CHAPTER TWO — THE RETURN OF YELLOW
rise of the snakes — part two

"They're Hypnobrai. It's their thing." — the yellow ninja

IRIS STARED DOWN AT HER HANDS, WATCHING WITH A CONTENT SMILE AS WISPS OF YELLOW LIGHT CURLED AROUND HER FINGERS. Many would just think she was manipulating light, or maybe even a yellow mist, but those who looked close enough would realise that inside the sun-coloured energy were what looked like stars and galaxies. Iris was literally warping cosmic energy to her will. After a long hour, the ex-ninja finally managed to regain control of her powers. It had been so long since she had last used them, so if anything she was surprised it didn't take her longer. 

As she focused on calling her abilities, the young Wu had heard the yells of her Father's ninja as they trained and fought each other. Zane — the ice ninja — already knew she was there and considering how the others hadn't come barging in, tripping over each other, to meet the newest resident of the monastery, it meant he had kept his word. Iris would introduce herself to the others when the time was right, but that wasn't at the moment. 

Regaining her powers felt better than she thought it would. She truly underestimated how much her powers were a part of her and that by denying them, she was denying a part of herself. Nonetheless she wouldn't change her past two years for anything as they allowed her to learn who she was really was without the incredible abilities she was born with. She was Iris Wu: a daughter, a friend, an artist, a creator and so much more. Her powers didn't make her her, it just took getting away from home to realise that. 

Her powers also reminded the young Wu of her late mother who she lost when she was just a girl. Leslie Cho was the previous bearer of the Master of Space title, Iris' powers were her Mother's too. So when she used her cosmic abilities, part of her felt connected to the beloved woman she had lost. As if a part of Leslie lived on inside of her.

Shouts of emergency echoed throughout the monastery and Iris quickly realised that the ninja were being called out again. They had just dealt with one problem and now they were going to fix another. It seemed it was a good thing that she was going to start to help out around the monastery, it looked like they were going to need it. 

Iris listened as their barked orders settled into silence signalling that the quartet had left on their mission. Part of her wanted to join them, but she had only just gotten her powers back, she didn't think she was ready. But it seemed the Universe had other ideas.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

At the sound of her door, Iris quickly jumped up from her seat to reach for the doorhandle. The ninja were out which meant that behind her door was either Nya or her Father; both of whom already knew she was there. So Iris pulled open the wooden panel in front of her to reveal an aged face staring at her. It was her Father and along with his signature staff, there was a box held tightly under his arm. What was that for?

"Iris." He offered his daughter a kind smile. "Have you settled back in? I did keep your room as you left."

Returning his smile, Iris replied. "Yes, Father, I have, thank you." Then she raised a curious brow at his presence. "Is everything alright?"

"It will be."

That wasn't slightly ominous at all? But she knew she should expect that from her Father by now. It was his thing after all.

"Father, what is it?" Inquired Iris firmly; she wasn't in the mood for her Father's vague words at the moment.

Wu sighed, placing down his staff to hold out the box previously under his arm with both hands. There was a look of... guilt in his eyes. Was it guilt? Iris wasn't exactly sure. "The ninja were called out to Jamanakai village to deal with another problem. I hope that you might join them." At that, Iris frowned deeply. Join them? She had only just returned from two years away and he already wanted her out in the field? It was something like this that reminded Iris why she left in the first place. Then, Wu opened the box in his hands, revealing her old yellow suit. "I still have this."

"You kept it?"

There were tears brimming in the young girl's eyes as she stared at the yellow fabric. This was her first ninja suit — apart from the one she made out of scraps when she was five — she learnt how to be a ninja with this. "Of course I did." The corner of Wu's lips pulled upwards in a small smile. "This was your first official suit. I just wished your Mother was there to see it." 

A stray tear spiralled from Iris' dark eyes at the mention of her Mother. He was right though, her Mother would have wanted to be there when she tried on her first uniform. It was a big moment for both her and her Father and it just felt slightly incomplete without the woman by their sides. "Me too."

"The ninja," her Father began to steer the conversation back on topic. Iris knew he didn't like talking about her Mother much, it was painful for him — she was the love of his life. "they're going to need your guidance. I'm old, I can only impart my wisdom the only way that they'll listen. But you, you can help them the way I cannot." He was right, she could help them. After all, that was the whole reason she was there: to help her Father's ninja. 

Iris said nothing and instead simply reached out for the box in her Father's arms. Her eyes were fixed on the yellow fabric — her destiny it would seem. 

"And when the ninja returned earlier, they told me they encountered Lloyd." Revealed Wu. Iris's eyes widened and shot up to meet his gaze. Lloyd? They saw her cousin? 

Panic captured her voice as Iris spoke up. "Lloyd? Why didn't you tell me to start with? What was he doing there?" Iris fired out her questions as she was eager to know how one of her two young cousins was doing.

"Unfortunately, your cousin was adamant on causing mischief in the village. A desire for candy, I believe." Her Father revealed. But there was something else he was hiding, Iris knew it. The way he acted, the hesitation in his voice. There was something else he was wanting to say. Noticing his daughter's look, Wu sighed heavily. "Llyod has unleashed the serpentine."

The Serpentine? They were locked away at the end of the Serpentine wars. They were gone, imprisoned, not coming back. Her Father, her Mother and the other elemental masters made sure of it. But somehow her rebellious cousin had found a tomb and unleashed them. This wasn't good. 

Iris pulled her old ninja suit out from the box and held it up to her body. She hadn't worn it in a few years but it seemed to still be alright. "I have to help him, Father." Insisted the Wu girl as she prepared to slide back into her old yellow outfit. "He's lost, he needs someone. Linnie would want me to help him." 

"Yes, of course." 

Taking the fabric in her hand, the girl temporarily vanished behind a screen and then shed her old clothes for her new yellow skin. It didn't take long to change into her suit and considering it had been a couple of years since she last wore it, it fit reasonably well. "It's a bit tight in places, but it'll work just fine." Then she stepped out from behind the screen and Wu's jaw dropped at the sight before him.

His little girl, the one who accidentally teleported onto the roof when she was four, the one who burnt her arm with his tea when she was six, the one who never gave up despite everything she had lost, she was all grown up. He knew this day would come so he had done his best to prepare her for it. But that didn't mean he was prepared. 

Snapping from his thoughts, Wu then said. "If I had known you were coming, I would have gotten you a new one." Iris didn't reply and instead tugged at the suit in places as she started to adjust to it being back on her skin. "If you teleport there now, you may arrive before the ninja." 

Teleport? 

Since getting her powers back, sure she had tried teleporting — just around her room. Teleporting all the way to Jamanakai village after the hiatus she had just had, Iris wasn't sure she could do it. Panic swelled in her throat and she had to remind herself to breathe as she thought about what she had to do. 

Sensing this, Wu stepped forwards. "Remember how you learnt when you were a child. Picture the place you want to go in your mind." Jamanakai village. "Feel it, think about your memories there." Teleporting to a place with an emotional attachment was easier for beginners (or so she had been told) and it seemed like right now, she needed the basics. "Breathe, Iris." 

One in, one out. 

Iris closed her eyes and did as her Father instructed. She pictured the sweet, usually tranquil village in her mind and focused on the memories of her Mother taking her there when she was young. Happy times. A smile crept onto the Master of Space's face at the memory. Then she felt a familiar wave of power wash over her entire body like a wave. It consumed her whole in one bite. 

Then Iris Wu was gone. 

JAMANAKAI VILLAGE WAS IN UTTER CHAOS WHEN THE YELLOW NINJA ARRIVED ON THE SCENE. She somehow appeared on the roof of a random home when she was picturing the street. But Iris was just glad she was in the right place so she wasn't about to complain. The sound of evil laughs echoed through the village as a boy clad in black strolled victoriously with a wheelbarrow filled to the brim with candy. Lloyd. Iris knew he was meant to be trying to go evil, but she knew Loralyn would find this all hilarious. But what wasn't funny was the company her young cousin was keeping.

Serpentine. More specifically: Hypnobrai. 

This wasn't good.

The yellow ninja remained where she was, hidden from view on the roof top above. Ninjas were meant to be stealthy, to wait for the right moment to strike. But it seemed her Father's new students hadn't yet learnt that lesson. 

The quartet leapt in front of the young, high-on-sugar Garmadon and stopped him in his tracks. Iris rolled her eyes at the boys before she too joined them on the street. Fortunately, Llyod wasn't able to recognise her. Whether that was because he was high on sugar or because of the mask she was wearing, Iris didn't know. Whatever it was, she was thankful for it. And Zane didn't seem to recognise her either, what a relief.

As Iris planted her feet on the cobbled ground, the boys stared at her in shock. They thought they were the only ninja out there. How wrong they were. Neither of the four said anything because even for newbie ninja, they could tell it wasn't the best time. 

"Sorry to bust your buzz, little Garmadon." The ninja clad in black — or Cole, as she would later discover — said.

Then the blue ninja piped up. "But it's already past your bedtime." 

Iris had to resist the urge to giggle.

"Get them!"

As soon as Lloyd said the order, the Hypnobrai serpents rushed towards them. "Seize them!" The General yelled. Iris knew her history, so she knew the meaning of the tail. And she knew what the staff in his scaly hands was and it wasn't just something plain like her Father's staff.

A gasp escaped the red ninja's mouth. "The Serpentine? They're real?"

And for the first time, the yellow ninja spoke. "They're very real." She said, slightly muffled as she tried to disguise her voice. It wasn't an easy thing to do.

Groans and hisses were coming from every which way as serpentine and hypnotised villagers started to surround the five ninja. Not even a day back in the saddle and she was already cornered. Perhaps she was rustier than she thought. 

Iris backed up against the other ninja as she stared at those advancing towards them. She didn't want to hurt the villagers, it wasn't their fault. The Serpentine, on the other hand, she didn't mind kicking their scaly butts. "It's not just them we have to worry about." The black ninja mentioned, referring to the villagers heading like zombies towards them. "The whole village has been hypnotised."

Raising her arms defensively, Iris moved herself closer to the other ninja as the army of serpents and villagers continued to corner them. She didn't bring any weapons with her and she was kind of glad she didn't at the moment. Jay — the lightning ninja — raised his nunchucks and prepared to strike. Instinctively, Iris reached out to try and stop the ninja from using his golden weapon, but Zane got there first. "No. Our weapons are too unstable. We could do more harm than good."

Iris heart raced inside her chest as she stared at the people and snakes coming towards them. All she knew was that she had to protect the ninja and the innocent people of this village. But she didn't know how. 

"I guess that leaves us with: run!!!!"

At the blue ninja's signal, the five fighters fled the scene. Iris was following the other ninja as best as she could over the roofs of Jamanakai village. They flipped and jumped and didn't stop for a moment as they weaved their way through the village. Anything to get away from Lloyd and his human/serpentine army. Iris may not be that happy with the choices Lloyd was currently making, but she had to hand it to him: he was resourceful. 

Panting rapidly, Iris gently leapt from the room and onto the street below after the other ninja. Neither of them even attempted to prevent the yellow gi from tailing them, fortunately for her, it seemed they quickly realised what side she was on. The fire ninja was leading the way through the village with Zane and Iris at the back. Finally they came to a stop behind a building and rested their tired backs against the stone.

Iris had to hope that somehow her true identity would remain hidden — the ninja weren't ready for the truth just yet.

And just as the team — plus Iris — were catching their breath, a familiar face popped out from out of nowhere. If Iris didn't know that she was the Master of Space, she would have thought Nya had teleported there. But Iris was the Master of Space meaning Nya was just really sneaky, proper ninja potential. 

"Huh? Nya?"

The fire ninja let out a sigh of relief at the sight of her. This must be the brother, Iris realised. Then the lightning ninja added. "You're okay."

"Barely." Iris was attempting to hide her face from the girl, knowing fully well that she might be able to recognise her. Maybe Zane couldn't, but she could already tell Nya was an incredibly smart and capable young woman. If anyone would recognise her, it would be Nya. So she looked away as the girl stared in confusion at the newest and yellowest addition to their team. "They've hypnotized everyone in town."

The lightning ninja then queried. "Mind control? How is this possible?"

Iris coughed to clear her throat and then spoke up with a fake deep voice. "They're Hypnobrai. It's their thing."

"You seem to know a lot about these Serpentine?" The fire ninja pointed out as he glanced at the yellow ninja suspiciously, eyeing her up and down as if he was expecting the yellow-clad ninja to sprout a tail and a set of fangs. She couldn't really blame him for that.

A deep sigh escaped Iris' throat. "I've read about them when I was a child. I was taught to 'learn from the past to brighten the future'." She quoted her Father and the lesson he taught her so long ago.

That seemed to satisfy the ninjas' curiosity. After all, they had larger snakes to fry at the moment.

Nya then explained. "When you hear them rattle their tails, don't look them in the eyes. That's how they get you."

"She's right." Agreed Iris with a small nod of her head.

The yellow ninja leaned back against the stone as she thought about what they could do to stop her cousin and his serpentine friends. Preferably without revealing her identity too. They didn't have many options. With an exasperated sigh, the blue ninja said. "What are we supposed to do? We can't use our weapons, and now we gotta fight with our eyes closed? Ha! Perfect."

"We don't have to fight them all." Iris voiced as she finally figured out what they had to do. "We just have to get the General. He has the staff." They all looked perplexed by the proposed idea, so Iris continued. "The staff holds the antivenom. And we can use that to cure the villagers." It seemed her history lessons were finally paying off. 

She would have to thank her Father for that later.

The four ninja — and Nya — seemed to consider the strange ninja's idea for a moment before nodding their heads in agreement. That meant a lot to Iris as it showed, that in some form at least, that they trusted her. And she was not going to let them down.

Red turned to the others. "Look, guys. Forget about the whole Green Ninja thing." 

Iris' eyes widened. Did he just say GREEN Ninja? Iris knew that legend, that prophecy, but how did these four know? Her Father would never willingly expose that, not unless he thought one of them had the potential to become the saviour of Ninjago

"Let's make sensei proud. The four of us," plus Nya and Iris of course, "as a team."

Although there was a mask covering Cole's face, they could all tell there was a grin plastered across it. "Now you're talking."

Then blue suddenly said, much to Iris' surprise. "Oh, and Nya, you and Yellow can be our honorary members." And what surprised Iris more than those words being said was the lack of protest from the others. 

But it seemed Nya wasn't as impressed by the invitation as Iris was. "Gee, thanks." 

The six fighters took off, scrambling back across the rooftops to the centre of the village, hoping to take down the serpentine, stop Lloyd and use the staff to save the people. Iris had come up with the idea and between the other ninja, a strategy was formed.

 Then, the action began.

Kai — the fire ninja — went first and attacked a gathering of Hypnobrai. But that didn't turn out as he had hoped. It would seem Iris was going to have her work cut out for her with training this lot. 

Zane went after Lloyd to use his ice to stop the young boy in his tracks as the others kept the snakes and the villagers at bay. Not knowing the consequences of using her powers, Iris decided to keep to her fists and punched and kicked away all the serpentine that came towards her. As they captivating gaze tried to ensnare her own, Iris screwed her eyes shut and fought on without them. Just like she had been taught.

"Wow, he's good." Jay breathed out in awe as Iris battled the reptiles without one of her senses. 

And just as Iris was finishing up her batch of serpentine, the General recalled his troops. They slithered away in retreat, desperate to get away from the multi-coloured fighters. But not so fast. 

For the Earth Ninja leapt into action.

He went straight for the General and the staff carrying the antivenom: the cure for the villagers. Iris hadn't yet opened her eyes so she couldn't see the second-in-command heading towards Cole with his hypnotising glare. But Nya did. She jumped into the fight, kicking the snake far away from her friend. If only they knew they were too late.

With a sigh of relief, Iris realised there were no more snakes to fight and finally opened her eyes to see Cole standing there with the staff clutched tightly in his hands. "You have the antivenom! Put the staff in the fountain!" Shouted Iris, trying to gain the ninja's attention.

"Good idea." 

Iris risked taking a breather as she sat down on the cobbled street as the earth ninja launched himself into the fountain and stabbed the staff straight into the centre. The antivenom reacted with the water, creating a magical mist that toppled over the stone edges and flowed towards all the infected villagers. As sounds of confusion began to echo in the air, Iris smiled in relief as her idea worked and the villagers began to wake up. Everything was going to be okay.

Iris took that as her sign to leave. 

So after regaining some energy, the yellow ninja focused back on the monastery, her home, then vanished in small puff of yellow light. No goodbyes were said as this was not goodbye for any of them. She would seem them again very soon. 

But as soon as Iris had gone, Zane's eyes scanned the surroundings for any sign of their new friend, only to find none. Yet somehow Zane was not disappointed as part of him also knew that this wasn't the last time they would see each other. That in fact it was just the first in a long line of adventures together. 

One thing was certain: the yellow ninja had returned.

WHEN IRIS RETURNED TO THE MONASTERY, IT WAS PEACEFUL AND QUIET WHICH WAS JUST WHAT SHE NEEDED AFTER THAT FIGHT. Being back in the ninja saddle after those years was certainly something. She didn't expect to be back so soon, but she couldn't deny it, it felt good to be back. Somehow she managed to slip in and out of Jamanakai village without either Lloyd, Zane or Nya recognising her. And they managed to scare away the snakes. It was definitely a win.

After vanishing from the scene of the crime, Iris reappeared in her room back at the monastery where she quickly changed back out of her yellow ninja suit. After all, she didn't want the ninja to come back and see her in it. That would just destroy the whole point of her previously keeping her identity a secret. Hopefully that wouldn't be for a while as they still had to ensure that all the people of the village were cured of the serpentine's hypnosis and that they were all okay. Iris had wanted to stay for that very reason, but she had known that she had to leave. 

It didn't take her long to slip out of the slightly tight suit which she then hid in the bottom of the wardrobe. No one would look there, she was sure of it, which made it the perfect hiding place. So her secret was safe for now. 

The battle and practising her powers had taken a lot out of her; she felt completely and utterly drained. Iris had used her last ounce of strength to get her back to the monastery, but now she needed a big snack and a long nap. Therefore as soon as she was done changing into more comfortable clothes, Iris headed towards the kitchen for some food.

But it seemed she underestimated how efficient the ninja were.

"Intruder!" Three voices yelled out at the sight of the unfamiliar girl within their walls. Iris' eyes widened in surprise just as the trio lunged towards her, their arms reaching out to grab her. 

Was she meant to fight back? Iris had no clue.

She struggled in their tight grip which just made them hold her tighter. They may have been newbie ninjas but there was no way Iris could overpower all three of them. She knew there were only three, not just because of the voices she had heard, but because if anyone else was there, they would have put a stop to it. With an annoyed groan, Iris surrendered into their grasp as the red, blue and black ninjas stared at the girl before them.

"Who are you? A thief?" Kai interrogated her and Iris could swear she felt his hands heat up around her arm. Iris said nothing.

Jay cut in. "A spy for Garmadon?" Iris still said nothing.

"For the snakes?"

But before any more questions could be fired her way, the very three people aware of her presence at the monastery walked into the hallway she had been cornered in. "Wait!" Cried out Zane in alarm. At the sight of the kind girl he met earlier being trapped within his brothers' vice-like grips, Zane felt panic rise in his chest. The girl was innocent, but they had assumed overwise. 

Iris could not see who was behind her, but hearing Zane's voice started to ease the fear and anxiety that had been accumulating inside of her. It was going to be okay now, she just knew it. 

And when Sensei Wu caught sight of what was happening, he gasped. "Ninja!" He yelled strongly, and rather angrily, as the three noted. "Unhand her at once!" All three immediately released their grip on Iris who then dropped to her knees upon the carpeted wooden floor. Zane and Nya instantly rushed over to her and helped her to her feet which wasn't easy considering her knees were a bit wobbly from the shock of it all. She managed to catch the concerned look her Father sent her way as she returned to her feet, but then he focused back on the ninja. All three were confused by what had just happened, even more so that somehow Zane knew this girl. But, how?

Kai, inpatient and fiery as ever, then shot back. "If she's not an intruder, then what is she?"

With unwavering stoic look, Wu then revealed. "My daughter."

"You have a daughter?"

"I didn't expect that."

"Wait.... WHAT?"

Iris redirected her gaze to the hardwood floor as all eyes whipped around to her. Even Zane was surprised by this news, which his teammates also noticed, and he stared at the girl beside him curiously. He then realised she hadn't lied when they spoke, it was just she didn't tell him everything. Which was okay, as it was her story to tell. And honestly, Iris thought she could have lasted a few more days before one of her secrets was outed, but oh well. 

Wu stepped forwards and headed towards his daughter who was currently resting her head against the wall. As he reached her, he gently rested his hand upon her shoulder and gave her a comforting smile. "Boys, this is my daughter, Iris Wu." He introduced to them. "She's here to help with your training." Surprisingly, they didn't seem to protest. In fact it was more like they were curious to see what the daughter of their Sensei could offer them. "Iris, these are my ninja: Kai, Cole, Jay and Zane." 

"Hi." Waved Iris as she somehow placed a smile on her face.

Cole scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, sorry about... you know." 

"Yeah," Jay added with a guilty look upon his face, "if we had known before, we wouldn't have attacked you." Iris just smiled softly at them. She knew they were sorry and had already forgiven them before they apologised. After all, she thought it was more her fault than theirs.

All eyes now turned to Kai who was awkwardly shifting on the spot. Iris didn't have to be a genius to know that apologies were obviously not his thing. "Uh, yeah, sorry."

With a sigh, Iris ran a hand down her clothes, smoothing them out, and then said. "There's no need to apologise, you were just protecting your home, I get it." Both Cole and Jay seemed to sigh in relief as Kai tried to discreetly smirk victoriously to himself. "And your attack method, not bad." They all grinned proudly at one another. But then the Wu girl added. "Could be better though." 

"Yep." Jay said with a shake of his head as he popped the 'p'. "Now we definitely know they're related." 

At his words, Iris let out a hearty laugh and it wasn't long before they were all following in her suit. Soon the monastery was consumed with laughter as the ninja welcomed the newest member of their gang. The Serpentine had just been released and her little cousin Monty was on the loose intent on causing mischief. Not to mention the ever-present threat of her Uncle that loomed over them. But despite all that, Iris smiled. Everything was going to be okay. 

She was happy.

She was home.

Chapter two!!! Here we go!!! End of episode one!!!

Iris is home and she's seen Lloyd for the first time in a long time! Iris is the eldest of her and her two cousins so she's always felt the need to watch over them and be protective, especially with how their lives are. I can't wait for Loralyn to come in and for her and Iris to interact, it's going to be so fun!

So Iris is going to be helping the ninja as herself and as the yellow ninja, so that's going to be interesting.

Iris and Nya having each other's backs >>>

I love my baby Iris so much.


Thank you for reading!!! Hopefully we'll see you in the next chapter!!!


Sincerely Rosie aka Winter326