but my ears are still ringing."

Nya leaps out of the vehicle before it stops moving, running down to the beach and offering hugs to the guys who are there.

I squint. It looks like Cole, Jay, and Zane.

"You really need to let her get out more," I muse, grabbing a case of soda pop from under my feet. "She doesn't have very many friends."

Kai turns off the car. "Yeah, but the friends she does have are the best she could ask for. You know the guys have her back."

I raise a brow. "According to you, they can't stop looking at her back."

"I may have changed that opinion a little, due to a very annoying redhead that follows me around everywhere. Know who that could be?"

I wrinkle my nose. "No clue."

We meet everyone down on the beach. Nya's already slipped off her overclothes. Right now, Cole has her thrown over his shoulder, and she's squealing as he carries her further into the water.

Kai shouts at the top of his lungs, "Nya Smith, get back here and put on some sunblock!"

"Put me down!" is the only response he receives.

I chuckle and offer Kai a soda. "Let her have fun for a little while. She can put sunscreen on when they get back."

Zane smiles at us. "I brought frozen custard." He pats a cooler beside him.

Jay looks out at the ocean after Cole and Nya. "And I brought, um, a projector I fixed up. We can tie a sheet between a few of the trees over there, and when the sun sets, we can watch a movie. I have Nya's favorite." He blushes a little and aims his eyes at the ground.

I can't help but smile. He has such a hugely obvious crush on Nya, and she has no idea.

Her laughter comes closer, and I see her crawling up on the beach away from Cole. "That was so not fair," she yells. "I just got here!"

"You snooze, you lose," Cole grins.

Kai marches over to them and hands Nya the sunblock.

"I'm not about to let you get burnt," he growls. "You have to let me protect you, in some way."

She sighs. "Fine." After squirting a bit into her palm and reaching for her neck, she winces. "Training yesterday was rough."

"You'll get used to it," her brother shrugs.

Cole pulls a frozen custard from Zane's cooler. "Who's up for a round of tug-of-war?" he asks.

Kai chuckles. "You know I am. Since Lloyd isn't here, I guess it's up to you and me to see who the strongest ninja is."

Jay raises a hand. "Doesn't that mean all of us should test our strength?"

Zane nods. "According to my – "

"Blah, blah, blah," Kai rolls his eyes. "Everyone knows Cole and I are the strong ones. Skye, you want to referee?" He flashes me an alluring smile.

I giggle, unable to resist. "Fine. Let's move out a little bit, shall we?"

Cole grabs his bag of beach supplies, and the boys and I head for a group of trees not far off.

"All right, here are the rules," I start off. "No using anything other than your hands to pull the rope. The person to get the entire rope out of the other's grip first, wins." I rack my brain. "Are there any other rules that apply to tug-of-war?"

"I like to keep things simple," Cole grins, "so let's just stick with those. Ready to lose, Kai?" He grabs his end of the rope.

Kai rolls his eyes. "Save your gloating for something you're actually going to succeed at."

"All right!" I roar. "On your marks...get set...go!"

The two boys wrestle each other for a good minute. Even though Cole has bulkier muscles, Kai has quite a bit of strength for his more modest build. Neither of them is winning.

I don't mind. It gives me time to admire Kai's physique without getting teased.

"Hey, Kai," Cole grunts.

"What is it now, Cole? Ready to give up?" he pants.

"No, I just wanted you to get a load of the others."

"Not falling for it, Cole. I know you just want me distracted."

"Well, I guess you'll never know that Jay has his hands all over your sister."

"WHAT?" Kai hollers, jerking the rope backwards. Caught off guard, Cole lets go.

I grab Kai's wrist. "Winner!" I exclaim, lifting his arm in the air.

He yanks out of my grip. "What – what does Jay think he's doing?" A shocked Kai begins slowly walking toward them.

I turn to find that Jay is rubbing sunscreen into Nya's shoulders while she sits peacefully in front of him. She rests her back against his chest, just a little.

I snatch Kai's hand to halt his departure. "Get back here. Jay's not doing anything wrong."

Kai scrubs a hand over his face. "Why can't she put on her own sunblock?"

"If you don't recall, she was loudly complaining about how sore she was from training yesterday."

"I knew I should've bought the spray-on sunscreen lotion. Let me go, Skye." He wrenches out of my hold once more.

I tackle him, causing him to collapse on the ground. He groans.

"Get off of me!" He rolls onto his chest, but I climb right back on top of him.

"Not happening," I insist, resting halfway across him.

He tries to push me off.

"Kai," I say in my flirtiest tone, "has it occurred to you that it's been four years since we last kissed?"

"You kissed me yesterday at the party," he reminds me, finally getting me off.

I latch my arms around his neck. "That doesn't count. I was getting you to pay attention to me."

"Isn't that what you're doing right now? You're trying to distract me from my sister."

"She isn't doing anything wrong, Kai." I purposefully let go of him, falling backward.

His arms reach out to catch me, and he tugs me toward himself.

I smile. This is right where I want to be.

"Skye," he says, his voice low, "if last night didn't count, I want our first kiss to be about us as a couple. Let me take care of Jay, and then we can – "

"Nope," I smile, staring deeply into his brown eyes. "Forget about Jay. This is about us, Kai – I just thought this was the most opportune time to do it."

His gaze flicks to my lips. "You're sure this isn't about my sister?"

"Posi- "

Someone's hands suddenly grab me around the waist, and I'm hauled away.

"Cole!" Kai howls.

"Come and get her!" the other boy taunts, running with me into the ocean.

I debate whether I should use my powers to get away, or whether I should just see how this plays out.

At the look on Kai's face, I laugh out loud. I should definitely just wait and see what happens.

***So, that's it. I've been planning on the whole Jaya sunscreen thing since I started this book, which is kind of funny. It seems like such a small scene, but it really struck a chord with me. I dunno.

Also, ONLY FOUR CHAPTERS LEFT! Get ready for this, bois. There will be a lot happening!***