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starsfic · 10 months ago

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One Pig's Mad Dash

Summary: @draw-of-the-moon's Chimera Parents AU:

Pigsy just had to suggest that the kids come along to his family's farmhouse with him and Tang. He just had to go to the store. Hopefully, Chimera will never learn that he let their kids get kidnapped. (Or, Tang opens a scroll labeling the locations of four golden weapons, only for him and Nya to get kidnapped by skeletons. Kai is recruited by a mysterious old man to learn spinjitzu, and Pigsy has child leashes for all three of them.)

“Oh, this is great! Smell that fresh air!”

It had been a long time since Pigsy had come to Gao Village. His family owned a house or two there, passed down from Zhu Bajie’s wife, Blue Orchid, but Pigsy had found more excuses over the years to stay away from it once he understood the story of his ancestor (and past life). Now, however, he couldn’t help it.

The summer house was lovely, having been well-maintained over the years. It had stayed mostly the same since it was first built in the Tang dynasty, but someone (he was willing to bet his cousin who had visited the American South once as a teenager and never got over it) had installed more modern things, like a nice big front porch that had a lovely view of the surrounding growing fields. The town was an hour or two’s drive away, leaving the Zhu family with peace and quiet.

“Grandadsy,” Kai sighed as he closed the door. “We get plenty of fresh air back home,” Nya made a noise of agreement as she followed her brother. “You don’t have to keep pretending this isn’t to get one over on Yeye Demon Bull.”

“Rude,” Pigsy scoffed as Tang took the key he offered and headed to unlock the door, leaving him to wrap his arms around the younger two and pull them close. “Rude, rude kids. Of course, I want to spend time with you.” Sure, he was a little annoyed at all the grandkid time that Red’s parents had been getting recently, but it was fine.

“Hey!” Tang called from the door before Kai or Nya could answer beyond giggles. “Come on, the car’s not gonna unpack itself, and I’m hungry!”

Pigsy sighed, releasing the siblings so they could do as commanded, marching up to his husband. “I don’t have all the ingredients for noodles, yet, Tang,” he said. Tang sighed with a pout. “I’ll need to drive to the grocery store after we finish unpacking. Think you can survive until then?”

Tang groaned, clearly fighting back a smile. “Fine,” he said, moving to help Nya and Kai. “It’s not like the house is gonna blow up the moment you turn your back.”

Ugh, he shouldn’t tempt fate like that. Before Pigsy could dwell on that, an argument drifted in the wind.

“You have a way too big backpack.”

“Well, yours is small! What do you have in there, just your lipstick?”

Pigsy sighed and headed to help Tang and the grandkids before Nya froze Kai again. He didn’t bring the icepick.

-_-

It was easy enough to unpack everything, including all the food they had brought. With that, Pigsy said farewell and headed out for the grocery store for supplementary ingredients.

The moment Pigsy's car disappeared, Tang turned to Kai and Nya with a grin. "Wanna see something cool?"

"Yeah!"

"Absolutely!"

"Great!" Tang led them to the kitchen table, where he had set the poster container down. "Now, nobody except the museums knows I have this yet. I'm gonna be studying this with the Ninjago Museum of History for an upcoming exhibit."

"Yeye, stop teasing us!" Kai groaned. "Show us the cool thing!"

"Alright, alright!" Tang fished out a pair of gloves from the container and then pulled out what looked to be an aged scroll. "In Japan, there used to be a religious order of ninja who believed that their founder created the world with four golden weapons. After a battle with evil, he supposedly hid these weapons in secret locations across the country and created a map to hide them." The scroll unrolled, revealing a map. Four weapons, drawn in gold, were set in different spots across the map. "If this is true, this will be the biggest archaeological discovery in Japan!"

Nya paused, her excitement fading to be replaced with confusion. "If this is Japanese, then why is it in China?"

"Well, considering my expertise in magical McGuffins," Tang smiled proudly as the two young adults sighed. "They wanted me to look it over and maybe talk to some of the older demons and see if they knew anything-” He paused, looking around.

“What?”

“I’m sorry, do you feel that?”

Kai looked around. “What?”

“The rumbling.”

“I don’t.” Something crashed, hard enough to shake the kitchen and its inhabitants. Kai landed on his butt, looking widely around as Nya grabbed Tang, both of them steadying themselves with each other. Now, the rumbling was audible, like when Long Xiaojiao raced against huge trucks, but close enough that Kai could feel the rumbling in his teeth. “Now I do!”

“What is-”

Nya’s shrieked question was cut off as the front of a truck dug into the house.

-_-

Welp, pickings had been scrawny at the store on the basis of snacks, but at least they had fresh vegetables and animal bones! It had been a long time since Pigsy had thought of freshly roasted marrow, but now he couldn’t help but lick his lips. Animal bones were pretty rare for human consumption in Wàn Qiān Chéng, since they were mostly reserved for carrion-eating demons, but not out here. It would be a great treat!

That was the last Pigsy thought of dinner when he turned the corner and saw the yard.

It looked like someone had taken a bulldozer, several bulldozers in fact, and had a fight with them. Dirt and grass had been churned up and spat up to make a massive mess. The front of the house looked bashed in to boot. All around the area were tracks of those bulldozers and footprints. Pigsy parked at the edge of the mess and stumbled out.

Fear gripped his throat tight. He had been terrified when Flower Fruit Mountain had been destroyed, yeah, but that didn't compare to the horror at staring at his family home destroyed in such a violent way. Even worse, he couldn't hear any of his family.

"Tang?! Kai!" Pigsy scrambled for the house, waiting for anyone to respond. "NYA!" His shout for his youngest grandchild produced nothing but horrible silence, his yell echoing off the landscape.

They were gone.

Pigsy turned away from the kitchen and looked around, biting back the urge to cry. Instead, he studied the ground. He had brushed up on his tracking and foraging skills after the run-in with Scorpion Queen, not wanting to miss something and be caught off-guard.

There were the tire tracks, yes, but also footprints. Most were unfamiliar bootprints that were like the Bull Clones’, paired with weird shuffling marks that went back and forth. However, a familiar sneaker pattern was at the very edge of the scene, decorated with little flames that matched the boots Red Son wore. It walked away, towards the road, next to a pair of what looked like slipper prints.

Someone or something had burst in and taken his husband and his grandchildren, at least Nya and Tang. Kai had walked away with someone. Pigsy felt his hands clench into fists. His first instinct was to call his son, let him know what happened, but he held firm. If he did that, if he proved to be so irresponsible-

No. He could kiss time with his grandkids goodbye.

Pigsy pulled out his phone and dialed the fourth number. “Wukong?” He said as the monkey picked it up with a yawn. “You still have the number of that construction company?”

Wukong was hesitant when Pigsy revealed what happened. He pushed against the plan as Pigsy moved around the kitchen and rustled through their bags, ears on autopilot as he raided his cooking supplies. He wanted to rush over and help Pigsy track down Kai. He wanted to tell Qi Xiaotian, Long Xiaojiao, and Red Son.

“No,” Pigsy huffed, stuffing some seasoning packets in the front pocket of Kai’s backpack. “The kids aren’t expecting us back until by the end of July. I have plenty of time to track them down.” And beat their asses. “I got this handled. Just fix the house.”

“Okay, but, you know Xiaojiao is gonna check her tra-” Before Wukong could finish, Pigsy hung up, right as his phone buzzed. Pigsy glanced back, wondering if Wukong had called him back to finish whatever he was going to say and winced when Wukong’s name wasn’t the name flashing on the screen.

Xiaojiao, as if summoned, was calling.

He dismissed the call and shoved the bile of guilt down his throat. He had until the end of July. It would be fine.

Pigsy picked up his wok and smiled at the pulse of energy he was greeted with. He wasn’t exactly sure how the rake worked, shifting from rake weapon to simple wok, but he wasn’t going to leave it behind in the face of whatever had taken his family.

He made one last stop at the van. In a storage container, pushed to the corner, was a bunch of emergency supplies, as well as three things that he had thought would be left in the past. Once those were wrapped up and shoved in the backpack, Pigsy took in a deep breath and let it out, slowly. This was it.

It was Pigsy’s turn to have a solo adventure.

He set off after those tracks.

-_-

Two months later…

This had somehow been the most fun and most nerve-wracking few weeks Kai had experienced.

In the wake of the skeletons’ attack on the house, taking Yeye Tang and Nya with them as well as the map to those crazy weapons, Master Wu had offered his hand. He was apparently from the religious ninja sect that his yeye had mentioned and he had been following both the map and him for a bit. He wanted to train Kai as a ninja to prevent the rise of his brother, Lord Garmadon. The same lord was bound to have Tang and Nya.

Kai, who had been helpless in the attack beyond a few fireballs, agreed. After a quick note scrawled to Grandadsy, he had followed Wu into the forest. It had taken a few days and a boat trip, but they soon arrived at the monastery where Kai’s training began.

And then he had met his classmates.

Kai wasn’t really sure what to make of them at first. He had teamed up with Nya for so long that not having her by his side felt like a missing limb, only to be replaced by three too many. Cole was a stick in the mud, Zane was robotic that went beyond being a teacher’s pet, and Jay was way too chatty and interested in Nya the moment Kai mentioned her. Their team was shaky with the fact that Kai was the newcomer, used to being either a solo or duet act, while the other three knew each other well.

But that couldn’t last, not with determination and friendship. Over their time together, he would like to say that they had worked on their teamwork. They were still a little shaky, like fawns getting up on their legs, but Kai would say he trusted them. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be shaking his hips with Jay as Cole tapped out a rhythm on the drums he pulled from seemingly nowhere. Zane laughed along as Master Wu meditated, a scowl on his lips.

“Come on, shifu!” Kai said, holding out his hand. “Join us!”

The answer he received was an annoyed scoff. "There is still one weapon left! We must get our sleep!"

Kai didn't even have to look to see Jay jump in, grabbing their shifu's shoulder and giving it a light shake. "Aww, Sensei. Look, you gotta admit, we're kicking their boney butts." Yeah! They had gotten three of the four weapons and the temple of fire was an hour or two’s walk. By this time tomorrow, the world would be safe. It wouldn’t be a little ridiculous to relax, right?

Kai nodded. "Get up here. Show us some moves!"

Wu looked at them and seemed to fold at their hopeful faces, his annoyed scowl disappearing into a lighter look. "I guess I could," he said, allowing Jay to help him up. "Now, this move is very special." He started to dance, seeming to prefer more martial moves than regular dance moves.

Zane spoke up before he could laugh at the silly dance. "But if done incorrectly, will it lead to disastrous consequences?"

Cheers went up around the campfire and Kai's heart had never felt so full of friendship. "Zane, is that a joke? A sense of humor... you found it!" He wrapped his arm around his white-gied friend, rubbing their cheek together, and only realized a second later, with Cole’s snort, how strange it must be. It was a little slip-up, considering he hadn't revealed his non-human form to his friends, but Zane seemed to soak up the affection with a pleased hum.

All the while, Master Wu sang and danced.

"Shake what your momma gave you. Yeah, look at this one now. Hmm... oh yeah. Spin round. Oh yeah. I put my feet-"

Kai didn't notice the circle of rope before Wu put his foot down.

"-dowAHHH!"

The yank happened too fast for Kai to realize what happened before a clang and a cry of pain came out of the darkness.

"Master Wu!" Cole jumped up and nearly ran into the darkness after their shifu, stopped only by Zane grabbing the back of his gi and pulling him close to the light of the fire. "Who's there!" Cole yelled out instead, holding up his fists. The others followed suit, glaring out. "If you come out peacefully, we won't hurt you!"

A noise that sounded faintly like a grunt of annoyance answered Cole, close to him. Kai shoved Jay towards the others, looking around. His ears tensed, listening for any noise, any movement, anything that suggested Master Wu was alright or the attacker was…well, attacking. “Come out with your hands up, and we won’t hurt you!” Kai allowed his hands to flame up.

Cole gasped behind him, but Kai glared into the darkness, waiting and ready. Bushes rustling and more grunts hit his ears before he leaned forward, hoping to catch sight of them, turning his body to follow the noises.

A faint smell hit his nose.

At first, it was just dirt, sweat, and the general smell of someone who hadn’t showered in days, like Bama or Baba when they got too deep in a groove with a project. But, underneath, was the earthy, rich smell of herbs, broth, and…noodles?

Realization struck the moment he looked across the fire and realized that the other three were huddled together with wide eyes. “It’s right behind you,” Jay squeaked, gripping on Cole’s arm so tight that it had to have been bruised.

Kai looked up.

He almost didn’t recognize the tall figure. He didn’t take this huge form often.

It was a shame that he didn’t recognize what he was holding before the demon lunged-

And the child leash clicked around him.

Realization came in slowly. At first, it was confusion. Why was Grandadsy here? Kai had left a note explaining everything! Then it was shock. His grandadsy, who complained about his back at least once a day, had knocked out a martial arts master. Then came in the indigent rage.

“A child leash? A CHILD’S LEASH!?” Kai began to scramble, just wanting the cursed thing off. Surely, it might’ve been acceptable when he was going through that weird phase of wanting to be like Yeye Demon Bull, but not when he was fifteen! “Let me out! Let me go!” He struggled furiously, trying his best to rip it or tear it off, dirt kicking up under his wriggling feet. Annoyingly, the damn thing didn’t even strain. Neither did Pigsy, glaring at the other ninja.

Kai bit at it, yanked at it, even allowed his disguise to fall away, revealing his true height. The child’s leash wasn’t built for that! There were some shocked gasps, but he didn’t dare look. His focus was on the cursed child’s leash!

Finally, he had to yield. Despite the strain and tears, the child leash held firm. He couldn’t even try to unlock the leash, since the lock was magical.

He collapsed onto the forest floor to pant air into his lungs, totally ignoring how he probably looked like a toddler denied a sweet that entire time. “What are you doing here, Grandadsy?” he asked instead once air was in his lungs.

“I could ask the same thing of you,” the giant boar said, stepping into the firelight. “What were you thinking, running off with some random old guy?! You didn’t even call me!”

Kai scoffed, crossing his arms. “You let Baba run off with a random old guy all the time.” The second part made him raise a brow. “You didn’t find my note? I left it…” Huh, where did he leave it? He swore he left it…

“OKAY, TIMEOUT!” All heads turned to Cole. He took in a deep breath, looking from him to his grandadsy and back again as if he were missing an important piece to his puzzle, with brows furrowed together and his mouth pressed in a thin line. “He’s your grandfather?”

Oh boy. Here came the questions. Kai nodded anyway.

Jay spoke up, raising a brow. “And you’re a demon.”

Kai nodded again. “A yaogui, technically.” He didn’t mention that, technically, he was half yao, because he had never quite understood it.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Cole asked, his tone bordering on pissed or just confused.

Kai opened his mouth. Before he could, Zane spoke up. “Considering the amount of racism that exists in Japan against yokai and yokai-bordering people, where the Chinese yaogui fall under that umbrella, and Kai’s lack of knowledge about us and our views about, might it be assumed it would be safer to keep it quiet.” He turned his gaze, which bordered on soft, to him. “Am I correct?”

Uh… “Well, no, not really, I just didn’t think about it,” Kai shrugged. “I mean, yeah, I didn’t want to waste time with questions with Nya and Yeye Tang being held hostage.”

“Speaking of questions, I have a few,” Grandadsy huffed. “But,” he yanked on a rope, yanking Master Wu back into the firelight. The old man was groaning, so he was still alive, just with a massive bruise. “First, I think you guys need food. I can see your abs.”

Cole wrapped his arms around his chest self-consciously. “And what if we don’t want to?” Jay said boldly.

Grandadsy hefted up his wok. Jay made a little noise. Grandadsy, however, just shrugged. “Then you don’t eat. Now, Kai, can you grab your backpack? I have supplies.”

“What supplies?” Kai asked, reaching up and grabbing his backpack. “We’re out in the woods.” What tumbled out of his backpack was a load of ingredients, including a bag full of noodles.

“How?”

“I’ll explain it when we eat.”

They worked in silence for a few minutes after that, with Cole tending to Master Wu's goose egg and Jay and Zane running errands as Grandadsy cooked and Kai chopped or smoked. Jay finally broke it with "...so, your sister. Does she also have horns? A pig tail?" He held up his hands. "Not a deal breaker, just curious."

"Nah, she has antlers though."

Jay seemed to pause for a second before nodding, eyes glittering in the firelight. "Alright! Okay, I can work with that!" There was a pause, long enough for Grandadsy to snort, probably realizing the question that was coming. “...So, is she like... a deer?”

“Nah, a dragon. A long specifically.”

Jay paused for a few more seconds, clearly thinking. “How does that happen?”

“My parents are in a polycule, so we have the same bull bama but she has a dragon mama while I have a baba.” Here came the questions.

“So, it’s safe to assume that, if your bama is a bull,” Jay said, eyeing the horns that continued to gleam, even when Kai had shrunk down. “Then your baba is a-”

“Monkey.”

“-pig excuse me?”

Kai nodded to Grandadsy. “He was adopted by him.”

Zane nodded, seeming to understand already. Jay looked like he had even more questions, but a groan turned his eyes away. Master Wu sat up, rubbing his head. “What in the world-”

SMACK.

Master Wu collapsed again, the spoon whirling back to Pigsy like a boomerang. “Is he important?” he asked, gesturing to the old man. “I haven’t received an explanation for what’s going on.”

Right.

Kai took in a deep breath and prayed that Grandadsy wouldn’t be too annoyed.

-_-

Pigsy was awoken by a slap on the arm.

“Grandadsy,” Kai whispered. He was tempted to ignore it, but there was another slap on his arm. “Pigsy.” That made him crack an eye- ever since the battle with Azure Lion, Qi Xiaotian had never referred to him as Pigsy again, preferring Dad or Dadsy. He groaned, turning his head. Kai stared at him, eyes scrunched up in concern. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

Kai pressed a finger to his lips in a shushing moment. Pigsy closed his mouth. They waited. And then, out of the silence of chirping crickets and the snores of the ninja…

“Kai.” They both craned their heads. In the bushes, her face hidden by shadow, was the red of Nya’s top. Now that she had gotten their attention, she turned. “I have to go.”

Okay, this is a trap.

After learning about the golden weapons, Lord Garmadon, and everything that this Master Wu had dragged his grandson into, Pigsy was on guard for traps. Garmadon sounded like a knock-off of Macaque, of course there was gonna be traps. There was no way he was going to think Kai was dead for a few hours.

“We need to go after her,” Kai whispered.

“Kid, she’s obviously a trap.” Pigsy sat up anyway. Kai had the glint in his eye that suggested that if he said no, he was going to go anyway, damn the child leash. “Why would they just let her go?”

“I don’t know, but even if she’s a trap, she could lead us to Yeye Tang and the real Nya.”

…well, that was a good point.

“I’m getting up,” Pigsy grunted, wincing at the crackling sounds from his back. “Oh, I am too old for this…” He should’ve remembered to bring a sleeping bag. “Let’s go, kid.”

Kai was already running. Pigsy followed behind, keeping a tight grip on the child leash. Through the woods they ran, the moonlight sometimes allowing a glimpse of Nya or her voice drifting through the woods, beckoning Kai to follow her.

Finally, the woods parted, revealing a massive volcano with smoke pouring out of the top, glowing magma rolling down the sides but not touching the red temple built into the side. A few worn red gates decorated the bridge forward. By the time they hit the path, Nya was throwing open the door, with one last “Kai…” over her shoulder.

Yeah, this was a trap.

Kai guided them forward, and Pigsy allowed it. Kai pushed the door open with a eerie creak. Most of the room he revealed was flooded with lava, a menacing face carved out of stone at the end of the room, a wide gaping mouth revealing a golden katana that glowed with power. Pigsy didn’t even have to guess that was the sword of fire.

But Kai’s eyes were locked on Nya, smiling at them serenely. “Nya!” he called.

“Don’t worry,” his granddaughter cooed, her gentle smile twisting into something more mocking. “I’m right here…” Nya’s form began to shift and twist, growing bigger and darker, revealing to be nothing more than shadows. “Brother.”

Kai growled. “Garmadon.” He reached back and-

Shit. They had left their weapons.

“Forgotten something?” the supposed king of shadows (Macaque would have thoughts about that title) cooed, taking clear delight in the panic encasing them.

Kai took in a deep breath. “You can’t hurt us here! You’re banished, trapped in the Underworld!” Pigsy nodded, unable to help the spark of pride at Kai’s assertive tone. Still, he had a feeling. Hopefully, this wasn't going the way he thought it was going to go.

"And that is why you are going to remove the Sword of Fire for me."

Yeah, this was going the way he thought it would.

Kai announced in the cliche hero way "I don't think so!"

"Are you sure about that?"

A door in the ceiling opened, lowering a cage to dangle above the lava. Inside, huddling close together, were Nya and Tang. Both looked a mixture of terrified and furious, with Tang glaring out as he held Nya protectively close as she fiddled with the lock.

“NYA!”

“TANG!”

“Pigsy! Kai?!” Tang pushed himself against the bars, a sweet smile of relief forming across his face. It had only been a month or two, but to Pigsy, it had felt like a lifetime. “What are you doing here?!”

“Rescuing you two!”

Garmadon stepped between the duos, glaring down at Kai with delight. Pigsy had to admit, he had them good. If Xiaotian was here, he would do it in a heartbeat. “If you don’t remove the sword, how else will you cut the chain to save your precious little sister and grandfather?”

“Don’t listen to him, Kai!” Nya called, wriggling the lock harder. “You know it’s a trap! I can free myself-” With one hard yank, the bobby pin she had been using fell into the lava. “Okay, that’s tight-”

The cage fell, making Tang and Nya scream. “Tick tock, tick tock-”

“Wait.”

That voice had sounded weirdly familiar through this entire thing, but now his mind was picking up where he had heard it before. Pigsy squinted. It was hard to make out any real details, but he had learned from Macaque, enough to pick out a few details.

“Misako?”

Four “Huhs?” rolled through the temple.

“I’m not crazy, right? You’re Misako Garmadon.” He had only met Tang’s rival from the Ninjago Museum of History a few times and her husband even fewer times, but it was hard to forget his face. While he was handsome, he always looked really ill.

“It’s just Garmadon,” Tang corrected. The cage had stopped a few feet above the lava, which didn’t do anything for Pigsy’s heart, but spoke about Garmadon’s bafflement. “Misako took his name.”

“Are you sure?”

His husband shrugged. “Fairly? I’m still not sure if that’s his last name or first name. And…” Tang leaned forward and adjusted his glasses. “Oh! You’re right!” He chuckled. “I kept hearing the others say Lord Garmadon, but I never put the pieces together! How have you been?”

The shadow blinked, caught off guard by the little side tangent, before those red eyes narrowed. “I do not have time for this mindless little game,” he growled. “Get the sword, Kai.” Without another word, the chain began to lower even faster.

Kai glanced back at Pigsy. Pigsy nodded. There would be words later.

He released the leash.

Kai grinned and didn’t waste time, neither the time of the cage dropping or the free time Pigsy was giving him. He launched forward, darting from rock to rock, adding a backflip for extra points. The sword pulled from the stone easily, his feet slamming into the next wall. “NINGAJO!” he called before spinning. A tornado of sparks and flames wrapped around him, heading straight to the plummeting cage.

The chain broke with a snap and the tornado caught the cage, slamming it against the wall. The fire cleared and all three sat, panting. “Kai!” Pigsy called, waving frantically. “Over here!”

“Coming!” Kai said, leaning back and grabbing Nya’s hand. “Stay close.”

"Trust me," Nya said, her voice having a tinge of fear. Tang reached forward and squeezed her free hand. "We're not going anywhere."

Pigsy looked around as his grandkids and husband inched their way towards the entrance. Garmadon had disappeared when Kai pulled out the sword. "Keep your eyes out." he called.

"Don't worry, Grandadsy," Kai said. "He can't hurt us here. He's only a shadow."

Macaque would definitely have words about that.

A dark chuckle echoed through the room. "Even shadows have their uses."

Nya saw the shadow stretch and move first. "Kai, look out!" Nya said, yanking her brother back in time to avoid a blade to the face as his shadow pulled away, glaring down at him with red eyes. Pigsy winced, feeling memories of a certain shadow play rise up. Based on Tang's look of discomfort, so did he.

"Stay back, Nya," Kai said, leaning forward in the pose that Xiaojiao must've taught him.

"Stay close, stay back. Make up your mind."

Tang pulled her into his hands. "Give your brother space, dear," he said.

Golden power encased them, and they disappeared in a flash, giving Kai more room for his duel. The moment they appeared before him and Tang started "Remind me to apologize to Xiaotian for giving him shit about forgetting his powers-" Pigsy was pulling them into his arms. He was still terrified and furious, but something in him eased. His family was here and, even if he had to strike them down, Pigsy would keep them safe.

Plus, it gave him an opening.

Tang looked down at the click and just sighed at the sight of the leash wrapped around him. Nya glanced down and, just like Kai, gaped. "A CHILD LEASH?!" she howled, piercingly enough that Kai and Garmadon both winced as Kai attempted to slash and cut the shadow versions of him. "I'M FOURTEEN!"

"Yeah, yeah, if your brother couldn't tear that off, neither can you-"

"Ahem." All turned, excluding Nya, who was focusing her rage on the child leash. Master Wu, supposedly, stared at them. "Please make room, I need to save Kai."

"Oh, uh-"

"Of course."

Master Wu nodded and marched forward. "Five yuans say that we have to save his ass," Pigsy whispered as the old man made his way to their grandson.

Tang chuckled. "You're on."

(He got five yuans, Jay mooning over Nya, and Cole glaring at Nya and Jay.)

-_-

The moment the farmhouse came into view, Pigsy felt himself melt with relief. Tang did too, even going as far as to sigh and then laugh. “We’re going to get away with this!” he chuckled, pulling out his wallet. “All we have to do is clean up and get into some normal clothes…” He slid the key into the lock. “And we can say that Kai and Nya made some new friends!”

“Uh…” Jay raised his hand. “We don’t have normal clothes.”

“Oh, we brought backups,” Pigsy said. Now that he was close to a bed, exhaustion was starting to eat at him. “It’ll be a little harder to explain the golden weapons, but we got it handled.”

“Yeah!” Tang pushed open the door. “And the kids will never-”

The lights clicked on and all of them froze.

Kai and Nya’s parents sat in the living room. The light had come from Xiaojiao, who sat in the armchair next to the light. Red sat in a rolly chair next to the doorway that led to the kitchen, and Xiaotian sat on the couch. All of them had unimpressed looks.

“The kids will never what, Tangy?” Xiaojiao cooed. Without another word, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Pigsy didn’t even have to look at it to know what was pulled up on there.

Shit, he had forgotten about the tracker.

Pigsy’s first reaction was to turn and run out of the house. He knew it was a very short-term solution, especially when Xiaojiao started running, but it was a solution. Before he even stepped foot on the porch, his arm came down with a sudden yank. He glanced over his shoulder.

Kai and Nya, both laying on the floor, smiled innocently at him.

Oh, those little-

“Pigsy~” Xiaojiao cooed, eyes glowing green. Pigsy tried to release the leashes, but in all the chaos and to prevent him from accidentally releasing one of them, he wrapped the handles so tight that his hand was turning purple. He tried to take another step, but the kids seemed to get heavier somehow. A hand grabbed his shoulder.

“You and the other adults are in so much trouble,” Xiaotian whispered. “Surrender.”

Pigsy held up his hands with a sigh.

“I know.”

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