CHAPTER THREE — SENSEI WU JUNIOR
home — part one

"Hey, Iris! You didn't read the sign." — llyod garmadon

THE MONASTERY WAS CERTAINLY NOT QUIET THAT MORNING. Not long after Iris had pulled herself from her bed, she had heard shouts and sounds of training coming from outside. And that made her smile. The ninja were getting themselves back into shape. So as soon as she pulled on a pair of clean clothes, Iris made her way outside to where the four elemental warriors were training with the equipment her Father had collected over the years. The same equipment she used to train with.

Iris leisurely strolled over before taking a seat upon the small steps that lead inside. Her eyes trained upon the four forms of the ninja who were jumping about the courtyard, testing their abilities, physically and elementally. As they danced with their fists and kicks, Iris made mental notes on each of them. Because if she was going to help train them, she needed to know where they were currently.

"Sensei Wu Junior, what are you doing?" Cole questioned as he took a break from the punching bag.

With a smile, Iris replied. "I'm observing you so I can figure out the best way to help you." 

Pursing his lips, Cole nodded in approval. "Cool, okay." Both Kai and Jay were busy with what obstacles they were fighting against and Zane was mediating and had been for a while now. All four ninja were so different yet they worked together so in sync it was like they were in tandem. A perfect balance.

Whilst Zane remained in his tranquil state, the remaining three were faced with the full force that the monastery's training equipment had to offer. Iris' eyes darted around after them as a content smile spread across her lips. There was, of course, work to be done. But she had to admit, these ninja were naturally good fighters. 

The sound of a sliding screen caused Iris to turn only to find her Father staring at the sight before him. It seemed he was rather surprised to see his ninja training. But after what he had told her about their previous pastimes, she couldn't blame him. "They're not bad." Admitted Iris with a small shrug as Kai suddenly spun into a small fiery tornado. Then Zane finally woke from his trance.

Jumping into the action, the ice ninja leapt in front of Jay — who was busying himself with deflecting arrows — before zooming past Cole and seizing the scythe of quakes from his hands. Iris and Sensei Wu both tilted their heads slightly, curiously, as the white ninja powered through the course. He sliced at the obstacles ahead with Cole's scythe before he too used spinjitzu. Then before they even knew it, the entire monastery was coated with ice. 

Woah, Iris thought as she watched Zane. 

Her and her Father exchanged a look. Zane was certainly an incredibly powerful ninja — Iris had no doubt that they all were — they just needed to be taught how to control them. Iris couldn't help but see part of herself in the ninja: different from others, with a rational mind yet a desire to impress those they respected. She was much like him before she left as all she wanted to do was prove herself to her Father. Which was something she never needed to do.

As Iris' attention remained on the icy warrior, Kai couldn't help but smirk at the sight. "It looks like Zane is trying to impress the new girl." He stated rather proud of his friend.

"I don't think that's it." Cole shook his head as he watched Zane from the corner of his eye.

"It's like he's in his own world." Zane finally stopped spinning and Iris took that as a sign to break from her focus to redirect herself to the other three. "I bet he can't even hear us!" Huh? What had she missed?

Shaking off her confusion, Iris followed her Father to the other three ninja who was simply watching their brother—in—arms with perplexed looks on their faces. Then Kai, upon their arrival, spoke up. "Sensei, Zane's weird."

"What is weird? Someone who is different? Or someone who is different than you?"

Iris remembered those words being said to her many years ago and simply shook her head at the memory. Then Cole spoke up. "No, Sensei. He's weird weird." The Wu girl hadn't known the ninja for very long so she couldn't really input on the matter; she never thought Zane to be weird. He just didn't seem to be like anyone she had ever met before.

They all watched as Zane faced off one of the wooden figures before proceeding to hit his head upon it. Iris winced at the impact. "We like the guy, he's really smart. He's just, uh, a little off sometimes."

"You are all very different." Iris told the ninja softly. "Just some of you in others ways."

Then her Father added. "Zane is a brother. And brothers are often different." He said, continuing his daughter's point. "I should know."

They all looked down solemnly at the Sensei's words as they all knew him to right — as he often was. Wu had been the brother to a man opposite to him for longer than the ninja even knew. So if anyone knew what it was like, it was surely him. Iris didn't have any siblings, so it was not something she was familiar with. Yet the bond she shared with her two cousins she at one point saw as more like siblings. But unfortunately, she was sure those days were mainly behind them. 

KNOCK!

The sound of the towering monastery gates caused them all to whip their heads around to face it. It appeared that the mailman had arrived. A joyous smile spread across the Wu girl's lips as she watched three of her Father's four ninja dash to open the large crimson door. But Zane remained behind. Jay and Cold had received messages from their families and Kai somehow had fan mail despite not long being a ninja. But Zane, there was nothing for him. And that made Iris' smile twist into a frown.

"Hey, Zane, how come you never hear anything from your parents?" Inquired Jay after opening his own letter.

Iris reached up to tuck a dark strand of hair behind her ear just as the white ninja replied. "I don't remember my parents. I've been an orphan all of my life." At his words, Iris' heart broke for him. She remembered the pain of losing her Mother but she couldn't even imagine what she would feel if she didn't know her at all. So Iris offered the boy a comforting smile.

Zane's confession made Kai query. "You mean, you've never had a home?" Sadly, Zane just shook his head and that just made Iris' heart shatter even more.

Slowly she walked towards the ninja, heading straight for his side. As soon as she reached him, she gently reached out and placed her fingertips lightly upon his upper arm. "The monastery can be your home. If you want it to be." Offered the Master of Space whose Father then nodded in agreement.

Zane did not respond.

Instead the chilly ninja said nothing and simply left to head back inside. It was so sad that the young man had had no sort of love and home in his life like the rest of them had. But the past was the past and there was nothing they could do to change it. They could only alter the future to make it better. 

They could be his family, his home, he didn't have to be alone anymore. And as Iris watched him leave the courtyard for the comfort of his room, she knew in her heart that she had to help him.

No matter what.

AFTER A LONG DAY OF TRAINING THE NINJA, IT WAS FINALLY TIME FOR THEM ALL TO SIT DOWN FOR DINNER. She hadn't been at the monastery very long so she hadn't yet tried everyone's cooking, but Zane's had to be better than Cole's the previous night. Nothing was worse than that. 

It seemed they all were put on a cooking router and took turns to whip out a meal for them all. Iris' turn hadn't come yet, after all, she had just had her Father add her to the router. He knew she was a good cook so he was looking forward to see what she would come up with when it was her time to shine.

The day was tiring and long for them all. Iris had spent it observing the ninja, planning ahead and getting to know more of the monastery's new residents — even Nya. The ninja seemed to like her, which was good and necessary if she wanted to effectively help them and NOT as the yellow ninja. The yellow ninja and Iris Wu were two separate people. Or at least for the moment they were.

Sweet aromas filled the Wu girl's nose as the scent from Zane's cooking floated up into the air. If what he had made tasted half as good as it smelt, they were in for one incredible meal. Platters of all sorts of tasty dishes were lined up across the table, ready for their consumption. There was something for everyone in Zane's small buffet and none of them could wait until they could dive straight into that edible goodness. 

"Mm. Oh, I love it when it's Zane's night to cook." Jay grinned in content as he started to put the food into his mouth. This was her first time experiencing Zane's cooking but she was sure she was going to love it too. 

At Jay's words, Cole suddenly protested. "Hey, I didn't hear any complaints about my duck chowder last night." Iris instantly grimaced at the memory as just the thought of the previous night's meal brought the taste back into her mouth. And it wasn't pleasant. 

"That's because it glued our mouths shut. You really thought Jay was speechless all throughout dinner?"

"Yeah. Please don't make that again."

Raising her hand, Iris' turned to the earth ninja with her grimace still on her face. "I second that." 

And before Cole could defend his dish, Zane finally entered the dining room with the last part of their meal for the evening. Oh how it smelled heavenly. 

They all turned to the ice ninja as he carefully placed down a perfectly cooked chicken upon the table. A small smile spread across her face as she saw him enter with a pink flowery apron strapped to his chest. It was definitely a pretty apron. There was a brief moment of silence in the room before they all suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. Iris smiled more than she laughed as she looked over at the peculiar ninja who was certainly a sight to behold.

His friends' laughter caused him to frown in confusion. Then he queried. "What's so funny?"

Inside her chest, Iris' heart was racing as she managed to regain control of her breathing. She shook her head at the ninja's question, an amused grin still plastered across her lips. Then Nya spoke up. "Zane, you're wearing a... Well, even I wouldn't wear that."

"You laugh because I take steps to ensure I am clean after cooking?" 

Kai then answered. "Ha—ha. No, we laugh because you came out wearing that ridiculous outfit." Iris didn't think it looked that bad. She thought Zane rather pulled the whole look off. And to be completely honest, she wasn't sure where the apron had even come from. It wasn't her Mother's or her Father's and it definitely wasn't hers. 

The Wu girl's heart clenched as the crestfallen ninja looked down at his bright pink, frilly outerwear. "I guess we don't share the same sense of humour." 

"Well, how about this?" Cole inquired. But before anyone could say anything else, the black ninja suddenly seized a plate from the table and threw it into Kai's awaiting face. 

Then the room erupted with laughter once again. 

Taking a hand, Iris quickly placed it over her mouth to try and stifle her giggles as she watched the food slide off of the fire ninja's face. And as they were busy watching Kai, no one noticed that her Father had left his seat and was creeping up behind Cole. "How could you not find that funny?"

All of a sudden a bowl was dumped onto Cole's head so the contents spilled all down his face and mixed in his hair. 

Any chance of containing her laughter was now long gone as Iris chuckled with no end in near sight. Oh how it had been so long since she had laughed like this. 

"Now you are brothers." Sensei Wu stated, placing a hand on each of the two ninjas' shoulders. The Master of Space simply grinned at her Father and his ninja at his words. 

Snatching the plate closest to him, Jay started to toss the food across the table at his teammates — his brothers — and it wasn't long after that the entire room was consumed in a food fight. A hungry rumble reverberated through Iris' body as the food flew through the air. So, noticing a still full plate beside her, Iris reached out and sampled Zane's cooking.

By the grace of the First Spinjitzu Master, Iris' eyes widened as the food hit her tongue, this is incredible.

Jay was right to be excited, Zane's cooking really was something else. Which was why she didn't understand why they were tossing it around to be wasted. Good food like Zane's should never be wasted. A full-cheeked grin appeared on the girl's face as she watched the room be consumed in an all-out buffet battle. It was enjoyable to watch, but Iris was more focused on eating her dinner after the long day she had had.  

When Iris noticed Zane was about to leave, her hand shot out to stop him. And when the ice ninja felt the sudden sensation against his arm, he stopped. Turning to Iris, Zane stared down at her curiously as she smiled up at him. Why had she stopped him when the others had not? "Your cooking is really good." Iris mentioned as she kindly looked up at her new friend. 

A faintest hint of a smile began to appear on the ninja's face at her nice words. Then Zane left the room as the others continued to toss his homemade meals around like they were his shurikens. Iris watched as the boy left the room to head to only he knew where, and she couldn't deny that she wanted to go after him. If just to tell him that everything was going to be okay.

But she didn't realise that she had already helped him. That her soft, kind words were exactly what he needed. In amidst of all of his confusion and the strangeness of his new environment, the newest addition (or one of the oldest depending on how you looked it at it) to the monastery had offered some peace to his constantly churning mind.

And neither of them knew that this was just the beginning.

ZANE HAD DISCOVERED THE SERPENTINE'S — AND LLOYD'S — SECRET BASE, DON'T ASK HER HOW BECAUSE SHE WASN'T EXACTLY SURE. It had something to do with a bird and Zane following that bird to the secret base. Okay, so it sounded a little crazy. But crazier things had happened in Ninjago so Iris was at least going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

When the ninja left that morning, the yellow ninja was hot on their heels. No warning was needed for her Father for he already knew Iris would be far behind his ninja who he watched leave the monastery. After putting on her old suit (her Father told her he was trying to get her a new, better fitting, one thankfully) Iris teleported from the monastery and towards the woods where the four elemental fighters were headed.

As soon as she saw them she kept her distance, only teleporting ahead when she was too far behind. Iris didn't want to be spotted just yet. 

The ninja kept on running, following Zane's lead, through the forest; all of them unaware of the yellow shadow trailing behind them. Keeping to the trees, Iris teleported from branch to branch to remain out of sight as she kept up with the ninja on their way to wherever her cousin was hiding. 

She had known Lloyd all of his life — despite being away for the past few years — so she knew what was really inside his heart. He wasn't bad, just lost. Loralyn wasn't there to knock some sense into him, so it seemed it would be up to Iris to do that job. Ever since they were little, Iris had looked out for the Garmadon siblings as an older cousin would and it seemed her days of protecting the blonde were far from over. 

With her eyes trained on the ninja below, Iris didn't see the treehouse until the quartet beneath came to a sudden stop. And when Iris looked up she couldn't believe her eyes. Lloyd had Hypnobrai building a secret base — a treehouse. It was rickety and misshapen pile of wood supported by thick vines that roped it all together. And it was definitely a sight to behold.

Iris watched curiously as the ninja devised their plan of attack. Taking a deep breath, the yellow warrior prepared herself for the fight that was no doubt coming. When the time was right, she would reveal herself just like she had done back in Jamanakai village. But for now, she remained out of sight as the ninja readied themselves to attack. 

Then the ninja separated and their plan was put into place.

With the four fighters beginning their stealthy attack, Iris took it as a sign to begin her own mission. Her feet were currently planted firmly on the branch of a high tree, her limbs straining against the tight yellow material that covered her body. Scanning the treehouse, Iris searched for her cousin amongst the snakes and all the construction taking place. And considering Lloyd's small size, it was relatively easy to spot him dead centre in the unstable treehouse.

As she fixed her gaze on her cousin, Iris took a deep breath and pictured what her eyes were seeing in her mind. She could feel her power building inside of her as she prepared to make one last jump in space. Then, with a small yellow poof, Iris Wu vanished.

On the treehouse, Lloyd Garmadon let out an evil laugh as he stood in his precious secret base. "It's almost finished." He smirked, gazing around at his masterpiece. "Soon, my fortress will be complete." Then he turned to the nearest Hypnobrai soldier and yelled. "You! Hold up that sign for me!" And just as the serpentine did as the young Garmadon commanded, the boy reached out and pulled the lever beside him sending the snake straight through a trap door. "Booby trap!"

And unbeknownst to the aspiring evil mastermind, the ninja were right behind him, scaling the outside of his secret fortress. 

Iris reappeared on the treehouse, her feet almost tripping on the uneven planks beneath her. Fortunately her cousin did not spot her at first which allowed the young woman to gather her footing and make her way so she was standing behind the boy. After a calming breath, Iris then spoke up. "Monty. Please, you have to listen to me."

Monty? Only one person called him that.

Lloyd whipped around on the spot and was surprised to find himself face to face with the yellow ninja from before. But it wasn't just the yellow ninja. That voice, that name, it could only be one person: his cousin Iris. "Iris." He muttered weakly, his strong evil exterior breaking at the sight of her. "You're a ninja."

"Yes, Monty, I am." Iris admitted and then slowly took a cautious step forwards. "But I need you to listen to me."

Putting back up his facade, Lloyd questioned. "Why should I? Where have you been?"

Guilt attacked the Wu girl's heart and she cast her eyes down with shame. "I'm sorry, Monty. I left coming to see you too long, so by the time I did come to the boarding school, you were gone." She had visited? The revelation caused Lloyd to falter as he stared at his cousin's masked face. But despite the yellow coating her nose and mouth, he could still see her eyes and just like always, they were filled with concern. "But I'm here now and I want to help you."

"You can't help me."

Iris took another step forward. 

But then the treehouse started to fall. It seemed the ninja had begun to take out the supports. 

After catching herself, she continued. "The serpentine are bad news, Lloyd." She told him, trying to offer the boy the help he kept refusing. "You don't understand what you have done. You can't trust them. What would Loralyn say?" 

"Don't bring her into this!" Yelled Lloyd at the mention of his sister.

Okay, bad move on her part. 

She had hoped bringing up Loralyn would awaken something in him and it did: rage. For too long the Garmadon siblings had been apart and their relationship just grew even more complicated. And to add to it all, she was his twin. 

A mischievous smirk spread across Lloyd's lips. That surely didn't mean anything good. "Hey, Iris! You didn't read the sign." The Wu girl arched an eyebrow as she looked around for the supposed sign Lloyd was talking about until her eyes settled on a piece of wood. It read: No Girls or Ninja. "And you're both!" 

Llyod pulled the lever.

Then Iris was sent straight through the floor. It seemed the Master of Space hadn't watched where she was placing her feet. As she didn't realise she was standing upon Lloyd's trap door. 

Iris fell through the trap door, her body heading straight towards the ground. The ground was getting nearer and nearer so she did the only thing she could: she teleported to the roof. Lloyd saw his cousin disappear into a puff of yellow energy and knew exactly what had happened. He knew who and what Iris was. 

Finally the yellow ninja pulled herself up to where the ninja had gathered upon the roof of the collapsing treehouse. "Hey, look! It's Yellow." Jay pointed out as soon as he spotted her appearance. Luckily, as it would seem, they hadn't saw the method of her arrival. That was a conversation she wasn't ready to have yet.

"Better late than never." Zane added with a grateful nod.

Cole was on a different platform, ready to sever the last line that kept the Lloyd's fortress up. Then Kai shouted over to him. "Cole, wait till we're all off the treehouse, then cut the line." There was something really wrong going on, but Iris couldn't quite put her finger on it. "This whole place is coming down." And he was right. The treehouse was barely being held together. 

The whole structure shook as it began to crumble and Iris felt her body tremble along with it. Keeping your balance was no easy task on a collapsing treehouse, that much was certain. She almost toppled over the edge a few times and if it weren't for Zane catching her arm, she was sure she would have revealed her powers or worse. 

And to make it all worse, Cole leapt from his station onto the deteriorating roof, his eyes red and consumed with the Hypnobrai power. She knew something was wrong. "No one goes anywhere, until you deal with me."

They had to fight Cole. But he was their friend. They didn't want to hurt him.

But before Iris could even ready herself to fight, Zane caught her arm once again. "No. This isn't your fight. He is our friend, we must deal with him alone." He was right. To them she was just a stranger and Cole was their brother, she couldn't be there. This was up to them. "Go now! Before the treehouse collapses completely." 

Iris nodded. "Good luck, ninja."

If they weren't so focused on saving their friend, they would have watched the yellow ninja as she ran across the toppling roof before diving off the edge like a board in a pool. As Iris' feet left the wood beneath them, she began to picture her home — the monastery — in her mind. 

The ground got closer and closer as Iris thought about her home. Then, in another yellow puff, the yellow ninja was gone.

WHEN IRIS RETURNED SHE WAS GREETED TO HER HOME ABLAZE. Fire licked the walls in an all consuming inferno, spreading smoke and ash throughout the monastery. Heat radiated throughout the room, touching her skin with a scolding temperature. Tears fell from Iris' eyes as she watched helplessly as her home was reduced to cinders. She stood, unmoving, in her room that she had teleported into, frozen in shock. 

Smoke crawled into her lungs causing the ninja to cough violently as it entered her body. Her eyes stung which caused even more tears to fall. The flames reached for her, trying to pull her into its grasp to try and satisfy its ravenous nature. Tremors took control of her body as the fire caged her inside the monastery like a predator with its prey.

"Father! Nya!" She cried out, desperate to find out whether or not they had made it. After all, the two were still in the monastery when she left after the ninja. "Father! Nya!" No response. She had to hope they made it out. If they were there, Iris was sure that the fire would have never have started. This couldn't be just a simple accident, it was something much more sinister.

Iris just couldn't believe it. The Monastery of Spinjitzu had stood for centuries, maybe even longer, but now it was being reduced to nothing. Her home was dying and she couldn't stop it.

Fighting through the blaze, Iris seized her barely unpacked bag and held it tight to her chest. It was all she had left of her home. Orange engulfed her vision as the inferno grew exponentially as it engulfed the monastery.

She reached out for her desk, taking the picture of her and Loralyn before stuffing it into her bag. Not much was going to survive a fire like this. Iris prepared to teleport with tear-obscured vision and burning limbs, and her breathing wasn't going to work with all the smoke sneaking into her lungs. 

But just as she was about to disappear, her eyes caught the photo still hanging up on the wall, the flames almost reaching the glass. The photo of her parents. 

Iris leapt over the wall of flames, bag still clutched to her chest, to grab the precious picture before finally vanishing in yellow smoke. 

The Monastery of Spinjitzu — her home — was gone, but at least her Father and the ninja were going to be okay. After all, it was just a building. Home was where your family was.

Chapter 3!!! And we're officially properly into the show. Before Iris was just setting herself up, but now she's a part of the ninja's lives as herself AND as the yellow ninja.

Iris' attempt to talk to Lloyd didn't go as planned. She just wants to help him, but maybe bringing up his sister was a bad move. But now Lloyd knows Iris is the yellow ninja, so that's something.

I love how cute Iris and Zane are already. They're both so caring and want to look after each other, it's so sweet. 

Heads up, the next chapter will be a shorter one. I was going to put episode 2 into one chapter but then I found a great place to split it up so now it's two. 

Can't wait for more Iris and Zane!!!

Thank you all for reading!!!

Sincerely Rosie aka Winter326