"Oh, you're her deadbeat brother! Nice to meet you."

The others all stared at Nya with wide, confused eyes after their brief introduction. Jay stepped up. "You knew about him?"

"Before you guys deemed Scarlett a ninja, it was just the two of us for a while. She's super open about things," the samurai explained rather nonchalantly.

"Huh... she was right. We should've just asked," Cole recalled.

Red sighed. "I hate to imagine what kinds of things she's told you about me..."

"So, where's Sensei?" Kai asked his sister. "He's totally got to see him."

That's when steady footsteps walked down the stairs. "I was wondering where you all were. The news stated that pirates had been subdued, but you never returned."

Wu looked at all of his pupils. He paused when his eyes landed on the most recent member, who only stared back.

"Um..." He awkwardly waved. "Hello."

"You've gotta meet this guy, Uncle!" Lloyd enthusiastically pointed his finger at him. "Apparently he's Scarlett's big brother and he has magic powers!"

Wu didn't seem impressed at all, instead seeming rather apathetic. "I know who you are, Red."

This sort of worried him. "Does everybody know about me?"

"Come," the sensei ushered as he began to walk back up the stairs.

As they all started to follow, he stopped. "Not all of you. Only our new friend."

Everyone glanced at each other, confused. Though a bit hesitant, Red trudged behind Wu.

"Well," he muttered, "at least I'm a friend."

Nya stood next to Zane as the two left the basement. "He's kinda hot," she whispered.

Jay whipped his head back so fast.

Cole looked around. "Hey, where'd Scarlett go? She was just here."

The team turned to scan the room, but didn't find her.

This was because she had already been outside the building right next to the stairs. The teen sat on the ground with her back against the wall. She rested her head on the palm of her hand, her elbow on her knee.

Kai knocked on the wall.

She didn't lift her head yet. "Give me a minute, Nya. Let me brood."

He let out a light chuckle. "Not exactly, but close enough."

She jumped. "Oh... hey."

The ninja in red walked toward her and sat right next to her on the concrete. "What are you thinking about?"

"Well... a lot of things, honestly." Scarlett averted her gaze. "Obviously my brother and everything that happened... like I get where he's coming from, but that was just so stupid of him. Why would he think it'd be a good idea to run off without telling me? I really worried, you know."

"I'm sure you did. It was real stupid of him, honestly," Kai agreed without much thought. "He shouldn't have done that, especially with knowing he had to take care of you. That was a shit move."

"Yeah... speaking of... I also really like what you said earlier. You know, about the siblings and everything. And taking care of your sister." She now looked up at him, her cheeks dusted a dim pink. "That was really nice of you."

"Well, sure. I meant every word," he casually replied. He leaned back on his palms. "I understand why you're upset. You were left alone. I'm sure it was tough, especially after being unable to find your father. I know what that feels like."

Scarlett rested her arms on her thighs as she relaxed her legs. "What happened to your parents?"

"They left us. We were a lot younger. I wanna say when I was about six," Kai began to recall. A small frown was on his face. "We don't know why either. All I knew was that Nya was my responsibility from then on. All our lives, I made sure to keep her safe." He turned to look at her. "I'm her big brother, after all. That's what we're supposed to do."

She felt her heart race. She found his undying care for family so attractive.

"But," he started again, "it's good he wants to make up for it. If he were really a douche, he would never have tried to find you in the first place. I don't like what he did, but I also understand him. If it were me, I'd be trying to atone too. That's why I invited him."

Seeing her staring at him, he glanced down at her with a small grin. "What? Do I sound corny?"

She didn't know what came over her. Without much hesitation, the teen leaped forward and pressed her lips right on his.

Kai sort of flinched for a hot second, not expecting that now of all times. It didn't take even a minute for him to process what was happening, and so he leaned in and snaked his arm around her waist before returning the deep kiss.

Their lips parted and returned in perfect sync. Her right hand rested on the back of his neck while her other moved up to his head. Her fingers slowly twined through his brown spikes.

Though he didn't want to, he pulled away an inch. "Give him a chance." There was a small smile on his face. "Let him come back into your life."

Scarlett lightly beamed. "Okay. I will."

Though part of it was she'd do anything he said to feel his lips again, the other knew that she wanted exactly that; for the last two years, she hoped her brother had been safe. Even while holding a slight grudge, she wished for his eventual return.

From below the steps, Nya walked back into the room. "Gross. I can't believe you losers made me watch my brother kiss my best friend."

"Well who won?" Lloyd asked.

"Jay."

The blue ninja smirked, holding his hand out at his side. Cole, standing next to him, scoffed.

"Fuck." He handed him a five dollar bill.

Zane frowned. "I don't understand the goal of this activity. Why does it matter who kissed who first if we all knew it was going to happen eventually?"

"Because, my dear nindroid," Jay placed a hand on his shoulder, "one of us ended up five dollars richer and that person is me."

Cole gave him the finger.

¤ ¤

Red sat in front of Wu. He was a little hesitant. Both were in Dareth's dojo, said man giving them privacy.

"Uh... you said you knew me, sir?" he asked.

The latter didn't answer that question and instead smiled. "You and your sister have that same confused look. Speaking of which... why weren't you with her before? She's been with us for quite some time, now."

"So I've heard," Red replied with a small sigh. "Your student Kai has... opened my eyes, sort of. I made a mistake and I abandoned her when she needed me most. I wish to atone, and he said I should come with you all."

"A wise student indeed. He's learned well. So has your sister. Did you know she has powers like you?" Wu calmly inquired.

"Powers... so I wasn't crazy when I saw flames in her hands." Red blinked. "You have good memory if you recall the young child mentioning my magic."

His warm expression never faltered. "I can tell you're very observant, Red. But it was not the knowledge of my nephew that gave me insight. No, I know more about you than you think."

"That definitely doesn't freak me out or anything," the young man sarcastically muttered. "I'm sorry, but am I allowed to ask who you are? Besides the teacher of the ninjas, I assume... including my sister."

"I am just that; the sensei of Ninjago's future heroes. I'd like to think I'm rather wise, but to each their own." There was a slight teasing to his tone.

Red didn't understand the point. He had no idea that this was almost daily for the ninjas.

Before he could politely speak his mind, Wu opened his mouth first. "You believe you've reached your full potential with your magic, don't you Red? Those two years you left Scarlett to her own devices to better yourself... do you think it's enough?"

The man blinked, somewhat appalled. "I'd... like to think that I've mastered it, yes."

"Perhaps you have mastered it. Mastered its basic ability, of course."

The teacher spoke so casually it actually almost frustrated Red. How could he know about a substance in his body? The scientist situation repeated itself all over again in his brain.

And so he asked, "What do you mean, its basic ability?"

Wu blinked before staring at him. "Well, I'm sure you have excellent control over your power now. You can attack, yes?"

Red slowly nodded.

"That's very useful in a stressful situation. What else can you do?"

He paused. "... what else?"

"Ah, so I was right. You've only scratched the surface," he observed. "You should know, magic is very versatile. Though not all comes from good origins, they can be used for good purpose. Not only does your magic have the power to destroy, Red, but it has the power to create."

The former listened intently. His body was frozen, in a state of shock almost. And here he thought he knew it all.

"That is why dark magic is so valuable. In a way, it has the power of both creation and destruction, the most powerful forces in the land. Never say with confidence that you have mastered the arts, because there is always something new to learn."

Red was the one to break eye contact as his gaze dropped. It was surprise enough to find out years ago that he wielded magical abilities. Now another stranger was feeding him more information.

As every new day passed he realized that he doesn't know himself like he thought he did.

"You are very knowledgeable." Even being unfamiliar with who this old man was to him, he felt his doubts melting away. "I wish I had your guidance long ago."

"Well, it's never too late to begin."

His words made Red glance up. The sensei sincerely smiled.

"I give guidance to Samurai X. To the Masters of Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Ice... to the chosen green ninja, my nephew. And to your sister, the Master of the Dragon Flame. I will gladly be your guide as well, if you allow."

He couldn't tell much considering he just met these people, but Red had a strong feeling that Scarlett trusted them all. He wanted to become one of those people in her life again.

And if what this old man said was true, it would be beneficial to him as well. He could become far stronger than he already was.

So the young magic wielder finally relaxed his shoulders, giving the wise sensei a small smile. "Thank you. I see why my sister has joined your forces."

"We may not be large, but we are strong." Wu confidently stated. "And we're glad to now have you on our side."

¤ ¤

It was much later at night by the time they all settled down. Nya and Jay were entertaining Lloyd in a corner, though the child didn't seem to find all of his jokes funny.

Wu was already knocked out considering the amount of late-night meditation he had been doing over the past couple of days. Though he didn't exactly need it as much as the others, the relaxing feeling of slumber was nice every once in a while.

Zane was the one bothered by the absence of a couple of their comrades. "Where did Scarlett go? And her brother?"

"Don't you remember? Kai told her to let him back into her life, so they went out. Nothing's better for catching up than going on a late night stroll and buying sweets," Cole answered as if it wasn't a big deal at all.

A little flustered, Kai whipped his head around from the edge of his wooden plank for a bed. "Oh, weak. You guys saw that?"

Even from the other side of the room Jay grinned. He didn't even turn. "We all saw, dickhead. I wanna say now's not the time to be kissing your teammates, but I got the benefit of money and Cole's loss from it, so keep going."

Nya smacked him on the back of his neck.

"Give me one half-decent reason why I shouldn't show Lloyd how to whoop your motormouth ass right now," the ninja in black bluntly threatened.

Without so much as opening his eyes, their sensei scolded, "Will you all please refrain from using such language in front of my nephew?"

Even though some of them didn't say much, all of them except the chosen one uttered, "Sorry, Sensei." Because they knew damn well Zane would never have even discovered swear words if it weren't for his teammates.

Lloyd blinked.

Cole was exactly right about the Dragonfires' whereabouts. The older brother had taken her to an ice cream shop, where he paid for both treats.

"Did you keep your job as a waiter?" the teen questioned before using her spoon to scoop up a brownie piece in her chocolate ice cream. Eating it made her feel like she died and went to heaven, then fortunately came back just to have another bite. And it was clear in her expression.

Red nodded as they began their walk. He only had a plain vanilla cone in his hand. "I did. I didn't work as often for training purposes, but I obviously still needed the money. Even though it's decent, you can't possibly live for free in this economy."

She hummed in agreement. "I hear that. Paying bills is annoying. But at least I was living below my means, so I never struggled financially."

"That's good. I'm glad you've learned something important such as that."

"Well, you kinda have to when your guardian dips on you and you're all alone."

He stopped moving to glance at her. She sighed and averted his gaze.

"Sorry. I'm still a little pissy about it, but... I guess I can understand your point of view. Just a bit."

They continued on. He couldn't help but smile a little at her remark.

"You could never truly hold a grudge, could you?"

"I did, actually," Scarlett quickly denied. "You can't blame me though, because how could you not in a situation like that?"

The man slowly nodded again. "You're right. I would have been livid if it were me. I didn't think it through, at all. If I could change the past, I would... I'm sorry."

She slowly picked on her ice cream. "I'm a big believer in fate. Everything happens for a reason type of thing. As much as I hate to think it, maybe there was a positive side to you leaving."

She couldn't help but wonder if she would have ever gone with the ninjas. Because if her brother was there with her the whole time, she wouldn't have felt the need to rely on anyone else. After being in solitude for a while, they were the only people to treat her like a real friend; which is exactly what she craved.

She kept her thoughts to herself on that one. "Even though I was mad, I really hoped you were okay. Both you and Dad. But I guess there's no update on that one, huh?"

Red silently exhaled. "Not a single one. I've finally accepted the truth... he either just does not want to be found, or is six feet under."

Scarlett frowned. That hurt her, but she'd be a liar if she didn't admit that she knew the same.

His small smile returned. "I didn't realize I ended up following in his footsteps... but not anymore."

Both stopped walking, leaning against the fence of a park they ended up at. The teen looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Like you said before, everything happens for a reason. I don't know why I decided to finally come back to you now after so long, but it has to be for something," the magic wielder began, staring at the quiet streets in front of him. "Now that I'm here, and your friends gave me the perfect opportunity... I'm not going anywhere from here on out. If you'll let me once again, I'll never leave your side."

His sister blinked. Still holding her cup of ice cream and plastic spoon, she just let herself fall to the right onto the side of his torso.

He paused to glance down at her. But he kept his smile, moving his left arm to wrap around her entire upper body, gently squeezing.

"You better not," she spoke up, recalling the warm comfort she felt of being in the arms of family from so long ago, "or else I'll burn you to fucking bits."

A soft chuckle left his lips. "Understood."

He couldn't see it, but a smile creeped up her lips. Though it would be difficult, Scarlett knew she needed to push aside the past in order to move forward. She wouldn't ever forget it, but she'd forgive him.

¤ ¤

By the time the two returned to their cramped home, it was late. Scarlett was the first to finish getting ready for bed and was fast asleep next to Nya.

As soon as Red walked out of the bathroom from brushing his teeth, a few flashlights were in his face. He flinched.

The culprits were, surprisingly, the original four ninjas. Each of them had a silly grin on their face.

"We're so nosy," Jay whispered. "You gotta tell us all about yourself, man."

"But don't tell Sensei or else he'll kill us all," Cole added in the same low tone. "Magic? That's awesome."

Red couldn't help but smile. No wonder his sister enjoyed it here.