{Location: The Cabin}(Kai's POV)

THWACK! I twist and fall on my face.

Why'd I have to be first?

My hand grips the golden sword of fire tighter as rage slowly builds in me, "OW!" My feet pull me up as Willow seems fairly smug in defeating me, "That hurt."
"The ground ain't meant to be soft." She swings her weapon. She starts circling me as the guys bearly hide their grins and smirks, "You've got to be much better."

My sword heats up slightly, "I'M A MASTER SWORDSMAN! I'VE SPENT A NEAR DECADE TRAINING WITH A SWORD, HOW CAN I BE ANY BETTER THEN I ALREADY AM?"

"Aww," Jamie. It's always that cold, emotionless child, with some quick clap back around to tick me off, "is the master of fire throwing a tantrum?"
"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!?" I throw down my weapons and storm over to her. The only satisfaction I can get is knowing how much hight my hair spikes give me, "Do you wanna go?!"

There's a small orb of water forming in her palm, "It's adorable that you think you can take me."

"Relax," Willow hands up her sword as Lloyd pushes me away, "I think we've trained enough for today, Kai. Zane, you're next."

Jamie shows the slightest amount of smugness and that sends me off.

I reach and grab for her as Lloyd braces me from slapping a child. "I won't hurt her....that much."

Jamie shakes her head, "I repeat myself, it's cute that you think you can take me." She walks off, behind Willow and Zane.

I huff, grabbing my sword and walking off. I storm to a tree and start swinging at it.

Pretentious little....

SHICK!

My sword cuts in at a particular angle, getting it stuck.

"AUGG!" I grip it, pulling at it to no luck.

"You ok, Kai?" Lloyd peeks out. "You seem to be having a bit of a-"

"Don't you dare say tantrum." I kick the tree for keeping my sword.

Lloyd calmy walks over, helping pull at the stuck sword, "I was going to say meltdown."

I take a deep breath, my chest collapsing low.

"Is it the training? It's ok, we can-

"It's really not that." I soften my tone just before she pops into my mind, "It's more Jamie then anything."

Lloyd shrugs, "We just don't know her that well yet."

"I know. But I've just never liked smug people."

"So you don't like yourself?"

"Ha ha," My eyes roll, "I'm confident and playful. Smug is being a jerk while looking down on someone. A certain spy personifies that word right now."

Lloyd's smile dips a little only to pick up, "That' explains a lot."

"Explains what?"

"Why you'd didn't like me so much when we first met."

It seems like not so long ago that he was physically a little boy with a big ego yet it's been a few years. "You opened up a nasty nest of snakes and when that didn't work, you did it again."

Lloyd stops pulling at the sword, blowing on his gloved hands, "And you thought you were the green ninja."

The sword doesn't budge, I huff, my breath a little warm even for me, "Didn't the world seem so small then."

"Yeah. And now we're trying to bring down an evil dictator that your girlfriend's father." I sorta miss those old days. Mabey when the world didn't seem so bent of trying to destroy itself. Back in the monastery, arguing about video games and who's training. I mean was still do that but it was different being the four of us, Nya and Sensei.

I look back at my sword, gripping it once more, "With the added bonus of a smug little child who doesn't even think I'm useful for the PLAN!"

FHOOM!

The tree lights up in fire as my sword is still stuck in it.

"KAI!" Lloyd runs for a bucket.

"I'M SORRY!" My heart pounds as the flames start reaching for other trees. My stupid temper. My stupid stupid stupid temper. I grab clumps of dirt and start throwing it at the fire.

Lloyd comes back with a pitifully small bucket. Dumping it on the fire before running for more.

Shizzz!

Water appears overhead, harshly splashing against the tree and snow. Jamie growls before sighs, "Follow me." She turns on her heel towards the cabin.

I reach for my weapons as heat sizzles off of it.

"And no sword."

I don't care. I take it, pushing away the pain of burning hands. I blow on it as much as I can as Cole and Jay give me an apologetic look. The cabin is dark with signs of a lazy baker being in the kitchen.

Jamie sits on the couch, arms and legs folded with a black laptop in her lap, "I don't think you're useless. I think you're dangerous."

My eyes roll as the door shuts.

"Believe me there is a difference." Her icy blue eyes try staring me down. To intimated me to be submissive. I don't give in.

I stand in front of her, matching her iciness with my ferocity, "Then why single me out. The others get to use the elements."

"Did you not see what you did to that tree?" She nearly gets up only to shake off any lick of emotion. She hum, some kind of tiny smug smirk peeking out, "That was power."

What?

My brows squeeze in confusion.

"That was raw, strong power." The hint of a smug disappears to a rather displeased glance, "Witch was out of control."

"Excuse me?"

"So you meant to set that tree on fire?"

My shoulders hunch down, "no."

"You are highly emotional, correct?"

I nod, starting to feel tiny and sheepish. What's kid doin' to me?

"You lost control of your emotions, which triggered a reaction from your sword and your powers. I.E. You're out of control."

"It was a mistake. I don't try setting everything ablaze."

"People who are out of control are dangerous." Her eyes get this weird but spine-tingling glow. Mabey it's the fire. "Dangerous people can cost lives."

Oh.

I've never put it together like that."

"This operation is predicated on everything going smoothly. While hiccups are accounted for," she forces me to lock onto her intimidating illuminating cold blue eyes "Loose cannons are not." Jamie balls her fists before breathing out slowly, "Do you want to cost lives? Or do you want to save them?"

"I'm here to help. However, I can."

Her shoulder tightens up, giving her an inch, "Then quite that firestorm in you." She walks past me, hoping the cabin door to my brothers and Willow having a conversation, "Or people will be hurt."

Wait, who does she think she is?

She glances back at me, holding up her hand as water from the lake snakes toward them, "Understand?"

My body forcefully relax.

She glimmers with a thinly seen smile, "Need it any more clear?"

I eye her.

A fire stirring in my soul.

She glares, the glow dissipating from her eyes, "Shut up and obey." The door swings closed as her hands unclench. She sighs, the glow disappearing from her eyes, "We want the same goal. It only makes sense that we cooperate on the same plan, yes?"

"Yeah." I huff, hot breath warming my chilly fingers, "Your plan."

She nods. Showing me out then following closely after.

"I'll see what I can do." I walk out, a drive to set something on fire stronger than ever. My eyes lift to my friends. I can definitely convince the guys. But Willow's a whole other situation.

I'm going to need something a lot better than a tiny little, she said, story.

(Zane's POV)

I do not wish to proceed next. Particularly with that how comfortable they sly smirk looks under Jamie's face. Willow leads the way, seeming a little frustrated with Kai. She points to a spot close to the lake, "Jamie right here. Zane over there." She points me towards a small stump in the sand. "It's a simple exercise, Jamie will raise up, water freeze it, then to throw it at Zane. Zane," Willow stares at me, flickers of doubt growing across her face, "I want you to listen to the ice and redirect it back into the lake."

I nod, "Understood." My hands began to generate ice.

Willow touches my gloved hand, "No creating ice. No using outside sources and no contact." She raises her eyebrow.

The ice disappears from my gloves as my brothers peer over the hill, "I understand."

"Perfect." Willow steps to the side, her hands behind her back, "Fire at will, Jamie."

Jamie lowly chuckles, raising up water from the lake only to turn it into small snowflakes.

Fighting system engaged.

Analyzing weakness patters.

The snow is falling at a 37-degree angle.

I can counteract with an easy doge and roll.

A cascade of snow lunch at me as the evasion program kicks in.

A sharp whistle blows, Willow growls, "Stand your ground Zane!"

Ok. Negative on evasion tactic. I dig my heels into the shifty sand. Just listen to the ice. A seemingly easy command.

Jamie raises up another cloud of water, slowly turning into ice. She throws her hands down.

Attack coming in at a 27-degree angle.

Analyzing weakness patterns.

Negative on evasive maneuvers.

My arm cross over my chest as a cloud of pinprick style snowflakes rush into my metal skin. My ice. This will be my ice. I will command it. I raise one hand up, expecting the snow to stop in mid-air and launch back. Instead, the flakes keep pelting me in increasing dexterity.

This was not my best idea.

"YOU missed it." Willow yells as snow finds its way into my ears, "Here comes your next shot."

There's a brief second when the current snow clears only for my eyes to lock on the massive orb behind Jamie.

Her hands swing forward once more.

Attack coming at a 2-degree angle.

Warning. Icicles detected. Estimation 5 o 6.

Warning. Icicles detected. 10 to 15.

Warning. Icicles detected. 20 to 35.

Warning-

"Jamie, easy up." Willow scowls at Jamie, "No need to be a show-off."

"Gah," Jamie sighs, dropping the icicles onto the sand.

Icicles clear.

This time, my hands go up first, anticipating to command the ice first.

Willow shakes her head as I'm quickly thrust back from the sheerness of the snowflakes.

Hostal area.

Retreating is best.

My feet twist to run before I lock them down. I will not run. I will stand my ground and I will-

"OUF!" I tumble backward. The snow stops as I glare at the stump that tripped me.

Willow mistakes my glare for one aimed at her, "You're not listing."

"I am." I shack my head, some snow loosely falling out of my ears.
"No," Willow folds her arms as Jamie stretches a little, "You're hearing the ice but you're not listing to it."

Jamie huffs, " The difference being?"

"One means you're being passive about what you take int with your ears. The other means you're fully engaged," Willow starts posing me like a doll. Pushing my legs out, adjusting my hands, "Your mind is clear of distractions. Or the distractions are there but shouldn't have a fraction of the attention." She steps back as my brothers give me thumbs up for encouragement. "Focuses Zane. All you need to do is listen."

Focuses Zane. Tell that to Jay repeatedly.

Calm down. Anger will get me nowhere.
Jamie raises a slightly smaller orb.

Attack coming from an 87-degree angle.

Negative on evasive maneuvers.

Negative on acting first.

Negative on acting second.

Negative on moving away.

My hands stay low, hovering around my shurikens.

Jamie smirks under the mask, her hands moving downwards, bringing along sharp snowflakes.

"KEI!" I throw forward the golden shurikens, the two spinning in front of me, blowing away the snow. They return to me, I glance at Willow, who's buried in snow. She blows off the mini mountain of snow on her nose, walking over, taking the shurikens, "Creative, I'll give you that. But no the answer." She sighs, setting down the weapons as my brothers shiver in the distance, "One more time."

My fight heads-up display appears. To review, I can not evade, create my own ice, use my golden weapon, I have to act quickly but not too soon.

My lips push together, "What is the point of this? My options will not be as limited when fighting the Black Rose with Cole."

"And how much did those options help you with the Black Rose last time?" Jamie mockingly hums. Her hands swirling up some water.

"The point is to be stronger." Willow gives one more receding glare to Jamie, "To be more tuned in with your element. Again."

I breathe out, shaking my hands out as I review my fighting analog.

No creating ice. No evading. No golden weapon. Something in me softens. Perhaps it's all the snow in my ears messing with me circets...no..it's not that.

A gentle hum rising in time with Jamie's ice.

It's a small, powerful, familiar taste. Ahh, akin to when I achieved my true potential.

When the sky wasn't even consisted to be a limit.

My heads up display is still in sight but doesn't seem as important.

No creating ice. No evading. No golden weapons.

My eyes shut, my head lowers.

The humming.

I am coming. I will not come fast. I will be painful.

The humming.

My hand raising up as the harsh pinpricks of the snowflakes strick.

The humming grows faint as the pain pulls my attention.

Yet it's not gone. Not entirely.

The humming, that's not the right word. It's more like listing to a whisper in a lovely, yet foreign language. I want to learn all about it but there's something mystical in observing the unknown.

The snowflakes stop.

My head lifts and my eyes open.

Willow has a small proud smile as Jamie storms off.

My outstretched hand comes back, showing a small snowball carefully formed. It's not from my ice. It's the frozen water from the lake.