Well Ladies and Gentlemen, this is it. This is the last segment of our story, and may I just say that I had an absolute blast while writing it. As you all know, there will be a few one-shots, as well as a sequel to this story. I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it.

Chapter 18: Epilogue

Kai loved his town. Sitting here, outside his favorite pub, allowing the light Ignacia breeze to flow through his hair.

He took another sip out of his beverage, a simple glass of water, and adjusted his sunglasses on his nose. He leaned back in his chair, smoothing down his shirt. 'Nothing like a hard-earned vacation after that mess.' He thought, cracking a quick smile.

He continued, allowing his eyes to slip closed. Nothing could disrupt him, could disturb this peace, this calm after the storm.

"Hey Kai! Kai!"

Almost nothing. Kai flinched at his name being called from afar. He recognized the cheery voice, allowing one of his eyes to open, exposing his retina to the light.

Low and behold, there stood his friend Jay Walker, lopsided grin on his face, arm around the waist of his little sister. Kai mentally groaned, scooching himself up in his seat and leaning forward.

"Hey guys." He tried to hide the grumpiness in his voice, but it clearly failed seeing as Jay's smile faded a bit, and Nya shot him a look.

"Oh, sorry to disturb you, Kai. We'll just be headed ba-."

Kai cut him off with the wave of his hand. "Nonsense. Sit down. C'mon." Kai once again adjusted himself in his chair.

Nya smiled once more at her brother. "Thank you, Kai."

Jay pulled out the seat for her, waiting for her to sit down before pulling out his own seat and plopping into it.

"So, Kai, since I haven't heard from you yet, what happened over in the Big City?" She pondered, leaning forward on the table.

Kai tipped down his shades. "Do you really want to know?" He asked, edging them on.

The two looked over at him, pleased to see them nodding like schoolchildren. He smiled; he had them eating out the palm of his hand!

"You sure? 'Cause this ain't no Flyboy story or a Devil Dog story. This is real, frontlines. Boots on the ground, y'know?"

Jay leaned back in his seat, still quite interested. Nya began nodding rapidly, and he felt as though he was talking to his baby sister again, telling her the stories of Samurai and Ninja, battling snakes and skeletons and whatever else they encountered on their adventures.

"Well, it all started when I was sitting in my bunker, and I-."

"Hey, is Kai telling one of his lame-o battlefield stories? Those ain't nothing like what I've been through!" Another voice filled the air, causing Kai to flinch once more from interruption.

He turned to see Cole, wearing the same black tank top he had worn the day previously. Seleil walked beside him, smiling her usual devious smile, looking as though she was planning something, which in all likelihood she was.

Jay snickered, looking over at Cole. "Nice wife-beater, buddy! Great fashion choice."

Cole grinned back at his friend. "Shove it up your ass, Walker." He pulled out his chair, sitting down in it. Seleil did the same, still grinning around the table. "How's that scar healing up?"
Jay tapped his eyebrow, where a small bandage was placed. "Ah, the Doctor said that the scar's not going away. But hey, people like scars. Scars make a guy look tough, right?"

"Yeah, right." Kai said, chuckling. Soon Cole was smirking, and Nya was holding back laughter.

"What?" Jay inquired, giving a curious look around the table.

"Nothing, nothing. Now, Cole, you said something about your fights being tougher than mine?" Kai asked, smiling.

"Only because it's true. I fought from the Sea of Sand down to the shores of the City, man." Cole crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.

Kai continued smiling back. "I got ambushed in Ouroborus while we were on a Sunday drive."

Cole spat back. "I watched Borg Towers go down."

Jay stepped in, leaning forward on the table next to his girlfriend. "That's nothing! My team brought the Tower down!"

"I'm afraid all of your tales are inadequate in comparison to mine." A calmer, deeper voice entered. Everyone looked up to see the man in white, Zane.

"Hey, I haven't heard any of Zane's stories." Nya said, continuing to look at her friend. "Tell us a story!"

The table resonated with shouts and calls of, "C'mon Zane!" and "Yeah, spill Zane!"

Zane seemed to get distant for a moment, as though remembering. Everything went silent. Everyone awaited him to tell about how he fought with Garmadon in hand-to-hand combat, or how he shot a Skulkin from two miles out.

He opened his mouth to speak. Everyone leaned forward in anticipation.

"Classified."

A collective groan rose from the table.

"Damn it Zane, you're such a buzzkill!" Seleil shouted, crossing her arms.

"Classified? What are you, the President?" Kai shouted, throwing up his arms in despair.

Zane merely shrugged and walked over, taking a seat at the table. "I swore an oath of secrecy. No one must know, lest dangerous information falls into the wrong hands."
Jay chuckled. "Yeah, because one of us is a spy in disguise. I think that Cole's Wife-beater is pretty suspicious…"

"Would you stop talking about my Wife-Beater?!" Shouted Cole in desperation.

"Then stop wearing it!" Jay countered.

"Why are we talking about each other's articles of clothing?" Zane asked, clearly confused.

"Eh, forget the clothing." Kai said. "Nya, did you pick up on any good news lately?"
His sister nodded. "I'm afraid that's it's not the best news in the world, but you'd get it one way or another." She stopped, taking a breath.

"Ninjago's going to invade the Dark Island. It's a counter-invasion to over throw the Garmadon Clan and instate a democracy. Chen's Island has started using its funds and strategic location to support the Dark Island, so that's going to be invaded as well."

The table was left in silence for a while, the six friends glancing around the table at eachother.

Cole sat up, setting his hands on the table. "We all knew this was coming." He said. "And we all were prepared for this." He looked down before continuing. "Just because the last invasion resulted in failure doesn't mean that this one will. There's a new batch of men, and new fighting force on the ground."

Kai threw up his arms once more. "Yeah, a new batch of men to be killed."

Cole turned his attention over to the Ranger. "And what kind of fighting words are those, huh?"

"I lost both my parents in the last war. I don't want to lose any of you." Kai said, before falling back in his seat.

Once more, the table was silent. Jay opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it. Zane took turns looking between Cole and Kai, seeing if this would escalate into further conflict.

Cole looked bewildered. "K-Kai, is that what you've been worried about?" He momentarily flashed back to his dream a month before, seeing his friends dead on the streets of Ninjago City.

Kai solemnly nodded his head. "Yeah, that is what I've been worried about."

Zane, who was observing each and every person around the room, took notice of Nya, who was sitting quietly in between her brother and her boyfriend. She seemed to be sinking lower and lower into her chair.

He broke through the conversation between Ranger and Marine. "Nya, are you feeling alright?"

She nodded, which drew more attention to her. "Yes, why?" She tried to put on a smile, and to sit up.

"What's bothering you?" Jay asked, sounding more concerned for his girlfriend.

"N-nothing. It's just that…" She sighed, taking a long breath. "I think Kai's right. Maybe you guys should… take a break from all the fighting. I mean, you all saw the casualties for the first war. They were grotesque. So… it makes me wonder… how high will the casualties be in this war?"

"Maybe Nya's right." Cole said, standing up. "Maybe we've done our part as soldiers. Maybe it's time to return home and let the new guys handle the fighting."

Jay waved his hands in protest. "Woah, woah, my squad's a man short already! I can't just abandon them to fight alone over the Darese jungles! Who's gonna watch their backs?!"

Zane sighed, once again observing the conflict. "I'm afraid I will not be able to leave until the fighting ends." He stood, brushed out his shirt, and proceeded to take two steps back towards the Smith Manor.

Cole stepped in front of him. "Woah, woah, hang on a minute Frosty. I'm not letting you go on any dangerous missions. What would your father say?"

Something caught in Zane's eyes. They shifted towards something his friends never saw. He grabbed Cole's Wife Beater, getting close as though he were going to hit him. Jay and Kai immediately rushed over, each grabbing the arm of their friend.

"Easy, easy man!" Kai shouted, trying to get Zane off of him.

Slowly, Zane released his friend, taking deep breaths. "Don't you ever talk about what my father would do. I've killed more men then you know, Cole. And let me tell you, he is the exact reason that every time I feel remorse, I pick up my rifle and go out, and do it again! I DO IT BECAUSE IT'S WHAT HE DIED FOR!"

Zane finished, brushing past Cole and walking towards the Smith Manor.

"I'll talk to him." Jay said, running after him.

"Wait, Jay! Let's just let him cool down!" Nya also bolted off after the two men.

Cole looked on the ground, feeling remorseful.

"Hey." Seleil said, rubbing his arm. "It's not your fault. I think that Zane's seen a lot more than he wanted during this war. I think that he just… snapped, and all that pressure, all that emotion, just came flooding out."

Cole continued to look down. "Y-yeah, sure Seleil. I'm going to go get some cake."

He wandered off, not taking his eyes off the ground. Seleil looked over at Kai, who sat back down and pointed at Cole. "Go. Talk to him. He needs someone right now, yeah?"

Seleil nodded, before walking off in the direction her crush had gone.

Kai sighed, stirring the straw in his drink. 'So this is my life.' He thought. 'Alone, fighting with friends…'

He thought about his times in the army. Goofing off with Dan during basic training, playing games with Lars and Mac during his time in the Sea of Sand, his one passionate kiss with Skylor when he was about to board the plane back to Ignacia.

He looked up at the sky. Was he really ready to give it up?

Was he really ready to end his life as a Warrior?

Well. I didn't mean for it to end in such a depressing way when I started it. But don't worry, folks. It gets a little more… optimistic in the one-shots. And for last chapter's Easter Egg, it was actually a scene from the German movie Downfall. The scene in particular has become a rather famous internet meme. I suppose that's it, then. I know I said it earlier, and I know it's super cheesy, but damn, did I enjoy writing this story. It was an adventure for me, riding through Ouroboros with the Rangers, flying high with Squadron D, roaming the palace halls with NNSOG. I suppose that means it's time for one last ADIOS!