#Redeemed Bizarro Ninja

[afandomroom]

Separated

Note- Angst, also here's the prequel of this story

“WHERE IS SHE!?!” 

Daemon strained against his vengestone restraints, a harsh glare fixed on the ninja as he roared at them. There had been an attack on the village he and Safa were living in. It was a small, rural area, didn’t draw much attention, good for laying low. Of course, Safa thought it was because Daemon liked the “fresh country air”. With that small lie, they had actually managed to build a good life there. Without his reputation, Daemon had a decent, legal job. He could send Safa to school with the money he made, and his little sister had friends. They were happy, they were safe But then some mob had gotten gutsy, deciding they needed more territory.   Daemon hadn’t wasted anytime running home from his job, not bothering to explain to what was happening to Safa has he scooped her up and started running for the outskirts. All he had said was that she needed to stay quiet, and keep her head down. He could tell she was scared. He just wanted to get out of the village, so they could be safe again. Then he had spotted a couple, backed to a wall by a group of cackling gangsters. He tried to stay focused, to only care about Safa and himself.   But there was something about the fear in couple’s voices, that forced him to stop. Thinking quickly, Daemon had found a corner to tuck Safa away in, instructing the small girl to stay there and remain quiet, promising her that he would return. The ninja hadn’t seen him tear the goons away from the whimpering couple. They hadn’t seen him fight the goons off, defending the lovers. The only thing they had seen was a terrified couple, running out of the alley while screaming…and a roughed up Bizarro following soon after.   He didn’t want to fight the ninja; he had tried his best to dodge attacks, to convince them to focus on the gang members, the immediate threat. He barely had time to hope his little sister would stay hidden, when Kai landed a flaming hit. Adrenaline and rage flared, as the Bizarro landed his first punch. The ninja could’ve died, he realized, if it weren’t for a familiar, whimpering voice just beyond the fight. The sight of a wide eyed Safa had frozen Daemon, as he realized she’d seen him slip into his old ways. He could hardly breathe, as he stared at her shocked confused and even terrified expression. The prick in his neck barely registered, as Zane stuck a needle in. His focus was entirely on his young companion. He could barely hear her shouting his name, running to him as he slipped into unconsciousness. He watched through blurred eyes, as Kai scooped up the small girl, holding her back as she struggled and cried out for Daemon. Then everything had gone dark. Now here Daemon was, arms bound tightly behind him, captors glaring at him with suspicion as he struggled and seethed. He didn’t know where Safa was, they wouldn’t tell him where she was. He hated not knowing if she was ok, if she was being looked after. Kai leaned against a wall, arms crossed. He didn’t appear at all phased by the Bizarro’s rage. “Look man, we don’t know how that kid knows you. We don’t know why you gave her a fake name, or why someone like you was anywhere near her. But we do know this- “The fire ninja stepped forward, placing his hands on the table that separated him from the Bizarro, leaning in close, “You’re not going near her, ever again.” For a minute, Daemon didn’t move, didn’t say anything. He just locked eyes with the brunette as his words processed. Alright, at least he knew Safa was safe. He then proceeded to slam his head into Kai’s forehead, sending the red ninja stumbling backwards. Kai   gripped his head with a groan, swearing. Daemon’s scowl deepened through the ache in his own head. “Daemon is my name, ya idiot. Jus’ cause I look like your friend, don’t mean we share a na-“His head snapped to the side, as Nya punched him. Daemon wasn’t the only one in the room who didn’t want their family messed with. It’d been a while since a punch had hurt Daemon, courtesy of the vengestone. “DON’T TOUCH HIM!” Nya squirmed in Jay’s grip, as he held her back from throwing more punches at the bound Bizarro. “Nya…please calm down…” Jay mumbled, holding his girlfriend around her waist. Kai pushed Zane away after letting the nindroid check for a concussion, stepping back towards Daemon, though he seemed to be more cautious of the space between them this time. “If you honestly think we’re letting someone with a record of beating up people for kicks near that little girl, you’re dumber than we think, pal” Daemon almost spat out another retort, when it hit him. He fell slack in his chair, giving up on his struggle, staring at Kai without a trace of anger left. The ninja could only watch in cautious confusion at his sudden mood change.

Why had it taken him so long to understand? They thought they were protecting Safa, just like he tried to. They thought he was going to…hurt her. They thought he was a threat to her safety.  It made sense, like Kai had said; he had a history of beating people for entertainment. His mind drifted back to how scared Safa had been, seeing him rage against the ninja in that village. He thought back to when they first met, how scared she’d been of the large Bizarro.  He thought about how scared she would be if she had seen him head but Kai. He thought about the lies he had told her. Maybe they were right; maybe he was a danger to her. Daemon lowered his head, releasing a shaky sigh as everything set in. When he finally spoke again, he found that his strong voice had turned shaky.   “I...I would never...hurt Safa.” He looked at them, confusion doubling in their expressions, “I...I just want her safe…please…please jus’ let me see her…” He swallowed; confused at the statement that next left his mouth. “Then you can take me t’ Kryptarium. You’re right…I cause too much pain; I’ve caused too much pain. I-I’ll go willingly…Jus’ let me see her…let me say good bye…” He could feel an unusual fear bubbling up in his chest, as the ninja looked at each other, and left. They had no reason to agree to his demand, and every reason to drag him off to Kryptarium without giving a second glance. He was never going to see Safa again; his last memory of her would be her eyes staring in fear and her voice screaming his name. His little sister was going to be dragged off to some orphanage, pushed into some over filled home that couldn’t care less, without knowing what happened to her big brother. She’d think he’d abandoned her, left to save himself. But he would never do that. He would rather die than let her be alone, to feel abandoned again. He wished his hands weren’t bound, so he could wipe away the building tears. His throat felt tight. Why was this so terrifying, so heart breaking? It had nearly been an hour, when he heard the door open. He didn’t look up, assuming it was a ninja here to drag him off. He didn’t speak when the footsteps stopped beside him. His heart swelled with hope when he felt a small hand gently shake his shoulder. A sad smile appeared when he heard a soft, scared voice call his name. “D-Daemon?” He looked over at Safa, wishing he could hug her, and tell her it would be ok. The best he could do was lean over, letting the small girl wrap her arms around his neck. “H-hey kid…they treating you ok?” He couldn’t help the cracks in his voice. “Y-yeah” he could hear the sniffling, god he hated the circumstances. “The Earth Ninja was watching over me…he’s a lot like you Daemon” Daemon gave a light chuckle at this, “Not that surprised, we definitely got more than one thing in common” “Why...” Safa pulled away from Daemon, reaching out to his cuffs, “W-why did they do this? Y-you’re not a bad person…y-you haven’t done anything wrong!” He sighed, leaning back to look Safa in the eyes. He hoped she never learned what he really was, what he had done, what he had been designed to do. “Listen...kids...I…” His throat was getting tighter, as he bit back tears. This was hard, painful. “I…have...to go-“ “W-what?! No, why...I don’t want you to go, why do you have to go?!” The pain in her face was breaking his heart. He swallowed again, shaking his head. “I-I can’t explain kid…this...this is jus’ where we gotta split, I…it’s not my choice...but t’s gotta happen. But...th’ ninja will take care of ya, ‘t’s their job….” Safa hugged Daemon once more, tearing pouring as she buried her face into him. “I don’t want the stupid ninja, I want you! Y-you’re family…don’t leave me like my other family did, please!” Hot tears fell onto Safa’s dress, as her words finally broke what remained of Daemon’s dam. His voice got quiet and shaky, as he rested his head on Safa’s. The closest he could get to returning her hug. “The last thing I want to do is leave you kid. This….this is hurting me so much-“ “Then stay!” “I-I can’t kid…I…I can’t…I-I’m sorry” Before Safa could continue protesting, the door opened again, two people walking in. The siblings looked up, seeing Cole and Zane there, with Jay in the hall. Daemon frowned, but gave a nod of understanding, looking down at Safa. What remained of his heart shattered at how betrayed, lost, and broken she looked. Why was life so cruel to innocent people like her? “Listen, Safa...I need you to promise something, ok?” She didn’t respond, looking away. Daemon exhaled, closing his eyes. He couldn’t continue seeing her like this. “Keep smiling, ok? Stay brave…things will be ok, I promise, they will be…” Safa didn’t look back at him until Jay picked her up, starting to walk her out of the room. She fought against the brunette’s hold, reaching out for her brother, crying out. “Daemon! NO, DAEMON!!” Daemon forced himself to give a comforting smile, tears still pouring out. “Bye Kid” He focused his gaze on the remaining two ninja. “Let’s get this over with.”

[ask-the-bizarros]

Oooooo,, daemon’s finally realized his emotions hueueeuue

"...I..guess that's what's going on..huh..?" Daemon sighed, running a hand over the back of his neck. His eyes never left the cracked phone screen before him.

'It's a date then?'

......

He typed his response. Letting his thumb hover over the send button as he read it over, and over again.

He didn't know if he wanted to know Cryptor's response, if he was being honest.

.....

Swallowing, he quickly pressed 'send', before setting the phone beside him once more. He took a deep breath, trying to settle his nerves and still quickly beating heart.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cryptor stopped pacing, face still glowing red when he heard his phone go off.

Hesitantly, he reached over, and picked the device up.

"Do..you want it to be a date..?"

......

He pressed the "call" button next to Daemon's contact. He anxiously tapped his finger on his arm, listening to the soft metallic "ting!" that sounded through the room as he did so.

[afandomroom]

for the redeemed bizarro ninja au, what about kai and jay? they are my favorite ninja. maybe they adopt someone too, or maybe it was one of them who saved safa in the first fight fic?

Hello, Thank you for the ask!

Unfortunately neither of them are the one's who saved Safa. That job went to my oc Marion, whom we will see more of in the sequel when I can figure out how to write it

However! Both Kai and Jay did turn a new leaf, and I have written a couple of short drabbles on what they've been up to. Hope you enjoy!

Warning: Little bit of angst 

Note: Kai is Ayden and Jay is Azul

------------------------------------------------ He hadn’t meant to burn down the village. Luckily, no one had been harmed, but he’d left these people without a home. They had no where to go, no possessions but the clothes on their back and what few toys the children had been holding. He looked away from the mourning crowd, staring instead at his shaking hands. He swallowed. It was no secret, to him at least, that  his powers were uncontrollable. There was a time where he didn’t care about the skin that burned when he touched it, didn’t care about the accidental fires or scorched furniture. It was destruction, that was all that mattered. He craved it, he was made for it. But ever since they’d left Cole, and Zane had abandoned them…Ayden had found himself questioning his purpose. He had started watching what  he touched, avoiding contact with people. To prevent accidents, he’d taken up traveling, staying on the outskirts of villages and keeping a distance. And for a while, he’d been able to live in peace, to be happy. He’d been able to separate himself from his past. Until on of his hands  brushed against the dry grasses of fields surrounding this village. And the next thing he knew, it was in flames. It was all his fault. These people would sleep without a roof over their heads, and it was all. his. fault. His face felt wet, drops of water steamed as they hit his hands. It didn’t matter how much he wanted to change, everything would always be the same. He couldn’t avoid harming people, not by traveling through the populated Ninjago lands. There was only one place left to go. Turning, Ayden looked to the blurred outlines of the mountains. They were unoccupied, outside of the occasional traveler or monk. Perfect to isolate the raging fire that coursed through him. 

--------------------------------------------- Admittdely, using vengestone to keep his unruly powers at bay wasn’t the best idea he’d ever had. He didn’t need to find Zane- or Blizzard, as he was apparently calling himself now?- to know the effects vengestone had on those with elements. Azul had started experiencing the naseau and shortness of breath. He’d already been on the brink of insomnia before, he could hardly sleep two hours now. It was harder to carry grocery bags, to lift weights. And he supposed a simpler way to avoid hurting someone would be to go lone wolf, like Kai had, and travel. But Azul enjoyed being around people, he wasn’t sure if he could isolate himself from the world. He wanted to hear laughter, to wander around festivals, to hear people’s stories, to hold conversations. It had been weird when he first started noticing how happy being with people made him. He was used to being energized around people, sure. Being around people meant being able to scare them, scaring them meant panic, panic meant chaos and..well….Bizarros were designed to be agents of chaos. But it wasn’t the fear that energized him any more, it was the life, the energy of the people themselves. He didn’t want to leave any of that. He didn’t want to risk hurting anyone either. So, vengstone was the best solution in his eyes. Even if it made daily life a little bit harder, even if the spreading cold spot in his chest kept him awake at night. Small sacrifices to ensure that he could be near people, and they would be safe. It wasn’t like anyone had ever died of vengestone poisoning anyway.

-------------------------------

[ask-the-bizarros]

((It’s been a while since I wrote something for this blog huh?))

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Daemon had just finished helping Azul dump candy into a large bowl, hiding spare bags so Ayden wouldn’t snag any, when there was a light knocking at the front door.

He glanced up at the time, smiling.  

With a quick goodbye to Azul, he grabbed his keys and phone, and headed off to the door where he was greeted by a very excited Safa in a pirate’s costume. An empty pumpkin bag swung from her hands.

She ran forward, hugging him tightly. “Daemon, Daemon! Are you ready to go trick or treating??”

“Of course,” He ruffled her hair with a chuckle, “Just let me grab my coat.”

Safa nodded, setting her bag down by her feet while Daemon grabbed the skeleton-print jacket he’d bought.

“We’re meeting Cryptor there to, right? He said he’d meet us at the city square.”

……

He paused for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah, said he might be a little late though. Think you can wait?”

“Yep!”

[ask-the-bizarros]

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was later in the evening when they finally started walking back to Cryptor's apartment, having spent most of their time together walking around town after they finished their coffee.

They'd ended up talking a lot, and laughing. Wide grins spread across their faces, hands barely touching as they walked side by side.

Needless to say the date had gone well.

.....

They slowed to a stop in front of the apartment building. Cryptor's grin fell to a soft smile.

"I suppose..this is where the date ends?"

"Yeah..guess so.." Daemon sighed, turning to look at Cry with a smile. "I'm glad we decided t'do this. Today was...nice."

"It really was.." Cryptor chucked, running a hand through his hair, "Can't believe I was panicking about as much as I did.."

......

Daemon shook his head, his grin returning. "At least I wasn't the only one..I was a flustered mess the whole time we were talking on the phone.."

"Hm.."

[ask-the-bizarros]

It was near impossible to focus on anything but the situation at hand, or more accurately, the anxieties it brought about.

Daemon stared at the cobblestone floor below him, tugging slightly at the cold vengestone cuffs that were locked tightly on his wrists. He and the others had been thrown into a holding cell soon after arriving at the police station with the ninja.

To their credit, the ninja had tried to tell the commissioner and his officers that the bizarros had come peacefully and weren’t to be arrested. And were currently trying to negotiate the ‘compromises’ he’d heard so much about.

……..

The cold of the cuffs bit into his skin, spreading through his arms and to his chest. He dug his nails into the palm of his hands as memories flashed past his eyes.

Placed into a cell much too small, forced to wear vengestone for long periods of time. All the questions they asked, questions he didn’t have answers to.

The pacing, the sleepless nights.

Believing it was better that he was cooped up instead of walking free. Believing the people he cared for were better off…

……

He shook his head, trying to clear his stirring mind.

..He really hated prisons…

……….

Something metal nudged him in the arm. He glanced up, meeting a pair of worried mechanical eyes.

He couldn’t give Cryptor even the slightest smile.

The nindroid’s frown deepened, and he leaned on Daemon’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. “Dae…one way or another, it’ll be fine. You know that right?”

“You aren’t alone.”

……..

“I know”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, the ninja stood in the commissioner’s office, trying to explain the situation.

“Sir, you need to understand-“

The police commissioner raised a hand to his mustache, cutting them off “I heard it all from Cole, when we arrested the first two- which ones were they, the Jay and Zane look alikes??”

“Speaking of-“His eyes fell on Cole, who glanced at the wall instead, “You shouldn’t even be standing here, free, Mr. Brookstone.”

……

“We’ll get to that later. We’re not asking you to let them go free, just to give them a chance.” Kai stepped forward, placing a hand on Cole’s shoulder.

“We all know you have the resources and technology to keep track of them.” Lloyd added, “It shouldn’t be hard to give them a few months to prove themselves, at least.”

…….

……..

A beat of silence, and the commissioner sat down with a sigh.

“Why are you giving them a chance, ninja? Last I checked, most of you were pretty firm in your standing that the Bizarros weren’t to be trusted.”

……..

………

“It’s…a bit of a story…sir.”

“Just a chance, that’s all we ask. All they’ve been asking for.”

[ask-the-bizarros]

Daemon winced, as he groggily opened his eyes, only to close them swiftly when blurred ceiling lights sent a swift ache straight to his head.

Inhaling deeply, he decided to just..take in what surroundings he could with his eyes closed. The sound of beeping machines filled his ears, and though he could barely twitch his fingers, he could feel a thin, slightly scratchy fabric covering his body.

Where was he?

..........

More importantly, he realized with a start, where were the others? Were they safe? Were they in prison?

Was he..the only one who...

His eyes snapped open this time. He ignored the pain it brought, his heart rate picking up along with his breathing as he tried to force his body to move, to sit up, to leave this.. this bed, this room.

......

In the end, he only managed to turn his head, the rest his body refusing to follow his orders.

But it turned out, that was all he needed to do.

His eyes landed on a sleeping Cryptor, who's jacket had been placed over Safa, who was sleeping in the chair next to him.

A smile drifted lazily across Daemon's face, relief flooding through him as he turned his gaze back to the ceiling.

They were safe, and free. And..that meant this must be a hospital of some kind.

........

They were safe.

[ask-the-bizarros]

Blizzard readjusted the vengestone cuffs fastened tightly around his wrists, as he leaned against the bars of his shared cell with Azul. The cuffs had begun to spread a discomforting chill through the false nindroid, filling him with an odd desperation he simply couldn’t place. An itch to tear the power sucking metal off of his wrists. 

“I cannot understand how you managed to wear this material for as long as you have, Azul” Despite his discomfort, his tone was cool, as he looked over to the brunet bizarro. “It’s uncomfortable at the least, nauseating and painful at the most. We are not meant to-“

“I know…I know” Azul sighed, sitting up from his bed, scratching at his head absently. His hair was messier than usual, bags heavy under his eyes from sleeplessness instigated by anxiety. “You don’t have to say it again, Bliz….I just...I-I didn’t want anyone to get hurt by my element…you know how unruly it is...” 

…… The icy bizarro simply nodded, rubbing a spot on his arm, where darks webs resembling electric burns were covered by an orange shirt sleeve. A memory from a time when they were agents of the darkness. 

“I am aware…” ….. “Do...do you think Cole left house arrest…to break us out..?” 

Blizzard shrugged, in response, looking back outside as he thought back to their interrogation a few days prior. “I do not know...”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daemon wasn’t exactly subtle about his intentions to shield Cryptor from Ronin, as he stepped directly in front of the nindroid the second Ronin and Cole approached, red eyes glowing fiercely as they burned into whatever remained of the thief’s soul. 

The nindroid gently placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, a more subtle request for him to calm down. 

Daemon exhaling was the only sign that he’d listened, as he shoved his hands into his pockets to rock lightly on his heels.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Ya look-a-like doesn’ seem to happy, Cole” 

Ronin looked over at the earth ninja with a smirk, as they walked away from their car and towards their newest teammates. 

Cole’s response was a simple hum, before he froze at the sight of the nindroid with Daemon. His eyes widened, mind racing with questions and doubts.

Was that..?

It couldn’t be…

Beside him, Ronin chuckled, smirk growing to a small, somewhat nervous grin, as he realized why Daemon’s glare was fixed on him and him alone, “Well whadya know, Scrap survived”

[ask-the-bizarros]

Daemon grunted as he caught Lloyd's leg mid kick, using the ninja's momentum against him and flipping him onto his back. 

Behind the two, the rest of the ninja had partnered off against Blizzard and Azul.  The bizarros were holding their own well enough, considering they'd just begun recovering from days of wearing vengestone. 

But it wasn't enough to win a fight, especially not against their originals, whom they had to dodge, or otherwise risk severe injury. 

and with Cryptor separated from them...and Cole having ducked out as the fight began..

.....

Things weren't going well, to say the least. 

[ask-the-bizarros]

Warnings: It's all Ronin's death. Lots of stabbing, blood. Ask to tag

Edit: @sayijo, because this is a part two to the answer for your ask.

A sharp gasp of pain escaped Ronin's lips, as Cryptor shoved his blade into the thief's stomach, never breaking eye contact. 

His eyes were glowing brightly; his face a cold, merciless expression resembling the general he'd once been, as the artificial adrenaline flooded his veins. 

It was time, time to avenge the friends he'd lost. Avenge himself. He hated Ronin, he'd wanted this for a long time. 

He stepped forward, shoving the katana in further, ignoring the cry of pain from Ronin.

 "That is for Mindroid, who you shot right in front of me, before dragging me off to your workshop"

Without hesitation, Cryptor dug his second blade into Ronin's back, letting the thief drop to his knees with another cry. "That is for...Sentry. Who.."

....

The nindroid swallowed, exhaling a shallow breath, "That is for Sentry, who you cut down when he helped me escape" 

Blood pooled out onto the floor, as Cryptor tore out both swords, using the tips to push Ronin onto his back. The thief wimpered weakly, pale and near death.

Unlike Ronin, Cryptor showed his opponent mercy. With a single, swift movement, the nindroid put Ronin out of his misery, stabbing both blades into his chest.  

"That was for me."

[ask-the-bizarros]

Blizzard leaned against an outside wall, staring at the vast desert before him. The sand was seemingly endless, barely muffling the sound of approaching footsteps as they turned a corner. 

Shoving his hands in his pockets, the bizarro sighed, watching as the cool air dissolved in the desert heat. It was only a matter of time.

.......

 A small dagger formed in his hand, made of pure ice. 

......

The footsteps stopped. Blizzard didn't react, speaking cooly to the ninja that had approached him.

"I won't let you inside without a fight, fire ninja."

[ask-the-bizarros]

A silence had long since settled in the Bounty meeting room, as the ninja mulled over the weekend's events. 

Unlike the last few times they'd been in the room, Kai didn't attack the training dummy with fire fueled by frustrations, instead continuing his pacing from the hospital. 

The others were scattered about, munching on snacks or looking at the ground with folded arms, not wanting to address the topic on hand. 

......

"Alright, that's it." Kai snapped, his steps finally coming an end, "Let's all just admit it, Cole was right." 

.....

The fire ninja ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he was met by ashamed silence. "The bizarros...they just wanna be left alone." 

......

......

"So, what'd'we do now..?" Lloyd kicked at the floorboards, wincing slightly at the ache in his leg, "We can't just...up and leave like Cole did. That'd leave Ninjago defenseless"

"Do we even know this is permanent?" The others turned to look at Jay, who raised his hands in surrender, "Look...I'm grateful they saved Lloyd, and I can't deny the obvious desperation to just...be free." 

"But...I mean, we can't deny that they were created with evil intentions, right? What if..this is temporary?"

"Not to mention... Cryptor straight up...y'know, murdered Ronin. And he's one of their allies, what if this is all some...elaborate act!"

.....

The room went silent once more, as the ninja continued to ponder. Jay shot an apologetic look to Nya after mentioning Ronin, noting the boiling anger in the water ninja's eyes. 

[ask-the-bizarros]

The door to the hospital opened.

Kai immediately halted his pacing, turning on his heel to find Blizzard standing behind him, arms crossed.

"Bout ti-"

"Does your compromise include Cryptor?"

.......

Kai nodded hesitantly, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as he looked away from Blizzard,"Of course it includes him..."

The icy nindroid raised a brow, "But..?"

.....

"But.." Kai sighed, "We can't.. promise the authorities won't arrest him, regardless of what we say."

Before Blizzard could speak, Kai raised his hands, "We understand why he did what he did, but that doesn't change that he killed someone."

"We'll try, but we can't promise anything."

.....

Blizzard frowned, his shoulders slumping slightly before he nodded. "Alright..thank you.."

"And what about Safa? What happens to her?"

......

"Man..why do you havta ask the hard questions?" Kai tried for a grin, but it faded quickly, "Honestly.. I don't know. I really don't. I think, at most, we'll be able to convince them to let her stay at the monastery. But..I dunno about staying with you guys, just yet."

......

"Sorry."

[ask-the-bizarros]

They found Cole outside of the prison, pacing between the vehicles that had originally driven Cryptor, Daemon, Cole, and Ronin to the location. 

He looked up as they approached, eyes widening when he noticed the limp and bleeding Daemon in Cryptor's arms. 

The guilt from retreating only worsened at the sight, weighing him down like a sack of bricks as he took a couple hesitant steps forward before swallowing. 

"What happened??"

Cryptor only shook his head, brushing past the earth ninja and walking towards his car. "We'll explain later, right now we need to leave, find Daemon some help" 

......

Cole didn't press further, holding back the apology tugging at his mind. 

[ask-the-bizarros]

A loud, crumbling crack echoed through the halls, as Azul's lightning arched wildly and hit an already damaged pillar. 

The marble structure slowly began to tilt, until gravity took hold and began dragging it down to the ground. Falling heavily towards an unsuspecting green ninja. 

Despite the speed the pillar was falling in, the world seemed to move in slow motion for Daemon, as what exactly was about to happen hit him. 

....

His feet moved for him, carrying him towards the younger blond. Tackling Lloyd to the ground, he shielded the wide eyed boy from the falling marble.

A loud crash was followed by a cry of pain from the bizarro, as the debri crashed and cracked on top of him. 

He waited a moment, two, before attempting to push himself up. Pain shot through his head, worsening the nausea and ringing. Something wet trickled down the back of his head. 

His leg... his leg hurt, burned with pain. 

People were shouting... but he couldn't comprehend their words, make sense of the mush that was their voices. 

He glanced to Lloyd, who was pushing himself to his feet. His eyes were wider than before, face slightly scratched. But he otherwise looked unharmed. Or at least, Daemon thought he was. It was hard to tell with the urge to black out clouding his mind. 

He...really... didn't... want to...pass...out...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A strong, metal pair of hands caught Daemon before he could hit the ground, holding him up. 

Cryptor had managed to open the security door, right on time to see the pillar fall. 

Alongside Azul and Blizzard, he'd rushed to Daemon's side, all the while warily watching the ninja as they checked on Lloyd.

Kai stepped towards the group, drawing his sword once more. 

It wasn't an attack, yet. The nindroid could tell by the look on the firey brunet's face, that he didn't want to fight them when Lloyd might need medical help.

Rather, it was quite clearly a warning. The one chance they would be given to run. 

Carefully picking Daemon up, Cryptor glanced to Blizzard and Azul, nodding before turning down one of the long halls.

....

Once out of earshot, Azul stepped between Blizzard and Cryptor, looking to the nindroid and false nindroid. "I-Is...Daemon going to be alright?"

....

"There is no telling" Blizzard finally broke the silence, glancing at his unconscious friend. "We will have to wait until his injuries can be examined"

[ask-the-bizarros]

Outside of the facility Daemon rested in, Cole stood watch, unbeknownst to the nindroid watching over the recovering bizarro. 

His gaze was fixed on the vast desert before him, expression distant. Like he wasn't completely there at the moment, completely lost in thought.

The ninja had never been good at remaining grounded, in the present, while suffering from a guilty conscious. 

His promise rang through his mind, echoing along with the memories of the battle hours prior. 

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"I can't" Cole looked over to Daemon, eyes wide and apologetic, "I can't fight them...they're my family."

He waited. Waited for the bizarro to grow angry, to yell at him, tell him to choose a side, something. 

But Daemon surprised him with a simple, understanding nod. "Go, we'll handle this"

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Cole could feel his skin pale, his stomach drop, as his eyes landed on Daemon's unconscious and bleeding form in Cryptor's arms. 

"What happened??"

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.......

Cole exhaled shakily, running a hand over his face. 

It wasn't a fair fight. He knew it wasn't going to be a fair fight and yet he'd still left.

And now Daemon was in the hospital. 

...so much for promising to help.