Hi, hello! I'm Kiwi and this is...a rewrite of the first story I published here on FF over a year ago. Yay. So, if you've read it before, that's cool. I'm mainly doing this for myself anyways. When you look back at something you wrote and literally cringe over parts of it, it's time to spruce it up a bit.

Story plot is basically the same. There are some changes I'm making in order to satisfy my own needs for a more complete development of my OC, plus there were some plot holes/continuity errors that I found recently. Time to fix that stuff. So...here you go.

I don't own Ninjago. I don't own the characters. I own my OC. Image used for cover is by one of my greatest friends ever, silverblade1999. She rocks. :)

Chapter One: The Stranger in the Desert

The sprawling desert was unforgiving as the teenager sauntered across it. Endless, steaming sand surrounded her on all sides, reflecting the intense heat from the sun back up on her. It almost felt like standing in a large oven and being baked alive. Her brow, furrowed, was beaded in sweat as she inhaled the dry air around her and quickly expelled it. After wiping her forehead with the back of her right hand, the girl fumbled to get the khaki knapsack off of her back. Attached to the outside of the pack was a circular canteen. With slightly trembling fingers, the girl unscrewed the glaring black cap and thrust her head backwards, waiting for the cool relief of water to wash down her throat.

Nothing.

Feeling a brief episode of despair wash over her, the girl put the cap back on the canteen and slung the knapsack back over her shoulders. Where exactly she was headed, she did not have a clue. There was not so much a specific destination in mind. She was just looking for a specific individual: her father to be precise. He had to be somewhere and she was bound and determined to find him. Stopping for a second, the girl pulled a hair tie out of her pocket and proceeded to pull back the long, red hair that had been sticking to her neck from perspiration. A horrendous sweat mark ran along the back of her dark orange camisole. Taking a quick glance upwards at the blinding sun, she continued on her journey only to fall to her knees a few minutes later.

A rush of air came from in front of her, blowing sand all around. Sand coated the girl's tongue, choking her. She sputtered and coughed, wishing once more that she still had some water in her canteen. Wiping her steadily tearing eyes with her right forearm, she attempted to stand. It was to no avail. The bright star was sapping her of her energy. She just wanted to give up on her journey. It had been stupid of her to want to look for her father. She despised him anyways. The quaint, abandoned monastery that sat nestled on the edge of the Wildwood Forest had been cozy enough. She should have just stayed there and continued trying to train herself.

Running out of time and hope, the girl crawled forward across the burning sand, scraping up her exposed knees and arms in the process. This was going to be the end. She would never accomplish what she had set out to do. Her mother had been right all along: she really had been foolish to try and do this all by herself. Stubbornness was a trait that she was not happy to posses, but it seemed like it ran in the family. "I'm sorry," she whispered to no one in particular, the back of her throat burning and protesting with every word. "I just wanted to see you again." Without an ounce of strength left in her body, the teenager collapsed, unconscious, in the middle of the Sea of Sand.

A long and bulky shadow lazily made its way across the sand. As it continued on its set course, it eventually covered the area where the girl lay motionless. A flying vessel hovered high above, it's black hull conspicuous in the middle of the day. Tattered sails adorned the masts, somehow managing to keep the ship in the air with the aid of attached boosters. On the upper deck of the vessel stood a man with skin as black as the desolate night sky. His deep red eyes gleamed hungrily as he searched the area ahead. He caught sight of the individual lying sprawled upon the ground and frowned. "Someone is down there," he stated, pointing the girl out to the reptilian crew that surrounded him. "Please, bring them to me."

Feeling absolutely serene in the intense heat of the desert, the snakes hastily obeyed the orders of their captain. Several different colored serpents worked together to rotate the wooden mechanism that would lower the anchor. A bright green snake took this opportunity to climb over the side of the vessel and grab on to the metal chain of the anchor, waiting as his comrades gradually lowered him down. As the object softly hit the sand, the Venomari dismounted it and eyed the girl suspiciously with his one good eye. "It's a girl," he called up, hoisting the limp figure over his left shoulder.

Slowly, he approached the anchor and grabbed on to the thick chain as the other Serpentine worked to raise both him and the newly acquired guest. With swift work, the anchor was hoisted upwards and a serpent with red scales reached down to take the girl from Lasha's possession. The Venomari happily obliged and his friend roughly yanked the girl's arms, dragging her up and over the edge of the vessel. Smirking, the Fangpyre threw her body onto the rough, wooden deck. Her limbs sprawled out awkwardly, but she did not stir.

"What's this?" a Hypnobrai hissed, making his way over to the stranger and tugging on the knapsack that was still secured around her shoulders. With a lot of effort, the grey snake managed to maneuver the shoulder straps of the backpack off of the girl and flipped it upside down, spreading its content out across the deck. There was not much inside. A white camisole that had been rolled up uncurled slightly, showing deep wrinkles. There were several hair ties scattered across the wood and one of the serpent picked them up, flinging them at other crew members. Some spare change that did not seem like it could buy much. A canteen that had been attached to the side of the knapsack sounded hollow when a Constrictai banged on it. The only other object that had been in the bag was a rolled up map, secured with a rubber band.

Being nosy, a black snake removed the rubber band from the map and laid it out. Every Serpentine out on the deck gathered around, casting their shadows down upon the aged and ripped parchment. Ink drawings dotted the paper, depicting mountains, small villages, and even the desert. Several locations on the map had been drawn through with a steady line. Little handwritten notes appeared in the margins saying such things as "never been spotted in the area" and "looked high and low, but nowhere to be found". "She was looking for something," laughed Rattla, his crimson eyes narrowed slightly. "She'll never find it now though."

"What have we found?" bellowed a harsh voice. It emanated from the interior cabin of the vessel, a control room so to speak. The wheel and an electronic map of Ninjago lay within. The previous owners of the ship had put a lot of time and effort into modernizing it for their own needs. A few snakes turned to see their captain staring down at them, his four arms clasped behind his back.

Grinning, a Hypnobrai stood tall, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the response. "You should come see for yourself," he hissed, placing a heavy emphasis on every letter "s." He watched with careful eyes as the man turned to grab a gleaming golden object before making his way down towards the main deck.

The door to the control room opened with an ear shattering bang and the black-skinned man emerged, a deep chuckle escaping his lips. "Who do we have here?" he started, trying to get a decent look at the individual through the horde of snakes directly in front of him. This was practically impossible. "Is this the samurai that always aids the ninja?" Frowning, he pushed several serpents out of the way, ignoring their protests and hissing. He knelt down next to the girl, the bone that sat gracefully upon the top of his metal helmet cast an odd shadow over her. The girl's fiery red hair seemed even brighter in the shade.

Raising an eyebrow, he snapped his fingers, commanding a few nearby Constrictai to flip the girl over. They obeyed, roughly tossing the girl down on her back. Pale skin was illuminated by the afternoon sun and dark freckles dotted the girl's cheeks and nose. Her breathing was steady and rhythmic as the man stood up, slowly backing away from the stranger. "No," he breathed, a mixture of both shock and anger evident in his voice. "This can't be…i-it's impossible…"

"What's the matter, Lord Garmadon?" inquired a Fangpyre, the gleaming hue of his scales rivaling that of the girl's hair. This elicited no response from the dark lord and a hush fell over much of the reptilian crew. Wary glances were exchanged followed by soft whispering. Everyone was confused on the current situation. "Shall we throw her in the brig?"

A growl escaped Lord Garmadon's lips and it grew into a frustrated cry. "No," he shouted, turning towards the serpent and giving him a swift smack with the top of his golden staff-like object. "You will not be throwing her in the brig." Breathing slightly labored now, he turned back towards the girl and swallowed hard. "We need to give her water now. One of you take her to the bunks inside immediately." The Serpentine stayed silent for a brief moment, still contemplating what Lord Garmadon was saying. "Did I stutter? I said take her to a bunk now!"

"Why, sir?" asked Lasha, his forked tongue hanging slightly out of his mouth. "She may not be the samurai, but she could still be a spy for the ninja!" He looked around for the Constrictai that was holding the map and quickly snatched it away from him. "Look, she's looking for something! Maybe she's helping the ninja find something that will stop your plans!" His voice faltered slightly as Lord Garmadon's gaze narrowed further. Lasha shook slightly, his eye darting back and forth quickly.

Lord Garmadon lunged forward; grabbing the Venomari's left wrist and twisting it hard. The snake gave a small yelp which quickly faded into oblivion as the man released him. "She is not a spy," he yelled, growing tired of the Serpentine that surrounded him. Without another thought, he scooped the girl into his lower pair of arms, using one of his free limbs to push a few loose strands of hair away from her face. The girl grimaced briefly before her facial expression fell placid once more.

"She is my daughter."

Well, I know I feel more satisfied with this already than I did with the original one. One thing I want to get out of the way before I continue the story further. My OC is related to a canon character (big whoop, canon relations don't make a character a Mary-Sue. No authors that don't know how to develop characters or their personalities make a character a Mary Sue).

Yeah, sorry. I'm just saying. Seriously though, people are too hard on other people's characters before the author actually has a chance to try to develop them. "Related to OC, must be a Mary-Sue. Dating one of the ninja, must be a Mary-Sue". Ridiculous.

Well, rant over. Sorry, I'm not usually like that, but I had to get it off of my chest. Reviews are cool. Constructive criticism is welcomed. Updating this every Wednesday. Hope you have a great day and enjoy the premiere of Rebooted tonight. :)