#man Nyas hair was a struggle

[itsaboutbee]

Bee drawing Ninjago Characters till she relearns how to draw

Pt. 2: Nya

[lloydlings]

A Dying Flame

by me (@flyingdutchman)

Two siblings mourn the loss of their brother, after he’s lost to the nether space.

“Kai?”

Silence.

"Kai?"

Discheveled, a young man grasps the sides of bedsheets as he gets to his feet. The moonlight shining from the windowsill illuminating a dreary setting. The unsettling quiet screams one thing; it's the middle of the night.

He scrambles, grasps for anything that's solid, and constant, the corner of the window, fingers curling around the pane. Beads of sweat drench wispy blonde bangs, his eyes are not dry.

"Kai?"

There's a beat, a soft voice, like the rushing of a creek.

Nya.

"Lloyd, it's me."

The man turns around, expression unreadable as vibrant green eyes seem to glow in the moonlit dark. She's not sure if this is a normal occurence, but brushes it off. But there's a pain there, a pain that he's not very good at hiding.

But he's not himself right now. The man doesn't respond. His gaze is unreadable still as he musters a breath, an attempt to steady himself but a fruitless one. He stumbles out a syllable, before Nya, decides to proceed. She approaches him not unlike a caged animal, hands up, testing his trust in the dark.

But any effort seems to be hollow, as he flinches back. Grasping the edge of the windowsill once again for a proper grounding. Lloyd shakes his head.

"Let's sit down. Okay?" She continues.

He turns, back to the window, staring into the open training yard. His uncle's memorial with a candle lit glowing in the dark.

"I can't." He breathes "I can't."

She gets close enough to grasp his shoulder, but he doesn't waver. He remains unturned, shaking, fingers gone white from the pressure of grounding himself. He tries to wave her arm away, but it's obvious he isn't using any of his strength against her-- "--Ican't, Nya."

His warning is not listened to, and when it doesn't recieve his expectant reaction, he let's his fingers crawl up the side of the panel. Breathing harshly, blond hair in his face. "Where is he, Nya." He tilts his head, angle allowing him to glance at his sister. But it's a look of fear that glazens the blonde's face.

"Where's Kai?"

Her look is solemn. He knows that she knows the answer.

"Lloyd.." She says, her grounding on his shoulder still firm.

His voice is serious. "Say it."

"He's--- He's gone.."

He shakes his head sharply "No.. No he's not." as he crumbles into the bedside dresser, Nya quickly adjusts her grip on him. "I've seen him."

But unlike Lloyd, her voice is steady. Her voice is calm. "Lloyd.. Rontu said those visions were possible outcomes. We saw that outcome happen. He's not here-- he's -- he's."

He breaks from her hold, back against the dresser as he runs his hands through his hair. Tears climb his cheeks like rain, dew. He shakes his head again, as he hisses as though the thought sizzling an unforeseen pain. Nya searches to steady his wrists, finally reaching a steadiness..

"I need us to calm down, okay?"

Lloyd attempts to jerk away, breath catching in his lungs. "They have to go."

"Who has to go.."

He struggles. "The kids.. the -- They're not.. They're not safe--"

Nya frowns. "Lloyd.."

"From me... they have to go, they have to Nya, they have to --"

She tightens her grip on his wrists. "I know you wouldn't hurt them."

He jerks away but cannot escape from her grasp. One attempting to steady his volatile reactions.

"No -- it's not that-- It's they -- they can't see me -- see me like this, they can't -- it's like the -- the forest -- they--they can't. I'm going to break again -- Nya, I'm going to --"

"Lloyd, you won't" She lets go of one hand and let's it rise to his cheek. The sudden contact leaves him to lock eyes with her. "Look at me."

The hand steadying his cheek, is as though a mother with her child. But it does nothing to steady his anxiety, for he's not familar with the concept of motherly love, tears stream from emerald eyes.

The sadness in his expression is disheartening.

"I was fine.." He breathes harshly. "I shoved it -- down,, I have to not think— I can't Nya, I can't go back there -- I can't watch it in my mind Nya, I know what it does -- over and -- over and over--"

The blonde yelps in pain, finally breaking from Nya's steadying hold, the back of his head hitting the dresser. His hands instinctly scrape at his hair, as Nya watches him writhe in his sorrow. The word's coming out are intelligible. His hands leave his hair as he looks down to look at scarrred knuckles. He watches in bated breath, until an emerald spark emits--

But it is interrupted by him swinging that hand into the side of the dresser as soon as the spark dies out.

Her expression is so like her brother Kai's when her eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Lloyd, what did you do that for!"

Lloyd breathes sharply. "Need it to stop..."

He gazes at his wrist, satisfied at the lack of emerald buzzing. Red bruising starting to form in it's wake.

"Your powers?"

He nods.

"Then.. calm down!" She scolds.. "Don't hit your hand!"

He bites his lip, shaking. "Don' like green --"

She gazes in his eyes, vivid displays of the emerald hue, and sighs. But Lloyd breathes harshly, scrambling, arms on the dresser to help himself up, away from here, away from Nya, away from any reminder of this.

He turns away from the gaze that pierces him over and over. Her dark eyes not in his scope of view.

"He's not.." He brushes his hand across the bedding, the rustled sheets. "He's not dead."

She looks away. "He's not. He's banishe--"

"Should've been me."

Her voice rises, but remains calm. "Lloyd--"

"It's always me that.. destiny spares." He turns around sitting on the bed. "I spent weeks thinking I was the only survivor of the— the merge. I was the only one left in Ninjago, He didn't deserve this -- He didn't deserve it at all -- I failed him, Nya. I failed everyone, and I don't know if we can get him back."

"It'll be --"

"He would know what to say. He would know what to do. I want him here.I need him here. I'll never be the master of the Monastery that my Uncle wanted, and he knew it. Because if he was here, so would Kai--" He looks into her eyes. "I need him here, Nya-- I need him-- I don't, I don't have-- I don't have.. I miss him--I"

The boy is cut off by Nya embracing him in a hug. The sudden contact causing him to tense in her arms, his breathing rapid. He buries his head in her shoulder, as he attempts to calm his breathing. She places a hand on his hair.

"I miss him too, Lloyd. More than anything."

A broken whimper.

"And he will always be with you.. Lloyd."

Lloyd pulls back to look at her, blinking with confusion, tears still wet on his face. She lets go of him, and sits cross-legged in front of him. He wipes his eyes with a sleeve and watches Nya with a complex consternation.

She counts her fingers, "Fire.. Ice.. Earth... Lightning." She taps his chest. "They're all in you."

"Nya--"

She shushes him. "Just because you can't control them anymore, doesn't mean that they're not a part of you. What was it that Wu would always say about true power?"

He wipes his eyes again, continuing to watch.

"I see my brother.. in the warmth of a kettle that you use to steep Wu's tea stash, in a chuckle, a warm laugh." She grabs his wrist. "A hug." She points around herself. "I see his element around me, and it's constant, and I know he's there."

She taps his head. "You're all up in here." She brings her hand in front of the both of of them. 'You need to be.. here. You can't hide what you feel, Lloyd." She looks at him, his listless gaze worrying. "When I came back from the sea, Wu always taught me that we were all intertwined, interconnected. Our elements, our beings, our feelings- They don't go away.. They're destiny's tools and even though they don't seem like they help us--"

He interrupts her. "I didn't want any of this." He gestures around them.

"We all never did. We were kids, kids saving the world."

"No." He wipes his forehead. "I don't-- I don't want to see what I see. It's too much now. I know Rontu said I can't force the universe to bend to my will, but I fear it's all too much."

"Yes?"

He shakes his head. "And I know I can't control it, but I don't want it. I don't want it. I wish-- I wish I could take it out."

She furrows her eyebrows. "Take what out?"

"I don't know..? The conduit power?" He pauses, looking at her. "Then I wouldn't have to see it all the time, forever, I could rest, and I wouldn't have to feel -- anymore because--"

"How about you tell me what you do feel." Nya offers.

He blinks, cautiously. "I--"

"This is how Kai would calm me down--"

"I-- I feel-- it's too fast."

"What's too fast?

"The world, it's spinning around me. I'm plummeting off .. a cliff.. there's no end to it.. there's no stop.. no silence. It's endless. I feel-- I feel stressed."

She nods.

"I don't want to close my eyes. I see him.. Nya, I see him in the dark cavern, it's endless like the rivene. I-- I don't know if he's alive, I can'tl-- feel if he is."

She tilts her head. "Yes, you can."

His eyes are locked in consternation.

"Because you and I both know you wouldn't be so insistent on how my brother is alive. It's because you can feel it. You know he's alive--"

"Then why can't I --"

She looks at the window and back at him. "Because we want him right now. We want him out of that forsaken place."

Lloyd musters a deep breath, continuing.

"It feels -- everything lately, feels wrong. Cursed. Like it's clawing me out from the inside. Like the oxygen is slowly being ripped away from me. Like something's coming, I can feel it, and -- I fear it, Nya."

His saddened eyes lock with her.

"I feel it flickering. Fire... Like it's flickering and every few moments it almost burns out, and it catches-- I feel breatheless-- And it's worse now, I was already falling apart-- it's not fair." He crosses his arms. "I was able to handle it well in front of them, my students but I don't know for how much longer"

"You're pulling a Destiny's Express."

"What?"

She aligns him with a look. "When we defeated all those ghosts those years ago and you had your big speech on the deck of the ship." She watches his brain work out her words. "And then you crashed that night... and everything caught up.. A Destiny's Express."

"Oh..yeah.."

She puts a hand on his shoulder. "At least you haven't changed much, and we know you're not a fake Lloyd."

He wipes his eyes. "A Fake Lloyd?

"Yeah"

She grips his shoulder with a gentle squeeze.

"Our emotions, they're vital to us. Even as elemental masters, Fighting it always makes it worse, and you can't be afraid to show the real you--" She looks out the window. "Kai knows we miss him, and he misses us, but we can't let his sacrifice be in vain."

"He's not gone.."

"I'm not saying he is." She looks back at him. "But I know at this very moment he want's us to fight, because -- we won't let his flame burn out, we won't let the flicker fade --

Lloyd then crumbles, hugging his sister tightly, and breathing sharply. A murmur heard, echoing. "Ninja, Never, Quit.""

She leans her head on his shoulder. "And ninja will find a way."

[bananaplayzz]

NINJAGO HAS A CANON ACTOR AU!?

Watched the one Dreams episode, so have headcanons All the actors have the character's voice actors names Lloyd- Samuel/Sam Kai- Vincent/Vin(?) Cole- Kirby Zane-Brent Nya-Kelly Jay- Micheal Yes, most of them have old man names. now Lloyd/Sam -The most amount of bloopers, bro can not do a serious scene first try to save his life. (He had to film the Garmadon vs Lloyd S8 fight like 100 times, he struggled sm.) -Swears too much, every sentence has a swear in it. -Dresses Alt to days he doesn't need to film, everyone calls him emo and it's funny. -Helped in the costume designs for the Ghosts in S5 and the SOG in S8 Thats it, please add on, I really like this consept I DO HAVE SOME FOR MORRO/ANDREW -The sweetest man you will ever meet -Apologises to Lloyd/Sam pretty much every scene in possession -Had the streak in his hair but it was like a different colour so the crew people were like "What if we keep that but make it green?"

[col-e7]

Ninjago headcanons again but my high school with no powers AU (post 2/5)

/!\ TW : traumas, mention of SA, bulliyin, racism, struggling with mental health, panic attacks...

Note : If you're dealing with any of those, please seek help, you're not alone you can do this, you are stronger than you think and my DM are always open if you need to talk :3

Jay Walker

• is 16 y/o

• is in 10th grade

• uses he/him and is a trans guyyy

• BISEXUAL ICON

• is Korean by his biological parents but raised as Irish by his adoptive parents

• can speaks Korean perfectly well and an old Irish dialect

• has heterochromia eyes

• is a freckles head and has ginger/blond mixed hair

• is between 5’6 and 5’7 (1m68) but used to be smaller than Lloyd

• is the 2nd youngest after Lloyd

• he’s born on the 1st April

• has ADHD

• has a collection of rubik’s cubs and always have one in his bag and a key ring with a tiny one and use the big one in class to stay focus

• is a genius in mathematics and P.E. class but just for running

• has hyperfixations are video games, dinosaurs, sharks and spider-man

• is very clumsy

• once tried skateboarding like Kai, Cole and Lloyd but failed miserably

• is a bad loser

• never does his homework, the ultimate procrastinator

• was a gacha/nightcore phase

• listening to all genders of musics but hyper pop>>>

• has an overload room but clean because he has cleaning pulsions at 3am and reorganise his all room during his calls with Cole. His parents had to create their own headphones for the noises during the night

• is a HUGE lover of Christmas and Halloween

• is an anime weeb

• Gave his WII U and all his games with to Lloyd because he knew Kai couldn’t afford it at this time

• Helped Lloyd to bind their chest for the first time with tape and for his birthday he gave him his own binder bcz he didn’t need it anymore

• Make fun of Kai’s height since he get taller than him

• Nobody knows it but him and Cole dated once for a couple months in 9th grade before they decided to broke up because they feel they were just friends

• To him he only had two relationships : one with Cole and one with an another boy named Felix in primary school where they couldn’t stop holding hands, kissing each other on the cheek and helping each other

• Has also a panic disorder which causes him to stress a lot and for the most tiny things. He got medication for it so he doesn’t have like a panic attack a day but he still can feel extremely stressed

• Because of his panic disorder and some bullying things in primary school he did his all middle school plus 9th grade at home

• Can play electric bass thanks to one of his old hyperfixation and sometimes plays songs to Nya even if he makes mistakes because it’s been a long time he didn’t play

• Is a dog person and has a dog call Flash

• Loves his adoptive parents with his all heart

• When he’s angry he cursed in the Irish dialect he learned from his adoptive parents and the others are either dying of laughter or being extremely concerned

• Is in love with Nya for ages and ages but didn’t how to approach her and all so she’s the one who did the first step and talk to him for the first time

• He has testosterone treatment so his voice is still in break and sometimes it is absolutely low and other times it’s high-pitched

• He builds a lot of stuff and knows how to repair cars and often helps Cole with his motorcycle

• His hands are always dirty and dust is often under his nails because of all the stuff he builds

• He has a hate (but he wishes love) relationship with cats since he’s allergic to them

• He’s nyctophobic (extreme fear of dark) and so he always has a little candle or the night light that his parents made for him so he can sleeps

• Used to have horrible panic attacks at night when he has nightmares or because of his nyctophobia and even have to go to the emergency once because of it

• Before getting his driver license he always go to places with his bike

• Before meeting all the friend group members, he always had to pretend he was « normal » because people used to mock him because of his ADHD, his anxiety tics and where he lived (the junkyard)

• He’s the nice and energetic guy of his village, every old ladies thinks he’s really nice while old men thinks he’s too noisy (they’re just jealous-)

• Always make little gifts to Nya that he made himself and love to do big surprises that he took months to prepare just to see her smile on her face

• Was, is and will always #1 Nya’s supporter with Kai ofc

• Is best friend with Cole since he’s been adopted bcz the Walker and the Hence Brookstone families are good friends

• he knows what Cole’s been through and knows to help him

• Nya is his biggest support when he has breakdown she knows what to do, how to deal with it and make him feel better and always listening to him

• Nya and him rarely fight because they work hard on communication and Jay is just freaking happy about that

• Jay will never admit it but he always admired how cool is Kai and even if they fight a lot he knows he can count on them and they know they can count on him if there’s anything

• Zane, Pixal, Nya and him plan every month a weekend to the junkyard to make a new invention together

• Loves to help people he cares about so when he learned that Zane was being bullied by some racists, he managed to always be with him if they go alone somewhere and felt extremely shitty when they got physically assaulted bcz he couldn’t help and even get hit too

• Sometimes he wished he was like Kai, confident and brave enough to fight for his friends

• Always say ily to Cole because he’s THE best friend he ever had and he’s always here when he needs help

• When he helps Kai with their maths homework, he become as strict as a math teacher can be (even worse) and it makes Kai just questionning his whole life

• Made the worse foolishness possible with Cole as a kid

• has arachnophobia

• dance and scream-singing at 3am with Cole on Timber

• is a BIG fan of Fairy Tail (has a plushie of Happy)

Nya Smith

• Is 16

• Is in 10th grade

• Uses the pronouns She/her and identifies as a cis girl

• Bisexual girl

• Mexican/japanese like Kai

• Speaks Spanish

• Is between 5’10/5’11

• Is the 3rd youngest after Jay and Lloyd (she’s older than Jay yes)

• Born on 27 March

• She’s an extreme perfectionist like it already made her sick at some point

• Drive an old but incredible motorcycle she repair with Jay two years ago and loves it, it’s literally her baby

• Is an amazing student in everything except art and literature because she struggles to express her feelings and to words on emotions

• Loves metal music and listening some with Cole

• Is extremely good at sport and even more at swimming

• She's not into dresses but she wouldn't mind wearing a skirt even though she prefers wearing trousers and shorts

• Is definitely not a morning person like she needs coffee to be awake, is addicted to caffeine

• she's been assaulted sexually when she was younger like 11-12 a day Kai has to work late again and couldn’t get Nya in time so she had to go back home alone

• Lloyd and her would definitely have the best sleepover/gossiping together when Kai isn't here for the all night and doing karaoke all night long

• has matching bracelets with Kai that they did when they were young. Her is red and his red

• due to her assault, she’s extremely afraid to be alone outside at night. She hated herself and feels so vulnerable so she build herself a shell and since now she rarely talks about her feelings and emotions, she sees it as weakness, but thanks to Jay she understands that talking and showing her emotions wasn’t about being weak but having the courage to open up to others and face her problems

• used to go in a boxe club with Skylor in middle school

• has undiagnosed ADHD and learned she has some symptoms by Jay who noticed them before they even started dating

• she can skate with rollers but not with a skateboard

• is very passionate about space and love talking about stars, planets and all

• wish Kai let her help him at home and open up more to her

• dated a girl in 7th grade but didn’t tell to anyone because she was worried to disappoint her brothers or friends

• when she has big breakdowns or she’s too angry to talk or see anyone, she takes her motorcycle and goes to the sea, to a secret spot. Sometimes she just watches the waves and put her feet in the water or sometimes she just swim all dressed up until she’s not angry anymore, usually she stayed until the night falls to watch the stars and moon, thinking about her parents until Kai comes and picks her up, worry asf but happy to find her and comfort her on the way home

• didn’t used to sleep without any cuddly toys until Jay offers her one of his favourite and ever since she only sleeps with it and can’t sleep without it

• hates TV shows about love but loves reading old books about impossible relationships

• loves gossiping with Pixal, Vania, Skylor and Cole when they do a sleepover

• she’s BUFF and can easily take her brother and Jay on her back

• get a tattoo of orcas, her favourite animal, on her left arm

• she wants to be a marine biologist and learn all she can about faune and flora of oceans, buy or emprunte books and hold a looot of notebooks where she writes down informations

• she wears bracelets made of leather and the one that Lloyd made her when he was a child

• often make fun of Kai when she sees they doing a whole skincare routine coz he got acne and black spot very easily while she never had a single spot on her face

• did have a crush on Cole when she was 14 and was hurt when he told her he was crushing on Kai and started realising her feelings for Jay (she always considered him as a brother) a year later

• always wanted a cat but she doesn’t know why they’re always scared of her and that’s kinda hurt her in some ways

Zane Julien

• is 17 soon 18

• they’re in 12th grade

• uses they/them/it pronouns and see themselves as non-binary

• they’re demi-panromantic and graysexual

• Russian

• can speak like 10 languages : French, Russian, Italian, Latino Spanish, Chinese, Polish, Creole, Indonesian, Greek and German

• They’re between 6’4 and 6’5 (1m95), which make them the tallest in the group

• It’s the second oldest after Cole

• is born on December, 17th

• has autism

• their longest hyper fixations since they’re little are literature and language study

• have a bionic arm (they're born without their left arm) and they don't like to talk about it, it's kind of a trigger

• has always kind of a loner since they're little, so when they started to befriend with Cole during middle school, they were hella scared

• Cole is their most close friend and the one they trust the most, with their girlfriend, Pixal, of course

• is dating Pixal since 10th grade

• they never feel in love with anyone before Pixal and used to don't understand the concept of love for years

• they always been bullied for either their skin tone or their autism, and developed trust issues and anxiety disorder

• are easily overwhelmed by noise or public places, so they never stay at school too long, only in the morning then they go back home

• are a HUGEEE fan of romantic/dramatic mangas

• has lost its mother when it was only a child and so lived with its father

• are often complimented by their friends about how beautiful their eyes are (they're blue but like a mix of ocean and ice blue)

• can do crochet

• wish that their friends's life could be better and always try to help them

• feel bad when anyone is standing up for them when they get bullied or victim of racism

• feel like a burden

• is active a lot in volunteering actions and associations for example homeless people or victims of any sort of abuse

• even though their hyperfixations are more inclined in the litterature domain, their dream job is to be a doctor or a surgeon

• loves flowers and often gather some when it's walking its way home or anywhre and put them in its herbarium

• don't really like sport but love hiking, they find it really relaxing

• wish their skin were white pretty often

• even if a lot of negative things happened or are happening to them, they always try to stay positive and enthuastic

• is always the first person to listen Cole's music before the other since it was the first to know Cole made music and never make fun of him for that

• their favourite kind of music are indie, classic and ethereal

• has earrings since it is in 8th grade and always has them on (they were its mom's)

• have a EXTREMELY well clean room and hate when people get in and touch things without their permission, it literally can triggers them

• drinks nothing except water and apple juice

• has a budgerigar called Icy because of its white feathers

• their therapist is often bring their conversation oh them getting diagnosed to approve, yes or no, if they're HPI

• are working everyday a bit on being able to go in publics places alone which makes their dad and friends very proud of them

• try as much as they can to give some money or medecine for Kai's IED since they know he doesn't/can't take his pills

• already has a colder body temperature but having its bionic arm makes it a little bit even colder somehow

• love ice cream (fav flavour is vanilla)

• its style of clothes fits in light academia and has a comfort jumper (the only one they have from their mother)

• loves rainbows and has an entire album of pictures of them in its phone

And that's it for the Headcanons of the "main" characters of ninjago, I know I took ages to post it but school has been pretty hard and other personnal problems had been on my mind but i'm really happy to finally show you this post ! As always, you can always put your own HC in the comments or discuss if you disagree with mine, as long it's done with respect ofc ! I want to thank @en0laa who often motivated me to continue this serie so I dedicate this post to her :D

Anyway, I hope y'all doing great and having a great day/night/afternoon ! See ya in the next post !!

[psychologicalwarclaire]

Number 4.

Jay again

The blue ninja must suffer!

Jay + Gagged

Ironic :)

Jay's friends called his babbling obnoxious. Master Wu called it distracting. Nya called it cute.

Jay called it a coping mechanism.

And right then, he needed all the coping could get.

So he chatted.

As the Sons Garmadon chained him to a support beam, he commented on ever aspect of their outfits. He talked about the most boring ninja missions the team had ever been on. He explained the plot of not one, not two, but twenty-three Starfarer comics. He told the absolute worst jokes in his entire pun arsenal. He launched rapid fire questions at the guards without waiting for an answer.

Jay had long since perfected his act: pitching his voice perfectly to be as squeaky as possible, wearing them down, letting his words grate and grate and grate until the henchmen would rather face the wrath of their higher ups than listening to his drone. If he was talking, he was in control.

And besides all that, if he didn't focus on something random to babble on about, the reality of his situation would set in.

And then he would panic.

And there would be no coming back from that.

Luckily, with the SoG, he was chill as could be. And they were close to breaking-- he could see it in their eye twitches. Soon he would be home to brag about his 'daring' escape to his friends.

He miscalculated.

"ENOUGH!!!" one of the guys roared.

"Nah, I'm not done! There are still seven steps left in Kai's hair care routine. You definitely need that, dude. I can see your split ends from all the way over here. In fact, as you walk closer, I can see even more-- hey hey wait what are you doing?! What are you doing?!?!"

The thug tore Jay's ninja mask off his face, ripping it in two ragged pieces.

"Dude! Not cool! You know we have those custom made, right? You can't just-- MMMFFPH!"

Taking advantage of Jay's chatter, the man roughly shoved a wad of blue fabric into his open mouth. It hit the back of his throat, triggering his gag reflex.

Before he had time to spit it out, the thug slammed the back of Jay's head against the metal beam. Stars popped in front of his eyes. Dazed, he couldn't even struggle as the rest of the mask was tied across his mouth. The man tightened the knot, painfully tying in some of Jay's curly hair in the process.

He rammed Jay's skull against the metal beam once more for good measure, and walked away, chuckling.

Jay tried to make a noise around the wad of slowly moistening fabric. He choked.

Tears filled his eyes as he gagged. Jay breathed rapidly through his nose, desperate not to throw up; it would have nowhere to go.

His jaw already ached, and drool was starting to slide down his chin from him inability to close his mouth or move his lips.

And then he realized how quiet it was.

Silence.

They were not going to let him go. Who knew what they were going to do with him now. He was trapped. A prisoner.

Trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped--

Jay screamed through his mask, high and reedy. The SoG guards just laughed. He thrashed, feeling his chains tug at his wrists.

His breath quickened, sharp and shallow though his nose. No no no no he was going to hyperventilate-- but now he was only panicking more!

Jay groaned through his mask, choking again.

"Shut it," the other guard scoffed. "Next time we'll cut out your tongue."

Jay squeezed his eyes shut and let tears slide down his face.

Silent. And powerless.

[nyaskitten]

(Nya takes the covers off of a skeleton.)

Nya: Some villagers unearthed the remains of this Fangpyre a few miles away. It predates the Golden Age, and must be hundreds of years old. Although the venom in the fangs of the Fangpyre genetically mutate human cells into reptilian, I've learned there could be a way to stop the effects without having to create an antivenom. (Zane is shown taking notes while Kai is bored. Cole is drawing a picture of him fighting while Jay, sporting a new hairstyle, stares at Nya with an infatuated expression on his face.) If one is able to wildly raise their heart rate, hypothetically it could reverse the venom's effects. (Her cheeks turn pink.) Resulting in...diminished, uh, excuse me, is someone wearing perfume? I'm severely allergic to perfume.

Jay: Heh. (Whispers to Kai) You told me it was men's cologne.

Kai: Meh, I get them mixed up. (Everyone but Jay and Nya laughs. Zane turns his humor switch off.)

Cole: Ah, looks like class is over. Time to start stomping some Serpentine before they find any Fangblades.

Kai: Sounds like a plan.

Zane: I'm excited to join. (Jay waits for them to leave.)

Jay: Uh, hey uh, Nya, I'm sorry. The reason I was—you know—I went to Kai because—look. What I'm trying to say is—

Nya: I know. It's just a cruel joke. I should be fine. Please, go fight snakes.

Jay: No, no, no, no. I was trying to impress you. Before Sensei left, he said our heart was the key to unlocking our True Potential.

Nya: Impress me? But I look so...

Jay: Fantastic. (Nya begins playing with her hair.) Look, maybe, if you'll let me, I can take you to some big fancy restaurant. You don't have to, if you don't want to...

Nya: You mean like a date?

Jay: Um, yeah?

Nya: Sure! I'd love to. But I have to go now before the perfume toxins enter my bloodstream and I go into shock. See you tonight. (She leaves.)

Jay: Yes! (Laughs, and accidentally pricks himself on the skeleton.) Ow! Aah! Man. (He leaves unaware of a trickle of venom dripping from the skeleton.)

(On the Mountain of Madness, Wu confronts Garmadon.)

Garmadon: Hello, brother. What took you so long? You brought the katana from our youth. Funny, you never had the courage to cross the temple wall, yet now you have the courage to come here.

Wu: Why have you come to this place of darkness?

Garmadon: A place as wicked as me? Don't you see? Here I feel at home. In Ninjago, I was physically unable to hold all four Spinjitzu Weapons. But here, dark magic has made me stronger and what was once impossible is now possible. (He reveals he now has four arms.)

Wu: You came here only to possess the Weapons of Spinjitzu?

Garmadon: Yes, brother, and I refuse to allow you or your petty ninja to stop me! (He summons four weapons to wield and starts attacking his brother.)

Wu: (He falls down in a pit of mud and tries to fend against the mud monsters.) Brother, I've not come here to—

Garmadon: You will pay for your visit. Mud monsters, converge! You don't belong here, old fool. You should've known better than to try to stop me.

Wu: (Struggling) I didn't come to stop you. I came to warn you. To tell you—your son's in danger! Aah!

Garmadon: Lloyd? (He pulls Wu out of the mud monsters.) What has Lloyd gotten himself into?

Wu: He has opened a can of worms I fear I will never be able to close.

Garmadon: You mean we will never be able to close. Get up. You can tell me more later. First, we need to return home. How did you find me?

Wu: Traveler's Tea. But I used it all and now have no way back.

Garmadon: There is only one way to return to Ninjago. But to get there, we must pass through the Mountain of Madness and it is a long and dangerous road ahead.

Wu: I wouldn't have it any other way.

Garmadon: We should leave. Before it really gets dark.

(The Serpentine dig their way aboveground just outside of Mega Monster Amusement Park.)

Skales: This is it, Pythor. The map leads us here. The first Fangblade. (He points to the park.) Maybe it's better to wait until dark, so we don't attract any unwanted attention from the ninja or Samurai.

Pythor: Oh, I have a feeling we'll fit right in.

(A kid runs away and screams.)

Employee: Hey, don't go.

Man: Excuse me. Would you mind if my family takes a picture with you?

Woman: Your costume is so authentic.

Pythor: Of course. Welcome to—to, uh (He looks at a sign.) Mega Monster Amusement Park!

Skales: Say cheese.

All: Cheese!

(At the Destiny's Bounty, Jay is getting ready for the date.)

Jay: Did I ever tell you I was the first one to learn Spinjitzu? No, I mean, uh, I invented Spinjitzu. Yeah, that's it. And i invented a few other moves, like the karate double chop. Hyah! (He looks at his hand, which has formed green scales.) No! No, no, no. The prick from the Fangpyre fang! Oh, no. This isn't happening. No, it's nothing. It's just a rash. It'll probably just go away. You're gonna do great, Jay. This is your chance to shine. Hehe. (He goes to the bridge wearing gloves.)

Cole: Whoa, where are you going, Mr. Fancy?

Jay: Didn't you hear? I'm taking Nya to a nice restaurant. A really nice restaurant.

Kai: You might wanna change your plans. The bridge just picked up evidence of Serpentine activity over at Mega Monster Amusement Park. (The monitor shows a photo of Serpentine in the park.l

Jay: Hey, that's Pythor.

Zane: Pythor would not be there for fun. We believe a Fangblade may be buried underneath the park.

Jay: We can't let them get it! Oh, but my date...

Kai: Jay, if they get all four of them, Pythor can unleash the Great Devourer. Get your priorities straight, man.

(Jay gets an idea and goes knock on Nya's door just after she comes in as Samurai X.)

Nya: Huh?

Jay: (opening the door) Uh, Nya, you there? (Nya slams the door.) Argh!

Nya: Don't come in! I'm getting ready.

Jay: Well, um—I just wanna talk to you about our date. You know, I'm hearing really bad reviews for the restaurant and I just...

Nya: (Her bracelet projects a map.) Serpentine spotted at Mega Monster Amusement Park?

Jay: You know, I think we should cancel.

Nya: (She opens the door.) Oh, you're canceling?

Jay: No, no. I just wanted to know if you would rather go to the Mega Monster Amusement Park instead.

Nya: Really? That would be perfect! But aren't you overdressed? (Nya gasps when she sees her Samurai helmet in view.)

Jay: Well, yeah. Of course, I need to change— (Nya kicks the helmet.) What was that?

Nya: Nothing! You know what? I'll dress up too. Looks fun.

Jay: Hey, I was thinking, you know, we'd take my Storm Glider there.

Nya: Sounds like fun. (She comes from behind a changing screen in a sequined dress which stuns Jay before he smiles.) I'm in your hands. (They take off.)

(Wu and Garmadon follows a path that leads to the Mountain of Madness.)

Garmadon: So, what kind of trouble has Lloyd gotten himself into?

Wu: Well, I'm afraid to say, the worst kind. He's reopened the Serpentine tombs, and now that they have united, Pythor is trying to find the Four Silver Fangblades to unleash the Great Devourer.

Garmadon: The very snake that turned me evil?

Wu: Yes.

Garmadon: Why would Lloyd open the tombs?

Wu: To be like you.

Garmadon: I never wanted him to. Thank you for watching out for him.

Wu: You may think of me as your enemy, but I was first your brother.

(Jay and Nya arrived at a restaurant in Mega Monster.)

Jay: Yeah, even when I was young, it was clear I was born and bred for adventure. I was the first one to get my knot badge in Little Scouts. I was always trying daring foods. I once built these wings from scrap metal and other—uh, you okay? You seem kind of distant.

Nya: Uh, yeah. It's just the portions are so big. And to think we split our dish.

Jay: Heh. So that Samurai. Oh, man. I hate him, don't you? He's such a showboat, you know? If you ask me, he's nothing without his big, clunky exo-suit.

Nya: Oh.

Jay: Yeah. Nothing can compare to two good old fashioned feet and fists, don't you think?

Nya: Yeah, sure.

Jay: You know, sssomebody once told me... (He gasps and looks at his reflection in a spoon. He realizes he has fangs.)

Nya: You okay?

Jay: Excusse me. I have to use the resstroom. (He enters the restroom and discovers he's turning green before removing his glove and seeing his hand in the same condition.) Oh, gosh. I'm turning into a snake! (A man tries to enter the restroom.) I'm busy, dude! Can't you see it's taken? I can't go out there looking like this. This is the worst date ever!

(Meanwhile, a group of visitors is riding an attraction that is meant to be scary.)

Man: Ha! Lame! This ride is stupid. (He sees the Serpentine digging.) Heh, look how stupid this guy looks. (He and the others were sprayed with Venomari venom.) Get me off this thing! Mommy!

Kai: Where is everybody? (They see the riders scream and run out of the attraction.)

Cole: Wait a minute, that ride was never scary.

Zane: Venomari.

Kai: Should we get Jay?

Cole: Let's not bother the two lovebirds. I think we can handle this.

Kai: Excuse us, coming through.

Cole: Nothing to look at, folks.

Zane: This is official ninja business.

(Jay still hasn't come back from the restroom and Nya is worried.)

Nya: (Sighs) Sorry, Jay. Duty calls. (She leaves the booth.)

Jay: Huh, you don't look so bad. Just go out there and tell her the truth. (He feels something on his back and turns around.) Ah! I have a tail! No, no, it's okay, Jay. Lots of girls like tails. (He goes back to their table.) She left? Nya?

Man: Snake! (Everyone surrounds him.)

Jay No! Stop! You don't understand!

(Nya gets in her Mech. Meanwhile, the Serpentine uncovers the Fangblade.)

Pythor: Ah. (Laughs) The first fangblade is ours!

(The Sword of Fire is shown igniting as Kai, Cole and Zane arrive.)

Kai: Not so fast.

Cole: Really? That's the best you got?

Kai: I couldn't think of anything on the fly.

Cole: How about "Time to burn" or "Jump on this fire ride?"

Kai: Well, next time, you lead.

Cole: Next time I will.

Kai: Oh, yeah? If you can catch up.

Cole: Oh, come on. You gotta follow my lead. (They attack the Serpentine.)

Man: Ninjas? Ninjas aren't scary.

Zane: Watch and learn, brothers. (He uses his True Potential, but accidentally freezes his teammates.) Oops.

Pythor: (Everyone laughs and runs away, but Nya uses her Mech to steal the Fangblade.) Stop him!

Nya: (tries to fly off but can't) Thruster malfunction. (She runs away but the snakes eventually tackle her.)

Pythor: Finally, the mystery man is revealed. (Everyone gasps when her helmet is taken off.) Or should I have said mystery girl? Who's gonna save you now, hmm?

(The crowd is still hitting Jay.)

Jay: Ow! (He crawls out, heads to the restroom, and conceals himself with his scarf.) Do not go in there. He bites. This is not dinner theater, people. It's real! Arm yourselves. (He runs outside.) Nya! Where is she? (He sees a group of snakes.) Hey! (The Serpentine laugh at him when they see his tail.)

Pythor: Oh, what happened? Snake bite your tongue?

Nya: (Tied on a roller coaster train) Jay! Help!

Pythor: (Signals for Bytar to turn it on) Later, alligator. Let's go, boys.

(Jay gets on the ride.)

Nya: What happened to you?

Jay: What happened to you? (He spots a ring of fire and broken tracks ahead.) Unh, we have to get you out of here.

Nya: (seeing his tail) Were you bit? Take off your head scarf.

Jay: I prefer not. I was meaning to tell you, but I didn't want it to ruin the date.

Nya: Oh, that's so sweet. Hey, you were the first in your 'Lil Scouts group to get your knot badge, right?

Jay: Yeah, about that, I made that up just so I could impress you. I was never in 'Lil Scouts.

Nya: You weren't? Hold on.

Jay: What? You have an idea?

Nya: No, hold on! (They ride down a slope and Jay's scarf comes undone.)

Jay: Aah! Don't look at me! I'm a monster. Though I hate the Samurai, where is he when you actually need him? Samurai! Help! Help! Samurai!

Nya: Jay, I don't think the Samurai is coming.

Jay: Why?

Nya: I know this might not be the best time, but I haven't been totally honest either.

Jay: What is it?

Nya: I...I'm the Samurai!

Jay: You're the Samurai!? Aah! We're running out of track.

Nya: Jay, if anything horrible were to happen, I want you to know that you don't have to wear cologne or pretend to be anything that you're not. Because I like you best when you're you. (She kisses him and he turns back to human.) Your face. You're returning back to normal.

Jay: It's just like you said. You must have raised my heart rate.

Nya: Whatever happens next, just remember, you are the best you. (Jay stands up as his Nunchucks begin to surge with more power than before.) What's happening?

Jay: My True Potential. (He turns into pure electricity and stops the train before it reaches the ring of fire.)

(The ninja meet up at the Park's entrance.)

Zane: You really had me fooled. I never guessed you were the Samurai.

Cole: I wished I had a sister like you.

Kai: Technically, I was the first to discover her secret, and didn't we agree whoever we thought was the best would naturally be the Green Ninja? Huh? The Green Ninja! The destined ninja to defeat Lord Garmadon, huh?

Jay: Why would we say that?

Cole: Yeah, I'm drawing a blank.

Zane: Nope. That conversation is not in my database.

Jay: You know what I learned today?

Nya: What's that?

Jay: No matter what kind of secret you have, whether you're a snake or a samurai, it's important to be yourself.

Cole: Yeah, that's cute, but you wanna know what I learned? The Serpentine now have the first Fangblade.

Zane: But we are getting stronger. One day, we will all reach our True Potential and Pythor will be stopped.

Jay: And we figured out all this without Sensei. Pretty good for four ninja. (Nya punches him.) And a Samurai.

Kai: I wonder what Sensei is doing now.

(Garmadon and Wu reached the base of the mountain.)

Garmadon: We're here. The Mountain of Madness.

Wu: The only way back to Ninjago is up there?

Garmadon: The worst is yet to come. (They start ascending the mountain.)

I AINT READING ALLLAAAAATTT ANON I HATE YOU.

[survivalshipping]

(BELATED) Ninjago Fic Rec Week Masterpost

Hey people! I’ve been working on this all week but unfortunately was too busy to really post any of it while the week was happening, so I’m posting all seven days late. I combed my entire bookmarks for this :3

DAY 1 (CANON/LLOYD)

o.k. overture by newnins

For the Lloyd prompt! I just Really Like this Lloyd fic, man. If you read the stuff i write you know how much I love deep introspection into Lloyd struggling with normalcy and his identity/purpose. Also any Skylor + Lloyd friendship is a WIN for me and is sorely underutilized

Chain Reaction by TeuthidaRegina

For the Canon and Lloyd prompt! One of multiple fics on here written by my bestie! I love beast Lloyd so so much and this fic is So Good. Let my man be more creature. I love dragoni Lloyd

Lloyd Gets a Ransom Note by BumblebeeEnby

For the Lloyd prompt! A fic where Lloyd gets to have a meal with Garmadon and Vinny. I’m absolutely obsessed with this fic for several reasons (see: my URL) and it feels so in-character and organic. Would love to be a fly on the wall for this one, honestly.

DAY 2 (AU/MOVIEVERSE/JAY)

Who Said You’re On Your Own? by Subpar_Samurai

For the AU prompt! This is for an AU that I remember seeing posts of by the author/artist prior to the fic being published and being immediately intrigued by it. It’s a story where Ronin is the one who takes Lloyd under his wing and raises him. I really like Ronin. I haven’t seen updates on this AU in a while but I still love it dearly

Prodigal Prince by TeuthidaRegina

For the AU and Movieverse prompt! Another fic written by my bestie. An AU where movie!Lloyd is raised by Garmadon instead...but is still the Green Ninja! The dynamics in this fic are so good. It has everything. Papa Garmadon, Very Much Oni Lloyd, and so, so much drama. Please read this I beg of you

Survivors by Finn_M_Corvex

For the Jay prompt! This was a fic I found relatively recently and it’s...super good? It deals with the survivor’s guilt that both Jay and Lloyd feel due to certain experiences. Jay is written really well in this. It’s also incredibly heartwrenching.

The Catboy-ification of Lloyd Garmadon by jays-supersonic-dynamo

For the Movieverse prompt! THEEEEEE movie fic. THE TLNM FIC EVER. Everything about this fic is absolutely perfect and it’s such fun writing for every movie iteration of the characters involved. I don’t care that Lloyd hates the term, I love dragoni Lloyd in this fic. Catboy is Real

DAY 3 (ANGST/KAI)

a day in the life of a fatherless child by holographicknife

For the Angst prompt! This fic upsets me in a good way. Lloyd deals with his trauma by himself, including a certain somebody showing up. It’s incredibly heartwrenching. Totally recommend.

An Impromptu Little Brother by Leonardo_Charles_BlueWood_21

For the Kai prompt! One of the absolute holy grails of Kai + Lloyd fics, showcasing the development of their brotherly relationship following young Lloyd joining the ninja and living with them. Super good, and Kai’s written great here. 

Off the Deep End by Kiss_The_Cook

For the Angst and Kai prompt! I don’t have a ton to say about this, but the way Kai is written in this is impeccable. Read it.

DAY 4 (FLUFF/COLE)

Dancing in the Rain by K1ngtok1

For the Fluff prompt! Super cute fic starring Lil Lloyd and Kai. Incredibly sweet. This fic just feels like a warm hug. 

Let’s Dye this World by PeachPopFizz

For the Fluff prompt! Lloyd dyes his hair. Chaos ensues. Don’t have much to say, but this fic is so much fun and I love it

hate to say i love you by lloydenthusiast

For the Fluff prompt! Lloyd struggles to tell his found family how much he loves them. Incredibly bittersweet and overall a great read.

DAY 5 (MULTICHAPTER/NYA)

Devil’s Horns by TeuthidaRegina

For the Multichapter prompt! Fic #3 on this list written by my best friend. Even though not everything by them is on here you should read everything by them. S10 divergence fic featuring a whole lotta oni Lloyd and also a whole lotta oni in general. What more could you want? This fic is perfection and I honestly forgot that that wasn’t what happened canonically because I like this way better

Perfect Gardens by northpen

For the Multichapter prompt! Post S10, Lloyd becomes a child again. SUPER long, SUPER angsty, and overall just super super interesting. northpen is a phenomenal author in this fandom. The interactions between Garmadon and Lloyd are so complex, too. I can’t wait for the next chapter of this fic. 

Line of Position (author has since orphaned this fic)

For the Nya prompt! Takes place during Hunted. Nya’s thinking about her family while she’s stargazing. Going to be real this fic made me so damn sad. I feel like there aren’t enough Hunter Nya works out there

Meet Again by northpen

For the Multichapter prompt! I don’t remember if I found this, or somebody recommended it to me, but when I started reading I think I read all but one chapter instead of sleeping. And then I proceeded to wake up the next day and finish it. SUPER good future fic involving reincarnation of sorts, Cole and Zane excluded since they’re still alive. This fic genuinely had me at the edge of my seat as it developed. I don’t want to spoil much but it’s worth the read.

DAY 6 (DYNAMIC DUOS/ZANE)

Piggyback by Echo_K

For the Dynamic Duos prompt! Two different scenes of Lloyd and Kai! Very cute, falls into hurt/comfort territory, but overall is a sweet story. Shows off the development of Kai and Lloyd’s bond well.

You Give Me the Strength I Need (To Cry) by fruitcasket

For the Dynamic Duos prompt! To say that this fic is incredible is an absolute understatement. It focuses on Kai and Lloyd, taking inspiration from The Splinter in the Blind Man’s Eye, and every part of it is amazing. Both perspectives are used. It’s also a multichapter! Seriously, I can’t recommend this enough.

thaw by lloydenthusiast

For the Dynamic Duos and the Zane prompt! A post-S11 fic involving dealing with the repercussions of the Ice Emperor. Really goes in-depth on both how it affected Zane and Lloyd. I don’t see a TON of fics about the two of them so this is always nice to see.

You’ve Got Your Transmission and Your Live Wire by Spinchip

For the Zane prompt! In which Zane experiments with their gender after a technical difficulty. I love seeing peoples’ takes on the identity of the characters in this series and this is honestly one of my favorite in that category. The author is also like, the CEO of Zane to me in general so that adds to how well this is written.

DAY 7 (GEN/TEAM)

brick by brick by lloydenthusiast

For the Gen and the Team prompt! A post-s10 fic dealing with Lloyd’s trauma and how he’s handling (or not handling) it. I love love LOVE the dynamics shown in this and how a connection is shown between everybody and every separate pair. It also feels incredibly organic and realistic, especially in terms of the dialogue.

The Candy Aisle by VioletPixels

For the Gen and the Team prompt! Takes place pre-Child’s Play when Lloyd is still a kid being raised by the ninja. Super cute, super heartfelt, and I love how the thought processes of Lloyd are shown. He’s truly a kid in this.

I’m Here by SenseiGrace

For the Gen prompt! After S3E5, when Lloyd is able to escape Pythor + the Overlord’s clutches and Sensei G comes to his aid. Something about fics involving Sensei Garmadon hit different. I especially liked how this fic was from Garmadon’s perspective. Makes me miss him so much.

a compass to lead you home by aura_w

For the Gen prompt! I don’t want to spoil this fic, but it’s Garmadon-focused (post-reincarnation) and deals with him rediscovering himself and dealing with his identity. Probably one of my favorite Garmadon-centric fics out there. Give it a read!

All I’m Asking For by lloydskywalkers

For the Gen and the Team prompt! I know this has probably been on like, everybody’s rec lists, but it’s worth it. Everything lloydskywalkers wrote is totally worth checking out on their ff.net page. It’s a long (26 chapter) fic which I recommend sitting down and reading fully. There’s a LOT I could say about this fic, but I don’t want to spoil people. Every character from the ninja to Wu and Garmadon are written so goddamn well in this. I think I cried reading the last few chapters. Please read this

Once again, very sorry that I’m like, three days late to posting for the Fic Rec week. I have been very busy 😭 but I really wanted to get my recommendations posted and out there for you guys to see!

[jezawitha-z]

As someone who's practicing a minimalist lifestyle, ito na naman yung season ng struggle ko for gift giving/exchange gift.

Since i always don't want to keep things na di ko naman talaga nagagamit, nag add nalang ako ng wishlist na consumable items nalang or yung handheld fan since magagamit ko naman sya lagi sa byahe.

I remember last year wishlist na nilagay ko sa exchange gift sa work namin ay tanging dove soap at hair conditioner lang. Hindi na nahirapan yung magbibigay, at the same time happy ako na magagamit ko naman daily yung makukuha ko. Hahaha

Sa ngayon naman, so far 2 exchange gift na naka pending. Sana wala na sa work dahil wala pa man parang pagod na agad ako mag isip ano ireregalo. And since di ko talaga primary love language to, nahihirapan talaga ako. Unless super close kita tapos mapapansin ko na gusto mo tong ganto ganyan, mag gigift ako. Gaya nung birthday ni Ivy(workmate) last month, before pa man kasi nabanggit nya na hilig nya din daw mga notebook. So nung napadaan ako ng sm, i bought her a cute notebook journal.

I always prefer to give cash as a gift, time, eat out tas libre ko or kaya I'll ask that person first if ano gusto nya matanggap na regalo. To make sure na gusto nya talaga matanggap nya. Although for some, mawawala yung essence na pa surprise kumbaga. Pero feel ko naman masamaya naman siguro yung bibigyan mo ng gift kapag gusto talaga nila yung ibibigay mo kahit expected na nila na yun yung ibibigay mo.

[21st-century-ninja]

Fic rec week: Dynamic Duos/Zane

It's duos and/or Zane time! Today's moodboard is for Kai and the Terrible Tear by @weekend-whip, a Kai & Nya fic!

Nya comes home with tears one day, and Kai takes some brotherly—if not continually difficult—action.

Why you should read: I love the nuances of Kai and Nya's relationship here -- how they're both trying to take care of each other even if they're not quite sure the right way to do it it's so good

Everyone makes mistakes by @miraculous-ninjabird

Kai struggles to process what happens after a battle goes sideways. Nya is there to help. Aka everyone makes mistakes but life as a ninja is rough and Mistakes hit hard. Sometimes there is no good answer

Why you should read: Wingficccccc wingfic wingfic!!!! milws (man i love wing symbolism) in fic and this one combines wings with great emotional beats

Déjà Vu by @the-painted-siren

As Cole prepares for his battle against Vangelis, he finds himself in a familiar position. He should have seen it coming: Vania isn't the first golden-haired youngster he's had to comfort about evil fathers.

Why you should read: the first fic ever in ao3's Cole & Vania tag and such a great one to inaugurate it with! There's great character parallels in this and everyone just is heartbreaking real

the hues of an empty sky by @m-aster-of-spinjitzu

Missing memories, or having two of them for one moment - not quite the same, but if there’s one thing Jay’s leant over the last few weeks, it’s that literally nothing makes sense anymore.

Why you should read: There's never enough Jay & Zane fic in the world and hey what do you know the memory-wonky characters have a conversation! With a more introspective tone this is a really great post-skybound piece

adjust by starskipper

His clothes... don't fit. He's more upset about this than he probably should be. (a drabble set directly after child's play for fluffiness and for profit)

Why you should read: the gb of the rgbs, and the dynamic I always am such a simp for! nya in here is literally goals ilhsm.

[rosesnink]

The Damned Daughter, Part Five: Never, My Love

Author’s Notes 

One of the stories I’ve been wanting to tell! Nya’s story! As none of you know, this series will continue on as I hold off the main one to wrap it and fully tell the backstory and lore that’s been on my mind. That being said, please read the TWs and read under your own discretion. Bon apetit! 

English is not my first language, so please forgive any typos/grammar mistakes 

For several reasons, this fic is rated +16. Make sure to read the TWs before you continue to read. Reader’s discretion is advised 

In case you stumble upon this universe for the first time, here’s the masterlist 

Summary: Nya Crochane tells her life’s story 

Rating: R-15-M 

TW: Violence, language, grief, major and minor death character, suggestive scenes, grief & trauma 

Word Count: 8.9k words 

Pairing: Nya Crochane (F!OC) x Cillian of York (M!OC) 

Category: Fluff, angst

Book: Desire & Decorum (AU) (though this is previous to D&D but to put something) 

People always said that, if someone doesn’t know their history, they are bound to repeat it, over and over. Many wars and conflicts are brought up, as well as behaviours and conducts. But what is rarely talked, is the mistake within families, all for the sake of reputation and duty. Many lives destroyed and taken; many reputations ruined. All for the naught of a wee rumour. The Crochanes were no less.

Many looked up to these handsome, heroic and magnificent people, and couldn’t understand the estranged members who wanted out. They had founded Dracaria. They were heroes and hands of the emperors and widely popular. Their reputation was beneath reproach outside doors.

Nya Crochane chuckled bitterly. She had learned the hard way that they were far from perfect. And as her most beloved niece buried her fiancé, she muttered “Who else has to die before we realise our mistake being repeated over and over?”

Her hair was grey, and her pristine fair skin had wrinkled, but she still held her sweetness and poise within her, as well as good-earned wisdom. A mortal loving them was a death sentence, and not only because of the law. Because of societal and aristocratic ambitions as well. Nobody who was somebody at court wished a mortal to take over what they deemed as theirs. She learned it herself.

By the Goddess, she had lost all that mattered to her to these people who cared not for their wellbeing. Cillian, her little Fenris, everyone.

September, 1470

Nya had heard the news as she adjusted her red curls on an elaborate hairdo: the Duke of Clarence and the Earl of Warwick had landed at Plymouth, and though Nya cared nothing for war, she was intrigued by this fight for the English throne of all thrones. She shrugged as her maid completed the look and Nya marvelled at it. “Beautiful as always, Agata.”

She curtsied to her and left the room. As she perfumed herself, she could hear a horse neighing loudly and someone—a man—struggling with it. She frowned and looked out to the window to find and exquisitely handsome man: rich caramel hair with striking blue eyes and soft features and a strong, tall feature, he tried his best to tame the newest stallion that had arrived to the estate they were being hosted.

“I do hope she hasn’t bitten you, good sir.”

The man gasped and looked up, and when he saw her, greeted her and chuckled, his beautiful cheeks now pink “Begging your pardon, ma’am. This one’s the feisty of all feisty stallions.”

Nya giggled “Will you be alright, sir?”

“Aye, madam. I have feisty sisters back at home, this is nothin’.”

She smiled widely and he looked down, blushing entirely “I, uh, must go, but… may I have your name first, fair maiden?”

“When there are no eyes watching, you may call me Nya.”

He bowed respectfully “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Nya.”

Hours later, the ball had begun and guests drank and danced away, as if no war was separating them. After all, they weren’t killing their brothers and sons. The others were. She was woken out of her reeling mind when the Duke of York approached Nya, chatting with her father. She quickly greeted them… and did her best not to gasp at the sight of the handsome horse man she had seem earlier. He was as shocked, and also tried his best not to blurt out anything that’d give it away.

“…My daughter, Nya. Dear, say hello to the Duke of York and his… natural son, Cillian.”

They greeted one another and he kissed her hand “A pleasure, miss…?”

“Lady Nya. The pleasure’s all mine, sir.”

Her father regarded her nervousness with his inquisitive and distrustful dark eyes, hands tucked behind his back “Are you quite alright, dear? You seem nervous.”

“I—That is because… I wish to perform a song, but I wouldn’t wish to intrude.”

“Oh, never, dear! We welcome all voices.” The duke smiled.

“You’ve performed before, daughter. This is by now a walk in the park to you.”

Nya hid her feelings with a smile, as she always has “I still get those pre-stage nerves, after all these years.”

The duke patted his son on the back “Well, son, Lord Crochane and I have business to discuss. We’ll leave you with his lady daughter.”

He nodded and bowed, avoiding the warning stare of her father. Nya sighed “Do forgive him. He’s always been protective of me and my siblings.”

“’Tis nothing, my lady. I know is not personal.” He took a sip from his cup “So, uh… Lady Nya, eh?”

She chuckled “I’ve always loved to keep people on their toes.”

He chuckled “You certainly have. I was wondering… if I may have a dance?”

She smiled “With pleasure.”

The next months were the ones Nya was the happiest in her long life: she always visited Cillian, danced with him various times at every gathering, strolled the gardens together, sent each other concerningly lengthy letters and chatted for hours, much to her sisters’ chagrin.

As they rode rather fast towards the big old tree, they looked at one another. Especially, at his lips. Her heart was racing so and her distraction was such, she fell off rather inelegantly off the horse.

“My word! Are you quite alright, Lady Nya?!” He had knelt to see if she was injured, becoming dangerously close. Nya opened her eyes and marvelled at his male beauty, stroking his hair and the adoration and concern in his eyes.

“Y-yes, I am… quite alright.”

“Nya, I—that is—,”

Soon, without truly knowing who started it, their lips met and her hands grabbed his neck and inner back, begging him closer. He was quick to position himself as he kissed her, his hands untangling her red curls as he whispered “Oh, Nya, my Nya…” He kept repeating her name, making her mind go blurry “Nya, Nya, Nya. What a magical sound, your name is.” He stopped to catch his breath and caressed her cheek “What are you doing to me, sweet Nya?”

They kissed again, losing themselves in the other’s warmth, the fresh grass and the lulling stroke of the wind.

Vivienne had decided to give the old gowns of her daughters to charity, and was rummaging Nya’s wardrobe when, observing the gown Nya wore a few weeks ago smelled odd and decided to see if she had spilled wine all over it again… when she saw dirt and rests of grass on it, and remembered that the young York boy had come to ride with her.

“Bring my daughter Nya at once.” She commanded, her heart beating, fearing the worst. Nya came in, and when the door closed, Vivienne turned around, the dirty spot on her hands “Explain yourself. Now.”

Nya gasped, staying still for a few minutes before she sighed “It is true… but we didn’t lay together! We just kissed, mother!”

Vivienne sighed “Good, because if your father sees this, we’re over! He will challenge him to a duel!”

“I don’t see what is wrong with it! Neither of my sisters are virgins, why would he care?”

“That is because they were men of our range, and he had planned itself! This is different, Nya. You know what will happen if you marry him…”

Nya shook her head “Still trying to marry me off to Earl Bernhill, is he?”

“I don’t see anything wrong with Elias! He’s handsome, charming, wealthy and would be kind to you!”

Nya finally snapped “But I do not like him! I could never! Besides, there’s something off with him… his wife died too suddenly and he wasn’t even touched by it… So that’s a no from me.”

“She did treat him coldly—,”

“Lies and slander! He was the one who did! Gosh, why can’t you see what I do? Do you regard my wishes so little?”

Vivienne sat down, dress still in hand “Of course not. But his family would do us good. Yes, he is a tad inbred, but that shouldn’t be a problem!”

Nya threw her hands up and sighed “He is inbred and there’s something about him that I do not like. He has a reputation of being vindictive and his third wife died in a concerningly suspicious way. Need I keep going?”

Vivienne studied her daughter for a minute, and accepted defeat. She had seen that face before. There was no way she’d win this fight. Not yet at least.

“Why can’t you give him one chance to prove himself?”

Nya shook her head, “No. I’ve made up my mind. I do not want him.”

“Nya—,”

She had turned her back to leave, but whipped her head and adamantly declared “I said no! If I ever marry a wizard is because I want it and I choose it, and nobody, not even you, will drag me to the altar.”

Then, she slammed the door and left, leaving Vivienne with her thoughts.

1814

Elias watched as Joanna and Thomas laughed and looked at one another, full of love. Disgusting, he thought. Not only he had endured watching Odessa with that Vincent, but now the daughter as well? Ugh.

He was angry. The Elders had declined his petition to betroth him to Joanna herself, as well as he had been refused by Odessa twenty years ago and Nya a long time ago. The reason why? He knew the prophesy. A Crochane woman would sit upon the Dracarian throne, and he had to be there. He would be there. No matter what. The first step to take?

He had to kill Thomas Coleman before he took what belonged to him.

Nya lost the time she had been running away from the house at late night, she just let the current carry her to wherever she felt safer. She didn’t remember knocking on the door, she only could see Cillian’s surprised face upon seeing her soaked from the rain and at late night. He was quick to usher her inside and offering his jacket, leading her to the warming fire.

The moment she felt good enough to talk, he asked “Why are you here, Nya? What happened? Are you in danger?”

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

He took her hand in his and with his thumb, he traced lines one it, “tell me everything. I may be able to help.”

The moment she opened her mouth, she never stopped speaking, telling him everything: that she was being forced to court and marry a whoremonger, that she was a witch, all her family was, that she knew the aftermath of the war and that she loved him. The last statement took his breath away.

“Truly, Nya? You love me?”

She kissed his hand “With all my heart.”

They didn’t know for how long they gazed at each other. Minutes. Hours. Years. Centuries. Did it even matter? Cillian slowly approached her lips, looking intently to see if he should stop, if he was crossing a line. He found the contrary. Her desire could match his own very well.

Before he could lock lips with her, she whispered “Take me to the nearest church and make me your wife. Make me your own, Cillian.”

“Nya,” he breathed “are you certain?”

“With all of my heart.”

And so, he did. Took her to a small church where a kind priest married them. A small beggar that was a good friend of Cillian was there as a witness, and before bed, Nya provided drinks.

After the priest had blessed their bed and left, they stood bare before the other, hearts racing. Nya first approached and asked “Have you done it before?” She whispered.

He shyly nodded “Nay. I tried, but I never wanted anyone. Not the way I want you.”

She bit her lip “You don’t mind then? That I am no virgin?” She looked at him through her eyelashes.

He kissed her head and smiled “I believe it’s fair that one of us know what they’re doing.”

Despite her own experience, her heart raced nevertheless. This was different. He was different. She clearly liked the men and women she had done it with, but she never loved them. Not like she loved Cillian. And that is what she whispered in his ear as they melted into the other’s touch. With a smile as wide as the edges of the world, he kissed her sweetly, becoming one with her. His Nya. His beloved of flaming red hair and the most beautiful smile in the world. His wife. His, and his alone.

Three months had gone by, and it was in January of 1471 that Nya finally turned up to her family home. The first thing she received were gasps of delight from her sisters… and a slap from her father, who looked angry. Too angry. Her mother recoiled at such violence, but did nothing yet. Nya took a deep breath “Hello, Father. Mother. Sisters.”

“Where the fuck were you, Nya?” Her father asked, anger visible in his face, “No, don’t answer. Whoring yourself to the York boy, right? And here one thought I raised you with fine taste. You could’ve picked someone legitimate at least.”

“Uzaric!” Vivienne intervened, “we discussed this before.”

He stepped back “You deal with her then. I’m sick of thinking what she has done.”

Nya’s stomach dropped, but said nothing. Instead, she looked at her mother “I can explain.”

“Oh, you will. Girls, to your rooms.”

“Mama, but—,”

“Not now, Nene! Off you go!”

Odessa took Nene’s hand and gave Nya a sympathetic nod. She was sure that she’d vouch for her. Nya raised her head and faced her mother “I want you to know that I do not regret it.”

Vivienne nodded “I know. I am your mother, dear, I can read you very well. But I need something to tell your father that isn’t that.”

Nya smiled bitterly “What else is to say that I am in love… and,” she placed her hands on her belly “that I am bearing his child?”

Vivienne reacted a bit too fast to her own tastes, slapping her daughter in pure shock “Child, what have you done?”

She gave her what was left of the drink she had taken on her wedding night and Vivienne nearly fainted. Nya, despite being hurt by the slap, steadied her mother. She sat her on the sofa and asked the maid for fresh water “Do you know the consequences of this, my child?”

Nya raised her chin “I am ready to face them.”

Vivienne massaged her temples “Oh, for the Goddess’ sake, what have I done? I told your father it wasn’t a good idea to mingle with humans, and here we are.”

“Mother—”

“Guards!” She cried “Lock her in her bedroom, and call my husband. Tell him to meet me on the gardens. He’ll know which spot I refer to.”

Nya looked at her mother in horror “Mama…”

“You’ll thank me soon. I’m sorry it has to be this way, baby.”

“No… no! Let me go! Let go of me! I command you!” She cried out, fighting the guards, but Vivienne was quick to put her to sleep with one movement of her fingers.

Winter of 1814

Elias was hidden in the snow, watching as Thomas Coleman waved goodbye to his friends and went straight to where he was. When he knew the friends were out of sight, he commanded the snow to grow thicker and colder, as well as the wind. He came out of his hiding spot, startling the boy “Oh! Mr. Bernhill, I didn’t quite see you. Whatever are you doing here, alone at such late hour?” He asked, confused.

He smiled sinisterly “Why, looking for you. We must speak, man to man.” His smile dropped “Particularly, of how would you like me to kill you.”

Thomas tried to laugh despite his fear and urge to flee “Wh-what a curious sense of humour you have, good sir. Joanna told me all about it.”

His features hardened “That wedding will not happen. You won’t take what is mine.”

Despite his fear, Thomas raised his head in defiance “Joanna belongs to nobody, and you won’t do us apart. She will never fall for a relic like yourself.”

He laughed “I don’t need her love. I need her throne.”

Thomas froze “T-throne?”

He smirked “My, she didn’t tell you? What kind of love is that?” He grabbed his neck “Joanna will be the next Empress of Dracaria, and you will not be her consort. I will.”

He gulped “It is not up to you.”

He scoffed, squeezing harder by the minute “Do you think I need permission?”

He threw him off and summoned his power, red and black on his hand, and slammed in on his chest, making him cry out of pain “I will have the Dracarian throne, as well as Joanna’s power, and they will all pay. Starting with you. No human will ever touch a wizard or witch again.” He could tell he was about to die and asked smugly “Any last words, boy?”

He was crying, in pain, pale and bleeding, but stood his ground nevertheless “You will not succeed. Joanna will be an empress with a great consort, harmony will be upon us once again, and my blood will have been well-spent.”

With rage inside him, he twisted his hand, making his death quicker and left him to die in the freezing cold. He scoffed. Yet another mortal who thought that he was above his power.

I will have Joanna’s throne and power, and the first thing I’ll do with that I will do with that is destroy the planet earth and take over everyone else, and no one will stop me.

Nya woke up in her room, with her sisters on each side of the bed, sympathetic looks on their faces, like if they knew something she didn’t. She sat up and looked at them “Girls? What is going on? What are you hiding?”

Odessa decided to speak “Father sent Nik to kill Cillian, but not before telling him that you’re to marry someone else and that your marriage will be annulled.”

Nya shook her head, tears prickling on her eyes “No. No. No, no, no, no, no—FATHER, YOU FUCKING COWARD, HOW COULD YOU?!” She screamed on the top of her lungs, the pain stabbing her right on the heart, heart racing and crying endlessly, nearly crushing her sisters’ hands.

Nene tried her best not to cry, and Odessa quickly climbed onto the bed, pulling her head onto her bosom, her golden hair getting on Nya’s crying, red face. Nene soon completed the hug sandwich and kissed her sister’s head. She asked if they knew what would happen to her baby, but they told them that their father refused to speak with them. They eavesdropped and discovered that Fabian would be responsible of his fate. At least her kinder, more empathetic brother would do good to her son. She was certain it was a boy.

And so, time passed, her punishment becoming softer as she became bigger, only seeing that same maid and her sisters, and occasionally her mother. Her father still refused to talk to her. He couldn’t even begin to look at her, for he’d see the baby bump. He had to turn down Elias in Nya’s name and make up an excuse, trying to hide her love child. Love. What a stupid word, used in vain for most of them, he thought. But a love child wouldn’t ruin his ambitious plan. Especially not a mutt of all things.

When the time of birth came, everyone was barely eating or paying attention, all huddled up in different parts of the house that were the closest to the birthing chamber, where no man was allowed there until the baby was out of the womb. Nya, despite her fear, was extremely brave, and determined to hold her boy before it was inevitably taken away from her. The household’s eyes were on her, and Fabian was guarding the door outside, making sure Nya didn’t pull off any antics.

Weeping of the effort, the baby had come out, and smiled with pride when it was announced that it was a boy. Fabian came into the room, ready to take him, but Nya was already grabbing his arm “Fabian, brother, please. Let me look at him. Smell him, name him. I beg you.”

Fabian hesitated for a second, then looked outside and then at Nya, and nodded “Only two minutes before father and mother come in.”

She smiled at picked her baby boy in her arms, chuckling and took his head to her nose, and my, what a magnificent scent! She could smell him for hours. She whispered “Fenris. Fenris, Fenris, Fenris, your name is Fenris.”

The moment she heard the steps, she looked one more time to his rosy cheeks. He seemed to have her father’s hair and easy-going personality. That’d take him far. She quickly gave it to Fabian, who took him out of the house. The moment the midwife left, she looked at her parents with hatred and fearlessness “Go ahead. Whatever thing you’ll do, do it now.”

Uzaric didn’t say anything. He clicked his fingers and she was soon tied up to the bed, and an Elder was performing an all too familiar spell. She was getting her magic back, alongside her longevity. She wanted to cry, to ask her father if Cillian was still alive, to even visit his tomb, but said nothing. She closed her eyes, falling into oblivion.

For a moment, she thought herself dead. She wanted to be dead, so badly. The moment she heard her father’s agitating, graving voice lecturing her sisters to not be like Nya, she couldn’t help but murmur “For fuck’s sake, not this cunt of a father again.”

Nene tried not to snicker, and Odessa bit the inside of her cheek as her father turned around and took a deep breath “I’ll let it pass because you’re grieving and normally say gibberish when you do.”

She looked at him defiantly “What if I did mean to say that you are indeed a cunt? Hm?”

Before he could say or do anything, Niklaus came into the room and bowed to his father, and her sisters bowed to him “Nya. Come with me.”

“Grab me by the hair and fucking make me, you murdering cunt.”

Niklaus, unlike their father, was unfazed by her insults and simply grabbed her by the arm gently and took her to the woods, where he finally let go and crossed his arms. She turned around and smiled angrily “Oh, you’ll kill me in the woods? What are you, a pedophilic Catholic priest from the Roman Empire who take their snitchers here?”

Still impassive, he explained “I’m not here to kill you, sister. I’m here to let you express your emotions safely from father… and allow you to say goodbye to your loved one.”

“Oh, we’re talking feelings? Awesome, great, my turn.” She crossed the distance and punched him right in the face. He didn’t flinch. She slapped him next. Pulled his hair, smacked his shoulders, she even kneed him where the sun never shone. She screamed at the top of her lungs, scratching him, ripping his clothes out of rage until he grabbed her and she then started crying, full of rage and grief. She had told him many things, hurtful things. That she hated them. That they were stuck-up, old-fashioned and selfish pair of twats, that they were self-centered narcissists who cared for nothing but themselves, that they deserved to die, not Cillian. That her baby was blameless, and they were heartless and full of shit. Niklaus steadied her, full of blood and bruises “Feels good, doesn’t it? Do you feel relieved, fulfilled, like you’ve avenged your beloved? Hm? Look, you just lost the man you love and your baby. I’m sorry, even if you don’t believe me. My hands were as tied as yours.”

“You could’ve said no!!! You could’ve defended me!!! Helped us elope!!! FUCK, FABIAN, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DUTY OVER YOUR SISTER?!” She screamed, her pain and grief palpating all over her body, weeping, red, weak, tired, angry and deeply heartbroken, nearly dead in all matters save the physical. Niklaus instead steadied her again and took her to an unmarked grave, but she knew who that was. It had been recently dug, but the body was still in the casket.

Nya looked at the motionless body, his eyes shut and starting to go pale. His lips no longer had color. Neither did his cheeks. It was like watching an angel sleep. Her beloved angel, now with far better people than the ones she was stuck with. “Cillian…?” She quickly dropped to her knees, patting him to see if he was alive “My love, it’s me, Nya. Open your eyes, my love. It’s over. Cillian… please, say something, open your eyes.” She started panicking “Cillian, please, wake up, wake up, please, Cillian, open up, open your eyes,” her breath caught and took her hands off, realizing that he was truly dead “CILLIAN!” She screamed as loud as she could, the pain in her heart too much to bear “PLEASE, OPEN YOUR EYES!” She buried her head on his chest, hearing nothing of it. Sobbing, she lifted her eyes, her hands now gripping his dead body. At the top of her lungs, she wailed and screamed, so loudly it pierced the souls of whomever listened to them. And so, she kept wailing and screaming, and Niklaus closed his eyes, unable to look. He did not want to cause his sister pain, but his hands had been tightly tied and he had been far more merciful than any other goon his father would’ve sent. “Of all people, not you!!” She wailed, throwing herself to his lifeless body, ugly-crying, uncontrollably sobbing, feeling a piercing pain in her heart, as if it was being ripped out of her body and she couldn’t breathe. Niklaus was certain of one thing: this family, and Nya, would never being the same. Nya would either avenge her love or simply get out to never return.

Manchuria, Yusitan, Asia

Fabian finally reached the temple he had been looking for at least in three different regions. He held tight his baby nephew, who fussed over the cold. He shushed him, rocking him and hoping he’d fall asleep, but it was nearly impossible. He knocked on the door and took out the piece of bread with a magical ingredient and swallowed it. The monk looked at him and made a face. He mumbled something of an ‘European’.

“Good afternoon,” he greeted in his language “I was hoping to have a word.”

“What about?” He asked.

“The baby I have. Do hear me out before slamming the door in my face?” He naturally spoke the language thanks to the magical bread who made him speak it with fluency.

“Hmmph. Five minutes and no less.”

They got in and closed the door, where he observed the vivacious and rich decoration. He always liked the Mongols, and thought them intelligent and with refined taste, a thing that not many people in Europe were capable of understanding. Many looked down on them, but not Fabian.

“Well, what do you want from us?” The monk asked.

He adjusted baby Fenris on his arms, who slept like an angel “I need you to take in this little boy. He has nobody in the world, and I’m willing to pay a large sum.”

“Will you now, European boy?”

“Money is no trouble, and I promised his mother. I gave her my word that he’d be alright.”

They debated for a while, and the monk called his superiors to discuss it. He didn’t know how, but they ended up accepting him after much deliberation. He kissed goodbye his nephew and left a letter for him to find when he was older. Perhaps one day he’d understand. Perhaps he wouldn’t. But at least, he got something from his mother: a letter and her portrait. With one last look, he left the temple, to never return… for it’d be Fenris who’d decide if he’d return or not. He hoped he did. And that he’d live to see mother and son reunited.

1794

Fenris had always been curious of his roots. For years, he asked for his mother or father. It wasn’t until his 20th birthday that they gave him the letter and portrait of his mother, though the letter had been written by his uncle, Fabian. He had read it so many times, he knew it by heart, as well as his mother’s features: a woman of bright red hair, blue eyes, with a golden dress and a sweet and young demeanor, of the name Nya. Nya Crochane. Wife of Cillian of York, daughter of Uzaric and Vivienne, sister of Niklaus, Nene and Odessa. Born in 989, and one of the wisest and brightest witches of the Empire of Dracaria.

January, 1474

To my nephew, Fenris,

I have no clue how this letter will find you. Maybe you’ll be a small boy with many questions and a feeling that you lack something in your life. Maybe you’ll be an angry and moody teenager who has more questions than answer, or a grown man ready to show everyone that you are your father’s son. Maybe you’ll be twenty, or forty, or even more. I do not know. In this world, nothing is ever certain.

But what I do know, is that you either want answers or closure. Perhaps both, and I feel like it’s my duty to do so. I will do my best to tell you how you ended up on a monastery, and not with your mother.

Back in 1473, a beautiful witch met a bastard son of the House of York during the bloody Wars of the Roses. She fell in love, as did he. But this is not the tales they’ll tell you. There is an ancient law that forbids any witch having issue the mortal way, less alone with a mortal man, and with her parents working on promising her to someone else. Someone she truly didn’t care about.

The price of a witch having a baby was to give up her powers and immortality in exchange for birthing the baby safely. And your grandfather Uzaric didn’t want that. You see, he was a truly old-fashioned man, many centuries old by the time you were born. And your father wasn’t even to his liking. He was yet another pawn in his game. And the fact that he wanted to steal his most favored daughter did not please him at all.

So, he ordered his immediate execution and confined your mother to her chambers to give birth to you. The moment you were born, I was commanded to give you away somewhere away from Europe so you wouldn’t come looking for her. And I did. I didn’t have the needed strength to defend your mother. No one did. We still don’t. I wish we did, but we don’t. Not even my own mother, your grandmother, is capable of doing such thing.

If, by the time Uzaric is dead, you wish to see your mother, we won’t oppose you. I promise not to stand in your way.

I know that it probably won’t excuse what I did, but I am sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t man enough to protect and defend you and your mother. I’m sorry we had to separate you. And I’m sorry that you grew up in a cold and probably loveless environment. I promise I did my best to put you in good hands. I hope I did.

I hope I can meet you someday.

Your uncle,

Fabian Crochane

Fenris opened his eyes, the England his mother grew up in had indeed changed much: not even the same dynasty reigned. The Hanoverians were on its third king, and the longest-reigning so far. For three hundred years, he did not dare make so many questions about his past and why he was so different than his peers: he was dark of hair, blue eyes and with what he could hear ‘Western’ features, meanwhile his peers were of Asian features. Still, he was one of them, despite his physical differences, he had been trained the same for three centuries by the best masters of all time, and he had acquired skill that no other man on Earth could ever match… at least on the mortal’s land. He had known that his aunt Odessa could be found on the city of London in the opera house. So, he knocked on the door “Excuse me, I’m looking for Odessa. She works here. I believe she’s blonde and—,”

“We don’t have anyone of the name Odessa, sorry lad.”

He was about to close the door when a commanding voice calmly threatened “Albert, that will be the last time you try to slam the door in my nephew’s face.”

The man named Albert spun around in shock “Nephew?”

“Are you deaf perhaps? I clearly said nephew. Now, let him in.”

The man, clearly intimidated by her, let him in and continued to guard the door. Fenris looked at his aunt: she was blonde of hair and with similar blue orbs he’d seen in portraits. She was older, though, and with a wiser demeanor. She nevertheless smiled at him and opened her arms “Come hug your aunt, dear nephew.”

He shyly did so, and first thing he caught was a whiff of her essence: rosemary, polish and cheap perfume. He wondered what his mother smelled like. Odessa beckoned him to sit with her and speak quietly so they wouldn’t interrupt the rehearsals. Fenris stood quiet, analyzing what to ask and where to begin “You’re probably wondering where you can find your mother.”

“Yes.”

“Not even I know. Nya kept to herself everything she did after… after you were born. She even dismissed any staff appointed to her. She learned to do everything for herself, and never once gave away her exact location and activity. That drove my father mad. I mean… your grandfather.”

“I can’t blame her. He sounds like an arsehole.”

Odessa snorted “That is an understatement. He condemned your mother for bedding a mortal of her own choosing and has sent me to do the same. It’s only alright when he commands it.”

“He’s still alive?”

“No, but he’s sent me to many mortals’ beds for his plots and schemes.”

“And who sent you here then?”

“The emperor. That one I cannot truly refuse.”

“I heard he’s from the dynasty of Mannan and Buenaventura.”

“Yes, he is. But if I succeed in my task, he will be the last of them.”

He frowned “And which family will rule next?”

“…Ours, dear nephew. The Crochanes will be in power once again since 1046, when the Osbornes dethroned my grandfather, Jannis Crochane. I was a girl then, but your grandfather had the meltdown of meltdowns.”

Fenris smirked, only imagining the ever composed and cool Uzaric having a meltdown because someone else took what he thought his. He had read that he founded the kingdom of Dracaria, but Orion Osborne, of albino hair and bright pink eyes had made it an empire, to the point that he was known as Orion the Conqueror. He also heard that Jannis was weak and too peaceful to withhold an invasion that everyone else approved of.

It was a pity that they became so maddened it led to the worst war Panzuria had ever witnessed: the Clash of Lineages, for the Crochanes, Mannans and Buenaventura’s would all ally against the mad and evil Horace the Cruel, who not only had killed all of his family in a span of six months, but had also wed his youngest sister. The man, before that royal marriage, had been married to eight of the best and most beautiful socialites of Dracaria, all of whom had died mysteriously or publicly executed for several reasons: not giving him a son, alleged adultery, necromancy and voodoo against him, incest even.

It had been a cruel and bloody war, killing at least 75 billion of all kinds of people, among them six races that had lived peacefully: witches, werewolves, mermaids, faeries, humans and vampires. He had known that not so long ago, the leaders of all groups had called a peace after the heiress to the Buenaventura had married the heir of the Mannans and ended the war. They had also modernized the system and gave better rights to all the affected species, as well as giving over former imperial territories to those who wanted out of the mainland of the empire.

Odessa patted his shoulder “I’m sorry I can’t be of help. But… I do remember that she had a fondness for places like the Isle of Wight or Normandy. Try going there, you won’t find her in the country that caused her pain.”

“Thank you, aunt, and… good luck in your quest.”

“And you, nephew.”

He left, and a dumbfounded lady started bombarding Aunt Odessa with questions about the handsome lad who claimed to be her nephew. He could only spot her shaking her head, a small smile on her face.

Early November, 1817

Fenris had given up finding his mother long ago, and instead had been looking for his father’s grave. He passed as an historian who was interested in forgotten figures of medieval history, and asked about Cillian of York’s rests. That’s how he found out that his ‘rivals’ had killed him in the stables and buried him with an unmarked grave. But he wouldn’t allow it to happen. He soon started looking up what had been of his family since 1536. Apparently, the day before Anne Boleyn was beheaded, a group of men led by the Duke of Karlington then had kidnapped his aunt Nene and had forced her repeatedly in a secluded hut in the woods, alongside with beatings and mocking towards her. He was horrified, and now understood well his cousin’s hatred for the current duke. He had tried locating Nene herself, but she had escaped, letting him know that she didn’t wish to meet him yet. She did accept and responded his letters, telling him of the residence they had been and that Nya and Niklaus disappeared for hours, but had a feeling that his tomb was nearby.

After finding the house, he started and exhaustive search for his grave, and when he thought that it had been destroyed, he found an unmarked grave. Using his powers, he felt a familiar presence. Picking up the shovel and started digging. He dug for hours, until midnight was upon him, but he found it: he was all bones by now, but the ring in his finger had the York emblem and it also had wizard protections around it. He had just found his father’s grave. With a flick of his wrist, he placed the bones on the rich casket he had commissioned and started putting everything in place. Then, he placed a gravestone that read “Cillian of York, 1452-1473. Husband and father, here lies a man wronged by unfair laws of the time.” Then, he sighed. At last, he had vindicated his long dead father.

When he arrived at the house he was staying, a letter was placed on his desk. The handwriting was feminine, and he was soon glad to be reached out by the author:

To my dear cousin Fenris,

I hope this letter finds you in good health, as well as in English soil. If not, I am happy to provide a portal that shall bring you here at once.

As you may know, I was crowned a year ago, and I was hoping that you could come back to your rightful home in Dracaria. I will be happy to provide you peerage, as well as rights as a member of my family.

To know more details, meet me in the royal gardens on the 25th of November during teatime. I beseech you to be on time.

Kind regards,

Your cousin,

Her Imperial Majesty, Joanna I of the Dracarian Empire of the Founding House of Crochane.

Well, he thought, it seems that I am to meet an empress who happens to be my cousin. Might as well call my tailor.

Mother and son walked through the labyrinthine castle that could’ve been his, apparently. Nya told him everything he asked, and he realized they shared several traits: like her, Fenris disliked violence, and was mostly calm and dutiful, preferring to perform in the shadows rather than make a scene or being the center of attention. He also discovered he had more cousins: Guinevere from his uncle Niklaus, who had also killed his father. She was very different to her father, taking a liking to his late wife, who had agreed to turn into a witch: she was very much like her, with brown hair and warm brown eyes, as well as a witty but sweet personality, a very giving and loving woman, and Niklaus’ princess. By his uncle Fabian, he had three cousins: Mikael, Freya and Amatis, a very chaotic and united bunch. Mikael had his father’s tall, dark and handsome features, meanwhile Freya and Amatis looked like their shared grandmother Vivienne: blonde, curly hair, bright blue eyes and a sweet demeanor, though Freya was a tribrid; she had been attacked by a vampire during her teens when she disobeyed her father by going to a pagan party and on her 100th birthday, she got into a fight with a werewolf and was turned as well. It seemed that she was Fabian’s weakness and couldn’t discipline her, so it was up to their grandfather to do so. The cousins had been in different courts, flaunting as they pleased since their parents spoiled them or the strict one had died. Amatis was a shy and sweet girl who followed her around, though lately she had finally gained some confidence after a small chat with Joanna. It seemed like her presence did people good.

Turning around, they found Joanna waiting for them. Her red hair was now in an elaborate hairdo and her piercing blue eyes were now relaxed, smiling fondly at the pair “Auntie. Cousin. What a pleasure to see you two reunited.”

“Indeed. It seems that everything’s coming back together.”

Joanna nodded and indicated them to follow her. They chatted for a bit, and Joanna heard all about his adventures in Manchuria and what he had learned, and made him promise a sparring lesson. He teasingly told her he hadn’t been beaten since 1588. Joanna was just even more tempted to challenge him to a friendly spar. They stopped at a very luxurious and decorated wing, with rich tones of purple and beige, where many initials, alongside the small flame that indicated whether they were alive or not, noticed that some were unused and others were being renewed “This wing is made for blood relatives. The moment I knew you were alive, I cleaned out an old room for you and the servants are waiting for your commands to decorate it to your tastes. I’m also decorating Frederick’s room. All rooms must have some purple in it, for it is the color of royalty and it’s our daily reminder that we are the ruling house now. Come inside, take a look. I have things to do.”

She left and they politely curtsied to her, and Nya observed their rooms were in front of one another. Nene’s room was still active, but locked. Niklaus and Fabian’s rooms had a white cross on it, representing mourning and the fact that they were dead. Only the birth of a member of their line would compel Joanna to open it, or ones of another of her line. Frederick was but three, so there was some time left.

Arm-in-arm, mother and son strode to the room, discussing what he’d like to see in his new room. It was certainly far more contentious than the one he had in Yusitan. 

1968

So much had happened. So much bloodshed. Grand monarchies, now only seen in the history books. Fenris Crochane was not unfamiliar with loss and pain, but everything that had happened was beyond what he had lived. He was quick to visit his mother, who had bought a small flat in York to have some time for herself. He had noticed her growing depression, and the fact that she was very old. She had reached her millennium, and he was scared. He only has had his mother for a century and a half. It wasn’t nearly enough.

Outside, he could hear a new song from a group called ‘The Association’. He wondered if the lyrics reminded her of her love for his father. It probably did.

You ask me if there'll come a time

When I grow tired of you

Never, my love

Never, my love

You wonder if this heart of mine

Will lose its desire for you

Never, my love

Never, my love

What makes you think love will end?

When you know that my whole life depends

On you (on you)

Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba (ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba)

Never, my love

Never, my love

You say you fear I'll change my mind

I won't require you

Never, my love

Never, my love

How can you think love will end

When I've asked you to spend your whole life

With me? (with me, with me)

Never, my love (never, my love)

Never, my love

Never, my love (never, my love)

Never, my love

Never, my love

Nya felt her heartbeat get slower by the minute. As the new song from The Association played in the background, all she could think about of her millennial life was him. Her Cillian. Her one and only love. His blue eyes, that could match the color the sky. His dark brown hair, that reminded her of the comfort of a good coffee in the morning. His caress, him calling her ‘sweet, sweet Nya’ and ‘my most beloved and august wife’.

Many had tried to win over her hand, but all she could think about was her Cillian. None of them had his genteel manners, or his sweet wording, or his way with children and animals, that warmed her heart so. Every man just reminded her that they weren’t Cillian. She had done her best, but the death and chaos surrounding the continent just didn’t help.

Fenris rushed the best he could to her room. The moment he came in, he heard something fall from Nya’s room. Worried, he rushed towards the room… and what he found, broke him. His mother lay unconscious and with a bottle of pills empty on the floor. He escalated to her level and shook her “Mother? Mother, wake up! Wake up, mother! You can’t go! Please, Mama!” He sobbed.

Fenris could count with the fingers of one hand how many times he had cried. This time, it came out instantly. Seeing a part of himself and his past go was the worst. He didn’t cry when his wife had a miscarriage. He didn’t cry when he saw his cousins die in the Bazar of Charity’s fire. He didn’t cry when he served his time in both world wars. He didn’t even cry during his training in Manchuria.

But now, he had just gotten his mother back, and now, she was gone. He wept throughout most of the night, and only when he was done, he still couldn’t help drop a few tears. This was his mother, who had been his rock and biggest supporter for a hundred years. The person who had loved him the most and had been the most loyal to him, gone without a trace.

But what destroyed him was when the Gods claimed her. She became ashes. Her white hair, that had been one as red as the sun during dawn, her closed eyes, that once shone with the light of a thousand bonfires and had the colour of the cleanest seas, her saddened face, that once had the brightest and most sweet smile, now gone. Made dusk without a second thought.

The woman who had come from a great lineage of witches and wizards, a brave woman who showed that kindness was not weakness, that there was always some love left in the world, that always believed in good, that never once spoke evil of anybody and was one of the most powerful, loyal, loving, caring and giving women that had ever graced mother earth, now made dusk, finally reunited with her love, but at what cost? At what expense?

He noticed a letter. A goodbye letter. A suicide letter.

To my son Fenris,

If you find this letter, it means that by now I am with the Gods. And I truly, earnestly hope that you are away by then. If not, I am sorry, baby.

You and I know I’ve had no easy life, despite growing up in privilege and luxury. But I have lived a life without my love, with two sisters too busy surviving to even pay attention to the others’ pain. A legacy that has done more harm than anything else. Thank Heavens that Joanna changed it all. It brought me joy to officiate the first public wedding of a mortal man and an immortal woman. I knew she remember when your father and I had to hide in shame. How I disappeared for months out of fear of scrutiny and your grandfather’s wrath.

So much has changed ever since that fateful afternoon in the royal gardens. You were but a boy with no experience of what the world had to offer, but look at you, my boy. You experienced love. Then marriage. Then fatherhood. The losses of it. The bitter taste of time. An ever-changing world. Wars like never seen before. You’ve seen empires rise and fall. And what’s more, we’ve done it all together. We’ve argued, cried, laughed, danced, sang and celebrated. Before everything, we were a small family, in danger, but thankfully, and with yours and Joanna’s wisdom, we came from at least twenty members to nearly two hundred. And I am so proud of having become a grandmother. And to see you get what I wanted to give you once.

I don’t ask much of you. Your children are grown, and your wife is stronger than ever. I ask of you to remember me. To tell my dear grandchildren how much I adore them, and how I will miss them. Hearing them laugh, cry, advise them, explore the world, discover new things, experience something that brings them joy. To see you grow as a man, as they grow as well. My small afternoon teas with Gertie. Even if my body is no more, my soul will miss you forever, and carry the pain of leaving you behind.

A poet said once that, as long as you remember me, I’m not truly dead. So, think of me often. Do not let me get lost to history. Do not let my efforts to keep your father alive in vain. And most of all, live.

Keep laughing. Keep crying. Keep dancing. Keep fighting. And keep being yourself, for the very best of my heart and your father’s soul is in you, my beloved son.

We shall meet not so soon.

I love you as there are stars in the entire universe,

Mama.

And so, Fenris Crochane wept away, mourning the death of a mother that he had been apart from three hundred years and had met for one, and every memory they’ve made of it.

He closed his eyes and whispered a prayer he had gotten used to say, and allowed his father to carry his mother with her well-deserved paradise.

Somewhere in paradise

Nya Crochane observed herself: she knew she was back on her old self, for her long red hair was once again on her head, as well as her smooth and youthful skin, and felt younger, immortal even. She also observed that she was back into her white nightgown, the one she had wore before she laid with Cillian. She still remembered buying it, after all this time. She smiled. Perhaps he was there!

“There you are, sweet Nya, I was looking everywhere for you,” a familiar voice whispered.

She turned around and gasped: her beloved Cillian of York stood before her, white shirt and simple pantaloons on him, the same he had worn on their wedding night. He had an extended hand and an inviting smile “Come along.”

She accepted her hand and started to run across the field, and Nya laughed. The wind caressed her red curls as she and Cillian gained speed. After such a sprint, they stopped in front of a beautiful hut: the hut they had stayed before she returned with her parents. Nya laughed incuriously, “It is what I think it is, my love?”

“Indeed, chou. It’s our home. And now, no one can stop us from being happy.”

Nya beamed and Cillian picked her bride style, and both of them laughed “I love you, Cillian.”

“I love you too, Nya.”

And so, they entered inside their new paradise, to never move out of there, finally together after so much time apart and so little time together for the rest of eternity.

[random-chaotic-bitch]

Siren's Song - Chapter 4

Three months of peace had passed since the team had recovered the Golden Weapons. Alisha could be found training in the courtyard, running the training course as quickly as possible. Nya kept time, watching the siren gracefully slide through the course. Wu stepped outside, looking for the ninjas. Alisha took no notice, but Nya shook her head, pointing to another room inside the monastery. Wu shook his head in disappointment, closing the door as he left to chew out the ninja. 

Nya turned her attention back to Alisha, who was wrapping up the course. "Whew! What's my time?"

The dark-haired girl grinned, checking the stopwatch. "Uh, forty-five seconds! Maintaining the same average as the last few rounds. Stamina seems to be holding out, and you've barely broken a sweat."

Alisha smirked. "Sounds great. I'm gonna go clean up, 'cause I was thinking about running into town and rescuing the rest of my stuff from my apartment. Need anything?"

Nya nodded. "Actually, yeah. I think we need to get more laundry supplies, and I have some stuff to get for myself as well."

The girls made their way inside. Alisha quickly changed from her blue sports jacket and matching leggings to a pair of ripped black jeans and a coral zip-up sweatshirt with a loose tie-dyed tank top underneath. The tank top read "This never happened" in black letters, a contrast to the blue-green dye job over the white fabric. She pulled her hair from its braid, keeping it in a simple loose ponytail. The siren grabbed a pair of soft-soled white sneakers, doing an awkward hop-walk as she pulled them on her feet. She made her way to the game room, where the boys sat playing video games. She made it in time to hear Cole say, "Well, I was gonna eat this pizza tomorrow, so if that's the case..."

Wu swiftly kicked the pizza slice out of Cole's hand. "Ow!"

The older man quickly snapped at the ninja. "No pizza for you! In order to reach your full potential, you must train."

Kai leaned back on his forearms, video game console on his lap. "Uh, remember when we did a little thing called the Tornado of Creation? I thought that was pretty insane."

Alisha stifled a giggle, continuing to sneak up behind the ninjas. Wu sighed. "Oh. You four have merely scratched the surface of your full potential. There are still so many secrets you have yet to unlock. You haven't even begun to tap into what powers your golden weapons hold."

Cole laughed. "You wanna talk secret powers? Check this out," he replied, using the Scythe of Quakes to plug in the TV, starting up the video game. Alisha readied herself to jump at them as Zane tried to comfort Wu. "Don't worry, Master. We will be ready when Lord Garmadon returns."

The siren crept up behind the boys, yelling, "BLEAH!"

The reactions of the ninjas made Alisha break down in giggles. Cole jumped, Kai shrieked, Jay fell over, and Zane yelled. Wu, upon seeing the chaos, had to stifle a laugh despite knowing the disappointing state the team was in. 

The boys turned around to see Alisha sitting on the floor in a fit of giggles. "You- your faces," she managed to gasp out. "You look- ridiculous!"

Nya burst in, out of breath. "Guys, Lord Garmadon, he's returned! He was spotted approaching Jamanakai Village!"

Alisha leaped to her feet, laughter being replaced with shock. "Shit! Come on, let's go!"

She sprinted outside, opting to jump up and over the wall of the courtyard rather than go through the gates. As she free-fell down to the dragon stables, she used her Siren abilities to make her clothes shift from normal to her combat suit. Landing lightly on her toes she rose to her feet between doors to the separate stable stalls. As the doors opened, Alisha climbed onto Shard's back with ease and grace, compared to Zane, who struggled. She settled behind Zane's seat, laughing as they finally leaped into flight. 

Alisha watched the conversation between the ninjas with a small smile. Her eyes widened when Jay asked, "Race you there?"

The rest of the team spurred their dragons faster. Alisha yelped at the change in pace but after a moment, recovered and whooped as Zane prompted Shard to move faster. "Come on, Zane! We'll beat them there!"

As they landed, Alisha hopped off first with a laugh, watching the others bicker over who arrived first. "Ladies, ladies, you're all equally pretty. Mission now, bickering later," she reminded them, grinning beneath her mask. Kai turned towards where the shadow of their enemy reflected off a wall. Evil laughter echoed around them. "Stay sharp, team. Whatever happens, never let your guard down."

The laughing shadow rounded the wall to reveal... a little kid in a black hoodie. Alisha rolled her eyes. "Oh, great," she commented. The kid laughed. "It is I, Lloyd Garmadon! I demand all the candy in town, or else!"

Jay's defensive position went slack as he stood normally. "Lloyd Garmadon? I thought we were gonna face Lord Garmadon."

Cole groaned, turning to Kai to explain. "It's his son."

Jay groaned. "Ugh."

Cole continued, addressing everyone. "Looks like he escaped his boarding school for bad boys again. And to think we could've been doing Spinjitzu already."

Alisha groaned. "Again? The last time was bad enough, with that two-week-long mission-turned-manhunt. This kid is gonna be the death of me."

Lloyd, getting no response, tried to make more threats. "Uh... gimmie your candy, or I'll release the Serpentine on you!"

The villagers of Jamanakai Village started booing. Lloyd pulled out a prank can of rubber snakes, unleashing them into the crowd. Alisha snickered as the villagers started throwing vegetables at the child. "No way! I asked for candy, not vegetables! I hate vegetables!"

Kai picked up one of the rubber snakes, slingshotting it out of the way as he spoke. "He's gonna have to do a lot better than use an old bedtime story to scare people."

Zane shook his head. "The Serpentine are real, Kai. They're not something to joke about."

Kai scoffed. "Serpentine? Real? We're talking about the ancient race of snake people who once ruled Ninjago and were supposedly locked underground."

Jay chuckled nervously. "Sealed in five different tombs to separate the warring tribes and ensure they don't unify to exact their revenge upon those who put them there."

Kai threw his hands in the air. "It was an old wive's tale to teach kids not to poke their noses where they don't belong. Don't you think it's a little suspicious no one's ever found one of their tombs?"

Cole sighed, approaching the kid standing on the fountain ledge. "Well, that's because you'd be a fool to look for one. If there was anything I hated more than dragons, it was snakes. Rubber or not."

The rest of the team joined Cole in getting the kid out of the main space. Jay got waffled in the head with the snake can, earning a stifled laugh from Alisha. "Eh, at least it isn't spider people. That would be bad," she commented. Cole waved off the people, saying, "Don't worry, folks. We'll take care of this. Nothing to see here."

The kid, fighting to get out of the team's grasp, started spewing nonsense. "Bow down to me or suffer my wrath! I'll give you to the count of three! One! Two!"

Kai butted in as they carried the gremlin child around the corner. "What are we supposed to do? Spank him?"

Alisha swatted his shoulder, scolding him. "Kai!"

The little kid got nervous. "Two and a half!"

A few minutes later, Lloyd was hanging off a sign by the back of his shirt, with food and mud all over him. Alisha snickered as the kid yelled, "You just made me your nemesis! Mark my words, you'll pay for this!"

Zane walked over to the candy stand nearby, purchasing candy for the rest of the team. The others each got some candy of their own from Zane, and Alisha ended up with a few lollipops. "Next time, try paying for your candy," Cole commented. Alisha shook her head with a grin, looking up at Lloyd. "Crime doesn't pay, niño. Trust me. It's not worth it."

Jay made a show of eating his cotton candy, taunting the ten-year-old. "Mmm... cotton candy."

The kid lost it at that, causing Kai to start laughing as the team walked away. As they walked back to the dragons, Cole wrapped an arm around Alisha's shoulders. "See? Nowhere near as bad as last time!"

The siren scoffed, face souring at the memory. "Yeah. Do you recall how we got that little gremlin to stop stealing our shit? Because I certainly do. Trust me, lullabies barely worked on that little demon child."

The team started to mount the dragons, Cole giving Alisha a boost onto Rocky. A scroll fell out of Kai's saddlebag. "Huh? I don't remember putting this here."

Zane examined the bag. "That Sensei's bag. You must've accidentally taken it in the rush."

Jay peeked over Kai's shoulder. "What is it?"

Kai turned to him in annoyance. "It's a scroll, windbag," he deadpanned. Alisha cracked a grin as Jay turned back with a matching look. "I know it's a scroll, but what does it say? It's written in chicken scratch."

Zane shook his head. "Not chicken scratch. The ancient language of our ancestors."

Alisha's eyes widened. Oh shit, she realized. Only Sensei's important and very secret scrolls are in the Old Tongue, like the-

"Uh, can you read it?" "Well, I can try. This symbol means 'prophecy'."

Ohhh no.

"Prophecy?" "It means it tells the future." "Of course. Ha-ha. I knew that."

Oh fuck no, I swear if this is what I think it is-

"'One ninja will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja, the ninja destined to defeat the Dark Lord,'."

Shit fuck shit fuck shit fuck shit fuck shit!

"Oh, look, a picture!" "Dark Lord? Hold on... you think they mean Lord Garmadon?"

Oh gods, please, no!

"Wait a minute! Is that us? Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?"

Shit! Oh, we're so screwed. Screwed.

The bickering of the others faded into the background as Alisha continued to panic. Oh gods, Sensei's plan is going to fall apart! The whole point of the team was that it wouldn't be any of them! I have to tell Sensei before the plan crumbles-

"Everyone, stop it! Remember why Sensei brought us together in the first place. We're a team. We weren't meant to see this, and probably for good reason. Come on, let's head back home. We have training to do," Cole's voice broke into the siren's thoughts, dispelling the panic. She registered a black blur in front of her. "Hey, you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost," Cole commented, meeting Alisha's panic-stricken eyes. She let out a shaky breath. "Yeah, just got caught up in my head," she replied, readying herself for the ride home. "Don't fly rough this time, I don't want to get sick like I almost did the last time I rode with you."

Cole laughed in front of Alisha. "That was one time! You can't let that go?"

The blonde scoffed. "Never," she replied with a playful jab to Cole's side. 

About minutes later, the team returned to the Monastery of Spinjitzu with lively chatter between the boys. Alisha flicked her wrists, alighting her hands with the purple-pink glow of her siren powers. She quickly crossed them over her front and dropped them quickly. As she did so, her combat suit shifted back to her regular clothes, relaxing in her more comfortable day clothes. 

As the team entered the monastery's courtyard, Alisha noticed Nya running the training course. She noticed the team and lost focus, getting knocked off of the course. Jay went and shyly offered her a hand. "Hey, Nya. Closer to beating your brother's speed record?"

The black-haired girl nodded with a grin, running a hand through her bangs and de-sticking them from her forehead. "I'm getting there. Heard what happened in town. Just a false alarm?"

Kai nodded. "Yeah. Uh, but we're gonna need the space. Sorry, sis."

As the boys set up the space, Alisha rolled her eyes. "Men. Always thinking with their fists."

Cole started laying down some rules. "Two matches. Then the winners of each face off for the title. The armor is for our own protection. It's time to see what these babies can do."

Kai turned back to the girls. "Hey, Nya. Wanna stay and watch me mop the floor with them?"

Nya shook her head. "No, thanks. Alisha and I have to get some stuff from Jamanakai Village. Knock yourselves out."

The girls turned and left, walking down past the dragon stables to the hidden driveway. Alisha guided the younger girl to her motorbike, passing Nya a spare helmet. "You might have to adjust it a little, Cole was the last one to use it."

Nya laughed, clipping on the helmet. The two girls soon arrived at Jamanakai Village and split up to run their separate errands. "You pick up what you need, and I'll get the groceries we need."

About an hour later, the girls had what they came for. As they packed up Alisha's bike, villagers started screaming and running. Nya sighed. "What now?"

Alisha took a look, seeing Lloyd Garmadon with a cart of candy. "Ugh. Mini Garmadon. Again. I'll handle him, you finish loading up the bike."

The siren stepped out into the street just in time to see a horde of snake figures marching in formation behind the kid. She just as quickly darted back behind the building next to Nya. "I would like to retract my previous statement," she stated with wide eyes. 

They stayed hidden in the alleyway, watching the Serpentine mind-control the innocent villagers. Eventually, the rest of the team showed up and attempted to deal with the wayward child. But, when they realized they were outnumbered, they turned and ran. Alisha caught them with the Force, pulling them back into the alley with herself and Nya. "Guys!"

Jay laughed. "Ha! You guys are okay!"

Nya sighed. "Barely. They've hypnotized everyone in town."

"Mind control? How is this possible?"

The black-haired girl held up a hand. "When you hear them rattle their tails, don't look them in the eyes. That's how they get you."

Jay groaned. "Well, what are we supposed to do? We can't use our weapons, and now we gotta fight with our eyes closed? Ha, perfect."

Alisha nudged Nya in the side, pointing to the only snake with a real tail. "The snake with the staff is the General. He's the one in charge. If we can get the staff from him, it holds the anti-venom. If we get that, we can save everyone," Nya explained. Kai butted in, pointing out, "Look, guys. Forget about the whole Green Ninja thing. Let's make Sensei proud. The four of us. We're a team."

Cole laughed. "Now you're talking!"

Jay turned to Nya. "Oh, and Nya, you can be our honorary member."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks," she commented sarcastically. Alisha knocked Jay in the back of the head as she strode past him. "Ow!"

The siren peeked out around the corner. "It's a good thing I don't have to ruin these clothes," she commented nonchalantly. "I like this outfit a lot."

She opened her mind to the Force, feeling the familiar hum of her siren powers. A purple-pink glow engulfed her, and when it faded, she was now wearing her combat suit, cape and all. Strapped to her back was her spear, tucked safely in a small slit along the cape seams. A familiar call came from the Force, a plea from an old weapon to be brought back once more. She frowned, tuning out the call. 

Alisha grabbed her spear, spinning it in her hands for a moment. "Let's see how those snakes like a taste of their own medicine."

She stepped into the street, hitting her spear against the ground to catch the Serpentine's attention. "Hey, snakes!"

Her eyes widened as a bunch of snakes turned to attack her. "Please work," she muttered as she sheathed her spear. Crossing her wrists in front of her torso, she grinned as her hands lit aglow with purple-pink tendrils of siren magic. 

The tendrils poured from her hands, eyes, and heart down into the streets, creeping along the ground until they caught the leg or tail of a Serpentine warrior. Once she had a sufficient catch, Alisha started softly singing a dark, simple melody. 

Are you, are you

Coming to the tree?

Where they strung up a man

They say who murdered three.

Strange things did happen here,

No stranger would it be

If we met at midnight

In the Hanging Tree

Are you, are you

Coming to the tree?

Where the dead man called out

For his love to flee

Strange things did happen here,

No stranger would it be

If we met at midnight

In that Hanging Tree.

Alisha opened her eyes to see a crowd of Serpentine, eyes glowing the same purple-pink as her siren magic. They were under her control, completely unable to do anything other than what she willed them to. A dark smile crept across her face. "Sleep."

The Serpentine dropped to the ground unconscious, some snoring as they went down. Alisha released her hold on the snake beings before the whispers invaded her mind. She brought a hand to her head, holding back a gasp of pain from the sudden headache. "There's that karma," she groaned. 

She noticed Zane confronting Lloyd. "Sensei was right. Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today. We should've dealt with you the first time around."

Lloyd shrieked. "Retreat!"

As the snakes turned to escape, Cole tackled the general, stealing his staff. But another snake tried to hypnotize him. Alisha tried to run to him but fell to her knees, still weakened from controlling so many beings at once. Nya saw everything and kicked the snake in the head. "Cole! You have the anti-venom!"

Cole shouted something back, but Alisha missed it when her ears started ringing. The siren's head drooped, forehead brushing against the ground. A red-clad figure entered her vision, but she couldn't tell if they were Kai or Nya. The figure picked her up, yelling something the siren couldn't quite understand. Through blurry vision, she saw the figure look her in the eyes. "Hang on, Alisha," they pleaded in a muffled voice. "Don't pass out."

Alisha started feeling lightheaded and floaty as her vision cut to black. The last thing she heard before passing out was her ringing ears.

[lebensmoode]

Love is Blind

Ini akan sedikit spoiler yak. Dari awal nonton acara dating ini, aing udah punya satu couple favorit. Cewek yang manis, imut, tapi dewasa, plus cowok yang bertampang "badung" tapi aslinya ramah, loving, dan heartwarming banget. Seiring berjalannya waktu, mereka satu-satunya couple yang hampir gak merasa waswas soal hubungan mereka dan masa depan. They truly enjoyed each other company, while pasangan lain sibuk sama kecemasan mereka. Damai banget pokoknya ngeliat pasangan ini, less conflict.

So pria dari pasangan ini tu berambut pirang, dan itu belum lazim mereun ya di jepang. Si cewe agak kaget awalnya pas ngeliat rambut cowo ini, but since he is a hairdresser, si cewe bisa maklum dan gak mengurangi rasa sukanya sama si cowo. But, lain soal dengan orang tuanya si cewe. The woman said that her father was strict and quite conservative. Jadi punya kekhawatiran tuh soal rambutnya si cowo yg pirang, yg bisa jadi akan dicap buruk sama ayah si cewe. On the other hand, si cowo kekeuh gamau ngerubah warna rambutnya jadi hitam. He wanted to show that "this is me" gitu. He wanted to be apa adanya di depan camer nya.

Trus si cowo menambahi keyakinannya itu dengan bilang "I'm more than just my hair color."

Wow 👏🏻👏🏻Di situ gw merasa mengerti and wishing the girl to accept the way he values himself. Dan ternyata si cewe bisa memahami itu, cuma masih watir tentang pandangan orang tuanya aja.

Finally, the day to meet the girl's family came. Trus gw kaget dong. THE BOY COLORED HIS HAIR BLACK OEMJI !!! Trus pas diwawancara, beliau bilang alasannya. "Saya mau nunjukkin kalau saya serius." AAAAAAAKKKK MGNGSS 😭😭😭

Apa ya, even changing your hair color can consider a struggle loh. Padahal harusnya wajar seorang hair dresser punya gaya rambut yg beda dari khalayak ramai. But the boy.... THE MAN set aside his prinsip, his ego, just because he wanted the family meeting to go smooth. Because it could make his girl stop worrying. Because he wanted to keep this girl beside, like no matter what.

At the meeting, he succeeded. The girl's father had good impression on him. He succeeded showing his sincerity and true self, even tho his hair color was black 🥲

Trus mereka akhirnya meniqa and 3 months after the marriage, si cowo balik ngecat rambutnya pirang lagi DAN RAMBUT CEWE NYA JUGA IKUTAN PIRANG OMO OMO OMO I CAANN'T 🙈🙈 Sweet banget mereka pokoknya dari awal sampe akhir huhu couple goals gak tuh yg begitu tuuuh

Sooo yaaaa aing udah menamatkan serial dating show jepang ini gengs. For me yang akan masuk kepala tiga akhir tahun nanti, yg juga masih having no clue about keyakinan untuk menikah (karena selama ini gw mikirnya pengen nikah itu karena pengen escape from home, gak lebih), yg masih labil soal kepribadian diri sendiri, this show is such a blessing. Lyke, I feel lucky to find this show when I was scrolling on netflix, searching what movie to watch. Banyak pelajaran soal mengenal diri sendiri, memantapkan visi hidup ke depan, dan komunikasi dengan orang lain. I can surely say that this is not all about love. Literally much more than that. 9/10 ✨

N.B: Maybe later I will post some of the thoughts resulted from watching this show, and what value I think has changed my perspective.

[okimnerdy]

Ninjago: Genesis

(Pt. 1 of Ninjago: Restoration)

Summary: Nothing interesting ever happened in the small, village of Ignacia. That is, until a couple skeletons kidnap Kai's little sister and an old man offers to teach him a powerful fighting style to save her. In matter of days, he's gone from a simple blacksmith to a fighter against evil.

Can he keep up with everything or will he save his sister and run?

Project Masterlist

°•°•°•°•°•

The sound of a hammer hitting metal echoed through the empty fields of Ignacia. It was a common sound to hear during the day, especially at the Four Weapons. The small village had slowly kept the smithery operational after the owner and his wife disappeared nearly a decade ago, leaving it to be run by their children once the eldest came of age.

Within the walls of the forge, a young man of fifteen toiled away in the heat of the shop as his younger sister of thirteen watched from the window.

The boy was of average height, skin tanned by the sun, and a mess of brown hair on his head. He worked sleeveless in the forge, showing off the muscles he gained from the job, much to the annoyance of his sister, but knew his brown eyes shone with amusement. His sister stood half a head shorter, her black hair cut just below her chin, and had tan skin to match but her eyes were a deep blue. She had been complimented on them a lot growing up, most saying looked just like her mother that way. Kai knew she wouldn't admit it outloud, but he knew Nya hated hearing that.

The Smith siblings had been doing their best to keep their parents' memory alive, but with no teacher, the boy was struggling to make the simplest of weapons. For example, take the sword he was currently working on.

“In order to make the perfect weapon,” he said, lifting the weapon from the anvil, “you need the right metal and plenty of heat. To cool it off,” he shifted to a trough of water and dunked the sword in, “you use water.”

He lifted the sword out far too quickly, groaning as the metal had twisted on itself. Seeing his reflection all bent and twisted had him letting out a sigh of frustration. His sister merely laughed from her perch in the window.

“You made it too quickly, Kai,” she said. “You have to be patient. I think I learned more from your apprenticeship than you did. Remember what they said?”

“No matter how much fire you have, experience isn’t something you learn overnight.” His voice was tired and monotone. “Nya, that may work for you but I have to do what I can to get products available. This shop is the last connection we have to mom and dad, and I want to do my best to keep it going for when they come back.”

“How are you so sure that they’re going to come back?” Kai watched his sister deflate in the window, cheeks all puffed up as she leaned on her arm. “I mean, it’s been a decade since they disappeared. Wouldn’t they have come back by now?”

Slowly setting down the ruined blade, Kai walked over to the window and placed a sweaty palm on her head. He had only been five when their parents vanished, leaving him and a three-year-old Nya alone on the front lawn. Ever since then, the people of Ignacia had helped raise them and teach them much of what they needed to know.

“They’ll come back one day, I know it. Until then, you get to deal with me.”

Nya’s laugh echoed through the building as he pulled her into a playful headlock, nearly dragging her through the window. His knuckles dug into her scalp as she tried to pry him away with more squeals of laughter before he released her with his own chuckle.

“Feel better?” He asked, picking up a rag to wipe his face. She nodded. “Good. Now, how’s school?”

The sound of the shop’s bell cut off her answer. Hopping down from her seat, she took position at the counter by the front door. Looking through the window, Kai took note of an elderly man with a long white beard browsing over the weaponry he managed to make properly.

“Hello sir,” Nya greeted, dropping into a more pleasant demeanor. “Welcome to the Four Weapons, what can we supply you with today?”

“Your metal is too loud and heavy,” the man stated, confusing the siblings. “They are too useful to slow one down, nothing here to aid in the art of stealth. All of your tools suit a samurai. Have you nothing for a ninja?”

“I’m sorry, but we don’t really cater to samurai or ninja, especially since the practice of those arts have seemed to die out over the past couple years." She took a breath and cleared her throat. "Most of our weapons are commissioned or for self-defense. If you are looking to commission something to suit those professions, we’d be more than willing to discuss pricing.”

The man studied her before turning to the window where Kai still stood, his eyes squinting before he turned back to Nya.

“No, but thank you for your time. I thought I’d find something special here.”

Without another word, the man turned and left the smithery. The siblings looked at each other confused before they returned to their conversation.

-

Not long after the man left, dark clouds began swirling over the village. Fearing rain, many farmers and market sellers closed up shop to take refuge. Kai had just finished killing the fire when screaming came from downfield.

Nya was already looking down, nervously twisting the bracelet on her arm. A thick gold band with a large ruby had adorned her wrist ever since she was ten, a planned birthday present from their mother. Kai laid a protective hand on her arm as large skeletal vehicles crested over the first hill.

“What are they?” She asked, voice shaking in fear.

“I don’t know, but get inside and hide. I’m going to go see if everyone else is okay.”

Running back inside, Kai put on his father’s old armor and took up the sword gifted to him on his tenth. Ensuring his sister was inside, he took off running down the field to find armored-clad skeletons roamed the field. Confused, he failed to hear one sneaking up behind him until he saw the shadow on the ground.

Turning around, he blocked the blow with the sword and caught the attention of the others. All of the skeletons converged on his position, channeling his ability to multitask. He held his ground for as long as he could, almost giving under the pressure, until a skeleton lost its head. Looking up, he found Nya a few feet away with her rope dart held taut in her hands.

“I told you to stay inside!” Kai yelled out.

“And let you have all the fun? I don’t think so!”

With a frustrated yell, Kai shot to his feet as Nya released another attack. Like a synchronized dance, the siblings took out skeleton after skeleton. Once the last one was nothing but scattered bones, he threw the sword to the ground before grabbing Nya by her arms.

“What were you thinking? You could’ve been hurt!” Her eyes shone with unshed tears before he pulled her into a tight hug. “I can’t lose you too, Nya.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she returned the hug. Pulling away, she wiped away the few tears that escaped before her eyes widened in fear. “Kai!”

Kai felt something hard hit the back of his head and the world became blurry. He could barely register Nya leaving his hands and screaming for help before he hit the ground. Through his slowly shutting eyes, he watched as Nya was gagged and tied up before being shoved into one of the strange vehicles.

Waking with a gasp, Kai found himself in his room. A warm towel fell from his forehead as he sat up, confusion filling his brain.

“I wouldn’t move too quickly if I were you.” The elderly man from earlier walked into the room with a cup of tea. “That was quite a blow you took, any quick moves could worsen your state.”

“Where’s Nya?” The man hummed in question. “My sister, the girl you spoke to?”

“Ah yes, the skeleton’s prisoner.” Kai felt his heart drop. “She is with them, in a realm where no mortal can follow.”

“She’s dead?”

“Of course not!” The man looked appalled at the thought. “She is merely a guest in the Underworld. The skeleton that grabbed her was Samukai, King of the Underworld, and only took her on the order of Lord Garmadon. Now, Samukai never takes orders but to hear that he has put the level of danger to a higher level.”

“Hold on, time out. What are you talking about? What does this ‘Garmadon’ have to do with my sister being taken?”

“You should be asking what doesn’t Garmadon have to do with her capture. In fact, it has to do with a lot.” The man set down his cup. “Long ago, before time had a name, Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master.”

“Everyone knows that. It’s the first fairytale parents tell their kids.” Kai rolled his eyes before he considered it a bit further. “It’s not a fairytale, is it?”

“The First Spinjitzu Master used the Four Weapons of Spinjitzu to create the land as we know it,” he continued, ignoring the interruption, “the same four for which your shop got its name. These weapons were far too powerful for one man to handle alone, so when he passed, his two sons swore to protect them. However, the eldest was consumed by power and darkness, wishing to possess them alone. Do you recall what comes next?”

“The brothers fought.” Kai could practically hear his father’s voice telling him the story. “The loser was banished to the Underworld and the weapons were hidden, never to be found again.”

“That is where our stories differ. See the younger brother knew his brother too well, knowing that the elder wouldn’t give up. So the younger brother appointed a guardian to protect them, giving the guardian a map to hide in plain sight.” The man took a breath. “Your father was the most recent guardian, and I fear that they now have that map with your sister as a security measure.”

“So you came here looking for the map?”

“No, something greater - you.” Kai was taken aback. “Lord Garmadon cannot enter this realm, so he has struck a deal with Samukai. If he were to collect all four weapons, no one - not even I - would be able to stop him. You, however, have the fire that first defeated him inside of you. Come with me and I will teach you to harness it. I will teach you the art of Spinjitzu, a fighting form powerful enough to defeat Lord Garmadon himself”

For a moment, Kai considered the man’s offer but quickly shook his head. This man had to be bluffing. What kind of spinning is enough to defeat a powermad descendant of, basically, a god?

“If not to defeat Lord Garmadon, then to save your sister.”

“When do we start?” Kai asked with no hesitation.

The next day, having packed up most of his scarce belongings and the money he’d earned, Kai closed up shop and followed Wu out of Ignacia. He found himself more worried about leaving his home than having to eventually fight Lord Garmadon. Neither he nor Nya had traveled far from home, wanting to be close in case their parents ever came home. However, he had to push down that worry and begin to focus on saving his sister.

Traveling from the small village to the base of the Mountain of Impossible Height took about half a week, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the climb.

“You’re a spry old man, has anyone ever told you that?” Kai gasped for air as they finally reached the top. How Wu made it up without gasping for breath was beyond him. Slowly adjusting to the new altitude, he studied the large door in front of him. “A monastery? You expect me to learn how to fight in a place of peace?”

“Not fight. Train.” The man pushes open the door with his staff. They entered the courtyard and were greeted by a large dragon statue in the center. “In order to become a true ninja, first you must be able to see what others do not.”

Pressing a hidden button on the side of the statue, several training obstacles rose from the ground and surrounded the two. Honestly, it was almost intimidating but his sister needed him. Steeling his resolve, Kai turned to Wu. Where’d he get the tea?

“Where do I start?”

“Complete this course before I finish my tea, then we will see if you’re ready.” The cup was downed before Kai could even blink. “You failed. We’ll try again in half an hour.”

Wu turned and entered the monastery, locking Kai out in the courtyard.

It was several hours later when Kai had enough. Approaching his twentieth try, an idea struck him. As Wu goes to drink, the cup flies out of his hand and across the courtyard. Kai stands, fight ready, as he goes to retrieve the cup. Upon returning, the teapot is nowhere in sight.

“You know,” Kai’s voice echoed from above, “all this time I struck you as an oolong kind of guy. Imagine my surprise when I taste jasmine instead.” Kai sat on the roof of the monastery, sipping from the spout of the pot. “You have any sugar down there?”

“One lump or two?” Wu asked with an amused spark in his eye. “Come on down now, I suppose I should let you rest after the past week.”

Hopping down, he handed the teapot carefully to Wu and walked into the monastery. It was roomier than he expected, but had less of a home-y feeling than he thought it would. No pictures hung on the walls and no shelves lined the halls.

“Your room is down the hall and the first door on the left, bathroom will be two doors down.” Wu explained. “The kitchen is the opposite direction. Feel free to eat what you chose.”

“Thank you, Master. Are the training grounds always open?” Wu nodded. "Have a good night.”

Kai lugged his bag with him to his room. It was an average sized room; one bed, a desk, and a dresser. It was a lot more roomier than what he had back home. He and Nya had shared a room and a bed ever since that day, hardly ever sleeping away from each other. After traveling with Wu and sharing a room with him, Kai finally felt the loneliness weigh on his shoulders.

He sat on the bed with a heavy sigh, trying to hold back tears of frustration and grief. He had always been the strong one, so to feel weakness was like he was betraying himself. Pushing back his emotions, he got up and began to unpack.

The sun had set by the time he felt like he was settled in. His first official day of training was in the morning, but Kai couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position but the bed felt too big.

Throwing on the black training gi, Kai made his way to the courtyard and picked up one of shinai from the wall. He stood in the middle of the bricks, grasping the blade-like weapon in his hands, before taking a breath and hitting the first move. Each block, parry, and strike were made with precise movements. Kai fell so deeply into his movements that he failed to notice three figures arriving in the monastery.

One landed near the front door, a pair of nunchucks swinging in his grasp.

Another landed in the corner of the yard, a pair of shurikens held between two fingers.

The last landed just in front of Kai, blocking the last strike with his scythe.

Kai’s eyes locked in on this new figure. He pulled back and went to strike again, using the repeat block to kick the figure in the chest and flip away. The other two figures move to attack, earning solid hits themselves. Switching to a one handed hold on the shinai, Kai used the training weapon as a normal sword to give them a worthwhile fight.

The wielder of the nunchucks had just wrapped them around the shinai when a light turned on in the monastery. The three attackers ceased their fighting and stood at attention.

“What is the meaning of all this racket?” Wu said as he walked outside. “Didn’t I tell you to rest?” He had addressed Kai, but his eyes remained focused on the three newcomers.

“I couldn’t sleep. The bed’s too big.” Kai looked to the ground, not wanting to see the look of pity he knew Wu would give him.

“Understood. I’ll make you tea in a moment.” Wu sighed before gesturing to the three. “May I ask why you three decided to attack your new teammate?”

“New teammate?” They all exclaimed. The unison was almost unnerving.

“You never said we’d be getting a fourth,” the nunchuck wielder said as he stepped forward.

“What he means to say,” the scythe wielder interrupted, “is that we’ve trained together as three for years. We’re a solid team ourselves.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Kai snarked, earning a glare from him.

“Master,” the final ninja spoke up, “what is the meaning of this?”

“The four of you were chosen.” They all looked confused. “Each of you are imbued with elemental properties, abilities passed down from your ancestry. Allow me to provide a visual aid.”

In the blink of an eye, Wu began to spin and created a gold tornado of sparks and wind. He traveled around the courtyard, passing each one in turn. Their black suits became decorated with various colors and weapons found their way into their hands.

“Kai,” Wu caught his attention, “you are the Master of Fire. Destructive, but a point for new beginnings.”

Kai found himself in a black gi with red embellishments and a sword in his hands before turning to study his new teammates.

“Jay.” The one in blue stood at attention. “You are the Master of Lighting. Unpredictable, but always striking where needed."

The nunchuck wielder was of average height with an average build, fair skin, skin dotted with freckles framing bright blue eyes as a ginger mop of hair sat on his head. He stood just a few inches taller than Kai, smiling at him while pulling down his mask. His gi was adorned with a deep blue, almost matching the night sky above and blending in with the black, and the nunchucks sat on his hip.

"Zane " The one in white turned forward. "You are the Master of Ice. Dangerous, but full of untapped knowledge."

The shuriken wielder was the tallest one yet, tall but skinny. His dark skin is a contrast to the patch of blonde hair on his head and his almost silver eyes. His colors were like the white of the moon that shone overhead as the shurikens sat nowhere in sight before one twirled between his fingers. He gave Kai a short nod and turned back to Master Wu.

"You forgot 'seer with a sixth sense.'" Jay interjected. Zane merely hid away his shuriken again.

"I sense that this one takes things a little too seriously," Kai said.

"You have a gift as well?" Zane asked.

"Zane, buddy, he's making a joke," the one in black spoke.

"Ah yes, a joke. Haha."

Was Kai the only one getting an odd feeling? Really? Just him?

Wu shook his head before speaking again.

"Cole." The one in black stood with his arms crossed. "You are the Master of Earth. Stable, but constantly adapting."

The scythe wielder was stockier than all of them combined, the wide shoulders almost intimidating. He stood just below the one in white, but half a head higher than Kai. The scythe sat attached to his back as his gi remained unchanged. His skin was darker than Kai’s but lighter than the one in white while his hair was long and curly, pulled back into a low ponytail. His eyes bore into Kai like two burning pieces of charcoal. This one stood with his arms crossed, scanning over Kai as he did so.

Wu looked out at the four boys.

"The four of you are the chosen ones to protect the Four Weapons of Spinjitzu from Lord Garmadon."

"And how does my sister play into this?" Kai asked.

"We're saving a girl?" Jay's interest suddenly peaked, but was given a warning eye from Cole. "What? I just – I want to know what we're walking into." He turned to Kai. "Does she like blue?"

"Stay away from my sister!"

"Enough dawdling!" Wu exclaimed before turning to Kai. "We find the weapons, we find your sister. We shall leave first thing in the morning. I suggest that you all rest. Come Kai, let us find something to help with that insomnia."

Kai knew that it wasn't insomnia, but he appreciated Wu for giving him that cover. As they walked through the halls in silence, a thought occurred to him.

"Master Wu, you said that you would teach me Spinjitzu. Shouldn't I learn that before we set off?"

"I have explained to my other students that Spinjitzu is inside all of you. You just need to find the right key for that lock."

"Are you sure that's smart? I mean, I know enough fighting skills to fend off a robber or a bandit. With Ignacia being a pretty small town, we didn't need to know much." Kai slowly took a seat in the kitchen as Wu broke off to make the drink. "My skills aren't enough to tackle Garmadon just yet, right?"

"Much like fire, I believe that you will learn best in a controlled freedom." Wu leaned against the counter. "I've known quite a few Masters of Fire in my lifetime, and they all start the same way."

"Like a loser?"

"Hotheaded." Kai chuckled. "Yet they become some of the most respected and treasured members. I know your father was." Kai's breath hitched for a moment. "I am sorry to hear about their disappearance."

"You and everyone from Ignacia to the city. I just wish I knew why they just up and left." He sighed as the kettle began to sing. "Thanks for the chat. I should get to bed."

"Take this." The man took a sandwich from the fridge. "You didn't have dinner. I suggest you put something in that stomach of yours before we leave."

"Thanks. Good night."

Walking to his new room, food in hand, Kai thought about how to handle the big room. Setting the sandwich on the dresser, he went to pull the pillows and sheets off the bed. Tucking them in the corner, he moved the dresser to make a small space for himself. With just enough to fit his body between the dresser and the wall, he felt a bit better.

The next day found the ninja and Wu traveling across Ninjago to the Cave of the Despair. The four boys are pulling the elder in a rickshaw, panting in unison.

"Remind me again. Why are we pulling this thing like a bunch of pack mules?" Cole asks, setting down the poles for their break. Wu had stopped them at a small market to ensure they were still heading in the right direction.

"I believe it to be some sort of team exercise," Zane explained, barely winded himself.

"So where'd Wu find you guys?" Kai asked as he took a drink from his water flask.

"Oh, I was testing a new invention of mine," Jay said. "I was performing a test flight for one of my gliders in the city when it swerved out of control and into a billboard. Imagine my surprise when I realized that this old guy was sitting there before offering lessons."

"He was just there for you too, huh?" Cole said with a small chuckle. "I was testing my limits, climbing this mountain - free hand mind you - and he's just sitting at the peak enjoying a cup of tea with a mountain goat. My home life wasn't the best at the time, so I said yes immediately."

"I too was testing myself." Zane didn't say much about what he was doing, but they didn't question it. "I have no memory of my life from before meeting Wu, so I wished to see what I was capable of when he approached me with an offer of shelter. Wisely, I accepted." He paused for a moment. "It seems all of us were testing something when we were approached."

"So what were you testing when he found you, Kai?" Jay asked.

"My patience." The group laughed at his answer. "Seriously though, I was. Nya and I had just talked about being patient after I rushed a sword and ruined it. It's just been me and her for a decade, and I was doing my best to keep our dad's shop open. He was the best blacksmith for miles, so when he vanished, it felt like I had to do anything to keep it standing for whenever they came home." Cole set a hand on his shoulder, giving a moment of sympathy.

"I take it that this is the longest you have been away?" Cole asked.

"It's also the furthest. Nya and I never left Ignacia, no matter what. It was a miracle we weren't picked up by the city's foster system, but I guess that’s what happens when your village is, like, twenty people.”

The boys shared another laugh as Wu exited the market. He passed a sandwich to each of them before spreading out the map of Ninjago on the ground.

“The Caves of Despair are just half an hour away. Within this cave lies the first of the Four Weapons, the Scythe of Quakes. This one and its brothers are guarded by its own kind of guardian, so be wary when approaching the item.” He looked over at them, all but Zane eating away. The boy merely chose to pack it away for later. “Remember, should you find the weapon, do not use it. For its power…”

“...is too much for mortals to handle,” Jay interjected before shrinking in on himself. “Sorry.”

“At least I know you were listening the first time.” There was humor in his voice. “After this, I am afraid I have forgotten where the rest lie. Apologies, an old brain can only remember so much. If you happen upon the map, grab it.”

Everyone quickly finished up and set out for the caves as soon as they were able.

Arriving at the Caves, Kai felt a sense of dread overwhelm him. The Caves lay in a desert-like canyon, the entrance nearly a hundred of feet below them. There were no skeletons in sight, but they could hear them yelling from within.

“So what’s the plan?” Jay asked.

“Well,” Cole started as he began to look over the group, “First, we’ll lower ourselves down the ledge. Then, we’ll…where’s Kai?”

Everyone looked around and only found his footsteps in the sand. Zane looked over the ledge and pointed to the mouth of the cave. Kai stood there, staring into the darkness, as they called out to him. Without a second thought, Kai pulled up the face mask and walked in.

“Is he crazy?!” Cole exclaimed. “Didn’t we just have a bonding moment with him like an hour ago?”

“I believe that we should take into account what he said earlier,” Zane said, thinking out loud. “He did much alone for a significant part of his life, being the sole provider for him and his sister.”

“Remind me to yell at him when we get done here.”

“Noted.”

The trio abandoned whatever plan Cole was pitching and followed Kai into the Caves. Wu sat back, gripping his bo staff in worry.

Kai wandered through the system, keeping a straight path so as to not get lost. He found himself at another opening and in the middle of a dig site. Tucking in behind a large crate of rocks, he studied the scene before him. Skeletons were picking away at the rock walls as two skeletons argued over a table.

“How have we been digging here for three days but still haven’t found that stupid scythe?” One groaned as he looked down. The map must be on the table.

“I found something!” The other exclaimed, waving something in the air.

“That’s another rock, Nuckal. We’re in a cave. You’re going to find rocks everywhere.”

“Yeah, but this one’s donut shaped. I wonder what it tastes like.”

“Can skeletons even taste things?” A voice asked from behind Kai, startling him. It was Jay. “Easy, it’s just me.” Cole and Zane dropped down next to them. “Now, you want to explain why you went in alone instead of with your team?”

“Sorry, still not used to the whole ‘work with others’ thing. I did a lot alone prior, call it an instinct.” He watched Cole groan and pass a bill into Zane’s hand. “You guys bet on me?”

“We’ll talk about it later. What have you found?”

“The map is over there, on the table. They’ve been digging here for three days and have found nothing but rocks. Oh, and that one over there is an absolute idiot.” Nuckal bit into another rock. “How did one skeleton retain a brain while the other is so stupid?”

“Same question could be asked about humans,” Cole said with a roll of his eyes. “Let’s get to a higher vantage point and see if we can spot something they can’t.”

The four of them made their way to a scaffolding towering over the table. They all did their best to study the map, but that skeleton was in the way.

“We need a distraction to get him away. Jay?” Cole’s voice held a bit of amusement.

Jay’s shone with a spark as he grabbed a loose board and launched it across the cave. The skeletons went off to berate their workers as Zane used a rope dart to steal the map from the table.

“Impressive,” Kai said.

“You’ll pick up soon enough.” Cole turned to Jay as he looked over the map. “Anything of note?”

“All skeletons are stupid.” The blue ninja turned the map around. “They’ve had the map upside down this whole time. It’s why they’ve been digging in the wrong place.” His finger traced the map until he landed what seemed to be an area next to their position. “We need to get here quickly.”

Tucking the map into his waistband, Jay leaped off the scaffold and gestured for the others to follow. They snaked their way through the system, avoiding skeleton after skeleton, until they reached a large boulder. They all shared a look and moved the boulder together.

Inside, simply floating in a column of light, was the Scythe of Quakes. It was longer than Cole’s own scythe, made of gold and embellished with a dragon design on the blade. Definitely a two handed weapon, so switching may be difficult for Cole as Kai took notice.

“This feels too easy,” Kai said as Cole walked to it. "Didn't Wu say these things came with guardians?"

As Cole took the scythe in hand, a deep rumble came from around them. From the shadows emerged a large dragon head, brown and black with cold gray eyes. The beast was sturdy, towering above them with its large limbs and boulder-like body. Orange lights danced beneath its scales with each movement as it studied Cole for a moment, taking in that he held the weapon, before roaring at the quartet.

"Let's get out of here!" He yelled, making a break for the archway. Kai had never seen a man so scared.

"Does Cole have a fear of dragons?" Kai asked as they took off.

"It is almost crippling actually," Zane explained as the dragon began its chase. "We never thought it would ever manifest into something of substance."

"How does one even get a phobia of dragons?"

"Unclear. Perhaps something in childhood affected him. Many studies suggest that trauma begins as a child."

"What kind of studies are you reading?"

Kai had to admit that Zane was quite the enigma.

They continued to run, easily evading the dragon, before running headfirst into Nuckal and his partner with a large gathering of soldiers behind them. Settling into positions, Cole settled the Scythe of Quakes in place of his own weapon.

“I guess we should thank you ninja for doing the job for us,” Nuckal’s partner said. “Hand it over and there won’t be any trouble.” A rope dart launched out from the group and dismantled one of the soldiers. “I believe they’ve chosen the hard way.”

“Yes Kruncha! Charge!” Nuckal led the soldiers toward the group with a loud yell.

The boys split off in four directions, each taking on their own small group to battle.

Jay moved with ease, aiding his teammates when he could. He had defeated several of the soldiers when a thought came to his mind. He jumped on top of the skulls, pushing off like stepping stones, and dodged each swipe of the swords. His moves became faster and faster until blue sparks started to fly off of his person and wind swirled around him. Soon, Jay was replaced by a blue tornado and all the skeletons were dismantled as he passed.

“You did– You did the thing!” Kai exclaimed as Jay came to a stop. “You did Spinjitzu!”

“I guess I did,” he laughed. “It’s just like the training course back at the monastery.” Cole and Zane got what he meant before mimicking the course themselves to find their own tornadoes of earth and ice.

“I didn’t do the obstacle course though. I don’t know what you mean!”

“You don’t need to know. It’s all about your balance.”

Jay spun away again, leaving Kai to wonder what he meant.

“You’re quite the fool to take us on alone,” Kruncha smirked.

However, he didn’t have much time to dwell on it. Skeletons were regrouping and chasing them down again as his teammates moved forward. Wanting to give them time, Kai held tight to the sword in his hand and faced the oncoming mob.

Kai took a deep breath, bringing the blade up in front of him, and readied himself for the fight.

“I don’t need to win. I just need to distract you long enough.”

Launching forward, he felt his mind go numb as his sword met theirs. For a moment, it was like he left his mind behind. All he cared about was giving them time to get out or enough time to let the dragon find them. As he fought, Kai failed to notice the red flames erupting from his body as the fight became more intense and the wind began to pick up. Finally, his body erupted in a whirlwind of dust and flames. He was a tornado of fire, defeating all his opponents before stopping in front of Kruncha and Nuckal.

“Anything else?” He asked as the dragon broke through the wall behind them. “Nevermind!” Launching into another whirlwind, Kai sped down the tunnel to meet up with the others. “Everyone okay?”

“Where were you?!” Cole said. His hands still held the Scythe tight. “We got ambushed!”

“I was buying you time! You had enough to get out and back to Wu before that dragon caught up with me!”

“What did we say about doing things alone?!”

“I helped you! What more do you want?!”

“Communication!”

The dragon burst through the walls again, hovering over them, and looked into Cole’s eyes. Time held still for a moment before it slunk back into the walls, leaving the boys confused.

-

Wu looked disappointed and confused as the four emerged from the cave.

“What happened there?” He asked.

“Ask Kai,” Cole spat out.

“I said I was trying to help. If I hadn’t bought you guys time, you would’ve lost the scythe!” Kai could feel heat build behind his eyes.

“And we could’ve gotten out of there sooner if we didn’t stop to wonder where you were!” Cole marched up to Kai’s face, pushing into his personal space to make a point. “I get that you don’t work well with others, but it’s not just your sister’s life on the line right now. It’s all of Ninjago at stake.”

“She’s all I have left! So excuse me for wanting her back!” Kai’s eyes felt like they were burning with flames and tears. The group looked taken aback at the confession. “The one moment I decide to care about you guys first is the one where you say I shouldn’t. You don’t want me on this team, fine. As soon as we get my sister back, you never have to see me again.”

Kai backed down from the fight, feeling the tear tracks on his cheeks, and moved to stand by the rickshaw as Jay laid the map on the ground. He barely listened to the next course of action as he stared down at the now empty cave.

Wu walked up next to him, silent as the others readied themselves to leave.

“I know that this is difficult to adjust to,” Wu said, “but this team is what I think you need. No matter what adversities may come next, they need you.”

“I don’t know if you heard what he said, but this team thing isn’t for me. I just want to get my sister and go home, home to something familiar.”

“I know that this isn’t what you envisioned when you accompanied me on this journey, but, again, I believe that the others are what you need.” Wu getured out to the sand dunes before them. “Much like the sand in this desert, there are untapped possibilities waiting to be discovered.” Kai leaned back, crossing his arms. “Just finish this mission, and see where you stand. As much as I would prefer you stay with the group and protect Ninjago, I understand if you leave.”

After a moment, Kai moved silently and took his place behind Zane. The group was silent, Jay and Zane scared to break the fragile air surrounding the two. They traveled in silence until they reached the base of the Mountain. Wu leaves the boys to head into town and secure travel into the coast.

Kai entered his room and threw his sword onto the bed before himself. He looked at the few belongings on the dresser, finding the one picture he had of him and Nya. It was at the reopening of the Four Weapons with the two dressed in their best clothes. He could still hear her laughter when one of the villagers said that he would be the best, maybe better than their dad. He hoped she was doing okay.

A knock echoed through the room and caught his attention. Sitting up, he was surprised to find Cole leaning against the doorframe.

“What do you want?” Kai asked. He was a bit bitter towards this “Master of Earth.”

“To apologize.” His voice was low, but steady. “What I said back at the caves was out of line. Your sister does matter just as much as Ninjago, and you made the right call. If you hadn’t bought us a bit more time, who knows if we would’ve made it out with the Scythe?”

Kai gestured for him to take a seat next him, pushing the sword aside. Cole slowly walked in and took his position.

“I won’t lie, Cole. Everything you said stung. I also get that you and the others have spent years building a team, and I show up and throw a wrench into everything. Can I just ask that you give me a chance and trust that I’m not going to just abandon everything to solo save my sister?” It took a moment but Cole nodded. “I tried to fight these skeletons the night she was taken and you see how well that turned out. If I’m going to save her, I need all of the help I can get.”

“Well, you have mine and I think I can speak for the guys as well.” He looked down at the photo. “Is that her?” Kai nodded and handed him the paper. “I see that she got all the good looks in your family.”

Laughter erupted from the open doorway, making Zane smile from his place in the kitchen. Maybe things will get better after today.

The group sat back in their seats as the train traveled through the barren lands of Ninjago. They had been traveling since late last night and were expected to disembark at some port town up north before taking a ship into the Frozen Wastelands.

Jay and Wu poured over the map, marking down the paths to take for the rest of the weapons, as the other three watched the land pass by.

“If these weapons are supposed to be so difficult to find,” Cole started, “why are there lines traveling directly to them?”

“Much of Ninjago is still made of small villages and trading towns,” Zane explained. “It is much more effective for products to be transported in bulk than in whatever their carts can carry. Besides, it is nice to have a moment or reprieve before whatever battle we may encounter at the Frozen Wastelands.”

“So let me see if I understand this all correctly,” Kai said as he ignored the initial conversation, “the Four Weapons were created by the First Spinjitzu Master and wielded by him. If he used all of them to create Ninjago, how? Did he use them one at a time or did he wield them with his feet?”

“Did you sleep last night?” Cole asked after a moment of silence. Kai shook his head. “Have you slept at all since joining the team?”

“Not well. I’m too used to having Nya in the room with me.” Cole hummed in thought. “What?”

“Our room has an empty bunk back at the monastery. Move your stuff over there when we get back. Hopefully, you can get some sleep then.”

Nodding, Kai noticed Wu nodding in approval.

“Can we rewind to Kai’s question for a second?” Jay asked. “I feel like it's a valid question.”

Finally arriving at the port where their fishing boat was waiting, Kai stood at the start of the dock with a sick-ish feeling sitting in his stomach.

“Hey,” Jay caught his attention with arms full of supplies, “are you okay?”

“Water and I don’t mix well. I never learned how to swim because of everything, so I just… I’m nervous,” he admitted.

“Don’t worry. We got life jackets and if you fall, grab Cole. He’s got a broad back, so we could probably use him as a raft if it comes down to it.” Kai’s laughter echoed over the dock as Jay nudged a life jacket off of his stack. “Put that on and I’ll walk you to the ship. It’s not so scary once you’re on the boat. Might take a minute to get your sea legs though.”

“Thanks Jay.”

The blue ninja gave him a smile and continued down the dock.

The boat ride was calmer than he expected, especially since good ol’ Captain Wu decided to barely use the steering wheel. There was nothing but water for miles.

Zane sat in the middle of the boat with Kai as Jay and Cole walked the edges. He noticed how Kai had a near white knuckle grip on the life jacket around his neck. He wasn’t quite sure on how one could fear the ocean or any body of water for that matter as it was a peaceful sight to look at. Nonetheless, he began a conversation.

“Are you alright, Kai?”

“As good as I can be without freaking out.” Kai let out a shaky sigh. “If this weapon was marked on the map and Master Wu knows the way to it, why haven’t we arrived yet? Shouldn’t we be there by now instead of drifting for hours?”

“It has barely been half an hour, but I do see your point. Sadly, Master Wu’s wisdom is beyond my own. Though I do have faith that he knows where we are going.” The ship lurched as it ran aground, launching everyone from their seats and feet. “I think we are here.”

The group trudged up the snow covered mountain. Jay, Cole, and Wu were shivering with the drop in temperature, but Kai felt fine. If anything, it felt like one of the warmer winter nights from back in Ignacia.

“How are you not shaking?” Jay asked before his eyes widened. “Why is the air around you so warm?” Cole shifted his steps over to Kai and smiled at the temperature change.

“I would not be surprised. He and Zane are the ones most likely to not be affected by the extreme cold,” Wu explained. “Have you always run so warm?”

“Yeah, it’s really the only reason why I’m in the forge full time back home. Nya almost fainted after she tried her first shift.” Kai admitted.

“I shall assume that she doesn't run as hot as you, then?” Kai shook his head.

The group remained silent as they arrived at the peak of a mountain. A small entrance lay hidden in the snow, but the Shurikens of Ice were able to be seen from the entrance. Wu gently pushed Zane forward with his staff as the rest held back, readying for a fight.

Zane entered with caution, pulling down his face guard as he looked around. The area was too dark and heightened the paranoia that the skeletons or the next dragon could be waiting in the shadows. He bumped into, what he thought, was a pillar but turned out to be a frozen skeleton. They had been here already, but failed to escape the guardian. Holding himself high, Zane took off for the Shurikens and dodge a blast of ice coming from the void. Grasping the small weapons in his hands, he ran for the exit as the dragon gave pursuit.

The Ice Dragon was longer than the one from yesterday, stretching nearly fifty feet long from snout to tail. It had pale white fur with a soft blue coloring the scales on its belly as beady black eyes chased him out of the mountain.

“We need to move fast!” Zane’s voice came and went as he passed. Everyone took off running down the mountain and tried not to trip and fall.

At the back of the pack, Jay nearly took another tumble before he found some broken carts, probably abandoned long ago. The material was some kind of metal and was still in an okay condition. Finding at least one still put together, he began pushing it until got momentum and hopped in. He held out his hand for those in front of him and called out for them. One by one they loaded into the cart and sped down the snowy side. Landing just outside the boat, every dashed for the boat and began to push it back to see.

Zane had tucked the weapon into his sleeves and looked back at the dragon. It sat back at the top of the mountain and watched them. He did not understand. Shouldn’t it have chased them as soon as he grabbed it like the Earth dragon did?

“Zane, come on!” Cole’s voice brought him back and onto the boat.

Kai had already started the engines as Jay took the wheel, driving them away from the coast of the Wastelands.

Once in a safe distance away, Jay cut the engines and went below deck to debrief with the rest of the group.

“Everyone okay?” He asked. “Are we good to head to the next stop in a little bit?”

“Are these weapons really worth it?” Kai asked, earning shocked faces. “Don’t get me wrong, I still want to save my sister, but if these weapons are so powerful or power-inducing, why didn’t the First Spinjitzu Master just destroy them when they weren’t needed anymore?”

“I may understand much, Kai, but I will not pretend to understand my father’s mind,” Wu said.

“Hold up, father? You’re the son of the First Spinjitzu Master?” Wu nodded. “Well you could have mentioned that before now, huh? What’s next? Gonna say that you and Garmadon are brothers?” Wu said nothing. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” His voice was tight and low, anger seeping in.

Kai hung his head before standing up and pacing around the cabin.

“No offense to you three,” he gestured to the other ninjas, “but I’ve been a part of this team for less than a week and at every turn I’m being blindsided by new information. A village boy like me can only handle so much in a short amount of time." He took a breath, failing to notice the steam that escaped the corners of his mouth. "I’m going to go into the captain’s cabin and decompress. You can get me when we get to the next location.”

They watched as he stomped away, each feeling a different kind of guilt.

Wu sat back and thought about the display. Out of all of the boys, Kai's element was manifesting faster than the others. The other three had barely given hint that their powers were there, but Kai…his element must have been growing since a child. If left unchecked, it could mean danger for him, his sister, and maybe Ninjago itself.

-

The ship docked late in the afternoon and the four boys left town to visit the Floating Ruins. No one really knows how it got up there or who lived up there, but to have a city sitting in the middle of an electrical storm for centuries was a feat in itself. The electrical farm that powered Ninjago City sat near the border and worked everyday to make sure nothing went wrong.

Cole and Zane stood next to Kai, who was still fuming from their previous encounter but glad Wu stayed on the boat. The boys waited as Jay finished adjusting the glider packs on each of them.

“Are you okay?” Cole asked to break the silence. Jay looked up from his ankle with concern on his face. “I understand that you’re mad, but don’t take it out too much on Master Wu. The man is centuries old, so he’s bound to forget to mention a few things.”

“Missed events or birthdays, I can understand,” Kai sighed, “but to forget to mention that the very villain we’re facing is his brother or the fact that he’s basically a god is not really something I’d file under forgetful.”

“Though you are correct about how all of this information was given to you,” Zane said with a hand under his chin, “it was quite unfair to have you arrive, train half a day and night, and send you off to battle. To you, your life changed in a matter of moments. To us, it’s just another day.”

For a moment, all of them were quiet.

“I’ll try to get better at this, I swear, but I think I may need a day off when we get all the weapons.” Kai leaned back, putting all his weight into his back foot. “If my sister saw me now, she’d do exactly what you two are doing. Right before socking me in the shoulder for being rude.”

They shared a laugh before something made a noise from behind them. The skeletons had finally arrived, but they needed to get up there and fast. They had no plan. The chain was far longer than they expected, it would take a few minutes or so to get up there if they legged it.

A light went off in Kai’s head.

“Jay with me,” he met Cole’s gaze and received a nod. "Buy us time?"

"We got you! Zane with me!" Cole called up, taking hold of his basic Scythe. Kai looked down at him as he pulled up his face guard. “We’re right behind you!”

Red and blue climbed higher on the chain, dodging lightning strike after strike. The floating city was shifting with every gust of wind. Upon reaching the platform, Kai felt Jay grab tight to his arm and hoist him up. A loud roar caught their attention as another dragon circled around them as sparks shot out from the clouds and onto the dragon.

The Lightning Dragon was a deep blue, blending it into the dark clouds surrounding them. The body was sleek, thinner than the Ice Dragon but around the same length. A bright blue flashed from under the scales with every strike. Its golden eyes observed the ruins, barely registering the two entering its keep.

“Go, I’ll guard the door,” Kai yelled as he drew his sword. “You got this Jay.”

With a curt nod, Jay ran into the building as Kai watched the dragon and skeletons below.

The halls were dark, only being lit by brief flashes of lightning through the windows. He could feel the paranoia and fear build up in his chest as he held tight to the plain weapon in his hands. He shouldn’t be afraid. He was trained for this. So why did he want to run?

A bright light flashed through the halls and illuminated a large, golden door. It towered over him, stretching from floor to the ceiling, unlike any of the other doors. Approaching the door, Jay took a deep breath and pushed it open. Inside, the Nunchucks of Lightning were floating in a pillar of light. The blue-like glow of the bolt in the middle reflected in his eyes, setting off a small spark inside of him as his face hardened and he took the weapon.

“Where’s Jay?” Cole yelled over the storm as he reached the top of the chain with Zane close behind. “The skeletons called in the cavalry. We got outnumbered, so we have to go.”

“He’s inside, should be out any second.” As if summoned, the blue ninja emerged with the Nunchucks in his waistband. “Nice timing.”

“Thanks.” He looked down at the approaching skeletons and the circling dragon. “No one’s afraid of heights, right?”

“Little too late to be asking that question. We’re already up here.”

“Right. Sorry. Panicking.” Zane laid a hand on his shoulder, calming him down. “Okay, okay. When you jump off, wait thirty seconds before pulling at that cord at your waist. It’ll engage the wings and glide you down.”

“Is there a way to steer it?”

“Lean!” Jay yelled as he launched himself off of the Floating City.

The other three took several deep breaths before following. Barely able to register the right amount of seconds, Cole pulled the cord as soon as he cleared the clouds. The jolt of the wings catching the air knocked the wind out of him as he adjusted to the glide. Looking around, he spotted everyone else gliding at various heights. Each of them were leaning left and right to avoid lightning strikes as they made it to the edge of the canyon.

Landing just a mile from the port, the boys tucked the gliders away and ran to the boat. Wu understood the silent message in Cole’s eyes as he started the engines and steered it back to the initial port.

Back at the monastery, the boys sat outside the entrance with cups of tea in their hands. Wu stood before them, looking at the weapons with - possibly - a proud look in his eye.

“Nice job, my boys,” he said. “We are one weapon away from securing all of the weapons away from my brother’s grasp.” Kai still glared at him for keeping that a secret. “Now, I assume that you are all curious on how these weapons created Ninjago. Correct?”

“You could say that,” Jay admitted. “I mean, Kai’s question from earlier is still unanswered. He didn’t feet-wield them, did he?” The group let out a laugh, even getting one from Wu.

“No, my father did not wield the weapons with his feet. My father was an oni, able to shift his form between oni and human. This allowed him to possess all of the Golden Weapons at once as he performed the Tornado of Creation.”

“How do you use a tornado to create? Don’t they usually destroy things?”

“Typically, yes,” Zane replied, “but they are uncommon in this part of Ninjago.”

“The Tornado of Creation is a special kind of tornado." Wu paused to find the right words. "It was where your elements, the Elements of Creation, worked in tandem to create the very land you stand on. It allows one to create something from nothing.”

“So we’ll be able to do it one day?” Kai asked.

“When you are ready, yes. If the Tornado is created incorrectly, there will be disastrous consequences. So do not even attempt to perform this technique before you are ready.” The boys nodded and set down their cups. “You had a long day, go get some rest. We’ll collect the final weapon tomorrow. Good night boys.”

“Good night, Master,” they replied.

Cole helped move Kai’s stuff into their room, placing the few packs on the bunk below his. The room was very much lived in with clothes strewn about and books lining the shelves.

“What time do you guys usually turn the lights out?” Kai asked.

“Usually an hour after sunset, but we usually fall asleep closer to midnight,” Zane explained. “If you wish to retire earlier, just let us know.”

“Thanks, but I should be good with that.”

Sleep came easy for all of them, having been running on adrenaline all day. Kai actually fell asleep first as he found comfort in having the others around, feeling safer than he did the previous nights.

Kai… That was Nya’s voice. Kai…

His eyes shot open as he gasped for air. Looking around, he tried to find Nya but could only continue to hear her.

“Nya?” He whispered aloud as an apparition of her appeared in front of him. “Are you okay? How are you here?”

The apparition looked behind her and took off running through the door. Kai launched out of bed, grabbing his sword as he followed her out. The figure ran through the halls with him hot on its heels. Stepping into the courtyard, Kai found himself falling through space before landing on solid ground.

The air was hot and dry. He looked up to find himself at the base of a volcano. The figure of Nya stood in front of an entrance before she disappeared. Desperate to get her back, Kai ran across the hot coals with his bare feet and into the volcano. The volcano itself was a temple with the Sword of Fire sitting in front of a curtain of lava.

Her voice called out to him again as he stepped inside, finding her in front of the Sword of Fire. He let out a sigh of relief before the figure shifted into a shadow of Lord Garmadon.

“I’m right here, brother,” the warlord laughed.

“You can’t hurt me, not as you are,” he said, hand already grasping his sword as a precaution. “Not when you’re banished and trapped in the Underworld.”

“That is why you are going to remove the Sword of Fire for me, and before you even think of denying me,” the curtain of lava parted and revealed Nya suspended over the pit, “think about how you’ll save your sister. That pitiful excuse of a sword would not even scratch those chains.”

“Don’t listen to him Kai! It’s a trap!” Nya exclaimed. She was wrapped tight in several rounds of chains, struggling to get out. “Okay, that’s tight.”

He knew it was wrong, but to save his sister, Kai pulled the Sword from its resting place. Taking position, he took off in a run and performed Spinjitzu to reach his sister. The Sword cut through the chain like butter, loosening Nya into his hold, before he lept back to the ground.

“Are you okay?” He asked as the chains fell to the ground around her. She pulled him into a tight hug and felt her tears drench his shoulder. “You’re okay, just stay close.”

“Trust me, I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

“He’s only a shadow. He can’t hurt us.”

“Even shadows have their uses,” Garmadon said as he shifted into a shadow version of Kai.

The shadow launches at him as he gives Nya the Sword.

“Get out of here!” He yells, dodging an attack. “Only use the Sword if you’re desperate, okay? Other than that, it’s dangerous.”

“What about you?” Her voice cracked, fear drenching her words.

“My whole mission was to get you home safe. Now go!”

Nya turned to leave but was blocked by multiple shadows of Kai. They began to close in on her before several disappeared with the swing of a staff. Wu pushed Nya towards the entrance with his staff as Garmadon paused his battle with Kai, allowing him to go after his sister.

“Hello brother,” the warlord smirked. “I see you chose to protect one over the other three. Was that really such a wise decision?” He waved a hand and opened a portal to the monastery. Skulkin were attacking and defeating the others before capturing the other Golden Weapons. “For you have made things far too easy once again.”

The shadows of Garmadon dissipated and left the trio alone. A loud roar echoed through the temple as a dragon emerged from the lava. This one was probably the second largest of all of what he had already encountered. This one was just in-between sleek and sturdy, the front half being wider than the back. Its black scales made the body look like living lava as orange and yellow glowed from underneath.

Nya let out a scream as it launched a fireball at the temple entrance, preventing their escape.

“That was our only way out!” Kai exclaimed. “It’s all over if we’re still here when the Skulkin arrive.”

“It’s never over,” Wu said as he took the sword from Nya. He ran to the cliff and lept onto a suspended lava rock, hand grasping the chain as it dangled over a bottomless pit.

“Master, what are you doing?!”

“If he is to bring the other weapons here, then I will take the Sword of Fire to the Underworld. This mess started because of me, so I will be the one to stop it. This is the payment I have owed.”

“There has to be another way.” Wu merely shut his eyes and swung the sword. The chain snapped as it passed and dropped the rock into the endless chasm below. Kai dropped to the ground in defeat. “This is all my fault. Master won’t be able to hold out for long by himself.”

The dragon towered above them, studying them.

“Forget about him,” Nya said, kneeling down to be with her brother and finally feeling the heat. “What about us?”

He heard her voice begin to slur and her body weight lean against him. Beginning to panic, he cradled her in his arms and attempted to get her to wake up. The dragon leaned down, its head nudging his shoulder.

“Can you help her?” He asked.

The dragon said nothing as it maneuvered them onto its neck. Holding tight to the spines, Kai braced himself as it took off to the blocked door. The dragon barreled through the rock barricade and into the cool night air. The dragon flew into the air, choosing to go into the colder parts of the sky to help the girl on its back. Landing just outside the Forest of Tranquility, it allowed the siblings to disembark next to a river where Nya washed her face in the stream.

The other ninja soon found them there, happy to see them safe.

“Kai!” Cole exclaimed upon seeing them, but he stopped once he noticed the dragon. Kai gestured for the dragon to stand down as he waved them over. “You found your sister!”

“At the cost of Master Wu,” he said as Nya placed a hand on his arm before pointing at the dragon, “but we did get a new friend.” The dragon hummed in amusement and moved closer. “They can help us get to the Underworld and retrieve the Golden Weapons and Master Wu.”

“Are you insane?” Cole backed up just a bit.

“Maybe, but once he realized we were trying to protect the Sword of Fire, he became quite the softie.” The dragon nuzzled against his cheek. “Knock it off.”

Jay made a noise, catching their attention.

“Forgive him, he took a foot to the throat,” Zane said, “but he was addressing you, Ms. Nya. He asked if you like blue?”

“It’s my favorite color,” she smiled and laughed as Jay pumped his fist. Kai rolled his eyes as Cole passed his gi to him. “So what now?”

“What happens now is that we head back to the monastery and regroup.” He turned to the others. “You guys okay?”

“As good as we can be. I mean, we did just get our butts kicked by piles of bones,” Cole said as he crossed his arms.

“But you were caught off guard and in your pajamas. Nice bunny slippers by the way.” He said to Jay, chuckling as the boy looked down at his feet.

“Don’t you have the same pair at home? You know, the ones I got you for the holidays?” Nya asked, breaking the awkwardness. She gave Jay a small smile, saying that she has his back.

The Fire Dragon was not big enough for more than one rider, so they needed to find a compromise. Jay found an old mine shaft at the border of the forest and the lava rock. It was big enough to fit three of them while two sat on the dragon. Nya sat with her brother as the other three swung in the basket that was clutched in the dragon’s claws. Cole sat with eyes shut for the entire flight. The dragon dropped them in the courtyard before curling up around the dragon statue.

Cole, Zane, and Jay bid the siblings good night as Kai and Nya went to the kitchen.

Kai opened the fridge and grabbed the bottle of milk, pouring his sister a glass.

“How are you holding up?” He asked, pushing it to her. “I mean, a week in captivity with a bunch of skeletons and a scary demon man must have been fun.”

“It could’ve been better,” she replied. “For beings that don’t really eat, they gave me some good food.” She ran her thumb against the cup. “So…ninjas?”

“I know, crazy right? Didn’t we just say that we don’t make stuff for samurais or ninjas? Maybe we should rethink our catalog.” They shared a laugh for a moment before they lulled into silence. “Seriously though, are you doing okay?”

“I thought I was going to fall, back at the volcano.” Kai set down the jug and walked around the island, pulling her into a hug as the cup sat on the counter. “I thought I was done for.”

"What have I always told you?" His voice was muffled by her hair, but he could care less. "That as long as I have breath in my body…"

"...you'll be there to protect me. "

"That's right." He began to rock her back and forth. "I'll stand by that saying until I can't keep my word anymore. I love you, Nya."

"I love you too."

They stood there just a little longer, Kai's fingers running through her short hair as she finally broke down in tears.

The trio waited until close to midnight for Kai to walk in, wanting to talk about the plan for tomorrow, but he never showed. Zane volunteered to find him.

Walking through the halls, he could hear the faint whistle of the wind outside as well as the rumble of the dragon. Approaching Kai's old room, he was surprised to find the door slightly ajar. His eyes softened as he spotted the siblings curled up on the bed.

The two laid close to each other, both on their stomachs. Kai's arm laid protectively across her back as her face was turned to him. Her hand rested just below his nose and twitched with each breath he exhaled.

Zane smiled and shut the door. Returning to his room, he turned out the lights and went to crawl into his own bed.

"Are they doing okay?" Cole asked through the darkness.

"Yeah, neither of them are hurt right?" Jay's voice followed in worry, still slightly scratchy from the earlier impact but working nonetheless.

"The siblings are sleeping soundly in Kai's old room. After everything they have gone through the past week, they deserve it," Zane replied with a smile. "Frankly, that was the deepest I have seen Kai sleep since he arrived. I suggest we let them rest and worry in the morning.”

The group rose at the crack of dawn, well-rested and ready for a fight. Kai was already in the courtyard with Nya as they said their goodbyes.

“Come back to me in one piece, okay?” She mumbled into his shoulder. “I can’t run the shop by myself.”

“I promise. Just keep a candle lit for me?”

“Always.”

“I’ll see you soon. Now go, you have a train to catch.”

Kai watched her exit, slowly disappearing down the mountain steps. Cole came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Your sister’s really strong, must get it from you.” Kai put on a small smile before turning to him. “This part of the mission is yours now, what do we do?”

“Master took the last Golden Weapon to the Underworld and went into hiding. We can’t get there ourselves, but the dragons can.”

“I don’t know if you noticed but we can’t all fit on your dragon.”

“No, I noticed. That’s why I asked them to call in a favor before we turned in for the night.” He nudged the dragon with his shoulder and it let out a loud roar, shaking the monastery.

The ground began to shake before a loud boom erupted through the air. The Earth Dragon crawled over the monastery wall, perching on the edge. It looked at the four before leaning down before Cole and pressed its snout to his head. The boys flinched for a moment, but carefully placed a hand on its snout. It leaned in and everyone chuckled as he realized that he had nothing to fear.

“I guess you’re not so bad, huh?” Cole said, petting the rough surface of the beast's snout. “Just two?

Kai pointed to the sky as the Ice and Lighting arrived. They landed on the roof of the monastery, the blue dragon leaning down into the area. Jay quickly ran over to greet them, barely knowing how to react. His arms shook up and down as it bobbed its head to match. The white dragon merely curled up in the corner and waited for Zane to approach. It blew a mist of cold air in his face as soon as he arrived before resting its head on the ground, waiting for attention.

“They’ll get us to the underworld and back out, but the battle is down to us.” Kai laid a hand on his dragon. “Are you guys ready?”

“If we don’t leave now, it may become too late to stop anything,” Zane thought out loud.

Nodding in agreement, the group went to grab their trusted basic weapons and hopped onto their respective rides. The four of them took to the air and took a moment to let their new riders adjust. Kai took to riding the quickest, having ridden out of the Fire Temple last night. Jay was second, speeding around the other three with glee. Zane was next, simply holding on to the fur as they flew. Cole, was understandably, last. Though his dragon was gentle and steady, he was white knuckled on its back until he got used to being in the air.

“So,” Cole started once he caught up to Kai, “how do dragons cross over to the Underworld?”

“Well, we’re approaching the Forest of Tranquility and I believe there’s an entrance at the bottom of the Fire Temple. However, due to Zane’s dragon, I don’t think they want to bring them there,” Kai explained as all of them came to a stop. “I guess we’re about to find out.”

After a moment, Jay’s dragon dropped into a nose dive with the others following close after. The group began to scream as the ground came closer and the dragons began a corkscrew spin as they accelerated. Sparks flew around them, like the dragons were performing their own kind of Spinjitzu. The world began to shift from bright to dark before it all stopped moving.

“Is anyone else about to hurl up breakfast?” Kai asked as he got his bearings as everyone groaned in response. He looked around, noticing the temple dug into the rock and several Skulkin vehicles. “Well, we’re here. Mask up.” They all pulled their face guards up and hopped off.

Leaving their dragons to rest, the ninja begin to plan a way into the building. The Skulkin seem to have been expecting them as Kruncha and Nuckal were inspecting every cart that came through. By inspecting, they mean emptying each cart and only allowing the empty cart through.

Cole spots a large animal not being inspected, pointing at it as their ticket in. The four run over and latch on to the side of one about to enter. The group is almost in the clear, but then Jay truly notices what they’re hanging on to. It was a tarantula the size of a bus, decked out in bones and pieces of metal. He tried to get their attention, but they were too busy being grateful that he had no voice. Having no choice, he kicked a leg out to hit Cole but lost his grip. Zane tried to save him, but took the rest down with them.

“Is it ninja or ninjas if there’s more than one?” Nuckal asked upon seeing them.

“I think it’s just ninja,” Kruncha replied.

“Oh okay.” He pointed to them. “NINJA!”

The Skulkin army surrounded them from all sides, weapons at the ready.

“Ten to one, I like these odds,” Cole said before more dropped in.

“You were saying?” Kai could almost feel his eyes roll into the back of his head.

Kruncha launched into action first. His sword swung to cut down Jay, but Kai quickly moved to block the attack. The rest of the Skulkin followed suit and let out a roaring battle cry as they converged on the four.

Cole took most out by just a mere swing of his scythe before switching to hand combat for those that got close. Jay used his nunchucks to knock off most of his attackers to give Zane a chance to get into the open. The white ninja swung the rope in his hand around, knocking several skulls off with the metal ball at the end of the rope. The group were steady to hold their own as Kai battled against the skeletal generals, but the numbers were growing too fast.

“Any ideas?” Kai grunted out, blocking another attack. “I’m all ears.”

Jay attempted to say something, but his gravelly voice and the sound of fighting didn’t help. The other did their best to decode his words. It wasn’t until he was knocked in the throat again that he felt better.

“The Tornado of Creation!” He exclaimed.

“Don’t possible consequences await us if we do that?” Cole yelled back.

“We’re about to HAVE a disastrous consequence if we DON’T.” Kai swiped up and broke Kruncha for the third time. “The order we got these things has to be the key. Cole! Start us off!”

Tucking his scythe into the sheath on his back, Cole took a breath and launched into his Spinjitzu. He spun within a tornado of brown and gray. Zane followed suit, spinning in a tornado of white and silver. Jay blocked another attack before beginning his turn, disappearing in a tornado of blue and white. Kai rounded out the group, watching as his sight filled with orange sparks and red lighting. They all gravitated towards each other, becoming one with the fighting styles as they combined into a large golden tornado.

Kai can’t recall how long they spun in formation. He was only able to process what became of their move. The Skulkin had turned into a carnival made of bones. A bit macabre if he thought so himself, but it did the job. The generals were imprisoned with a cage of rocks and bone. This left the path open for the ninja to enter the structure.

Wu was busy fighting Samukai in the middle of the place. Cole, Jay, and Zane moved to help but were stopped by Kai. They looked at him, confused.

“This is Master Wu’s fight, one he has to finish himself.”

The four could only watch as their mentor battled the King of the Underworld with the Sword of Fire. Samukai wielded the other three. He used them on instinct, clearly not understanding the power of the weapons he held. Cole’s breath hitched as Wu was disarmed and Samukai now wielded all of the weapons.

“Good job,” Garmagdon’s voice echoed through the cave. “Now bring me the Four Weapons.” Samukai began to laugh, much to the boys’ confusion.

“I don’t think so.” Samukai pointed the Scythe of Quakes at him. “You obey me now!”

Wu spotted his students and escaped to their side as Garmadon smirked down at the walking pile of bones.

“You are nothing but a selfish fool. Did you not think I wouldn’t plan on your betrayal?” Samukai began to shake and melt as the Golden weapons began to glow. “See, you’ve fallen right into my master plan. See I, myself, cannot handle all of their power, but now that they’re combined, it’ll create a vortex through time and space.” His eyes drifted over to Wu. “I can finally get out of this prison of a world.”

Samukai exploded into a swirling portal of purple energy. Garmadon let out a laugh as he walked to it.

“Father would not want you to do this, Brother,” Wu called out, hoping to get through to his brother.

“Father is no longer here!” He called back as he turned around. “There has always been a balance in the universe. Good and evil, yin and yang, one cannot exist without the other. I just know what side I’m on.” Wu took a deep breath , but said nothing. “Soon, I will be strong enough to wield the Four Weapons, ready to create the world in my image!” Garmadon turned back to the portal. “Shame that you were always the favorite.”

Garmadon stepped through, finally escaping his Underworld prison.

“He may be gone, but he will return.” The boys look at Wu, seeing the exhaustion in his eyes.

“And when he does, we’ll be ready.” Everyone nodded at Kai’s words before running to where the weapons had fallen.

“As well as keep an eye out in case he has any more evil plans up his sleeve,” Cole finished as he picked up the Scythe.

The rest collected their respective weapons. Kai looked into the Sword of Fire. He saw a better image of himself than he did back at the forge within the bent sword.

“I believe my part in this chapter has been completed,” Wu said as he observed all of them. “The balance has been restored for now. So let us all return home.”

Nya sat in the front of the shop. She had yet to move from her vigil at the window since she lit the first candle before noon. The sun was just setting when she heard the beating of wings fly overhead. Four dragons landed outside of the forge, shocking many of the other villagers, but Nya didn’t care. She took off running and didn’t stop until she was held tight in Kai’s arms. He held her tight, tucking his head into the crook of her neck as her hands clutched the cloth of his gi.

“Did you win?” She asked as he slowly let her go.

“For now,” he replied.

“My turn!” Jay exclaimed as soon as Nya was free. She humored him and gave him a hug, not as tight, but still a good hug. Kai merely shook his head in amusement.

“Well, I hope you guys are hungry. I made some stew for whenever you guys got back. It just finished.”

“Thanks, Nee. We’ll be there in just a minute.” Kai ruffled her hair before she stepped away.

With the Golden Weapons in hand, the group gathered together and pointed their new arsenal into the circle. A large shockwave launched out and knocked them all to the ground.

“Perhaps it should be advised to not do that again,” Wu said with a chuckle.

“Good idea,” Cole groaned as he rubbed his head.

“Yeah, let’s just stick to high-fives,” Jay joked.

“Agreed,” Zane nodded before they all began laughing. “Was that also a joke?”

They all began to laugh again as they walked up the hill to the forge. Cole fell into step next to him, arms crossed over his chest.

“So…” He started.

“So what?” Kai asked.

“Are you gonna stick around?”

“Are you gonna be a stick up my ass?” He let out scoff when he was playfully shoved. “I’m kidding.” He took a breath. “But yeah, I think I’ll stick around a bit longer.” Pulling up his face mask, he shoved Cole back and took off running. “Race ya!”

“Oh you’re on!”

[mermaidxatxheart]

Better Together Chapter Eight

Here's Chapter 8, y'all. My work is not to be posted on any other site. If you'd like to be added to my tag list, send me an ask.

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Reader

Word Count: 4.9k

Warnings: language, violence, descriptions of torture.

Series Master List

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

You climb down from the tower, trying to dry your eyes. You dust your hands off and head for the lab. You don’t want to study these stupid flowers, you just want to forget that whole stupid fucking planet. Your eyes won’t stop watering, your throat thick and painful as you try not to burst into tears again.

You round a corner, glancing behind you as you wipe your eyes again. The skin around them is starting to feel raw as you rub them endlessly. There’s something in the middle of the walkway that shouldn’t be there. You turn back to look at what you’ve walked into, stumbling back as fingers wrap around your shoulders.

“Y/N,” Poe breathes, eyes fluttering closed.

Oh, Maker. Your lower lip trembles as you look at his beautiful face, the rejection from earlier swirling up and stifling you. Your eyebrows pinch against your will, eyes starting to squint as the tears threaten to overtake you. Fighting for control, you struggle to smooth out your forehead, but no matter how hard you try, it won’t relax. You inhale sharply through your nose and his eyes fly open.

“Oh, sweetheart.” He mumbles, pulling you in for a hug. It hurts, feeling him care about you this way. You don’t hug him back, keeping your arms rigid by your sides. If you let yourself give in, it will only make things harder. “Y/N, I’m so sorry.” He whispers, burying his face in your neck. “I didn’t mean… this morning…” he takes a shuddering breath. “Please? Just… pl-please.” He hugs you tighter, his voice breaking.

“Poe,”

“Don’t you think I want… if I let myself ki-“ he cuts off audibly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He whispers.

“What do you want from me?” You ask, but it comes out colder than you mean it to.

“Forgive me? You have to know I would do anything for you. Anything you ask of me.”

“You didn’t do anything that needs to be forgiven.” You say softly, your arms curling around his back, your willpower crumbling.

“In my room-“ he starts.

“I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have put you in that position.” You sigh, turning your face into his neck. “Moment of weakness. Will you forgive me?” You ask.

His soft lips press into your neck and you shiver at the unexpected touch. “Nothing to forgive.” He murmurs, lifting his head up to trail up your neck. Your heart thrums erratically in your chest as his lips brush your jawline. “Please tell me you haven’t been crying all day because I’m an asshole.”

“No.” You say, barely more than a whisper. It’s all you can manage as his lips trail up your cheek. “I finished my report for Leia.” You say and he tenses. “Poe? I know… I know I don’t deserve it, but can we talk about the river?” You ask quietly.

“I liked the river.” He mumbles against your cheek. You desperately want to turn your head, to catch his lips with yours. Maker, you feel like you’re on an emotional rollercoaster, high then low, upside down, then backwards.

“I meant what happened in the river.” You correct.

“Liked that, too.” That earns a weak chuckle.

“You shouldn’t have.” You mumble.

“Y/N,” he groans, guiding you against the wall. He brushes his thumb along your jaw. “What’s bothering you? Tell me. You have so much that you’re not saying and it just breaks my heart.”

Your holopad beeps and you close your eyes. “I have to get to the lab.” You twist your face away.

“I have literally nothing else to do. We can talk on the way.” He says, taking your hand.

“You don’t have to.” You look at him suspiciously. “Why send poor Snap to my room earlier?” You ask and he tips his head back, laughing.

“For funsies.”

“Pando? What the hell was that about?” You ask, his fingers intertwined with yours.

“Lando Calrissian. You mentioned he was an inspiration of yours to become a pilot. I figured you would get the reference. Poe, Lando, we’re both pilots.” He shrugs and you roll your eyes.

“I mentioned Calrissian once, five years ago. I can’t believe you remembered that.”

“I remember everything.” He promises. “How was your caf?” He hints.

“Better than the one Bryce brought me. Thank you. And for the food.” You add and he beams, lifting your hands to trace your cheek with the backs of his fingers.

“Of course.” He looks at you before facing straight and keeping his lips pressed together.

“You might as well say it. You have a terrible sabaacc face.” You sigh, pulling him into the lab.

“I don’t like him. He’s been dating you for three years and still doesn’t know how you like your caf. It’s not hard. He’s a jerk. And I hate that he kept me from the med bay so I couldn’t see you. I hate that he acts like he owns you.” He picks up your protective lab coat and helps you slide your arms in. You wince in pain but quickly compose your face so he won’t see.

“Anything else?” You look up at him.

“Only a million other things.” He sighs, leaning against your lab bench.

“Tell me.” You say, catching his hand.

He lifts your hand to his mouth, lips parting slightly as he flutters his eyes shut. He inhales deeply, lips moving silently against the back of it.

“Didn’t catch that.”

“This is so fucked up to say, but I’m so proud of you.” He says. “When we were taken, you were incredible. I never should have put you in that position, but you didn’t say anything, not to save me, not to save yourself and, Maker, I’m so fucking proud of you. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to hold out when he started hurting you, but the fact that you weren’t breaking gave me strength.” He bows his head, clinging to your hand. “And I hate the fact that you think we went through all that because of you. None of it, none, was your fault.” He sighs, lifting his eyes to your face. “In fact, if it wasn’t morally the exact wrong thing to do, I would kiss you again in a heartbeat. Over and over. But you’re a good person and that wouldn’t be fair to you.” He murmurs softly.

“Poe,” you plead. It’s all you want, to kiss him.

“I know. I shouldn’t want that. You’re not mine to want that with, but I just… it’s in my head now. How good you taste, how soft your lips are.” He squeezes his eyes shut, cutting off his words and you squeak. You try to get your hands free, you want them in his hair, holding him to you.

“Poe, please!” You struggle and he drops your hands, hurt written all over his face.

“Okay.” He turns to leave and you grab his arm, pulling him back. You cling to his face, pulling his lips against yours. His hands grip your waist and you exhale in a rush. A massive weight is lifted off your shoulders as you kiss him, hold him. His lips part under yours and you moan low in the back of your throat. He clings to you, crushing you against him like he can’t get close enough.

Maker, you could stay like this forever.

He backs you into the lab bench, fingers pressing into your hips and you rock into him, starving. The door hisses open and he jerks back, spinning around and walking away a few steps.

Nya walks around the corner and looks up to see you fiddling with your holopad. Having barely recovered your wits, you grabbed the first thing your hands landed on.

“Y/N.” She greets with a smile. It’s fake and you want to slap her, but you just tighten your grip on your holopad instead.

“Nya. What are you doing here?” You ask, trying for polite at least and failing horribly. Poe smirks at you over the shelf he’s studying.

“Looking for you, actually.” She says, heading over and you internally groan.

“What did I do?” You ask and she laughs lightly.

“Nothing yet.” She promises. “Your plants are in bin Cin17.” She says, handing over the packet she’s holding.

“Oh. Thanks.”

She smiles at you and turns to walk away. You glance at Poe and he shrugs, coming back over. “That was odd.” He comments.

“Odd? That’s literally the nicest she’s ever been to me.” You sigh, turning back to your bench.

“I wonder why.”

“Maybe she wants something? Maybe she saw my outright panic attack in the dining hall and is getting off on my suffering.” You sigh.

“Or. On a slightly less negative note. Maybe she missed you? Maybe she realized she’s in love with you and now she wants to make it right and have babies with you.” He says and by the end, you’re laughing much harder than you should be. You double over, grasping your knees, your entire midsection aching for various reasons.

“Fuck, you’re gonna make me rip my stitches.” You gasp.

“It wasn’t that funny.” He mumbles.

“Oh man, you’re a funny guy, Dameron.” You pant, standing up and wiping your forehead.

“Thanks.” He mutters dryly. “May I ask what, exactly, was so funny about that?”

“Nya. Liking me? She’s so into dick, it’s all she talks about sometimes. Everyone who has one is in her sights. Especially you, Commander. And then babies with me? Come on. Get serious.”

“Just her? Or anyone in general is unbelievable?” He asks, an odd, stiff texture to his voice.

“I dunno. Anyone? I never really thought I’d make a good mom.” You shrug, heading for the containers now that you’re back under control.

“Really? I do.” He says and your face heats.

“Moot point at the moment. Bryce doesn’t want kids.” You say and he groans.

“Just when I think…” he rubs his face. “I gotta go. I’ll see you later.” He mumbles, swiftly heading for the door.

“Wait, Poe!” You call, half turning.

Too late. He’s gone.

***

You’ve never been punched before. Training was always hand to hand, blocking blows or fighting with weapons. They don’t teach you how to take a punch, or five, or twenty.

It doesn’t hurt at first. The impacted spot on your cheek just goes numb. You can feel the cut on the inside from your teeth against the sensitive tissue, but it doesn’t hurt. Yet.

Then after a couple minutes, it turns into a white hot pain. Couple that with fists landing all over your body, and you’re in pain like you’ve never felt before. Tears spill over your cheeks as the fist lands against your nose, cracking your head back against your prison table. You can’t see, can’t feel your face. Your mouth fills with blood, coating your tongue and spilling down your chin as you gasp for air. You can feel your lips split in different places.

There isn’t a part of you that doesn’t hurt, but you hold onto Poe. He didn’t give them anything, so you can’t either. You can’t let him have suffered for nothing.

The trooper stops, rolling his shoulder. “Answer me. Where is your base?”

You spit the blood out of your mouth at his feet. “That all you got? I was just getting into it.” You say and he grumbles, turning to leave for the time being.

You close your aching eyes and drop your head against the support. It’s not comfortable by any stretch of the word, but it’s better than having to hold your head up anymore.

The image from your nightmare flashes in front of your eyes, Poe fighting the invisible enemy, only now it’s not so invisible. A StormTrooper is wielding the blade, plunging it deep into Poe’s heart.

You jerk upright in your bed, upsetting your holopad and sending it crashing to the floor. You flip on the light, unnerved and feeling like you're not alone in your room. But there doesn’t seem to be anything there. Just your clothes on the floor.

You push yourself to your feet, not feeling safe here, and grab your blanket, wrapping it around your shoulders. You want to go see Poe, make sure he’s okay, be positive your nightmares haven’t gotten him yet.

But he doesn’t want to see you. Having avoided you for the rest of the day, you get the hint. A moment of weakness. That’s what that kiss was. You were there and he needed someone. Could have been Nya, probably for all he would have minded. Any port in the storm.

So, you bypass his room and head for the tower where you ate your lunch. It’s quiet, dark, you can see anything coming for you. You climb the steps slowly, feeling the familiar pinch of your stitches. They’re still ugly, crude, jagged. Maybe it’s good that Poe doesn’t really want you. No one could possibly love the new mutilated you. Bryce hasn’t seen them yet, either. You’re positive that the second he does, he’ll run for the hills.

Maker, you’re selfish.

You push open the door and a body in the tower makes you freeze. “Oh.” You mumble, realizing it’s Poe. “Sorry. I’ll leave.” You rush, ducking back down.

“Stay.” He croaks and you hesitate. “I can���t sleep. Stay and talk to me?”

“You sure you want me to?” You ask.

“I’d rather it be you than anyone else.” He admits.

You feel like leaves on the wind as you climb the rest of the way up. Swirling around in chaotic confusion. You don’t know which way is up, what to trust. You sit a little ways away, back against the wall, facing him.

“What do you want me to talk about?” You ask finally.

He drags a stick through the dirt, making scratch drawings. “I told you some stuff earlier. Spilled some of my guts. Anything you wanna tell me?” He asks finally.

“Yes.” You answer. It’s harder than you think to get these words out. “I…” you close your mouth, thinking about where to start.

“Not easy. To spill your secrets.” He muses. The pale moonlight ghosts across his face. He looks terrible. Tired, hurt, miserable.

“Anything you wanna ask me?” You prompt. “Maybe I can say it that way.”

He looks at you warily. “Will you tell me the truth?”

“Always.” You answer immediately.

“Why did you kiss me in the river?” He asks. “I’ve been thinking over it on a loop and I just can’t figure it out.”

“It felt… right. I needed to do it. I wanted to do it. You’ve always been the best person in the world to me, always taking care of me and looking out for me. And on that planet, I was losing my fucking m-mind, seeing things, hearing things. You were so patient, so kind, so… you. And I could feel tension. Not in a bad way, but pulling me towards you. I’m so sorry, Poe. I know you said I didn’t do it, but I can’t shake the feeling that if I hadn’t, if I hadn’t distracted you, you would have heard those troopers coming. You’ve never been so compromised on a mission before until you go on one with me. I fucked up so bad and I’ll never be able to forgive myself for hurting you like that.” You ramble, the dam broken and the words spill out everywhere. He doesn’t move in the shadows.

He doesn’t say anything for a long time. Your ears start to ring in the dead silence before he speaks again. “So, why kiss me in the lab?”

You sniffle quietly. “You admitted you wanted to do it again, and it’s been one of the dominating thoughts in my head since you saved me in that closet. I want to kiss you. And I like kissing you, but… the guilt… it just keeps reminding me that I’m hurting everyone. Every time I kiss you, I hurt Bryce. Every time I mention him, I hurt you. I can’t get it right. I’m turning into a plague.” You press your lips together.

“You had a nightmare in the cave. What was it?” He asks. You’re not even sure if he’s actually listening to your words, he gives no indication of hearing them.

“I,” you pause, having to think back that far. “I was hovering over myself as I slept. You were saying something but I couldn’t really hear it. Then I went outside, but it was into a First Order ship. And then I saw the tables we were attached to. And then two men fighting with lightsabers. And then…” you cut off, swallowing thickly. This part you remember, even though you wish you could forget it. “A-and then you. Y-you were fighting something I c-couldn’t see. It had a bl-blade and it killed you, stabbed you th-through the heart.” You say, gasping for breath. It feels like the surrounding air is crushing you. “I w-woke up and you weren’t there, I pa-panicked.” You twist your fingers into your blanket, hiding your face.

“Do you want to kiss me again?” He asks finally.

“Poe,”

“Do you? If you say no, I’ll never bring it up again.” He promises.

“Of course, I do. But it’s not that easy. I keep hurting you. I don’t know how not to. And being around you, it makes me happy, it makes it easier to breathe. I don’t wanna lose you. I couldn’t survive it.” You admit shamelessly.

“You won’t lose me. I won’t leave you.” He says. “One more thing.” He starts.

“Okay?”

“Do you hate the way dickhead doesn’t know how you like your caf?” He asks and you crack a tearful smile.

“Yes. It’s not hard.” You mumble.

“Come here.” He holds out his arms. “Come sit with me.”

You scoot over, resting your head on his shoulder as he spreads your blanket out over the both of you.

“I need you, too, you know. I can’t lose you, either. And if that means I have to kick Bryce from here to Tatooine, I will.” He says, nuzzling into your hair.

“Please don’t. You’ve been hurt enough on my account.” You close your eyes to him stroking your hair.

“No promises, sweetheart.” He's quiet for so long, you nearly fall asleep. “But I’m not gonna stop kissing you.” He murmurs against your hair.

With one last conscious thought, you dig into your pocket, reaching for his hand with your other one. Sleep is making your limbs like lead, heavy and clumsy. You feel him chuckle a little, placing his wrist in your fumbling palm. You place the chain in his hand, curling his fingers around it.

“Meant to give it to you earlier,” you mumble, almost certain you formed actual words.

“Y/N, ” he chokes, squeezing you tight. “Thank you.”

***

“You have to eat something.” He protests, guiding you down off the ladder. His chain is back around his neck, shimmering against his tan skin as it always has. Some day, he's going to give it to someone; someone he wants to spend the rest of forever with. Someone who isn't broken like you. Someone who actually deserves him. And you'll try to be happy for him, but you know it'll break your heart.

“Can’t you just… go get it for me?” You ask, feeling your hands start to shake at the thought of the crowd.

He smiles softly, brushing your hair back. “Sweetheart. No.”

“Poe…” you start and he cups your face.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, okay? I’ll be right there the whole time.” He promises. “But you have to eat. You need your friends. They miss you.” He looks around, noting the empty pathway. “If you need to leave, we’ll leave. Just say the word.” He presses a kiss to your forehead.

“It’s gonna be loud.” You protest as he takes your hand and leads you towards the commissary and dining hall.

“This early?” He scoffs. He pulls you along gently. You could stop him, you could let the tears free that have been simmering just under the surface since you got back. You know he wouldn’t push you to do it if you’re not ready.

But… he’s gone in there, he’s seen his friends. If he can do it, you can, too. You take an extra step, falling in next to him instead of being pulled by him and he smiles down at you proudly.

“There’s my girl.” He says softly. He holds your hand right up until you stop outside the doors. He lifts your hand to his mouth softly, eyes never leaving your face. “I’ll be right next to you.” He promises. You nod and he lowers your hand, reluctantly letting it go until not even your fingertips are touching.

He pulls open the door and lets you walk inside first. He doesn’t shove you in, instead, he waits for you to take a deep breath, smiling down at you until you straighten with a false sense of confidence, and step inside. He follows you, just barely touching your arm as he guides you to the line of food.

Despite his assurances that the room would be mostly empty, with shift changes and missions leaving early, the room is fairly crowded. You can feel his eyes on you, along with about a hundred others, but you feel better today. Stronger, even. You can do this.

You hope.

Poe picks up two trays and starts to put food on both, watching your face for positive or negative signs. You could do this yourself, you’re perfectly capable, but you like him waiting on you a little bit. Just this one time, let him dote on you.

He finds an empty table, just the two of you and he sits across from you, foot tapping against yours. They trickle over, slowly, one at a time. Your friends come to sit next to you. But this time, they don’t swarm you. They sit next to you, or next to Poe, talking to him about something trivial and you’re so grateful. It lets you get used to it again, being around people, acting human again.

You watch Poe, listening to him joke with Snap; Beaumont sets an apple on your tray as he tells Poe some gossip. And Poe sits there, listening and laughing to all of it. He interacts, partakes, and never once does he look uncomfortable or like he wants to bolt. You don’t know how he does it.

And then Lieutenant Connix walks behind him. She leans down to say something in his ear, her hand squeezing his shoulder as she talks. His hand lifts to cover her own as he twists his face to listen. After a second, he nods and she walks away.

You’ve always liked her, she’s friendly, smart, ambitious. But maybe you need to rethink your ideas. She walks quickly, her hips swaying, and you huff under your breath. Since when are she and Poe so close?

You try to listen, to distract yourself, but you can’t tear your eyes away from where the pretty girl disappeared through. Poe’s foot taps against yours and you flinch, looking up at him slowly. He smiles softly, his eyes falling to your ignored food.

You roll your eyes, picking apart your roll and taking small nibbles. After a couple minutes, Connix is forgotten as Beaumont regales the table with a story of how he got trapped in a wedding dress on Coruscant.

Soon, you’re laughing along with them. You forgot what this feels like, your face hurts from smiling so much. Poe’s beautiful eyes are on you, his own grin infectious.

A crack echoes across the big room and you jump, hands grabbing the table, ready to run. Your heart pounds in your ears and it’s like your vision completely leaves you. Snap’s hand settles on yours closest to him as he shouts something. Your brain slowly fades back in and you realize Poe has your other hand across the table and Beaumont is out of his chair, peering across the room.

Two mechs collided, neither paying attention to what was in front of them, their trays falling to the cement. That was the cracking noise.

Poe’s hand is shaking just slightly, hardly noticeable, as it covers yours, but you feel it. You twist your hand into his and he glances over at you. You smile softly, tracing your thumb over the back of his hand.

Beau sits back down next to you, his eyes searching your face for a minute before he grins. “Never boring, eh, Y/N?” He asks, his hand resting on your shoulder.

“I guess not.” You answer. You pull your hands back and pick up the apple. Poe is quicker than you thought possible, his favorite knife out and the handle pressed into your palm before you can even realize you need one.

You cut the apple in half, core out the middle on both halves and give the other half to your best friend. He’s abnormally quiet for a minute as he chews, and you wonder if maybe he’s not as okay as you thought.

“Wexley, what’s on the agenda today?” You ask Snap, half turning to face him, giving Poe time to recover.

“Well, I have a mission the day after tomorrow. So, I need to get my ship ready. There’s a part that’s being problematic. I have some mechs that are gonna look at it today and see if they can fix it.” He sighs.

“Well, if they have any problems, you can always come find me and see if I can help.” You offer and he grins.

“I just might do that.”

Once Poe is sure you’ve eaten all you possibly can without getting sick, he collects your trays and you join him to deposit them before leaving the room with a wave to your friends.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” He asks and you slip your hand into his.

“Thank you for making me go.” You say, leaning into his shoulder.

“Of course.” He smiles. “And… thank you.” He sighs, scratching at the back of his neck with his free hand. You cast your mind around, trying to figure out what he could possibly be thanking you for.

“I didn’t do anything.” You frown.

“With that stupid tray… you… fuck. How are you always so strong exactly when I need you to be?”

“Poe, I was ready to bolt. The only thing stopping me was you and Snap.” You tell him. “If you hadn’t grabbed my hand to keep me there, all you would have seen was my dust as I hightailed it out of there.”

He smiles softly, but it’s weak, a little broken. “I didn’t grab your hand to keep you there. I grabbed it to keep me there.” He admits, pausing outside the door to the lab.

You stare up at him, realization dawning much too slowly. “Poe,” you place a hand on his cheek and he leans into it, eyes fluttering closed. “Anything I can do, anything you need-I’ll always be here. You’re not alone.” You whisper and he pulls you close, kissing you softly.

Every time feels like the first time. His lips press against yours like they’ve known each other forever, no hesitation. He tips your head back, towering over you as you hold onto his shirt. His tongue is soft on yours, not domineering and controlling the way… someone else’s is… your subconscious blanks on the name, but it doesn’t matter, not when Poe is kissing you like his very life depends on it. No, like your life depends on it.

He pulls away, breathing slightly faster, forehead pressed to yours. His eyes are closed, but yours are open, drinking in every detail of his beautiful face. “Me and you, kid.” He agrees and you punch his arm, a smile already pulling at your lips. His eyes fly open and he rubs his arm.

“We’re the same age.” You glower and he laughs.

“I know. But you’re so much shorter.” He puts his hand on top of your head and you slap it away, turning towards the door with a huff. You’re about to swipe your keycard, but he pulls you back, plucking it out of your pocket. He swipes it and pushes the door open, letting you step in first.

“Will you stay?” You ask, reaching for your log books.

“Yeah. I don’t have anything else to do. I’m still technically on leave, recovering from…” he trails off, but you get the picture.

“Alright.” You start checking off your supplies and notes while he moves around your lab. You don’t pay him much attention, there isn’t much trouble he can get into. But you feel better having him around.

He looks through every box on the supply shelves, every glass container. You look over at him, catching his eye being magnified through a specimen jar. He looks so ridiculous that you can’t help but snort at him. He grins and straightens up, coming over next to you.

“Didn’t find anything you liked?” You tease, flipping through the last of your notes.

“Oh, I found plenty I like. Just nothing I can take right now.” He sighs wistfully. Your face heats, so you keep your gaze directly away from him. He chuckles and sits in the spinning chair next to your bench.

Chapter Nine

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[galpalaven]

coral, diamond, dolamite, emerald for all your hunters and Nya

!!!! gonna be under the cut because it's gonna be really fucking long lmfao

Nox Pendragon

coral: how my OC views the natural world

Nox grew up in the capital of her home country of Ravaya, and the Ravay people are very tied to the natural spirits that live within the jungle that presses up against the edges of the city. There are temples scattered throughout the city, and the central Air Temple at the perfect center of the city where many people spend time asking for guidance and protection from the spirits. The jungle especially is seen as a sort of benevolent deity that that the people of her home country are very reverent of.

In short, she's been raised to respect and almost revere nature, and as such tends to do her best to avoid leaving a footprint on nature whenever she can.

diamond: a sex headcanon

Nox is on the ace spectrum, and her demisexuality meant that she never really found anyone that she wanted to date and have sex with at any point when she was in her early twenties. So technically still a virgin lol

dolomite: a sleep headcanon

Nox suffers from night terrors, and has since she was a baby. She doesn't know that there's a reason for that, but her dad does. Lol.

emerald: how my OC tells someone they love them without words

One of Nox's love languages is physical touch. If she loves someone, she's the type to run her fingers through your hair or rub your back or hold your hand.

Ilya loves this, of course, and leans into every single touch.

Ilya Fisher

coral: how my OC views the natural world

As a creature of the sea, their life is very tied to the natural world. While siren religions only worships one god, the moons are seen as spiritual gifts, as guardians of their people and feature in many of the holy days celebrated by the sirens.

All that being said, they has a reverence for the spirits that make up Nox's people's religion, and can often be seen visiting water temples on the surface to center themself when things are getting hard.

diamond: a sex headcanon

He has never had sex outside of his human ex-boyfriend. Not that he didn't have opportunities, but sex isn't a super big thing for many sirens as their sense of touch is a lot less than humans.

The sex they did have with their ex was ummmmm not good. Not even sure I would personally classify it as 'having sex' when it was just them Giving and being Used and never receiving.

dolomite: a sleep headcanon

Ilya struggles to sleep much. Sirens only sleep between 3 and 6 hours a night, but his human form needs more sleep. He's known to push himself to stay awake and fight the urge to sleep until he crashes for like 16 straight hours lmao.

He has a caffeine addiction in human form as a result.

emerald: how my OC tells someone they love them without words

Ilya is an acts of service type of man. He likes to bring Nox things he found that he thinks she'd like, or maybe cook her something. It was also how he showed love to his family back home--hell, the whole reason he is searching for a runecaster that can help him is an act of service to help his family.

Hunters

Riley Chang

coral: how my OC views the natural world

Riley doesn't particularly have any feelings about nature one way or another. She likes being outside sometimes, but not enough to like go hiking or have houseplants or anything. She'd like to have a cat someday, though.

diamond: a sex headcanon

As a demisexual, Riley has not actually ever had sex. She's never been close enough to anyone to experience attraction until Adair, so that will be an interesting thing for the two of them to navigate when they finally get together lol

dolomite: a sleep headcanon

Riley grew up co-sleeping with her parents when she was a kid, so she actually sleeps better with someone else in the room. She'll be very happy when they move in together and she gets to cuddle with them every night.

emerald: how my OC tells someone they love them without words

Riley's similar to Nox in the way she shows affection. Adair struggles with every casual touch when she runs her fingers through their hair or rubs their shoulders or almost holds their hand. A Mess.

Theodora Blackburn

coral: how my OC views the natural world

Theo was raised Jewish and still practices as an adult. There are a lot of nature based holidays that she does observe when she has the time. She has a reverence for nature, though she's not super interested in like hiking or anything.

diamond: a sex headcanon

Of all the characters up here, she has had the most sex lol. She's bisexual, and did her fair share of experimentation in college. Never Have I Ever with her might be a bit challenging lmao

dolomite: a sleep headcanon

Theo suffers from insomnia. It's so bad that she honestly just lives like this and pretends like its not having a real effect on her. She sleeps a few hours at a time most nights, and its a very light sleep that doesn't really give her any fucking rest.

emerald: how my OC tells someone they love them without words

Theo is cuddly. She likes to sit right up next to people she loves, to run her fingers through their hair and let them rest their head on her chest and fall asleep on the couch. She's also an acts of service bitch who will draw her love a bath and cook dinner if they've had a bad day.

Frankie Nakamura

coral: how my OC views the natural world

Frankie is absolutely clueless about most things in nature. All she knows is she gets sneezy in the spring and that plants need water sometimes. She wants to be someone who has plants and a cute little garden, but she's just not got it in her.

She'll just have to live with helping Blane with their garden someday.

diamond: a sex headcanon

Frankie has had sex before, and it was fun. That being said, she has a very low libido, and feels no real need to seek it out at any given time. On the odd occasion her hormones act up, she's not above using a vibe to help ease that discomfort.

The fact that Blane is ace will not bother her in the slightest.

dolomite: a sleep headcanon

Miss Girl could sleep through a hurricane. Heaviest sleeper in the world. She might be dead. Someone poke her and see if she's breathing.

emerald: how my OC tells someone they love them without words

Being there. Even if it's just sitting nearby and doing her own thing. She also likes to cuddle and bring snacks or dinner to you if you're feeling down.

[spinchip]

It’s Not That Bad

Wordcount: 2400 Ship: Mountaingshipping, Cole/Zane/Kai Warnings: Broken bones, blood, violence, injury

Summary: Zane hides an injury.

The fight can’t even be classified as a real fight, in Coles opinion. It’s a street brawl, raw knuckles and split lips- the remaining members of the SOG are brutal when they catch the scent of blood. Without leadership the gang has devolved into troublemakers and men itching for violence, and they’ve gotten bolder- the fight taking place in broad daylight near the center of town. Two weeks ago they’d taken Jay down in the middle of a scrap, a bat to the side of his temple when the group had been separated (he’d been laid up in bed in the dark for days afterwards with a concussion) and since then they’d gotten cocky about the Ninja's weakness.

Lloyd had been adamant about showing a united front- the Ninja team had to be unflappable, rigid and strong to show the growing gang that they were not so easily beaten. They couldn’t afford to give them another inch, which is why it’s so frustrating when they get separated once more. There’s a new player on the gangs side this time, a big man hefting a hammer that could hold its own against Coles. He’s not particularly fast, but the others in the group keep them occupied while the man swings his weapon with bone breaking force. His presence was not something they could ignore, splitting their attention dangerously, making their formation too easy to break.

And it’s not Jay this time, but Zane, who is pushed into a throng of enemies all looking for blood.

Cole doesn’t see what happens to get them to this point, he misses the moment Zane is surrounded, but Lloyd urges the others to make their way to him over the clash of fists. Zane’s always been capable, and today is no exception- but just like before when it had been Jay, there are too many, and it’s not long before a lucky shot sends Zane to the pavement. A sloppy leg sweep Zane wasn’t expecting, going sprawling onto his stomach. It’s simple enough to recover from just fine.

Except the big man swings his hammer before Zane can get his hands underneath him. Down down down in a deadly arc-

There’s no warning Cole can give, no speed or strength to stop it, random men pushing him away from his friend but not crowded enough where he can’t watch it happen. The head of the hammer hits the base of Zane back and the sound it makes- Cole can feel the impact in his bones, his stomach churning and nearly making him gag. The crack of the anvil on metal makes him feel ill.

Zane doesn’t yell or scream, his fingers dig into concrete so hard they leave gouges, and then he goes completely limp. He looks dead, lying facedown on the pavement. The gang members hoot and holler, their fight rejuvenated, and they jump into the fray with more vigor than before.

Slowly, the man brings his hammer up and Coles realizes he means to hit him again.  He pushes frantically through the fight, blows glancing off his shoulders as he barrels through. Nya appears at his side, hair askew, and throws waves of water that sweep several people off their feet, dumping them clear of the path. Cole slams into the big man's side before he can deliver another blow, knocking him back from Zanes still form. Before either of them can get to the downed nindroid, new adversaries file in to try and beat them back, the fight resuming- but the ninja now scrambled and panicked at the loss of one of their own, and the gang member reveling in it.

The man with the hammer, he’s got thin blonde hair and dark eyes, manages to keep up with Cole. Despite Coles obvious skill and experience, he’s making stupid rookie mistakes. Internally cursing, Cole urges himself to focus- rushing into the fray to protect Zane would mean nothing if he fell to the man's hammer too, but it’s looking increasingly grim. The man is pushing himself faster, sweat beading on his brow, and he’s strong.

A smaller man darts past the two of them in a planned maneuver. The big man steps back and Cole is thrown off kilter as his hammer swings wide, and realizes too late that the smaller man has a knife- he can’t avoid it now. He twists, steps back, tries to minimize the damage- and then the man’s legs slide out beneath him and he hits the ground hard, head bouncing off the ice-slick pavement. Zane appears at Coles side and throws ice hard, frost and big chunks of ice invigorated by the wet pavement from Nyas last attack freeze the big man's legs to the road. Cole falls into place at his side, the two fighting off a few more before the gang realizes Zanes back on his feet.

Their bravado and cockiness vanishes. One man turns and runs, and at that the gang scatters- the one who are able to, of course, and are not frozen to the sidewalk or knocked unconscious.

Cole spins around to face Zane, who’s surveying the scene silently, “Are you alright?” He asks, hovering his hands over Zane as if to feel out the injury by aura alone.

Zane’s eyes are trained on the alleyways the gang members disappeared into, mouth a thin and calculated line, “I am alright. The Sons of Garmadons strength is dwindling.”

Cole blinks, frowning. It was almost like Zane wasn’t speaking to him, but the backs of the men hiding away in the dark corners of the streets. As if he was making a point.

The cops show up and begin to load the remaining men into Police Cruisers or ambulances, depending on their state. The ninja did not always pull their punches, especially after Zane hit the ground.

Zane watches as the man with the hammer is loaded onto a police cruiser.

Lloyd motions the two of them over, the others are gathered near a throng of policemen milling about, and Cole reaches out and sets a hand of the small of Zane's back to lead him- Zanes shirt is soaked through and ice cold. The moment his fingers make contact, Zane jolts forward with the barest intake of breath between his teeth. Cole jerks his hand back, the pain flashing across Zanes face almost impossible to catch, but Cole knows his boyfriend better than anyone. A blank mask slips over Zanes face as he stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the act, striding across the pavement before Cole can comment.

Cole trails after him, and now that he’s really looking he can see a dark outline of what looks like water straining the back of Zanes gi. In the heat of battle, if Zane got a particularly bad scape, he’d do some emergency first aid and patch himself up with ice like a scab. The hammer hit him hard, it must have jostled something loose- Cole tries not to worry too hard, Zane is still standing and had even fought with him. They just needed to wrap this up quick and get him home. He has half a mind to scoop the nindroid up gently and carry him back right now- but Zanes' words from earlier hang around his ears. Treating Zane like a delicate injured flower in front of any of the new SOG was bound to encourage their violence, just like in the aftermath of Jay. Like Lloyd wanted, a united and unbreakable front is what they needed to project.

Zane is hiding an injury, and for the sake of reputation, Cole has to allow it.

The police chief is standing with the others, and by the time Cole catches up Zane’s already reassuring everyone, “I am fine.” he says gently, Kais worry coming off of him in waves, “Is there anything we can help with?” He directs his next question to the police chief, clasping his hands in front of him.

Cole, along with the rest of his little family, zeroes in on the way Zanes hands are trembling.

His face is completely serene, his gi is soaked through as his ice patch job struggles to stay frozen, and he’s shaking badly enough for even Nya to notice, shooting him a concerned glance as the Police Chief thanks them. He drones on about safety measures and clean up and other things Cole wants him to shut up about so he can bundle Zane up in his arms and kiss and make it better.

Finally, once the conversation draws to a close and they can excuse themselves from the scene, they unconsciously box Zane in as they walk back to where the bounty is parked. The ramp is down and they surround him protectively as they trek up it. Zane still doesn’t hint that anything is wrong, the silence stretching over them tense as they wait for something to happen.

Nya lifts the bounty into the air, and still Zane doesn’t say anything as he pensively stares over the edge of the railing. Cole can’t stand it anymore, he turns around as the city disappears beneath the clouds, “Zane-” he starts.

“Cole.” Zane gasps, grabbing at Coles shoulders as his knees buckle, the calm mask cracking down the middle as he collapses. Like on the pavement before, Zane clenches his hands and bunches Coles gi in his fingers. Cole, startled, grabs Zanes waist- he gasps and whimpers, and cold fear snaps across Cole's mind. He’s never heard Zane make that noise before.

“Not there,” he shakes his head, Cole moves his hands up to cup under Zanes armpits, and while he doesn’t seem to be happy he doesn’t make that awful whimper again.

Jay and Kai are at his side, fluttering their hands in a panic. They want to help but Zanes reaction makes them reluctant to put their hands on him.

“How can we help? What’s hurt?” Jay asks as Cole pulls Zane closer, pressing them together to help stabilize him.

Zane doesn’t attempt to stand on his own, “Shut me down,” He pants, “It’s- the hammer. He broke my spine.”

Jay pales dramatically, weaseling between the two of them to gain access to Zanes chest compartment. He pried it open quickly, reaching it with practiced ease and resting his finger on the switch off button.

He hesitates, under normal circumstances Jay was to never use this button, “Are you sure?”

“Jay.” Zane stresses each letter, and tears spill over his eyes.

He goes limp- again- as Jay pushes the button, his forced shutdown stealing the iron grip from his hands and the tension from his body. He ragdolls in coles arms, slumping bonelessly into his chest. With no ice to keep him stable, Coles can feel the way his body- it’s… it’s not quite right, the break in his spine sending intense warning siglas to coles head where he’s laid against him. The same bone deep wrongness he’s felt once, in dance class when he was 12, and a girl landed wrong doing a complex dance move and her hand had twisted the wrong way- it’d made him sick, seeing the new bend in her wrist where there wasn’t supposed to be one. It makes him feel sick to carry Zane down to the garage when the dock at the monastery, legs trailing behind him and waist a little too loose where the rigid metal casing was snapped.

Jay's prognosis is, “It’s better than It could have been.” Which is not reassuring to Cole, but Nya seems to lose a bit of tension at.

Zane's artificial spine worked much like Cole or Kais, a bundle of ‘nerves’ and wires and other tubes strung through it to keep it safe. The blow had broken through the outer protective metal but the main cord and delicate wiring was largely unharmed. A few pinched and torn wires, mostly- Zane's ice brace kept the wound from deteriorating drastically. Jay wouldn’t comment on how much pain an injury like this would heap onto their friend, but Cole remembers the way the blood had drained from his face at Zanes confession.

“The fact that he could even move…” He mutters to Nya in awe, delicately and oh so gently maneuvering wires. Nya nodded, mute.

Once their repairs reach completion it’s nearly dark out, Jay flips the on switch back up, and they wait for Zane to turn on.

He wakes up with wet eyes, a few stray tears slipping down his face as the leftover pain signals work their way out of his system. He twists over the edge of the table, looking for relief from the hazy pain, nearly taking himself to the floor if not for Coles gentle hands steadying him.

He clutches at Cole again with a low sound of pain, and slowly his eyes clear.

Cole holds him as Zane buries his face in the soft of his gi top, hiding his eyes against Cole's collarbone. Kai moves in and starts to pet his hair soothingly, warmth spreading through his hands.

“You should have said something.” Cole murmurs, “This wasn’t a loose tube or a scrape, this isn’t something you should have powered through. You should have stayed down.” Cole doesn’t dwell on how much it must have hurt for Zane to get back on his feet, and how if he hadn’t the grunts knife would have struck home.

“I could not.” Zane breathes, pulling a way to readjust so he’s resting his cheek against Cole and his face is bare, “If the SOG knew they had hurt me-”

“We would have dealt with it just fine.” Kai says firmly, “Zane, this- you can’t hide an injury that bad. Watching you collapse, knowing how badly you were in pain…” He can’t finish his sentence, huddling closer and clutching at both his boys.

“I apologize,” Zane mutters, his eyelids flutter.

“We can discuss this tomorrow.” Cole says gently, “But I think we’re all exhausted. Let’s go to bed.”

Kai looks like he wants to say something else, but Zanes dazed and sleepy expression makes the words die on his tongue. He runs a hand through his hair, and Cole watches the weight of the day fully settle on his boyfriend's shoulders, “...Yeah, that sounds good to me.”

Cole carries Zane up to bed, Kai immediately taking up a spot at their boys' side. Zane curls into the warmth of Kais embrace as Cole turns out the light and crawls in behind him. Cole cuddles into Zane, who’s already asleep again, and idly traces the near imperceptible scar on his back where the hammer had split metal.

He stares into the patch of darkness where Zanes head is, and thinks about Zane lying prone on the pavement. He pulls him closer, wraps him up in his arms and holds on tight.

He closes his eyes, and sleep doesn’t hesitate to come.