*the next day*

Nya's POV

"So, what's the verdict?" Lloyd asks as PIXAL and Chamille sit down. The two of them just returned from the palace, a place I'm thankful that I haven't been so far. While Seliel said that it was a nice place, she also explained to me how controlling Mara and Ciara were, which is no shock. They were kept in lockdown there unless they were on a mission, just like we were in the prison realm. 

"She wears the emerand around her neck as a necklace," Chamille informs him. Lloyd is standing in front of us, trying to solidify a plan before we go in there and try to destroy it.

"That's not ideal, but we'll work with it. Chamille and PIXAL, you were able to get out because you told them you had leads on us, right?" Lloyd verifies.

"Correct."

"Alright, perfect. We're going to have each of you girls come in with some of us at similar times, but not the exact same because that's too suspicious. PIXAL, you're going to come in first with Zane. Then, Skylor is going to come in with Kai. Chamille then comes in with Jay and Nya, and Seliel is going to come in with Cole and I. You all are going to present us to Mara, and when she doesn't expect it, we're going to ambush her.

We have to be quick and organized with our ambush because we don't want to give her enough time to get stone warriors as reinforcements. If she does though, we need to knock the Helmet of Shadows off of her head and one of us has to take control of them.

Organizationally, we're split into two groups. Initially, all of us are focused on getting the emerald and holding them back, but once we get the emerald, Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane need to shoot their powers into it to split it. They'll need protection, so Nya and I will focus on making sure no one can get to them. We'll be using long range attacks to keep Mara and Ciara away. Skylor, Chamille, PIXAL and Seliel, you all will be using close range attacks to keep them away.

Then, when the guys split the gemstone, Mara will immediately be sent back to her prison realm, and we'll need to detain Ciara. Once everything is controlled, my dad and uncle Wu will come in and with their combined blood of the First Spinjitzu Master, they'll lock Ciara in her own prison realm, so she can't try to free her sister ever again," Lloyd explains the plan to us, and it's actually a fairly good plan.

"How long do we have until we should head out?" Skylor asks. Lloyd looks down at his phone for the time.

"Like thirty minutes. You and Kai can probably leave a bit later than everyone else though cause two don't have to fake fight," he answers.

"Well, if we only have thirty minutes left, then I'm going to go grab something to eat," Cole stands up. He rolls his shoulders and neck at the same time.

"Ooo, count me in on that," Seliel jumps up and follows Cole to the kitchen.

"Skylor and I are going to go grab the handcuffs," Kai says, and he leaves the room with Skylor.

"I am going to verify that the locations we chose for our battles are safe for the pedestrians. PIXAL, would you care to accompany me?" Zane asks, and Jay and I give each other a knowing look. Our nindroid has a crush.

"I would enjoy that," the two of them walk out of the room together.

"Jay and I can go make sure all of our vehicles are operational to get to our locations," I offer, and Jay nods. The two of us stand up.

"Actually, Nya, I want to talk to you about something. Can you come out into the hallway with me?" Lloyd asks.

I look at him skeptically. "Yeah, sure." I give Jay I quick kiss on the cheek before heading out into the hallway with Lloyd. He shuts the door behind us and looks at me. "What is it?"

"I...I want to say that I'm sorry, for everything. I know I haven't necessarily been the nicest to you, and I regret that. Suspicion and jealousy got the best of me. I was scared that you were with the other side still, and most importantly, I was jealous of your relationship with Kai. He had always treated me like a little brother, so I was scared that you coming back would cause him to forget about me. Realizing my mistake and knowing that there's a possibility all of us are going to die in a couple of hours, I wanted to clear the air before it all went down. You're just as much of a ninja as myself and the rest of the guys, and I want you to feel like it," he places a hand on my shoulder, a slightly embarrassed but apologetic smile on his face.

"Thank you, Lloyd. It means a lot to me that you'd do this," I inform him. "I'd like to apologize too. I shouldn't have been so combative with you. Not realizing that people would warm up to me at different rates, it was a mistake, and I should have been nicer to you. I should have understood that you'd be as skeptical as you were," I admit. "Friends?" I stick my hand out.

He looks at my hand before moving past it and giving me a hug instead. "Friends." After the initial shock wears off, I wrap my arms around him too. After a moment, he pulls away from the hug, and the two of us walk into the room where Chamille, Jay, and Harumi are.

"Chamille, do you mind watching Harumi for a bit? I need to talk to my dad about something," Lloyd asks. Chamille nods.

"Yeah, sure," she continues to file her nails.

"Oh, Harumi, you're screwed. It's not fun to have Chamille watching you. Trust me, I'd know," Jay tells her, a slight chuckle in his voice. Seeing the fear on Harumi's face, a small smile grows on my lips.

---

Lloyd's POV

Standing in front of the etched up, wooden door, I gently knock as to not wake my possibly sleeping uncle. Quietly and slowly, the door opens, revealing my dad. Lines of worry fill his face.

"He isn't doing well, is he?" I check with him. My dad shakes his head.

"I fear not. He told me that he feels like he has enough strength to send Ciara to the prison realm, but I am not sure," panic floods through my system as he tells me. Ciara has escaped all other forms of containment throughout history, and this is the only full proof method for keeping her isolated.

"Then, what should we do? We don't want Ciara able to try again during the next alignment."

"Although you have half of what Wu and I have, you still have the blood of the First Spintizu Master in you. If you help us send her away, it will take strain off of your uncle. Even if it's only a fraction, it will aid him greatly."

"But...but I don't know how," I tell him, my eyes wide. Seeing all the things that I've been through, there's no shock that banishing the daughter of the Overlord is going to be added to the list.

"Come, I will teach you."

---

Cole's POV

"For such a small ship, you guys sure have a lot of food," Seliel watches me search all of our cabinets for the mini donuts. I've searched nearly all of them, but I can't seem to find them anywhere.

"We all have big appetite's, some of us more than others," I explain, "and the Bounty is not small in any means. You guys just built a giant ship for some reason."

"That we deserted in the middle of nowhere with all of our clothes," she grumbles.

Several boxes of cereal block what's at the back of the cabinet. When I pull them all out of the way, I see a white bag with a blue streak across it. Grinning, I pull them out and move the cereal boxes back in.

"Bingo," I pull four out of the bag before handing it to Seliel. She takes four out as well.

"Tonight, you're filming a Brick Tok with me," she informs me mater-of-factly.

I raise and eyebrow. "What's in it for me?"

"You told me you would at the banquet," she tells me.

"Really? I don't remember that," I raise an eyebrow.

"You said, and I quote,'You know what? If I'm still alive after everything goes down, and you want to make a Brick Tok, we can make a Brick Tok,'" she quotes me, and suddenly the moment comes flooding back to me. Her hair was down, the teal and pink down and falling below her shoulders. She had on a blue and teal dress that hugged her figure perfectly. She looked absolutely stunning, just as she does now.

"You're right," I tell her. She claps her hands.

"Great, I'll even throw in a crisp high five to make it worth it," she says, making me laugh.

"Oh I'm looking forward to it," I pop a mini donut in my mouth. Looking at her, my mind drifts to something else. "Seliel, you know how you said that you're attracted to me last night?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I...I'm attracted to you, too," I tell her.

"I already knew that," she tells me, making me widen my eyes.

"What?" I ask, in shock.

"You're not necessarily the most subtle person out there, especially these past couple of days. Besides, I kind of guessed that you saying yes to me was confirming it," she explains, shrugging. She says it all so calmly.

"I..." my heart beats rapidly in my chest as I try to think of a response.

"It's still nice to hear, nonetheless," she pops a donut in her mouth, extremely casual about all of this. I stand here, slightly stunned. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you didn't," I reassure her.

"You know what, if I'm attracted to you, and you're attracted to me, do you want to be my boyfriend? From my reading online, they made it clear to not assume that someone is your boyfriend, because that leads to some sticky situations," she says casually, one of her hands resting on her hip.

"I'd like that," I reply with a smile. A smile grows on her face too.

"Great! The Coliel shippers are going to be so happy. They're all over the internet," she explains to me before walking a bit closer to me. My chest goes tight when she leans forward and wraps her arms around me, giving me a hug. The butterflies flutter inside of me as I latch my arms around her. It feels just like I imagined, warm and fuzzy. I close my eyes and hold her tighter, wishing that I never had to let go.

---

Zane's POV

"...and the final location where the two of us will be fighting is in front of Borg Tower. While there will most likely be a decent amount of pedestrians around, I can monitor the use of my powers in order to guarantee that no damage is taken, something that the others cannot do," I verify the last on with PIXAL. When I turn my head to look at her, she appears to be thinking about something else. "What is it?"

"Borg Tower, as in my creator, Cyrus Borg?" she clarifies.

"Yes, the tower just recently finished its' construction needed from when the original tower was destroyed during the final battle. Your creator helped fix and repair the city," I explain to her. She looks down at her lap.

"What if we do not succeed in our mission today? What if I never get a chance to meet my creator?" she questions, and I can detect sadness in her tone.

I reach out and grab her hand, "You will meet him, PIXAL. I assure you that I will do everything in my power to make that happen."

She smiles at me, her green eyes shining bright. "Thank you, Zane. It is nice to have someone who understands, someone who can relate to me."

"Someone who is compatible."

My words make her smile grow. "Yes Zane, someone who is compatible."

---

Jay's POV

I check the motor on the Ultra Sonic Radar, the vehicle Nya and I are going to be using. Nya and I have fixed it since the infamous bread incident, but I need to double check that it's in working condition.

Nya is on the other side of the garage, changing the tires on the car that Cole and Lloyd are going to use. She found out that they ran over a nail the last time they were out, and to prevent any possible malfunctions, she wanted to replace it instead of patch it.

Once I finish all of my tests on the engine to make sure it works properly, I walk over to Nya. Instead of fixing the tire like I expected, she's staring off into space. She doesn't even notice my presence.

"So Nya, whatcha doing?" I rock back on my heels. Nya jumps up in surprise, evidence that she was zoned out.

"Thinking," she gives me a small smile. "Is the Ultra Sonic Radar in working condition?"

"Yep, everything works like a charm," I take a seat down next to her. "Now, do you want to share what's going on in that mind of yours?" I ask, tapping her temple with one finger.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you, Nya. Something's clearly on your mind, and it's definitely not how to change this tire. I've seen you do that before without hesitation," I rest my hand on her shoulder.

"What am I, Jay?" she asks me, catching me off guard. I raise my slitted eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean? You're a human, an elemental master, a..."

"Am I a ninja, or am I one of the girls? Prior to Lloyd calling me a ninja, it didn't register to me that I'm not really the same as my sisters anymore. I thought that when we were all put together again, everything would just go back to how it was, but it just feels different," she explains, sounding exasperated. "I spent 16 years of my life with them, but the several months I haven't have been so drastically different than tall of the others for both parties involved. I didn't have to live under Mara while she was in Ninjago. Instead, I was with you guys. With you guys though, I didn't go through the same battles as you. I wasn't there when you defeated the Great Devourer and the Overlord. I just...I don't feel like I fully fit into either."

"Why can't you be both?" I ask her. "Putting yourself in just one group would discredit all that you've been through. Yes, you weren't with us when we were fighting the villains in this realm, but you have been fighting with us in the resistance against Mara. Before that, you had to endure living with Mara and Ciara for 16 years, and that's a battle in itself."

I look into her eyes and melt, her brown eyes meeting mine. "I was thinking, and if we do win today, maybe my sisters will want to form their own team and go on their own missions. What will I do then?"

The question freezes me. The thought of Nya leaving once the rest of the girls got back never crossed my mind. I always just assumed that she would stay with us. I'm so used to having her with me, to waking up and getting to see her bright and gorgeous smile each day, to being able to ask her for help on projects, and to have someone to talk to about absolute nonsense. Not having her here would create an unfillable emptiness.

"You'd come to a decision then, but there's no point in choosing now, since you don't need to yet. Besides, considering how close Kai and Skylor have gotten, I don't know how likely it is that that'll happen," I wrap my arm around her, pulling her into my side. I feel her small yet strong frame against my side, and I rest my head against the top of her's. Closing my eyes, I smell her familiar scent that ties my stomach into knots yet also comforts me.

"It's so ironic that out of all of the ninja, she fell for him. She hated 'the fire guardian' ever since we were little, and now here she is, dating my fire brother," Nya laughs lightly, the sound music to my ears.

"Hey, he did save her from a burning building, after all. Poor Explorer's Club, that place was burnt down to a crisp, and everything inside of it was, too," I think back to that night. We all thought Kai was a dead man, stuck in the collapsing building, until he walked out with Skylor in his arms.

"I was so concerned when you said my name after I used my powers that night when we were fighting for the Scolecite of Ice," Nya admits. "I wish that Nya could see me now. She'd flip her shit."

"If past me could see me now, he'd be much less stressed when he got kidnapped. I swear, that was one of the scariest moments of my life because I had no idea what to expect."

"I'm still curious, why did you listen to me when I asked you to shut up, but not to Chamille when she punched you in the eye?" she asks me, her hand resting on my leg.

"Call it a sixth sense, but I just knew to listen. Besides, when a girl who is both that beautiful and that scary tells you to shut up, you do it."

"And yet, you still helped me with my invention, and when I looked at you to thank you, it was over, not to mention you were also an inventor and you were able to entertain me with stories for hours."

"Gosh, the stories were driving Seliel absolutely insane, it was hilarious, but she couldn't just tell me to shut up because you were enjoying them," I laugh, holding Nya close.

"What can I say? I have immaculate taste."

---

Skylor's POV

I look down at the handcuffs in my hands. The cuffs themselves send chills throughout my entire body. They look so realistic, so close to vengestone. Even though I've seen vengestone cuffs after the incident, it always makes me think of when I got sepsis back when I was a little girl.

I look down at my right hand, a frown on my face. The scars coat my hand, a constantly reminder of the burn that was there. Putting a dirty vengestone cuff on my hot hand was one of her worst ideas by far, but who knows, what if she wanted that to happen? Mara is a psychopath, and it's clear that I'm her least favorite out of all of us. What if her intention was to cause me more pain, to make me suffer so I would submit to her?

When I feel my boyfriend's strong arms wrap around me from behind, my eyes flutter shut. He bends down a bit to rest his head on my shoulder. "We're going to make sure she can never hurt anyone again, don't worry. I'm going to make sure she can never hurt you again," he tells me, protectively, knowing what I'm thinking about. His hot breath fans on my neck, making goosebumps appear on my skin.

"I don't want to see her again," I admit to him, the fear of her deep in my veins,"not even to get revenge. She's far too dangerous now, and I couldn't handle if she hurt anyone. If she hurt you or any of my sisters..."

"She won't," Kai reassures me. He takes my scarred hand and brings it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on it, causing his power to flood into my veins, the heat of it giving me comfort. "If we defeat her before she can transfer our powers, she can't kill us without making the realm collapse."

I lean my head against his, slowly breathing in and out. "If she's losing, she might not care though. She'd rather go out with a bang."

Suddenly, I feel myself get spun around. Kai is looking down at me, his light brown eyes that make my knees weak staring into mine. He lifts a hand up and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. His hand skims against my cheek, sending a wave of heat through my body that nearly takes my breath away.

"Skylor, I promise you that tonight, I'll be right here in front of you, just like I am right now. We'll have defeated her, and you'll be free of her once and for all."

"You promise?"

"I promise," he tells me before leaning over and pressing his lips against mine. My hands drop the handcuffs and find their way to the back of his gi, pulling him closer to me. Our hearts beat together as I hold him close, knowing that this could be the last time I do this with him. Feeling his body against mine, I'm in an absolute state of bliss.

All I can do is hope that Mara won't take it from me.

A/N We're so close everyone! I thought it was fitting to end this "preparing for the battle and recruiting the girls" section of the book with a ton of ship moments

Also, I'm going  to write the end of the book in a certain way. I'm going to write ending one first, with all of the chapters with (1) after them being part of the first ending being together and the ones with (2) being part of the second. I personally prefer 2, but because 1 is the one I will be using for one-shots in the future (you'll all see why) I'm putting 1 first. 

3 chapters left for ending one and 1 for ending two! Then, it's unscripted hours! 

Any predictions for the the rest of the book! We're almost there!

Thank you all for reading this far! You all are the best