#destiny ninja ran

[demonidoodles]

Spoiler: it was hot

(Based off this in read more)

[psychologicalwarclaire]

Wu trained Morro at the same time that Garmadon was training with Chen which MEANS that Misako was around to see what the pressure of wanting and training to be the Green Ninja could lead to.

So later when she had Lloyd and KNEW that he would be the legendary Green Ninja, do you think she thought of the child Wu had once trained? The kid who became so obsessed with proving himself that he put himself in danger time and time again? The little boy who ran off into the night and never came back?

After seeing that, is it any wonder why she didn't want to leave her son-- the actual Green Ninja-- to be trained by Wu at such a young age?

Maybe a boarding school for bad boys would never make him want to be a hero. Maybe it would keep him safe from the destructive power of destiny. Maybe Darkley's was the only way to save her beloved son, Lloyd Garmadon, from himself.

Maybe Misako remembered Morro. And maybe, just maybe, she knew it would be best if her son never turned into someone like that.

[mrpipes]

The beautiful thing about narusasu is that it could have been anyone. If we look at his monologue at final valley, his answer is simple: “because you’re my friend”. It could have been Tenten, Rock Lee, hell, it WAS Gaara. If Choji ran from the village Naruto would have been there with Shikamaru right beside him. It could have been anyone-if Naruto saw them as a friend, he would never stop trying to bring them back. But it wasn’t anyone. It was Sasuke- his foil, his rival, his reminder of everything he wasn’t, a genius, a brother, a son, a member of a proud clan. And his reminder of everything he was, an orphan, a ninja, a soldier, someone thrust by destiny into a world he couldn’t understand. It could have been anyone. But it was Sasuke.

[realityandrebirth]

Green

Three scenes from an alternate universe. | A piece I'm never going to finish.

Warnings for mentioned/implied death.

.

The Chosen Hero

When she first met him, Harumi thought Lord Garmadon's weapons were glowing with the power that allowed him to kill the Great Devourer. But that was a long time ago, and Harumi had not only learned that the Golden Weapons were not his, but that they were glowing because of her.

"I can't be the Green Ninja," she told him. "I don't want to defeat you! I hate the ninja!"

"I know," Garmadon said, "and that is why I took you in. Had the ninja realized who you were, they would have forced you to fight against me–but I changed that!" He glanced back at her with a grin. "With the Green Ninja on my side, my victory is assured!"

Harumi nodded, but she still felt uneasy. The sea air was cold, and she had never been so far from Ninjago. "Why didn't you tell me before?" she said.

"I was afraid you would want to fulfill the prophecy. I understand now I had no reason to worry." Garmadon adjusted the sail and squinted through the fog. "If my calculations are correct, we should be reaching the dark continent soon…"

She wrung her hands together. "I'll never fulfill the prophecy," she said. "I won't be their Green Ninja."

"Yes, that's what I'm counting on. A-ha!"

The sailboat ran aground. Garmadon stepped out into the shallow water and picked up Harumi, putting her on his shoulders. "This will give us what I need to conquer Ninjago," he said. "I will rule over them as Lord Garmadon–and you will be my princess! Let's go!"

Harumi nodded. "The ninja will pay," she said.

.

The Prized Possession

"Fix your posture," the ghost hissed. "Pull back harder. You've got living muscles, boy. Use them."

"I know what I'm doing," Lloyd said, and he set the arrow loose. It sailed through the forest brush and pierced the center of the target he had drawn on a tree. Soul Archer examined it and nodded in approval–the highest possible praise from him.

"Your targets won't be trees," he said. "Your next lesson is moving targets."

"I can hit moving targets," Lloyd said. "Ghoultar, throw me a puffy pot sticker!"

"Okay!" Ghoultar bellowed, and he tossed one of the dumplings into the air. An arrow promptly pinned it to a branch. While Ghoultar mourned the wasted food, Lloyd turned to Soul Archer with a smirk, only to be met with a disapproving scowl.

"I'm not training you to show off, boy," he said. "You have a destiny to fulfill."

"I know!" Lloyd protested. "I'm ready for it!"

He yelped as a third ghost grabbed his hoodie and hoisted him off the ground. "You'll be ready when she says you are," Bansha hissed. "You have a long way to go before you can think about seeing your father again."

Lloyd clenched his jaw. "I will be worthy of serving the Preeminent," he said carefully. "I will free my father and kill the Green Ninja."

Bansha dropped him. "Then get back to work," she said.

He stood up and summoned another ghostly arrow. "Moving targets," he said to Soul Archer. "What do I need to know?"

It was easy to hit every mark when he pictured Harumi's face on the target–the girl who had stolen his father from him.

.

The Quiet One

"Your parents built this?" Harumi said, following the prince deeper into the palace. The floor was stone carved with intricate runes and symbols, and the air was cold enough to make her shiver.

"They had it commissioned," Morro said. He didn't seem bothered by the cold. Harumi knew very little about the adopted son of Ninjago's emperor and empress, just that he was a sickly child who shared a name with Master Wu's first student. For a long time, his adoption had not been announced for fear he would die before adulthood, but as it went, the heir had outlived his parents. He looked healthy enough, Harumi thought to herself, keeping an eye on him.

"It was done in utmost secrecy," he continued. "The contractors were paid very well. My parents had very specific needs."

"Did they need a haunted mansion?" Harumi muttered.

Morro laughed. "They needed a temple."

He stopped at the entrance of a large room. Harumi peered over his shoulder and gasped.

The three oni masks the ninja had failed to protect lay on three pedestals. Harumi's hand went to her sword.

"What's the matter?" Morro said, not looking at her.

"You have the oni masks," she hissed. "You're working with the Sons of Garmadon!"

"I'm more than working with them," Morro said. "Disarm her."

Harumi didn't know what he meant until a blow hit her shoulder. She yelped and dropped her sword. Strong arms wrapped around her middle and hoisted her up in the air. She recognized Killow's laugh as she struggled.

"What do you want?!" she shouted. "You have the oni masks! Now what?!"

Morro turned away. "My parents wanted a child," he said, "and after several failed attempts, they didn't think they would ever have one. They resorted to drastic measures."

"What are you talking about?!"

More Sons of Garmadon appeared out of the shadows. Morro snapped his fingers. "They had very specific needs," he said again. "They needed an obedient child, someone to teach and train, to mold into their image. A quiet one, even."

Harumi grit her teeth. "You're awfully chatty for the Quiet One," she snapped.

"I was not the child they wanted, no." Morro turned around and grinned. "They may have built the Temple of Resurrection, but they had no idea who they would get."

Her eyes widened. Memories flashed in her mind; You lost your parents? Morro said. I'm sorry to hear it. It must have been a tragedy.

She shook her head and planted a kick directly in Killow's gut. He swore and dropped her. Harumi darted away before he could grab her again. The rest moved to restrain her–Morro raised a hand and they froze.

"I'll make a deal with you," he said. "You let me resurrect who I want, and maybe I'll give you a turn."

[just-animaxiz]

I ain't taking crap from no big mouth!

FINALLY WE HAVE SPIKE - THE LEADER OF THE PUNK BOTS AND SCRAP CITY!

To be honest, Spike is pretty underrated in many forms! He not only saw the abuse happening to his people, but he started a revolt against his creators for making them this way. Their purpose, in the eyes of McFist, is to serve and do one job; however, failure costed them pain and suffering in a junkyard with nothing else around.

Even though they shared the common hate on the Ninja for destroying them and costing them their fates, Spike is more keen on manipulating and pushing down McFist. He's the one who made the big man think the robots still respect him, and he's the one who gave him what he wanted: Power.

The only secret is that Spike wanted him to feel that kind of power before he brought him down, similar to how McFist and Viceroy gave the robots their powers to destroy, only to be pushed down to a level because they are not humans - They are merely objects and obstacles.

Spike wanted McFist to taste the pain he made towards their "Robo-Manity."

And yet, even if McFist and Ninja still escape, Spike never gave up. Through his determination, he ran in full speed, jumped high to catch the flying van attached to the robot pterodactyl, and vowed that they're never escaping Scrap City that easy.

I do want more of him and hopefully other people like Destiny would see him in my view!

Now for some more headcannons!

Spike is not only the leader, but he works as their "surgeon" or mechanic. Whenever the bots need a fixer-upper, he comes in.

Spike's favorite instrument is the guitar. Acoustics or Electric, but he loves the way his hands strum against the strings.

At night, Spike sometimes gazes at the stars, seeing how beautiful they are but knowing that this might be the only beauty he saw in the prison he's in.

[littlemeltymarshmallow]

I Don't Know

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Lloyd Garmadon & Kai

Characters: Lloyd Garmadon, Kai (Ninjago)

Additional Tags: Running Away, Lloyd Garmadon Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Crying, Men Crying, I'm Bad At Summaries, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Short One Shot, Angst with a Happy Ending, Temper Tantrums, Kid Lloyd Garmadon, LEGO Ninjago Season 02: Legacy of the Green Ninja, Lloyd Garmadon-centric, Kai-centric (Ninjago)

Summary: A young Lloyd runs away from home.

'Become the green ninja.' they said. 'It'll be fun.' they said.

Spoiler alert: It was not fun at all.

He wouldn't have minded training, if it meant he didn't have to do it all the time. He still wanted to play and goof off, just like any other kid would.

But unfortunately, destiny doesn't care about whether you have a happy childhood or not.

Getting his comics taken away was the last straw.

Apparently, he should be 'Training for the day he defeats his father.' and 'Not wasting his time on things like these.'

It was so unfair.

It just wasn't fair.

He had left in a hurry, grabbing whatever essentials he needed and stuffing them into his backpack. He then left the monastery as stealthy as possible, climbing over the walls instead of leaving through the main entrance, to make sure no one could hear the creaking of the doors when he left.

He could have ran as far away as possible.

But instead, he was hiding under the slide at a nearby park's playground.

Like a coward.

Something inside him was stopping him from going any further than that.

But what?

Was it fear?

But if that was the case, then what was he afraid of?

Lloyd shook his head.

Whatever. Too late to turn back now.

He turned towards his backpack and started rummaging through it. Inside was a dog plush, a soccer ball, his toothbrush, some bags of chips and cookies, and enough clothes for two days. The only thing missing was his starfarer comics.

Yep. This is what an eleven-year-old boy considered 'essentials'.

Lloyd zipped his backpack back up and put on his shoulders, getting out from under the side and preparing to continue his journey.

But he hesitated.

Because as it turns out, he was scared after all.

But by what?

What was he scared of?

"LLOYD!!!"

A voice shouted his name, breaking him out of his thoughts.

A voice that was very, very, familiar to him.

Kai.

Lloyd gasped, immediately going back under the slide in hopes that his older brother hadn't seen him yet.

But he was too late.

Kai ran up to the playground, putting his hand on the side of the slide to catch his breath.

"There you are." He said, smiling at the child, though there was still visible worry in his expression.

"What do you want?" Lloyd said coldly, tucking his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, then hiding his face in his knees.

"What do I want?!" What I want is to know why you ran away in the middle of the night!" Kai spoke, the worry in his voice being veiled with anger.

"I don't know."

There was a moment of silence while Kai tried to figure out a response for that.

"...You mind if I sit here with you?"

A long pause.

"... Do what you want."

Kai did as the green ninja said and bent down to sit underneath the slide with him, head hitting the top of the bottom of it as he did so.

Another long pause.

"What… made you do this?" Kai asked, trying his best to put this delicately.

"I don't know."

"Why don't you know?"

"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?!"

Lloyd clutched the sides of his head when he shouted, his voice breaking as he did so. Tears were starting to roll down his cheeks.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!!! It's not fair!!"

His sobs were getting louder.

"It's not fair…" He whimpered, voice muffled as he hid his face even more. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't seem to say exactly what he's feeling.

"…I'm sorry…"

That cracking voice made Lloyd lift his head. He looked at Kai, who had tears on his face.

"If it's- if this is because of the training, I'm sorry okay? I- I won't be so hard on you anymore. Just…"

Kai quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and pulled Lloyd into an almost suffocating hug.

"Please, don't ever scare me like that again."

Lloyd gasped as his eyes widened.

He just realized what he was afraid of.

He was afraid of no longer being around the ones who cared about him.

The tears started spilling out again.

"O-Oh…okay…"

He hugged Kai back, grabbing his hoodie for dear life.

"I-I'm sorry…"

Kai pulled away a while after, standing up and extending his hand to his younger brother.

"You want to go home?"

Lloyd wiped away his tears and took the red ninja's hand.

"Yeah… let's go home."

[razzle-zazzle]

would you still love me if i was a corpse?

7361 Words; Cleaved AU (Show)

TW for discussions of death and allusions to corpsehood, brief moment of self-harm and tiny mention of blood

AO3 ver

Silence.

Only moments before, the night had been a riot of light and noise. The humming vibrations of the Rift of Return, the howling winds, the screaming light dancing across the sky—the ninja could feel the magic in the air vibrating in their bones, the Destiny’s Bounty shuddering against winds too powerful to cross over.

All of that was gone now. Silence reigned, and even the moonlight itself seemed to have been snuffed now that the Rift had closed. Only moments before the Bounty had been groaning and shivering with the impending crash against the floating island, and now—

Silence.

Silence, as Zane picked himself up and Pixal ran a systems diagnostic in the background. Silence, as the ninja disembarked from the Bounty onto the island. Silence, as the now-human former students of Yang milled about in the yard in confusion.

Silence, as Cole failed to appear.

Despite having the memory of a computer, Zane still had the heart of a human. Metaphorically speaking, of course—his physical heart was made of metals and wires. But his emotions were fully human, something the nindroid took pride in. Right now, as he replayed his memory of the night up to the point where the Rift’s closing had made everything fuzzy, those emotions were a chaotic riot of worry. Was everyone okay? What had happened to Yang? Was Cole okay?

“Where’s Cole?” Jay was the first to speak, the first to voice the fear everyone was feeling. He looked around at the Temple’s former students as though Cole would be standing among them—but Pixal had already run facial recognition. Cole was not there.

“He can’t be gone.” Kai argued softly. “It’s—it’s Cole. He’s gotta be around here somewhere.” He unsheathed his sword and squeezed the handle tightly. Zane could at least assuage his worry regarding the safety of the others—a quick scan revealed that nobody was the worse for wear despite being thrown about the Bounty.

“Guys, the temple!” Lloyd pointed, as the previously run-down Temple of Airjitsu suddenly revitalized. Withered trees grew full leaves, cracks mended over, and any debris covering the temple walls or roof seemed to melt away.

“It’s been restored to its former glory.” Wu commented, stroking his beard.

“If the temple’s back, then Cole—Cole had to have made it through, right?” Jay asked, leaning against Nya for support. “Even though he went through at the last second, and the RIFT CLOSING could have CUT HIM IN HALF OR OR—” Jay cut off as Nya grabbed his arm. He swallowed.

“This island’s not that big,” Nya started, “Cole’s probably on the other side of the temple, just fine.” Despite her words, Zane noted that her face was creased with worry.

“Yeah!” Kai added, already walking towards the temple, “Less talking, more searching! Cole’s gotta be around here somewhere.” And with that, the whole group spread out, making their way around the temple while calling out for Cole. Despite Nya’s words, the floating island was still large enough to house the Temple of Airjitsu and a sizable chunk of surrounding land—the addition of leaves to the flora didn’t help, either. Still, it would not take long to cover the whole island, and indeed, Pixal picked up on a heartbeat just past a copse of bushes. Zane walked around the foliage—

And there was Cole, sitting down in the dirt, hands cupped around the petals of a flower rooted before him. Zane called out to the others—not that they were very far away. Jay was the first to get there, falling to his knees and flinging his arms over Cole’s shoulders as he exclaimed wordlessly.

Cole blinked. The rest of the group was quick to crowd around him. Zane found himself pressed up against Cole’s side, helping him to stand. Relief flooded his circuits, even as some small part of him in the back of his mind stung with bitterness at once again being the only unaging ninja. He shoved that part down—it was more important that Cole was here and alive again, heartbeat and breathing steady and present.

Crushed flower petals fluttered to the ground as Cole stumbled forwards. Pixal made a noise at the detail, but otherwise said nothing. Zane pressed his face into Cole’s shoulder, amazed at how solid it was. Cole was alive!

Zane supposed it should have been obvious, then and there—but crushed petals fluttering to the ground were as easily brushed off as the blank look in Cole’s eyes, any and all notice swept under the rug of relief over his return to corporeality. Cole was quiet all the way to Destiny’s Bounty—surely, going through the Rift of Return after everything else had simply left him exhausted, and he would have all the energy he’d need to regale them with the animated tale of his victory the coming morning.

In the corner of Zane’s vision, Pixal frowned slightly.

+=+=+=+=+

“Now that you are finally able to taste again,” Zane started as he monitored the pancakes cooking before him. “I believe a celebration is in order. It’s no cake, but,” Zane paused to flip the pancakes, pleased to see they were at the perfect shade of golden-brown, “I know how much you’ve missed chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes!” With more syrup and whipped cream than Zane would ever recommend, but this was hardly the time to grudge Cole’s sweet tooth.

“Fuck yeah!” Lloyd cheered from where he was sitting beside Cole at the table. He nudged Cole with his arm, grinning widely. “I bet I can eat more cakes than you.” He teased. Zane fought to keep a chuckle escaping his throat as Kai and Jay immediately turned it into a full-fledged bet and then picked sides, while Nya laughed and declared them all idiots.

Cole grunted, staring straight ahead.

Jay chuckled uneasily. “Guess you’re still tired, huh?”

Any further conversation was halted as Zane flipped the pancakes out of the pan and onto plates for everyone. Fluffy golden-brown deliciousness dotted with blueberries and chocolate chips, two on each plate. Zane set them out before taking the seat across from Cole. Zane beamed; Cole stared.

Lloyd snatched the syrup and whipped cream, wasting no time in rendering his plate a sugar-covered mess. Jay grabbed the whipped cream next while Kai reached for the syrup—Nya didn’t reach for either, instead opting to draw the very syrup that Kai was attempting to drizzle onto his plate over to hers with her powers. Wu took a sip of his tea as the usual breakfast chatter started to emerge.

Except… “Cole, is something wrong?” He hadn’t moved to grab the syrup or whipped cream—in fact, Cole had barely moved at all, just… sitting there.

“‘M fine.” Cole mumbled, lifting his arm. Everyone leaned in as Cole reached for the syrup. Zane was particularly anxious for Cole’s approval—the loss of taste had led to Cole withdrawing from meals, and was a large sore spot for him. It would be so nice to see him indulging his sweet tooth again, to see Cole at the table with the rest of them instead of his empty seat.

The bottle slipped from Cole’s fingers. He moved to grab it again—it wobbled dangerously before tipping over, and Cole stared at it in what might have been mortification.

“Here, lemme just—” Lloyd grabbed the syrup and all but drowned Cole’s plate in it—just the way Cole used to like it. Cole’s hand landed on his fork as Lloyd applied the whipped cream until their plates matched in unholy sweetness. “Go ahead,” Lloyd nudged Cole, “enjoy being human again!”

Cole picked up the fork. With some difficulty, he lifted a piece of pancake, soaked with syrup and crowned with whipped cream. Everyone watched as Cole took that first bite, eager to see his reaction.

Cole dropped the fork. His face pinched—he swallowed.

Zane froze. Did—he didn’t mess up on the pancakes, did he? He made them the same as he always did—he took a bite from his own to confirm, and indeed, they tasted the same as always—

But Cole looked like he had just swallowed poison. He stared down at his plate like—like it had personally offended him—something Zane had never, in any memory he or Pixal could pull up, seen Cole do.

“Buddy, you okay?” Kai asked, placing a hand on Cole’s shoulder.

Cole jerked at the unexpected touch. He stood, pushing the plate away. “Sweet.” He mumbled, turning around and leaving. Zane watched as he left—it almost looked like Cole stumbled before he was out of view.

Ice crept across the table. Zane sat still as a statue, frost clinging to his fingers. He hadn’t made the pancakes wrong. What had just—Cole had never, in any of Zane’s memory banks—never ever—reacted like that to food. Being the Master of Earth allowed Cole to eat near anything with no problem—Zane had seen him eating peanuts, shells and all, biting through utensils on accident—and though he hadn’t been there, he had at least heard of Cole eating an explosive fortune cookie. Cole did not shy away from food of any description. The only time he had ever avoided eating was when—

Was when he was a ghost.

“—was that?” Zane came back into awareness to the sound of Jay speaking. Kai was blowing fire onto the table in precise streams—Zane realized, with some mortification, that he had coated nearly the entire table top in frost. He had let his emotions get the better of him, it seemed.

Wu hummed, stroking his beard. “It’s possible that after so long without taste, such a strong flavor would be overwhelming.” He suggested. “Perhaps Cole simply needs more time to adjust.”

That… would make sense. Zane couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of that.

Of course none of you thought of that. Pixal said. Your excitement at Cole’s newfound humanity overrode any concerns at the adjustment. You really do care for Cole.

Zane chuckled internally. It was true, he had been excited. It had been too long since Cole had enjoyed Zane’s cooking.

Zane frowned as he looked back at the door. It seemed he would have to wait a little longer for that. He looked at Cole’s plate, almost entirely untouched, then at his own.

Zane didn’t feel hungry anymore.

+=+=+=+=+

Lloyd pushed the door open as gently as he could manage. He had kind of knocked, but also not really—not that it mattered, since Cole was just lying flat on his bunk staring at the ceiling.

“Heyyy,” Lloyd greeted, pausing awkwardly in the threshold. “You, uh, doing okay?” Ohhh, he was not good at this. This was something Kai should be doing, not Lloyd. But it was Kai’s turn to handle dishes today, and that always took him forever because he’d spend at least half an hour trying to get Nya or Zane to help. So Lloyd figured he could be the responsible leader that destiny wanted him to be, for once, and check in on Cole.

Lloyd closed the door behind him and leaned against it. “Sorry about earlier.” He said, for lack of anything else to start the conversation with. “Guess we should have realized that much sugar would be pretty intense for you after so long without…” He chuckled weakly.

Cole’s head lifted to peer at Lloyd. He was lying supine on his bunk, arms uncharacteristically straight at his sides. It wasn’t at all what Lloyd expected—Cole had always been more of a face-down or on-his-side guy when he was moping. Lloyd was pretty familiar with it, seeing how prone Cole was to depressive spells—especially as a ghost.

Like this, Cole looked stiff. Lifeless, even—wait, no, scratch that, that was an awful word to use.

The point is that it didn’t look natural. Cole’s head fell back onto the comforter—he wasn’t even using the pillow, what was going on—and he sighed.

“It’s Kai’s turn on dishes today.” Lloyd tried, slowly walking over towards the bed. “I bet he’s still begging Nya to use her powers to help him.” Any other chore, Kai could and would do, but dishes were like, his mortal enemy chore or something. Lloyd got it, though—dishes sucked. He brightened as he sat down on the edge, just inches from Cole. “Hey, now that you’re human again, you’ll probably have to do dishes soon!”

…Why did Lloyd say that? Was he stupid? Way to go, Garmadon, master of conversations here. Lloyd buried his face in his hands with a groan. “Shit, sorry, that was stupid—”

“I’ll probably break them.” Cole muttered.

Lloyd lifted his head to look at Cole. His expression had not changed, he hadn’t moved—Lloyd wasn’t entirely sure he had spoken at all. That uncertainty must have shown on his face, though, because moments later Cole clarified, “The dishes.”

“Oh.” Lloyd nodded. “‘Cause you’d try too hard to grab ‘em?” He asked, before pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. What a stupid question.

“Hmmm.” Cole responded.

Lloyd winced. Wow, this was going great (it wasn’t)!

They sat there in silence, Cole staring at the ceiling while Lloyd marveled at the complete and utter lack of green across his skin. No more glowing in the dark for Cole, it seemed—good.

“We really are glad to have you back—not that you ever really left us in the first place!” Lloyd hastily added. “But I mean it—it’s great that you’re human again.” He placed a hand on Cole’s, smiling at the solidity of it. “That you’re you again.”

Cole jerked his hand away, face pinched. He rolled over onto his side, his back to Lloyd.

“Yeah.” Lloyd’s shoulders hunched. “Good talk.” He stood as Cole scooted further away, fighting to keep his voice from cracking. “Look, whenever—if you ever need—if—” He growled, nails digging into his palms. “We’re here for you no matter what, okay?” His words felt so hollow. Lloyd felt hollow, a pale imitation of everything he was supposed to be. He couldn’t even comfort his friend without somehow screwing it all up. What a joke.

He wondered if that was how Cole had felt as a ghost.

“Sounds like Jay’s starting up a video game.” Lloyd tried, ears twitching. “Wanna come backseat game him?”

Cole didn’t respond.

“Okay.” Lloyd opened the door slowly, casting one last look back at Cole. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be there for you.” Readjusting to being human must be way harder than they were all expecting. That, or Lloyd really did suck at comforting. There was no way Cole wasn’t devastated by his reaction to breakfast, Lloyd knew—ugh, if only it was Kai coming in here doing the comforting. He’d have had Cole sitting up and laughing again in a heartbeat.

Lloyd closed the door behind him with a grimace. Maybe Cole just needed some time. Lloyd couldn’t really imagine how devastated he’d be if he finally got the ability to taste again only for his first bite of something sweet to be too much. Yeah, Cole probably just needed some time. Kai would probably go in there if Cole was still moping at lunch time, and Cole would come back to the table to eat lunch and it’d all be fine. Yeah.

Yeah. Just fine.

+=+=+=+=+

“Dude, just go left!”

“No way!” Jay protested, continuing to move his character across the parkour. “I know what I’m doing!” His character then proceeded to miss the jump and fall onto the spikes. Kai and Lloyd shared a look.

“Suuuuure.” Kai’s doubt was palpable. “Just know that when you die for a stupid gold brick I will be saying I told you so.” And taking the controller, too—they didn’t play on “til death” rules regarding turns that often, since someone—Kai—tended to end up with shorter turns that way. But Zane was busy meditating with Wu after what happened at breakfast, and Nya was out training in the yard, and none of the boys assembled before the tv wanted to set up the timer themselves. They could have been playing a co-op game, or even just any old multiplayer, but Jay had gotten there first and this was the game he’d chosen.

If he was making more mistakes than usual because of stress or whatever, neither Kai nor Lloyd commented on it. Which was all the better, because Jay was not making stupid mistakes, not at all. This game was just unusually hard today. For some reason.

“You don’t need to get every gold brick.” Kai was saying, proving why he wasn’t the gamer of the group. “Just go left!”

“Absolutely not.” Jay said, finally making the parkour necessary to reach the hidden area. “Look at that! Badges! It’s totally worth it to explore.” He grabbed the collectibles, including the gold brick, and maneuvered his character back onto the main path. “Besides,” he added, “There’s no way I’m taking advice from the guy who always loses at Brawl.”

“He’s got you there.” Lloyd poked Kai in the side, prompting Kai to shove him away with a hand on his face. Lloyd retaliated by blowing a raspberry into Kai’s hand, and Kai gasped in disgust while yanking his hand away and it was getting really hard for Jay to concentrate with those two play fighting in the background, could they just let him game in peace—

“Hey.”

Jay yelped, nearly dropping the controller. He recovered, narrowly avoiding an onscreen enemy and hitting the pause button. Kai and Lloyd had gone quiet behind him.

Cole stood in the doorway before stepping forwards. He stumbled, caught himself, and grabbed the arm of the couch as though he might fall over. Kai scooted over, and Cole lowered himself down onto the couch.

“Cole!” Okay, near in-game loss aside, Jay was happy to see Cole up and about. “You feeling better?” Jay really hoped that Cole didn’t have any other problems adjusting to being human again—adjusting to being a ghost had been bad enough, and Jay felt the universe owed them all a win at this point.

“Not really.” Cole grunted, eyes fixated on the screen.

“Oh.” An awkward silence descended upon the room. Jay turned back to the game and unpaused it, letting the music and sound effects fill the silence. Cole became a weirdly looming presence behind him, prompting Jay to turn around several times. But nothing changed in Cole’s posture or expression, no matter how many times Jay glanced back at him. It was… weird.

“Soooo,” Lloyd said, more to fill the silence than anything, “Gaming! That’s fun, right? This is fun!” But the energy from earlier was already lost, and Jay felt like a jerk for it. Cole was human again. They should all be able to go back to annoying each other with backseat gaming and play fighting on the couch. Just because Cole was acting way off—

“I’m pretty sure I’m dead.”

Jay almost dropped his controller, fumbling to catch it and navigating back to the menu in the process.

Cole’s expression did not change, despite the ominous statement. Everyone was staring at him now, ranging from confusion to concern.

“Uh,” Kai started, “What gave you that idea, buddy?” He leaned forwards, placing a hand on Cole’s arm. Lloyd noticed—with some bitterness—that Cole didn’t jerk away from the contact.

Cole said nothing.

The silence stretched on.

“Ha,” Jay started, grasping for a change in subject, “Remember when we were fighting over Nya? Man, those were the days. We were both being so stupid over it…” He swallowed, and looked Cole dead in the eyes. “I’m just glad to have you back.”

Cole stared blankly. “I don’t remember that.” He said, with all the energy of a sloth.

“Oh.” Jay gripped the controller a little more tightly than necessary as his character took an unnecessary hit. “Like, not even a little?” They had joked about wanting to put the whole incident behind and forget it, but—no, surely Jay was just misreading an attempt at a joke.

“Well,” Kai interjected, “I know you remember winning the Ninjago Talent Show with the Triple Tiger Sashay to get the Fang Blade. Right?” He cast a hopeful look Cole’s way—surely, he had to remember the day he got his true potential.

Cole blinked. “I did that?” He barely even sounded interested.

Jay stared at the screen—in his distraction, he’d hit a game over. Kai and Lloyd’s faces fell.

“Cole…” Lloyd began, “What do you remember?” He knew how to walk and talk, so he clearly hadn’t forgotten everything—

“Dying.” Cole was staring up at the ceiling, now. “Dropping the scroll.” His expression didn’t change. “Last night.” He added, after a moment’s thought. “This morning, too.”

“And that’s… all you remember?” Jay asked. C’mon, this wasn’t funny!

Cole’s blank stare was answer enough. Jay broke the eye contact first, staring down at his controller. The game’s menu theme buzzed against his skull. It felt like an omen.

“Hey, isn’t it Kai’s turn?” Lloyd asked. It was, because Jay had hit a game over, but—

“I think Cole’s memory loss is more important.” Kai sounded pained. “What do you mean, you only remember dying?” He grabbed Cole’s shoulders. “You’re not dead.”

Jay nearly threw the controller to the floor. “Yeah! You—you went through the Rift of Return!” He was kneeling before Cole, who looked like a deer in headlights under everyone’s attention, Kai’s hands on his shoulder and Jay’s hands on his knees and Lloyd leaning in from the other side of Kai. “You’re alive! You’re here!” No, no, this wasn’t—Cole was gonna be okay. He would.

Cole blinked.

“Uh…” Nya’s voice broke the tension. “What did we just walk in on?” And indeed, Zane and Wu were behind her, peering into the room with near identical expressions of perplexion.

As one, Kai, Jay, and Lloyd turned their attention to the doorway. “Cole doesn’t remember anything!” Jay yelled through eyes starting to prick with tears.

Nya’s face fell. Zane’s expression melted into naked worry, and Wu began to stroke his beard. “Is this true?” He asked, though the expressions on everyone’s faces was answer enough. “Perhaps going through the Rift at the last second had… consequences.” Wu suggested, stroking his beard.

Heat pricked up in the air around Kai. The tv screen flickered, and Jay twitched. Wu sidled away from Zane as the air around him dropped slightly in temperature.

Cole looked about helplessly, before moving to pry Kai and Jay off of himself.

“Well, whatever!” Nya declared. She pointed directly at Cole. “We’ll just have to make new memories!” The confidence in her voice didn’t quite match the storm in her eyes.

“Yeah.” Lloyd agreed. He turned to Cole. “And maybe your old memories will come back someday.” It sounded more like a question, when he said it—but nobody challenged the notion. Wu even hummed in what might have been agreement—and if anyone would know, it’d be Sensei Wu.

Jay breathed, staring up at Cole. All of their history, from the stupid parts to the best parts—all of it was forgotten, just like that. It was almost akin to the night after Nadhakhan’s defeat, when only he and Nya could recall the entire experience; it had been jarring, to have memories that the others didn’t. But this… no, Jay wasn’t going to think like that. Cole was human again, and that was all that mattered.

It would get better. It had to.

+=+=+=+=+

Things did not get better. Cole did not get better.

If anything, he was getting worse. He was barely eating, he seemed to stumble every other step—Kai was pretty certain he wasn’t sleeping, either. He wasn’t forgetting anything that happened since the Rift, but—it was almost like he just didn’t care, no matter what it was. Kai hated that. He wished Yang was still around so he could punch his stupid face. He wished Cole had made it through the Rift intact.

Kai wished for a lot of things he couldn’t have, really.

It all came to a head when Kai found Cole in the bathroom at—well, Kai didn’t know the exact time, just that the sun wasn’t due to rise for another hour or more—at ass o’clock in the morning, standing in front of the sink with the water on full blast, hand in the spray.

Kai almost didn’t notice him there—but he could have sworn that Cole’s reflection had a soft glow to it in the unlit bathroom. At the sight of what looked like glowing green eyes in the mirror, Kai choked, flailing for the light switch.

The light was blinding. The water continued to pour as Kai stumbled back, moving to cover his eyes against the sudden onslaught he’d brought upon himself. Cole didn’t move at all in the time it took Kai to recover his ability to see.

In the bright light of the bathroom, any glow that Cole may have had was gone. It was probably just a trick of the light, if Kai thought about it. Cole wasn’t a ghost anymore—there was no reason for him to be glowing.

“Heeeey buddy.” Kai gripped the door frame as casually as he could manage. Cole stared back at him blankly, water still going. “Uh, whatcha doing with that water?” Man, what would it take to be able to piss in peace on this ship? There was always something.

“It doesn’t hurt.” Cole said, turning his attention back to the sink.

Kai chuckled awkwardly. “Course it doesn’t, Cole. You’re not a ghost anymore.” He walked over and reached for the faucet. “C’mon, let’s turn it off before Sensei gets on our asses for wasting water.”

“It’s supposed to hurt.” Cole said, as Kai gently pulled his hand away and turned off the water. “I’m dead—it’s supposed to—”

“Whoa, whoa, hey.” Kai grabbed Cole’s shoulder, looking him directly in the eyes. “You’re not dead, Cole.” His eyes narrowed as he spoke, something like frustration creeping into his throat. “Remember? You went through the Rift of Return?” He wrapped his arm around Cole’s shoulders and started to drag him towards the door. Pissing could wait… apparently.

“I…” Cole’s brow creased. “I did do that, didn’t I?” He stumbled on nothing, his full weight swinging into Kai as he lost his footing.

“Yeah,” Kai grunted as he caught Cole. “Let’s get you to bed, okay? Since you’re alive and all, and you need to sleep just like the rest of us—”

Cole jerked away, leaning against the wall. “But I’m not.” He whispered. “I’m not alive.”

“Cole.” Kai hissed. “This isn’t funny.” The memory loss was one thing, and the lack of appetite or interest was another. But this—this strange insistence on death, when Cole was right there, was starting to get on Kai’s nerves.

“I’m dead.” Cole repeated, hand grasping at the wall he was leaning against. It landed on a door handle, and Kai could only lunge forwards uselessly as Cole tumbled backwards into whatever room he had opened. Kai landed between Cole’s legs, the wooden floor rough against his palms. Cole scoot-crawled backwards—in the low light of this new room, his skin seemed to take on a very faint glow.

More than that, Cole looked scared.

“You all want me to be something I can’t.” Cole moaned, grasping blindly behind him and shoving his foot against Kai’s chest. “You want—you want me to be him.” Kai shoved Cole’s leg to the side and scrambled forwards, intent on scooping Cole up into a hug until he came down from whatever was making him freak out so badly.

“But I can’t be him.” Cole was saying, scrambling backwards and upwards until he was leaning against—a counter, it looked like—were they in the kitchen? “I can’t be him, because he’s dead and gone.”

“Cole—” Kai grunted, “Just because—” Cole’s hand shoved at his chest, and Kai stumbled backwards several steps before regaining his footing. “Just because you can’t remember who you were before doesn’t mean you’re dead.” Okay, so subduing Cole was a no-go. Kai raised his hands nonthreateningly, fighting down the urge to spark. “C’mon buddy, let’s just… calm down, and take a deep breath, okay?” He took another step back, but Cole didn’t relax.

“He’s dead.” Cole muttered, still pressed as firmly against the counter as he could be.

“But you’re not.” Kai insisted. Fuck, he was never good at deescalating—that had always been Lloyd’s talent, not Kai’s. “Look, it’s late, you haven’t really been sleeping—” Kai also hadn’t slept super great, if he was being honest. “Let’s just take a deep breath, okay? Get some sleep, buddy, you’re too tired to think straight right now.” Before becoming a tireless ghost, Cole would have made a joke about never being able to think straight. But Cole only stared back at Kai, hand grasping at something on the counter. With only what little light from the bathroom made it down the hall and into the room, Kai couldn’t quite tell what Cole had grabbed.

“No, you don’t understand.” Cole breathed. Was it just a trick of the light, or were his eyes glowing faintly? “Cole is dead.” He swung whatever he had grabbed forwards, his other hand moving to meet it. “I’m just the corpse.”

Kai lunged forwards the moment he registered what Cole was holding. He grabbed at Cole’s wrists—but the knife had already been plunged into Cole’s hand, sticking straight through to the other side. It looked like one of their good steak knives, too.

Kai wasn’t thinking. He tore Cole’s hands apart, yanking the knife out without a second thought about the potential bloodloss. “Fuck fuck fuck—” He cradled Cole’s injured hand in his own, almost dizzy with panic.

“I’m dead.” Cole repeated, voice oddly even given the knife wound in his hand. “I shouldn’t be here. Not like this.”

“Shut up.” Kai hissed. Fuck, where were the bandages? Not in the kitchen—the supply closet? The bedroom? Fuck, he should try yelling to wake everyone else up—

The tiniest trickle of blood traced a line in Cole’s palm. Kai grabbed Cole by the arm and began to physically drag him out of the kitchen, to where one of the medkits should be.

Pissing could definitely wait.

+=+=+=+=+

“Don’t mess with your bandage.” Nya warned, voice tired. Cole looked as miserable as everyone felt, sitting curled up in his bunk. Dark bags had formed under his eyes, and his hand was still bandaged from when he had stabbed it the night previous.

Honestly, Nya didn’t know what had gotten into him. It was almost heartbreaking, to see someone who had always been so strong and steadfast looking like he might fall apart at any moment. Cole hadn’t been eating, he clearly hadn’t been sleeping—he looked like he’d rather be anywhere but here, curled up on his bunk being watched in case he tried something else drastic. The lack of food and rest had taken its toll on his body, leaving his skin looking almost discolored. If Nya thought about it, it almost looked tinted green.

But that was just a trick of the light, because Cole was alive. He had just barely eaten or slept for two weeks. That was all.

Not that that was good in any sense, but—Cole was alive. He wasn’t a ghost anymore. He just wasn’t.

“What’s the point?” Cole grumbled, tugging at the bandage. Nya glared. He stared back and didn’t stop messing with it. “I’m already dead.” His insistence on that fact had gone from annoying to worrying all the way back around to frustrating, but no arguing otherwise could convince him. Even though he had a heartbeat, even though Nya could still see his chest rising and falling, however slight—whatever had afflicted Cole—whatever had taken his memories and scraped him of seemingly everything that made him Cole—had him convinced he was dead.

“Dead.” Cole repeated. “Dead, dead, I’m dead and gone.”

“Cole, shut up.” Nya hissed. “Don’t talk like that. We’ll fix this.” They did not go through the Great Devourer, the Overlord, Chen’s cult, the Preeminent, and Nadhakhan just to give up now. There would be a way through this. There had to be. And they’d find it, no matter what, because ninja never quit.

“He’s dead,” Cole said, ignoring Nya. “Dead and gone, dead and gone.”

“SHUT UP!” Nya huffed, leaning forwards. “You’re not dead! I can see you breathing!” She poked his chest, “You have a heartb—” Wait.

That… didn’t feel right. Nya pressed her fingers against Cole’s chest, feeling it through the shirt—

That… that didn’t feel normal. Nya pulled down the hem of Cole’s shirt, revealing just enough of his chest to see—

Nya let go like the shirt had burned her, and Cole stumbled back. She could have sworn that it looked like—but there was no way. It just—it couldn’t—

Nya grabbed at Cole’s shirt and pulled down the hem again. The shirt couldn’t actually stretch very far, so the moment Nya saw the flash of green again she switched tactics to just grabbing the bottom hem and shoving the whole shirt up onto Cole’s shoulders. Cole barely reacted at all—not that Nya noticed, when all of her attention was locked onto the glowing green gash covering Cole’s chest. It throbbed in time with the rise and fall of Cole’s chest, shimmering with unearthly energy.

Had that been there the whole time? Nya racked her brain, trying to remember any point in the last two weeks where someone—anyone—would have seen Cole shirtless. He hadn’t really changed out of his gi that first night, having been too tired… and everyone but Wu’s bunks were all in the same room, Nya included. Not once could she remember Cole changing without facing the wall.

The green gash seemed to flare, pale light dancing through it. It extended from just above Cole’s collarbone down to his stomach, jagged and ugly and rotting. Nya took the only course of action available to her. She opened her mouth, took a breath, pitched her voice—

—and screamed.

+=+=+=+=+

Everyone was crowded into the bedroom within moments, staring at the bright green gash across Cole’s chest in varying states of horror.

“That’s not natural.” Jay began to panic. “Anyone else notice that that’s not natural? Because thAT’S NOT NATURAL! IT’S A GIANT GREEN THING IN COLE’S CHEST!” Nya grabbed his arm, and Jay cut off with a gasp, still staring at the glowing green gash.

“This is a terrible omen.” Wu’s voice was thick with worry.

“You know what this is?” Lloyd asked, glancing at Wu before going back to staring at Cole’s chest gash thing.

“There is a rift in his heart.” Wu stroked his beard as he spoke. “Something has been torn from him, and unless it can be returned…” He let the words hang in the air, but the implication was clear. Cole wouldn’t be Cole until he was whole again. If he could be whole again.

“So how do we find this something?” Kai asked, gripping the hilt of his sword.

Wu sighed. “I… am not certain.” He admitted. “It is possible that whatever has been torn from Cole no longer exists to be found.” His voice creaked as he spoke, brow pinched in worry, nails quickly turning to claws carding through his beard.

“That’s not good enough.” Nya spat. “Whatever’s wrong—we’ll fix it.” We have to went unsaid.

“But how?” Jay’s voice was reaching a very high pitch. “Where would we even start?”

“Yang’s the one who cursed him in the first place.” Kai hissed Yang’s name like it was poison.

“But Yang disappeared when the temple restored itself!” Jay argued back. “And all his students went off to who-knows-where!”

Cole had pulled his shirt back down, covering the rift. “He’s gone.” He said, staring blankly at nothing. “Just give up and bury me already.”

“Absolutely not!” Kai snarled. “Ninja never quit!”

Jay stumbled forwards, hands trembling. “Please,” He gripped Cole’s shirt with white-knuckled fists, the fabric bunched in his hands. “I just want my friend back.”

Cole had nothing to say to that.

“We need to start looking somewhere.” Zane interjected into the silence. Everyone looked at each other, as if a suggestion might miraculously appear.

“We gotta go back to where it all started.” Lloyd suggested. “To the temple, and the rift.”

“But didn’t Cole shatter the Yin Blade?” Jay pointed out. “And without a Yin-Yang Eclipse, there’s no way to open the Rift of Return anyway!”

“It’s our only starting point.” Nya argued. “It’s where Cole was cleaved.” She clasped Jay’s hand in hers, grim determination etched into her face.

Jay swallowed. “Right.” He clenched his hands into fists, static sparks dancing over his knuckles.

“Let’s start getting some answers.”

+=+=+=+=+

The sun was dipping below the horizon as the Temple of Airjitsu came into view. The Bounty pulled up alongside it as the last slivers of light clung to the horizon. Slowly, the Bounty parked—Jay couldn’t stop his leg jittering with impatience as the gangplank extended to the floating island.

Why was this place still floating anyway? Jay hoped this wasn’t some kind of sign that Nadhakhan would return someday. Facing the Djinn once was more than enough.

“Alright, we’re here.” Kai broke the silence as everyone made their way across the gangplank, Cole following along behind Zane. “Now what?”

“Go into the temple, I guess.” Lloyd suggested. “We can start looking for answers there.”

With that, they all headed towards the temple. Lloyd reached for the doors—they swung open seemingly on their own.

“Oookay, that’s creepy.” Jay commented.

“Seems this place isn’t as empty as we thought.” Kai gripped the hilt of his sword anxiously. “Let’s stick together.” He added, to general agreement.

They all made it just inside the entryway when the floorboards creaked ominously. Candles set along the edges of the room that hadn’t been there before suddenly flickered to life, bathing the whole group in gentle golden light.

And there, standing just in front of the stairs, was the pale ghost of Kodakuna Yang.

“You!” Kai lunged forwards, but Yang simply sidestepped him.

“There’s no time for petty squabbles.” Yang hissed. “Your friend is unwell.”

Indeed, whatever was going on with Cole’s chest had suddenly escalated, green glow starting to eat through the fabric of his shirt.

“Do you see the new moon? Do you feel the winds starting to build?” Yang asked, walking in a circle around the group. Indeed, there was hardly any moonlight coming in through the open door—but wind was already creeping in, making the candle flames flicker erratically.

“Whatever you’re trying—” Kai started, stopping when Yang raised a hand.

“I’m not doing any of this.” Yang said. “Something else is acting upon the world, trying to get in.” He gestured to the floor, where the ninja had unknowingly smudged a massive circle. “Something that sings of earth.”

“How are we supposed to believe you?” Nya demanded, water swirling around her hands.

“You have no reason to, it’s true.” Yang admitted. “But Cole helped me come to terms on the Day of the Departed. I only wish to return the favor.”

The wind began to really pick up, now, despite the fact that the ninja were inside.

“You have to close the circle.” Yang urged. “Or your friend could be forever lost!”

The ninja erupted into a cacophony of noise. Could they trust Yang? When he was the person to turn Cole into a ghost in the first place? What choice did they have? What if it was a trick? What did they have to lose?

It was Cole who settled the argument, walking to the center of the circle. He bent down, gently touching the paint lines—green light traced its way out from his fingers, matching the green light of the rift on his chest.

The winds blasted into the temple, now, putting out half the candles in the process. The roaring din shoved all of the ninja to the floor. When they picked themselves up, they were scattered across the room—except for Cole, who stood unmoving in the center of the circle.

There seemed to be little other choice. They had to close the circle.

“Kai!” Lloyd yelled, “Relight those candles!”

“On it!” Kai started blasting thin streams of fire out at the candles. The winds tore at his fire, but he adjusted and pushed more into the fire springing forth from his hands.

Nya and Zane moved without needing to be told, Nya re-wetting the paint and directing it to rebuild the circle; Zane froze the lines in place the moment the green glow spread through them.

Another blast of wind rattled the temple. Outside, the moon became a riot of colors. Everyone stumbled to the floor, fighting against the winds to stand again.

“Close the circle!” Lloyd urged, fighting to stand despite the winds.

“But what if it’s not a good idea?!” Jay asked, only faring slightly better.

“It’s the only idea we’ve got!” Kai responded, shooting flames at the final unlit candles. Zane froze the final section.

Silence.

The wind wailed as the circle began to glow in earnest, Cole standing in the center of it. Kai’s hands burst into brilliant scarlet flame—and as he looked around at everyone, he could see their elements forming around their hands. By some miracle they were each standing at equal points around the circle.

The circle glowed a brilliant green.

Cole stumbled back—they all stumbled back as the glow intensified and lifted up from the ground. The air itself split open, the green glow of Cole’s chest drowned in the light. Several shapes tumbled from the hole in reality, and the green glow intensified to blinding. The winds roared, the sky screamed, the ninja all grabbed onto each other—

The shapes that had tumbled from the rift resolved into a pile of people, all groaning as they attempted to disentangle themselves. Above that, though, casting a flickering green glow matching the hole in Cole’s chest—

Jay gasped. The ghost floated forwards, staring at the body standing just before it. Holes ate through the ectoplasm of the ghost’s form, and it seemed to flicker in and out of visibility—

But it was unmistakably Cole floating there, staring at the body. Cole stumbled forwards as Ghost-Cole floated forwards, the two seemingly drawn towards each other. Both raised their left hands, tentatively reaching forwards until their fingers touched—

There was a very bright explosion.

.

Silence.

.

.

.

When the ringing finally faded from Kai’s ears, he sat up, coughing. Everyone else was picking themselves up—and the people that had fallen from the rift had been flung onto the stairs, still piled up.

Cole was kneeling in the center of the circle, staring at his hands. Was he… ?

“Cole?” Zane was the first to speak. “Are you—”

“I’m alive.” Cole breathed, as if he couldn’t quite believe it. He flexed his hands, breaths coming in harsh and fast turning into teary-eyed laughter. “I’m alive!”

It was at that point that he was dogpiled by the rest of the ninja. Cole laughed, bright and alive—as his family hung off of him, all of them cry-laughing with relief. Cole was alive. He was alive!

A jagged scar crept down the side of his head, and there was surely a similar scar across his chest. But Cole was alive, heart beating, breaths coming in and out uneven from the sheer joy of being alive again. Kai buried his face in Cole’s shoulder, pleased to feel it shaking with Cole’s overjoyed sobs.

Slowly, with great reluctance, they all untangled enough to stand. “I can’t believe it.” Cole breathed, arms slung over the shoulders of Kai and Zane—only because they were the closest. The group as a whole moved to head out to the door and regale Sensei Wu with their near-miraculous success—

“Hey, wait!” The ninja finally turned their attention to the interlopers, the bodies that had accompanied the ghost through the sudden portal—

The teenagers who bore a strong resemblance to the ninja, and were staring at them all with equal surprise. There was no mistaking the resemblance—not with the obvious color-coding.

Kai—the Kai standing next to Cole, rather than the lookalike in the pile—broke the silence first, and summed up everyone’s thoughts in the process.

“What the fuck?!”

[atoriv-art]

I really like your nejisasuneji fanart!I think the similarity between Neji and Sasuke in Naruto is worth exploring. Both of them come from the pupil aristocracy, and their strength is about the same (the early Byakugan and Sharingan are both very strong), and both of them are rebels. Regardless of whether it was fate or the system, both people failed in the end. Neji still failed to escape fate and became a scapegoat. Sasuke finally compromised to the old system and ran around in order to maintain the status quo. It is very appropriate to use one sentence to evaluate the two people: "Those who try to control their destiny end up being controlled by destiny."It will be interesting for the sasuneji two to help each other: Sasuke helps Neji reform the Hyuga clan and break the curse seal of the caged bird. At the same time, the reform of the Hyuga clan becomes the beginning of the reform of the old system of the ninja world. Neji, who is no longer controlled by the caged bird, becomes Sasuke's right-hand man.

yesssss this is what drew me to them! i find it very interesting they are both clan prodigies with Baggage and both come from prestigious clans no less. remember when the sharingan and byakugan were compared to each other and it meant anything ever that was FUN.

i particularly enjoy the idea of contrasting them because If I Wrote Naruto (said every naruto fan ever) this conflict of like. sasuke goes on to be the one who could Not bear to stay in konoha and then later turns against it, vs neji who stayed in konoha after being promised that things would change (and they didn't. funny that) would be something to be explored! especially after Both having been seen as Shitty, Angry Prodigies. but neji "calmed down" after being made promises that weren't kept and sasuke didn't let himself even consider falling for stuff like that (until the ending of naruto lmfao)

i'm a big fan of characters who contrast like that lol and i think the whole sharingan vs byakugan thing is a very fun backdrop to that. like dreams/illusions vs reality/truth? come on now.

people joke about it a lot i've seen, but literally if neji as a character were allowed to 1. exist in a meaningful way at all in shippuden lmfao 2. interact with sasuke, i do think it'd be an easy path for interesting interactions, because like. having to defend the village who's literally never helped you, against the guy who was also Never given any assistance or support growing up, AFTER the village made you countless promises that your life would get better when it literally did not? lol. lmao even

them teaming up is sincerely on the like top 5 best things that would happen If Naruto Made Any Sense to me to be honest i do think about it a lot.

[snakegorl212006]

Chapter 11 final part

 It lowers her head ,hot breath stemmed at my face as it snarled "Angela" Lloyd called making me turn around but as soon as that happened the ground below me shook "RUN" i yelled as i slithered as fast as I could as the Devourer followed behind us,after devouring wu and pythor in the process. We made it to the bounty where we escaped to scattered canyons only to be surprised attack by her making us crash land away from the bounty as we witnessed it's destruction. We sought refugees underneath a rock "there's no time to rest. We need to warn people before it gets bigger" zane said "Bigger?BIGGER!? That thing in one whole bite crushed our entire ship!we need to save as many as we can. Uh we'll find sime kind of refuge, somewhere safe to hide. Ooh the Serpentine tombs. Yeah , they're underground. We'll be without sunlight but they're perfect" jay said "it can dig. And we shouldn't just give up" I replied "But you know as well as I do, we have no chance at stopping that thing" Jay replied "there is a way. Call me delusional but there is we just need a plan" i replied then kai had an idea and instructs us to follow then the Devourer followed. The ninja did the tornado of creation making a machine which helped repel the Devourer but then she destroyed it and ran off. Kai informed of a weak spot on the forehead "umm. Guys… it's heading to the city" i said interrupting Jay's ranting "if it consumes the biggest city of ninjago there's nothing that can stop it" kai committed "lets go" i concluded. We used the mech and the vehicle to travel to ninjago where i help lured the people out of the area then from above i saw a dragon with four heads using the element to stun the snake then getting sneak attack by the dragon. I knew i had to do something "HEY OVER HERE" i yelled at the Devourer. I ran around "guys we need for it to say in one place" i called "way ahead of you" cole replied "go meet Garmadon on the tower" kai instructs "why" i asked "she's your mom right. You should be the one to finished it" he answered as he ran ahead. I nod and head to the building without a second thought. Managed to get on top where I had a direct view of the snake. It struggled as it bit its own tail. "You must make a choice it's now or never" Garmadon said.  I sighed and jumped pulling out a sword i got from the bounty as Garmadon followed. When we stabbed her, she exploded and his fluids got everywhere. Everything was black. Then a golden light brightened my vision. "Angela " a voice spoke as I was shaken awake. I gasped only to be laying in the Devourer's fluids "is everything..  ok now" i asked "yep were all good" Lloyd answered. I just gave him a hug which was returned "wait. the golden weapon! didn't you say tha-" i was cut off "ah yes that's true but the ability tl better oneself is limitless " a voice spoke from behind  "wu!? I thought you were eating and got digested by now. I'm glad that you're ok" i replied as Lloyd helped me up. At the end we celebrated our victory over the Devourer but a new day awaits and the destiny continues

[sonsofwu]

A brief explanation for the two people who asked, namely @ollie-the-fae and @coolestzed, about female Lloyd (and a brief fanfic snippet)(tw: child death and generally sad stuff): ⬇️

In this AU, Lloyd died as an infant. After that unfortunate event, which wasn't anyone's fault really, Garmadon and Misako at some point decided to have another child. They had a daughter, named V.

Since Lloyd never got a chance to fulfill his destiny as the Green Ninja, his sister took it after him.

Misako didn't send V to the boarding school, because she didn't want to abandon her daughter after what happened with Lloyd.

Garmadon fell to the dark side at some point, just like in the show, though it took him a bit longer.

And the rest went down pretty much like in the show.

As for the minifig, I repainted the face and hair myself!

Also, if you're wondering what V stands for [source: Ninjago wiki]:

And here's a fanfic snippet:

Summary: OG Lloyd finds himself in V's AU and has a conversation with Sensei G, who's very much alive.

"Where are we going?" Lloyd asked.

"To pay someone a visit," Garmadon said, not looking at him. Instead, he silently led him to the back yard of the monastery. In Lloyd's universe it was just an unused grassy field, but there it had been turned into a beautiful garden. Cherry trees bloomed above his head as he followed the alternative version of his father.

They climbed a small hill where the tallest cherry tree resided. Its branches were widely spread, as if trying to embrace the entire garden. And then he noticed a plate of white marble on the ground. A chill ran down his spine when he realized it was a tombstone. Garmadon knelt next to the marble, letting out a heavy sigh. Lloyd walked up closer, and felt something crack inside him as he read the faded letters.

They spelled his name.

'Lloyd Garmadon. Lived 3 days.'

"Now you know," Garmadon said quietly, his voice devoid of emotion. "Things didn't exactly work out as they should have here..."

Why did I write this? Good question. This fanfic isn't finished and probably never will be, so if anyone wants to do something with this AU, let me know.

Also, it is half past midnight, why am I doing this...

[kassiedoodles-xo]

The Forces Of Destiny — Part V:

"Beyond the Mirrors Sorrow"

— a fanmade ninjago season —

Word Count: 3489

Warnings: blood, implied death, implied war/battle, heavy self doubt

“I’m sorry, what? Memory? So we’re stuck in some sort of creepy mind maze?” Jay's usual was replaced with unease as he stammered.

“The passage on the wall. That's what it meant, didn't it.” Morro added, stepping closer to Yuki.

The girl sighed, turning fully away from the window, now pacing back and forth in what seemed to be her bedroom. “We were sucked into my spell book.” she raised her eyes, seeing how the ninja looked at her for an escape plan “i’m sorry. I've got nothing.” she lowered her gaze.

“ We’ve gotta get out of here, what if we try to get back into the Archives?” Nya suggested.

“Maybe, they are a part of my memories now.” Yuki answered, heading for the door, her friends following suit.

Leading the way, Yuki’s hand steadily reached for the handle, yet her heart pounded in her chest as anticipation filled the air. With a deep breath, she opened her bedroom door, the intricate embellished door swinging open. They walked through the threshold, freezing in their places when they saw the room in front of them.

They were back in Yuki’s bedroom.

Confusion washed over everyone as they deadpanned, staring at the disheartening sight that was Yuki’s room.

Breathe, just breathe. Don't let them see you panic.

No matter how many times they walked through the door, they alway ended up back in the bedroom, as if the memory of the palace kept leading them back. Not allowing them to leave.

Kai furrowed his eyebrows in confusion “How the hell are we still in the bedroom!?”

“This is seriously fucked up. How are we supposed to get out of the spell book if we can’t even break out of your bedroom?” Jay ran his hand through his hair, his unease growing.

“Come on Yuki, think. You have to remember something from your training.” Morro urged, desperation uncharacteristically starting to creep up in his eyes.

“I’m sorry” Yuki sighed in defeat “I really don't remember anything about this.” Her shoulders slumped, she looked away from the group, unable to face them after admitting her failure.

Shit, shit, shit.

Useless, useless, useless.

The ninja paced back and forth, trying to ignore the restlessness that echoed in their footsteps, the realisation of their fruitless attempts weighing heavy on their shoulders. The familiarity and comfort of Yuki’s bedroom now fading, being replaced with a cold prison of frustration.

Yuki searched every book in her bookshelf for answers, every magical artefact, every secret entrance, with no avail. Every answer would lead back to her bedroom.

Lloyd ran his hand through his hair, deep in thought “there has to be something we’re missing.” he muttered, pacing the room.

He looked up, his eyes settling upon the broken vanity mirror in the corner of the room. His eyes narrowed “Has that,” he paused , a moment of uncertainty stopping him. “Has that mirror been broken the entire time?” he questioned, pointing to the mirror in question.

Yuki looked up from her place on her luxurious bed, the look of resignation in her eyes now replaced with intrigue. The two exchanged a glance before approaching the mirror, the strangely large shards of glass glinting in the sunlight that shone in through the window.

Lloyd picked up one of the pieces, carefully examining the edges as Yuki observed, suddenly noticing something peculiar. They looked directly into the glass, yet no reflection stared back again; instead they saw a flicker of an image, like an old tv with a bad signal.

“What…What is that?” Lloyd breathed, squinting his eyes to see better.

Zane approached, leaning closer to study the image intently “These aren’t just any images” he said slowly, realisation dawned on him as he examined the events he saw in the glass. “Wait, this happened last week.” Yuki finished, her eyes widening as she recollected the private events in the glass.

The ninja gathered around the shards, wide-eyed and astonished at the discovery. Morro spoke up “So they’re your memories.” he stated, unsure of how to use this information.

Before Yuki could answer, the ninja felt a strange sensation as they looked further into the replaying image in the glass. It was almost hypnotizing, as if they were being drawn into the image. They could feel every emotion course through their bodies the more they looked. The pain, the sadness, the joy, the love.

Soon they noticed the darkened surroundings of Yuki’s bedroom. They stood in awe as they tore their gazes away from the fragment of glass Lloyd was holding, the sight rendering them speechless. The autumn sun was nowhere to be seen, instead being replaced with the darkness of cold, heavy rain clouds.

Looking back down, Lloyd felt panic rise in his chest, his hand now empty, the shard missing.

“GREAT! Now we’re not only in the spellbook, we’re also in some mirror memory” Cole grunted, crossing his arms dramatically.

Yuki could only analyse the setting, “the last thunderstorm was last week” she whispered under her breath, realisation slowly building up as she looked around more. It was the small details she noticed.

The dresses on the floor.

The colour of the bedsheets.

The mess on her vanity.

The colossal bell of the palace chimed loudly, Yuki’s heart raced, as cold sweat dripped down her neck.

It's Midnight.

Without hesitation, she pushed the group into the closet; her movements, usually full of grace, now filled with urgency. Confusion clouded the ninja's faces as they huddled together into the limited space, Yuki brought her finger to her lips, signalling them to be quiet.

In the cramped confines of her closet,Yuki and Lloyd felt their chests rising and falling, almost touching as they hid. Their eyes met in a fleeting moment. Lloyd’s green eyes, like a verdant forest, held the promise of springtime. Yuki's purple eyes, like a symphony of amethyst hues, holding the depth and secrets of a twilight sky. They looked away, eyes shimmering with a mixture of pain and regret.

His eyes are pretty- SHUT UP!

Only inches apart, yet those inches seemed insignificant as each exhale seemed to bring them closer, their warm breaths mingling as Yuki glanced at his lips in a moment of weakness. His lips parted slightly as his ears became tinted with red, the intensity of their closeness crashing over him, leaving him breathless.

She turned around quickly, in the hopes no one saw her reddening cheeks in the dim lighting. Heat radiated off her body, a magnetic pull that moved her closer to the blond behind her, his hand lightly grazing hers.

The team observed the unspoken tension between the two, exchanging knowing glances.

The sound of their own breathing sounded deafening as they heard the bedroom door open, barely audible footsteps ominously echoing through the room. They looked through the gaps in the closet door, Yuki held her breath as she saw herself, the memory of herself, walk into the room.

“Was that you?” Lloyd asked, unable to resist the urge to speak, his voice below a whisper. Yuki swung around, clasping her hand over his mouth. With his reflexes kicking in, he instinctively reached out, his hands falling on the girl's hips to steady her. Now fully pressed together, the fabric of their uniforms doing little to stop the body heat from radiating from each other. For a moment, time stood still as they shared the silent embrace, Lloyds heart pounding in his chest as he unconsciously pulled her closer.

Cole cleared his throat quietly, breaking the intimate spell, the two looked at each other for the first time, realizing their proximity to each other. They flushed red, silently distancing themselves.

Focus.

Yuki turned back around, continuing to watch the memory Yuki erratically pace back and forth as she ripped her hair tie out, allowing the ponytail to fall, silky pink hair falling messily over her shoulders like a waterfall of vibrant petals. Her hair tumbled in free disarray, now a wild cascade of pink.

.

Her usually regal and graceful demeanour shattered within seconds, her movements were filled with a sense of restless energy as she leaned on the vanity.

Tears glistened in the dim light of the moon as they streamed down her face, unrelenting anger filling her. She raged against herself, anger filling her like a tempest.

“How could I have let that happen? Are you fucking stupid? You're supposed to protect your people” her voice filled with anguish as she scolded herself for the failed mission.

Stupid.

Stupid.

Stupid.

It was as if memory Yuki was a puppet and her rage was the puppet master, in the midst of her rage, she became almost primal as she kicked and punched her surroundings.

“So. Fucking. Useless. And you call yourself a queen” she let out a sarcastic chuckle “ You're a failure, not a leader.” The memory lashed out, throwing the small items on her vanity, sending them across the room.

Useless.

Useless.

Useless.

In a moment of uncontrollable fury, memory Yuki launched her spellbook at the mirror with a broken scream, unable to look at her reflection. All she saw was incompetence. The shattering glass sounded through the room like an agonising symphony of destruction and defeat.

Silence.

Failure.

Failure.

Failure.

The group watched in stunned silence. Indeed, they have seen Yuki angry before, on the battlefield. Her calm and gentle personality was replaced by raw painful emotions that sent shivers down their spines. It was unnerving to see their usually happy friend be consumed by such intense anger. At herself.

They felt a pang of hurt wash over them, guilt filled as they remembered the times they came to Yuki for comfort after missions, yet never asking how she felt. She was always strong and resilient after all.

They continued watching the memory play out, observing memory Yuki surveying the aftermath of her own violent rage, the room resembling the battlefield that caused the outburst in the first place.

She looked into the broken shards on the floor, her broken up reflection staring back up at her. A fractured image of someone she didn’t recognise anymore. The torn curtains hung like wounded soldiers, the soldiers that she sent to battle. The items on the floor scattered like her emotions.

Why did I give that order? I sent children to their death.

An overpowering sadness engulfed her, the weight of her actions falling heavily on her. Silent tears traced the delicate features of her face, she fell to her knees, a scream of emotional and physical pain piercing through the air. Sobs wracked her body, she winced as he clutched her side, the warmth of her blood a testament to the lives she could not protect. Her blood seeped slowly through the purple ninja uniform, she struggled to catch her breath, each gasp for air burning her lungs.

Her wallowing in sorrow was interrupted by the shrill ring of the landline phone, startling everyone. She struggled to stand, still grasping her side she stumbled towards the phone, with trembling bloody hands she picked up the receiver.

So much blood. Innocent blood.

She steadied her voice as she spoke, the urgency in the voice of the prime minister was palpable. Her words clipped and curt as she acknowledged the situation.

“Yes. Yes Mr Prime Minister, I am aware of the situation. Yes, send out the emergency units straight away, save anyone you can. Please report to me tomorrow morning.” It was clear she was being summoned for an emergency meeting the next day to address the severity of the destruction caused by the failed mission.

They ninja remembered Yuki having an emergency meeting and missing training the following day, yet they never realised the circumstances that occurred before the summoning.

With a heavy heart, memory Yuki set the receiver down, turning on her heel to exit the room, leaving a small trail of blood drops behind her. As she reached for the handle, she paused. She turned her head, her gaze momentarily falling on the closet, before quickly walking away. The door slammed behind her as the team sat in silence for the following moments pondering the depth of the memory in front of them

Yuki stared out the closet, unable to bring herself to look at her friends, her chest tightening at the remembrance of the failed mission.

Cole's heart ached, the scene of Yuki berating herself playing in his mind, a sombre expression spread on his face. The pillar of strength he could rely on anytime now seems to crack .

Morros' demeanour was shaken, memories of their younger days flooding his mind. He remembered the shy little girl with a bright smile that was scared of anything. He knew firsthand the weight of not living up to your role, his heart unable to bear to see Yuki feel the same way.

Jay's usual obnoxious attitude faltered as Yuki’s distress played back in his mind. Yuki was always a fearless leader, filled with grace. She was the annoying sister he never had. His heart was heavy with sorrow.

Nya blinked away the tears that brimmed her eyes. Her role model for courage and resilience now seemed scared and broken, reminding her of herself when her parents were taken. Her friend's deep pain empathised with her.

Kai clenched his fists, his jaw locked in anger. How could she blame herself like that for something that was beyond her control? Her unwavering loyalty to the team and her people was a rare quality. There has never been a time where she hasn’t been there for him.

Zane’s usually stoic robotic expression softened as his gaze fell upon the girl in front of him. He always felt like Yuki was filled with determined resolve, failing to see the true vulnerability that lay beneath.

Lloyds heart ached at Yuki’s anguish. She had been his mentor, his friend, his comfort and more; and yet as the leader of the ninja he failed to see that not even she can be strong and resilient in the face of adversity.

Yuki opened the closet door, exiting the cramped space at long last, her thoughtful stare landed on the trail of blood left behind.

An eye for an eye, you bleed the same.

She always maintained the facade of perfection, she presented herself as the strong and composed queen, embarrassment washed over her as the illusion of grace shattered just like the vanity mirror. She ignored the suffocating gazes of her friends, every spark of pain and every tear was a testament to her failure.

She wished she could hide, to retreat back into the safety of her childhood solitude, wishing to lick her wounds without the looks of pity surrounding her. Her friends witnessing her weakness was almost unbearable, shame dragged her into the dark depth of her mind.

Her arms crossed. She wanted to apologise, to explain herself, to tell them to not view her any differently, but the words were caught in her throat. She was choked by the humiliation that consumed her thoughts.

As the pressure intensified, no one dared to utter a word. After years of team work and friendships they knew Yuki well, anyone who knows Yuki well will know that she will never admit to any weakness. Yet it was finally Cole who broke the silence.

“Yu-chan,” he began, his gentle voice filled with brotherly concern “Why didn't you say you were injured?”

Yuki’s haunted gaze momentarily flickered to Cole, she shrugged. “As long as I'm not dead, I'm fine.” she replied simply, her tone flat.

You’re not fine.

The team looked at each other with concern and disappointment, as if the breach of trust left a mark on the foundations they built together.

Kai stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’re a team, we have to look out for each other.” he said firmly.

Yuki pursed her lips, forming a thin line, as she shook Kai’s hand off; his hand fell back to his side, his eyes flickered with hurt and surprise. He stepped back, looking at the girl he barely recognised, the girl who usually welcomed physical contact. Now distant. His warm gesture was replaced by cold rejection.

I’m sorry.

Before anyone could react, a picture frame fell from the wall, crashing loudly to the floor, tearing the thick silence of the room. Startled, they turned to the frame on the floor. Yuki tore herself away from the path of crimson drops on the marble flooring, her heart beating violently in her chest as she kneeled in front of it; her gloved fingers quivered as she picked it up.

The rest gathered around the picture, seeing the familiar picture of their entire team, captured moments after victory. But there, right across where she stood, a singular crack adorned the glass, as if the fracture tore the fabric of their bond.

The cracks in the frame echoed the cracks she felt within her self worth, the fissures in her facade threatened to destroy her composure. Her own struggles leave deep scars that taint the entire team.

Nya stepped forward, her voice regretful while trying to change the subject “What a shame.” she remarked, “That frame was so pretty.”

Yuki gulped thickly and she gripped the picture tighter, her knuckles turning white as her composure threatened to break. Her eyes wide, she stared with a hollow gaze at it, she barely managed to speak up “Except… I never had this picture hung up in my room. This is in the photo album in the monastery.” The ninja held their breaths. “This doesn’t belong in my memories.” she finished.

Panic rose in her chest, cold fear filling her. Confusion etched itself onto everyone's faces as she stood up, unease swept through them, a common question pondered in the air.

If the picture wasn’t part of my memory, what is it doing here?

They exchanged wary looks, silently processing the revelation, Yuki slowly turned around, facing her friends for the first time. Suddenly, a pulling feeling filled their senses, the fabric of reality shifted and manoeuvred around them. The walls seemed to melt away like candle wax,

They scanned the room with trepidation. Yuki's hand now empty, the picture now vanished, only leaving a whisper of disquiet.

“Are we?” Zane pondered as he looked around the bedroom. “Are we back?”

Lloyd approached the vanity mirror, his sharp eyes falling upon the shard of glass which transported them towards the painful memory, now neatly placed back in the frame of the mirror. Almost as if it was never disturbed.

“Everyone! look here!” Lloyd called them over, touching the sides of the shard, feeling the magic emitting from it, pulsating with power in the rhythm of a heartbeat.

The ninja stood in front of the remaining shards of glass, each gleaming with images of certain memories, a sense of clarity dawned on them.

“Yuki, we got out the moment you found something that doesn't belong in your memory right?” Jay inquired, watching as the girl nodded, enlightenment settling over her as her eyes widened.

“We have to look at my other memories and find the thing that doesn’t belong.” She remarked, her lips slightly parted at the revelation.

“If that shard ended up back in the mirror, and you broke the mirror with your spell book-” Morro started, his tone slightly tinged with a note of uncertainty.

“- The mirror is likely the way to close the rift that started this.” Nya finished.

Yuki stared at the mirror as the words sunk in, vulnerability lingered in the depths of her eyes dancing like shadows, a heavy pit settling in her stomach.

She couldn’t rid the feeling of guilt that seemed to eat her– the haunting memory of her throwing the spell book, and the glass shattering, even more vivid now after reliving it. She should’ve been more careful, she should’ve been more cautious, she should’ve been more–

Her train of thought was interrupted by the presence of the green ninja beside her, close enough for their shoulders to press against each other, a comforting feeling in the whirlpool of her self blame. He hesitated for a split second, briefly stuck in his own anxiety. He reached down, grabbing the girl's hand in his, delicately squeezing her hand three times reassuringly.

“It's not your fault Kiki.” Her head whipped around at the use of the nickname, one he hasn’t used in a while. “No one could’ve predicted this happening.” His voice was like a soothing balm to her emotional wounds, like a healing tide that washed over her.

Please don’t lie to me. 

Please.

Not now.

She searched his face for any dishonesty or doubt, only finding warmth. She allowed herself to lean into his touch for a second, the comfort of his presence knocking down the wall of guilt.

Even if everything will go back to how it was after the mission.

< Previous | Next >

♧Masterlist♧

Summary: A mysterious rift between time and magic tears the fabric of the realms. Yuki, the master of magic, the purple ninja and the queen of ninjago, must find the powerful spell to fix this. In an unexpected twist, the team is transported into the depths of Yuki's spell book. The ninja must navigate through the chapters and memories of all the queens, finding the thing that is jeprodizing peace.

In a risky race, the ninja must piece together fragments of memories to uncover the truth. Will they succeed in fixing the rift? Or will Dark secrets unravel a mystery that changes the fate of everything?

TAGLIST: OPEN

@shatteredhope123 @spinjitzu-spy @crikkit-kitterton @stupidgayartkid @urkittybby @queenoftasilk

Feel free to ask to be added!

© This is the exclusive property of Aleksandra Niewiadomska. Do not claim as your own, repost on other sites or translate my work at all.

[unseentravler]

Ninjago Avatar Au

Backstory 16

Voyage of the Bestiny's Bounty Part 2

The Destiny's Bounty finally reaches Garmadan's island. It is a volcanic island always looking like it is on the verge of eruption. Garmadone's fortress is located at the base of the volcano and Is manned by a mix of hired mercenaries and fire nation troops and officers on their last chance. Garmadan's commander is a mercenary named Samukai, and his men make up the majority of the fortresses forces. The boys are still new to spinjitsu and rely mostly on their bending with varying degrees of success. They eventually get through the enemy forces and enter the main part of the fortress.

They engage in a battle with Garmadan while Lloyd watchs . With the power of his spinjitsu and decades of experience, Garmadan knocked them all out of the fight until only Kai and master Wu were left standing. Wu and Garmadan began a dual that is stunning to witness. A battle decades in the making between two masters of spinjitsu. Kai want to help Wu but tells him to stall oit of it and get Lloyd.

Kai looks up to where Lloyd is watching the fight. He listens to Wu and makes his way to Lloyd. Lloyd trys to fight him, but Kai quickly knocks him on his back. He tries to convince him to come with them to Ninjago and maybe see his mom again.

Mentioning his mom did not have the effort the Kai hoped. Lloyd holds a lot of resentment towards his mother for abandoning him. Ues his air bending, he pushed Kai back and ran. Kai chased after him.

During all of this, the volcano erupts.

Lloyd and Kai get trapped behind some ruble, and Lloyd calls out for his Dad, but Garmadon is to engrosseton his fight with Wu.

The other Ninja got Kai and Lloyd out of the base, leaving only Wu and Garmadon still locked in battle. In the end, seeing that if they continued, they would both die, Wu begged his brother to stop and leave the collapsing base. Karmadan refused, but Wu still retreated, making his escape, not knowing if his brother survived. ( he did, but that for me to know and for them to find out)

By some miracle, everyone makes it back to Destiny's Bounty and begins their voyage back to Ninjago.

The end of Backstory

[whydoibe]

Ok so here's anthour what if jays final wish sent him back in time physically him self appearing infront of his old self in the alltered timeline

Your wish is yours to keep nadkan stated as the sands picked up and the watch reveresed nyas' lifeless form, vanishing from his arms as he saw the world change time going backwards he felt at peace as he closed his eye and then opening them he felt the same he was on a roof top what the jay thought turning around to see him self and nya in a single airjitzu stream what the what'd happing his final wish this was altered history than why how did he exist finally he seemed to gane the ability to move his tears falling he knew that he shouldn't exist than why did he exist that question pained him. Until

"Hey" that was kais vioce he turned to see the ninja approaching him weapons drawn looking confused

"hello who are u " Lloyd asked not sounding a hundred which was good he hoped

"Wait, why I'd he wearing my gi where'd u get that?" he heard a younger, more unburned version of him ask he felt to his face he had his hood up reaching for ut to pull it off as it was removed he saw the shock grow on their faces the concern and mix of confusion was plastered over thier features "what the hell"

"Jay?" nya asked

"That can't be jay that's jay " Cole stated pointing to jay

"I am jay walker or jay Gordon which ever youd prefer I just don't underst-"

"Wait what do you mean jay Gordon" his past or alternate self questioned " and how can you be jay I am jay"

"How much time u got he asked and I suggest u go to mom and dad for u first question"

"We have time" kai stated

"Do you" Jay stated before explaining everything including his pain the misfortune keep nadkan nya dying in his arms the fear the rage the hurt the pain the venom the isolation how all his friends slowly disappeared one by one and hoe he lost his eye much to his different self starting to freak out and himself starting to have a panic attack till nya ran and hugged him saying its all ok he liked the hug. Hugging her back before continuing to explain everything in detail until the sum started to set and he became painfully aware he had no where to stay.

The ninja summoned thier dragons preparing to head to the bounty jay just stared as they started to leave he was lost he didn't belong till.

"U comming" Cole asked hopping on his dragon

" am I allowed"

"Your jay of course dude"

That made him smile summoning his dragon which has changed over the time of he spent at the misfortune keep following the others he couldn't help but notice the distress on his other self when he landed.

"U ok" he asked himself

"Yes" he sturted

"Your not I can tell I am u it's ok if I kinda shook u like If I was u I'd be terfied to If I was u I am u " Jay stated giggling at the last part

"U just told me I an adopted and my real fathers cliff God dam Gordon of course I am God dam terrfied" Jay stated sinking into himself the others stared nya running to comfort him but before nya could jay hugged his past self telling him "

its ok that its going to be ok that his real family are mom and dad( aka Ed and Edna ) the ninja sensi wu and his friends not some rich guy who abandoned him." Those words would bring his past self out of his panic attack.

Sensi wu would be utterly shocked at the new pupil and the extent of his physical injuries and the lack of depth perseption made kai ten times more scary when realy close in his face he return to meet Ed and Endna who were all to welcoming to a 2nd son jay taking the position of an older brother to himself 1 year of experience realy does change someone expectedly when it's so God dam traumatic event that only he could recall. The other took some time to get used to, but jay would blend in well to their families, no his family he watched himself and cringe as he tried to ask nya out he'd be liying if he didn't admit he wanted to ask to but new that was his other self destiny not his he smillied returning to beating kai in anthour veduo game.

[thewitchwannabe]

TMNT NEW: DESTINY SINOPSIS

So about a month ago i started developing my own version of TMNT. A "what would i do if i was given the oportunity to make a new tmnt show". And this is it! TMNT: NEW DESTINY! I'll be sharing my au through one shot with acompaning artwork. If you have any questions or comments you can send an ask and i'll be sure to answer. But first! some context!

The Foot Clan and the Hamato Clan had been enemies for centuries, the foot always trying to keep the Hamato Clan under their control. Even after ninjas were no longer needed the descendants of the Foot still held hatred for their ancestral enemy. After having his clan destroyed by the Foot, Hamato Yoshi moved to America to fullied the dreams of his wife. A few months into his new life in New York, Yoshi is kidnapped by the Kraang, who are researching their new mutagen. He is experimented on by them in the TCRI building, turning him into a rat mutant. 3 years after his kidnapping, Yoshi finds an opportunity to escape, but on his way out he finds the Kraang latest experiment. Four little turtle creatures, sitting like toddlers on the floor of a cell, all huddled together under a heat lamp, the four of them different sizes. The biggest one, clutching the rest close to them, like an older sibling would. As he tried to get them out, the biggest one started growling, protecting its siblings, but the smallest one freed itself from its siblings arms. It made its way towards Yoshi, who held his hand still, the little turtle looked at it for a second before letting Yoshi pet them. That seemed to earn the biggest one’s trust, and Yoshi was able to scoop them up and escape. 

And so Yoshi took the four turtles to the only place he could think of to hide from the Kraang looking for them, the sewers. In there they built a home for themselves, he named each of the turtles after renaissance artists he read about in a book. The oldest, he named Leonardo, the smart one, he named Donatello, the cheerful one, he named Michelangelo, and the youngest, he named Raphael. In turn, they gave him a new name too, Splinter. A few years later, his oldest would confess to him that he wanted to be a girl. And so Leonardo became Leona, now much more confident and happy. Splinter decided to teach them the art of ninjutsu, as his clan did with him, to prepare them for the dangerous world of the surface. 

Unfortunately for Splinter, the Foot Clan, operating in the shadows of Oroku Industries, started wreaking havoc in New York. And soon enough word of them got to the head of the Foot, the Shredder, who recognized Splinter’s technique as belonging to the Hamato Clan. And so he ordered his ninjas to find Splinter and his new Hamato ninjas. During their fights Leona meets Shredder’s daughter, Karai, a capable kunoichi around her age. And while the two of them would fight if Karai’s father ordered it, they still formed a sort of friendship over really not wanting to participate in this ancient clan rivalry. In many of their encounters with the Foot, a blonde girl gets herself trapped in the middle of the fight, leaving the turtles to have to keep her safe. It all came down to a final showdown, much to Leona and Splinter's protests, Donny, Mikey and Raph came with them, as the three of them would follow whether they had permission or not. Splinter went on his own to fight Shredder in one of Oroku Industries’ warehouses while Leona and her brothers took care of Karai and the foot soldiers at their headquarters. 

While lurking around the Foot headquarters, the turtles found scrolls with instructions on how to perform a “Draining Jutsu”, one that allows the user to steal the life force of their opponent for themselves. Realizing what Shredder planned to do, Leona rushed to save Splinter. As she ran to the warehouse the blonde girl saw her and decided to follow. In the warehouse Splinter and Shredder fought fiercely and with incredible skill. When Leona got there, Shredder had already started performing the draining jutsu, pulling Splinter’s life force out of his body and into his. Acting quickly Leona cuts the jutsu with her katana, causing a blast that brings down the warehouse. Leona manages to get to Splinter, who’s fallen unconscious. As she tries to wake him up, she hears the sound of Foot ninja getting the Shredder out of the building. 

She thinks all is lost, but to her surprise, the blonde girl she’d saved many times comes to their rescue. The two get Splinter to safety, Splinter’s eyes open a little confirming he’s still alive. As Leona stands up to go get her brothers, she asks the girl for her name. The girl introduces herself as April. Leona asks April to watch Splinter while she’s gone.

While Leona ran to help Splinter, the turtles stayed in the headquarters where they encountered Karai who attacked them with foot ninjas. During the fight, Karai realizes Leona is missing, and figures that Leona probably went to stop her father, so she orders her ninjas to capture the turtle. As they are being captured Raph throws a final shuriken cutting Karai’s hair. She orders the turtles to be locked in a cell, and she rushes to help her father. The boys look for any way out, but are unable to find one from the inside. Also Mikey was pretty beated cuz he took a lot of ninjas to defend Raph. 

After being trapped for a few hours, Raph grew desperate and started yelling for his sister to come rescue them. Donny tried to get him to stop but Raph reminded him how Leona has never let them down, and continues to scream for his big sister. Leona gets to her brothers and the four escape to where Splinter and April are. They immediately rush Splinter home, where Donny starts checking up on him, to determine that he’ll in fact survive, but his overall health seems to be declining. And so the next month or so was spent constantly trying to keep Splinter alive, Splinter himself not fully waking up until a week after the showdown. April decided to stick around and help in any way she could, which became getting them stuff from the surface, so Leona wouldn’t have to go get it at night.

Leona, became the primary caretaker being the one making sure they were getting supplies, as well as being in charge of training, and keeping her brothers healthy. Donny first became focused with finding a way to keep Splinter from dying, then to improve his health to a stable level, and then to find a way to cure him completely. Mikey, on his part, decided that the best way to help was making sure Raph was taken care of, and making sure his little brother didn’t worry about the situation. But Raph is very aware of the situation and his siblings' constant shielding and babying gets on his nerves. 

The draining jutsu left both Splinter and Shredder with insufficient life force, leaving them considerably weakened. But unlike Splinter, the Shredder has access to well trained mystic users who help him stay a lot more healthy. 

After the showdown, Shredder, Karai and most of the Foot left New York, leaving the streets mostly empty aside from gangs like the Purple Dragons. Leona and her family spend two years working towards achieving a new normality. It’s when Leona, Donny, Mikey and Raph celebrate their 15, 14, 13, and 12 birthday respectively, where things start getting complicated again. As the Foot returns, and the TCRI building starts having some suspicious activity. But luckily for them, they’ll make new allies and old enemies will become friends.

Part 1

[orions-hole]

I just remembered my jadeswap au where it was a literal swap with destiny.

So basically in the au the great devourer went to the desert because there's tons of, the most delicious ✨ sand ✨, and Aspheera woke up and just followed the great devourer, did a spell to try to control it and somehow swapped Lloyd's and Harumi's destiny.

So Lloyd ran away (he was like 6 in the au and so was Harumi) because why would the ninja want him anymore when he's not the useful green ninja anymore? And became the jade prince, and started a cult named "the disowned", and Morro(will explain in 3 seconds) and Echo joined said cult as his right and left hands. And it turns out that the queen and king did deserve to burn alive in the palace because they stopped uncorrupted Garmadon from meeting his son at all costs and caused Lloyd to hate the ninja and garmadon and wu porposely!!!

And Harumi pulled a shit ton of bullshit, like using the realm crystal to revive Garmadon, asking Krux and the other one for a time travelling trip (to try to fix the fact she's the green ninja), and force Morro to get revived during dotd.

And during Dragons rising she meets Euphrasia and it's like: THE FUCKIN IDIOT DIED AGAIN??

Arin: ... she's way more snappy than I thought her to be.

Sora: Never meet your heroes

Kai: Don't blame her guys, she was kind of forced into this after both her parents were eaten alive

Nya: Yeah... If anything you should be grateful she isn't like the original green ninja...

Sora: What did he do?

Arin: Erm. Started a cult and tried to kill or brainwash any and all elemental mastere?

Nya: Sorta. Not the full story though

Harumi: ARE YOU JUST GONNA STAND THERE- THESE LIBRARIES WORN SEARCH THEMSELVES

Kai: Well the monk said-

Harumi: NOT TRUSTING THOSE CATERPILLARS. NOT TRUSTING MAGIC. NOT TRUSTING DESTINY.

[gas1le]

MASTER OF FIRE FEBRUARY 2023

Week 2: Fire / Destiny

When Kai entered the city, the first thing he felt was the smell of smoke, such a sharp, acrid, bitter smell - not the one he was used to. But that wasn't the worst of it. The city was on fire from newly built buildings, parks that had recently pleased with their beauty, and people who were doing their own business, they all burned like firewood on a bonfire.

Kai heard the heavy and frightened sighs of his friends, everything turned inside him, an unpleasant feeling devoured him, as if he was the cause of these sighs. Dismissing this thought, Kai slowly turned towards them, and the moment the red ninja saw their faces, he forgot how to breathe. Fear and horror were written on their faces.

And the only thing that was spinning in Kai's head was that they also look at him like that when he uses fire?

Aspheera and her troops continued to advance and they spared nothing .

The fire spared nothing.......

***

The unbearable cold pierced Kai's skin with its icy claws, and the warm blanket of sheep's wool in which he wrapped himself did not save him, nor did it help the others.

After the attack of the ice emperor 's army , most of the people from the village were frozen and no one knows how to save them . Everyone else is hiding in an uninjured house from the attack and trying to keep warm. Kai looked around at the people around him, their skin turned pale bluish, and their breathing became weak at any moment they are all ready to fall asleep.

The red ninja bit his lip from rage if only he had the strength then he would have warmed them, no to save people from falling, no he could have stopped Aspheera and then Zane did not have to sacrifice himself to save Sensei Wu. It was his fault.

A frosty wind burst into the house, a whirlwind of prickly snowflakes fell people and they shivered from the cold. This was the last straw for Kai. He abruptly stood up, startling others, ignoring the glances, Kai headed for the hearth. Stretching out his stiffened hands next to the dry logs, the red ninja began to concentrate. He felt a slight warmth on his fingers, small lights appeared and disappeared. Kai missed the fire even though he knew that it only brings destruction, but not today, not this moment.

Ice fishermen cheerfully shout "kindler of fire" when Kai lit the hearth

Fire gives protection

***

Kai woke up from the unbearable roar of the dragon, everything was blurry, but he could still make out the silhouettes of his friends who gathered around him to protect him. It should be the other way around.

No , Kai whispered softly , looking at his family .

I have to protect them

- No - his gaze was fixed on the dragon, and his voice was breaking with anger, clenching his fists in which small sparks of fire appeared

I must have it destroyed

 - No - Kai shouted, splashing a stream of fire at his enemy. He smiled wryly as he heard the dragon growling in pain until it was completely destroyed .

From fatigue, Kai fell on the snow. He heard how the guys ran up to him and began to ask anxiously if he was in order

Everything was fine, because fire can destroy and protect at the same time.