The next chapter of my fanfic Hana is here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13277868/6/Hana
Or read below:
Chapter 6: Reveal
Ringo sat herself down on the stool Pixal had pulled out for her, nodding thanks to Zane as he pushed over a fresh mug of something hot to her. She looked around wide eyed and blinking as the team silently gathered, pulling and scraping themselves onto the various stools and chairs around the lengthy wooden table, accepting brightly coloured mugs filled with the steaming tea from the nindroid.
All of them except Kai, who stood, leaning back on the fridge, arms folded, brows knitted as he stared up into the galley kitchen's panelled ceiling. Ringo looked up, trying without success to catch the still ninja's eye.
Lloyd leaned forward, his gloved thumb kneading his mug handle. "We need to know a bit more about your… family history." His green eyes glimmered apologetically, mouth turned up in a gentle half smile. Ringo released the breath she hadn't realised she was holding, looking around at the assembled team.
"Ummm, okay. You want to know about my uncle?"
"You said your uncle was James." Kai's head slowly turned to survey her. "James and Karin, who live by the lake at Ignacia's edge." One eyebrow rose as he pushed himself off the fridge slightly.
"I… they are!" Ringo's cry turned more bewildered as Kai finally might her eye, his dark expression confusing her more.
Nya leaned back, sending an elbow jabbing into her brother's side behind her. "You can have more than one uncle you know, Kai."
"Thanks for the genealogy lesson, Ny'." Kai unfolded his arms, grabbing the nearest sheet of paper that happened to be a bill stuck to the fridge with a little green ninja magnet, the speech bubble coming off of it filled with the slogan "Saving the City". He flipped the paper over onto the table, pushing it forward to the student, quickly twisting himself round and yanking open a kitchen drawer, muttering under his breath as he rummaged, more magnets, random screws, buttons and other paraphernalia spilling out.
"What do you want me to do with-" She paused as Kai let out a triumphant a ha!, pizza and other takeout menus flying out alongside the pen he pulled out and tossed over to her.
"Write down your family tree." He paused, his eyes softening slightly as she looked up at him, the confusion welling in her eyes. "Please." She nodded, taking up the pen and scribbling quickly in the corner of the sheet to get the ink flowing. They all leaned in as she started to write her name in her flowing, slanted script, drawing a box around it and stabbing at it with the pen nib.
"Ok, so here's me. My parents are Megan and Sota," she added them to the sheet above her name. "…and I'm an only child." Her eyes flicked up briefly, seeking only Kai's who nodded, his features set in concentration. She drew a line from her mother's name, her neat cursive scribing the name of another.
"Megan is the sister of my uncle James, who you both know." She gestured the pen at Nya and Kai then quickly added on James' wife's name, Karin.
"Karin is my aunt." Ringo drew another line coming up from her aunt's name, arching out to the left. "She has an older brother, who is my other uncle, Dr Saunders. So I have two uncles." Ringo sat back, her eyes flicking from the sheet in front of her to Kai.
Jay rubbed at his neck. "Well...technically, three."
Zane placed his mug back down, appraising the blue ninja. "Technically, Jay, only one. They are not Ringo's uncles. There is no blood link there."
"What?" Ringo placed the pen down, her arms folding defensively. "I beg to differ! Blood or not he is my family! And who do you mean by 'they'?"
Zane's eyes floated back to Ringo's, softening. "I apologise Ringo, I did not mean any offence."
She shrugged, pushing her glasses back up. "None taken, although he is blood to me. He was always around when I was growing up; he was really fun. Quirky, eccentric… my fun uncle…and I'm getting really worried about him." She looked around at the awkwardly shifting team, her wistful eyes hardening as she folded her arms.
"Right, you lot need to spill. What's going on? Do you know where he is?"
Seven pairs of eyes turned to look at Kai, Ringo's turning to him a split second after. He blinked from his refuge against the fridge, mouth dropping open. "Who, me? You're going to leave this one to me?" He looked around the group, groaning as he was met with shrugs and averted eyes. "Seriously? Urgh." Running a hand through his hair, Kai shook his head, frowning before tipping a yelping Lloyd from his chair and throwing himself down into it.
"Okay, where to start…" He tapped his chin, sighing as he looked back at his friend. "So…what do you know about the Time Twins?" Ringo, sitting opposite the red ninja, cocked her head slightly, her feet jigging nervously under the table.
"The two who you guys banished? The elemental masters of time?"
Kai nodded slowly, a hand carding through his hair. "Well, not quite banished. Or by us..." Ringo narrowed her eyes, looking beyond him as she racked her brain.
"They were bad; they were in control of those snake warrior thingys but you guys fought them and averted some crisis or other and got rid of the snakes. That's about it."
Jay rolled his eyes. "Talk about the long and short of it…" he muttered as he looked around the room. It seemed like an age before Kai spoke again, his voice soft as he grabbed Ringo's hand in his.
"Yeah. That kind of summarises it… But I'm guessing you don't know their names? The masters of time I mean."
"Uh, no… Kai…? What exactly are you getting at…?" He responded by gripping her hand a little tighter taking a breath.
"Their names were, are, Krux and Acronix. But you know Krux by a different name, his alias-"
"No." She ripped her hand from Kai's, her stool knocking abruptly to the floor as she stood. "No. I don't want to hear this."
Kai pushed on, his eyes locking with Ringo's, heavy with regret as he looked at the raw agony spilling into hers.
"Krux was Dr Saunders."
"No. No... you're wrong."
"I'm sorry Ringo…" Kai looked down at his hands, heavy on the table where Ringo dropped them. Nya rose, quickly scooting and picking up where Kai had left off.
"Oh sweetie, Dr Saunders was not… who any of us thought." The water elemental stroked her hands down Ringo's arms, the student looking at her with wide, aghast eyes. "No, I don't believe you. He couldn't be."
Zane tapped into his arm control pad, projecting two images, one of Dr Saunders, one of a painting of Krux which Ringo vaguely recognised from somewhere but couldn't place, above them all. He gently tapped on the panel, the two flickering images twisting and merging together as one, the key features of the two undeniably matching together. "I am sorry Ringo, but they are one and the same."
Ringo collapsed back down on her stool, her eyebrows pinching. "But he, he was an elemental master? And he had a twin?" She looked around, bracing her elbows onto the tabletop, head in her hands as she wailed, "And they were evil?" She threw her head down, heavy coils and spirals of her hair cascading around her, fists working.
The next murmur from under the wild head of curls was barely audible but it resounded around the room clearly, each of the ninja looking to each other.
I’m finally done with this piece! I would’ve finished it sooner but I was either too tired from working late and I had to put my classes first. I was really inspired to create this after seeing @princesseheart‘s OC Ringo. She was so adorable and I just had to draw her! And yes, she’s drinking peach mango juice lol. I was really trying to go for a manga-like piece like hers and at least I attempted. I also wanted to make this as a way of saying thanks for the commission that princesseheart is doing for me. I know it’s not the best, but this is my best work so far as a beginning artist! I hope you like it! Also, princesseheart, aka @blackmoonbabe, recently started doing commissions. Right now, her commissions are closed but she’ll open them back up pretty soon! You should go commission her! You’ll be ecstatic that you did!
I just finished “Mahou shoujo no Enjeru”, literally named “Angel of Magical Girls”, a few minutes ago. Honestly, I’ve been so stressed and exhausted from the past two weeks and I needed an outlet. And since @princesseheart‘s OC Ringo was on my mind, I decided to draw her. I’m still trying to figure out how to get the text in a certain print and more brushes but I’ll get there. I hope ya’ll like it!
