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thecandywrites · 3 years ago

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Jewel Of The North Chapter 12

Woo, I know it’s been a hot minute. But I gotta show Doug and Alorna getting their comupance because JUSTICE and REVENGE. Also, I wanted to send our little blended family on a cruise. Not just any cruise, but a Disney Cruise. Have I have been on a Disney Cruise? No. Do I want to? Yes. Did I watch three and a half hours worth of cruise videos talking about the Disney cruise ships and clubs and concierge level stuff for research? Yes. Is it crazy stupid expensive? Yes. Is this an escape fantasy from The Plague I’m living in? Yes. Also because this is a fantasy story. I’m smudging reality. Becuase those pictures are from the Disney Dream, but last I knew it was the Disney Wonder that was in Alaska. But can I leave things there? No. Because I’m a Dramatic Bitch. And I live for the drama. And yes this has been sitting in my drafts for...way too long. But a few more bumps in the road, some hurdles AND THEN happily ever after. We are getting there.

Jewel Of The North

Chapter 12

Noah’s jaw was on the floor when you came out of the bathroom in the “infamous” gold dress as Noah wolf whistled.

“Wow. That’s the gold dress eh?” Noah asked as he openly gawked at your body in it.

“Yep. It’s the “gold maneater”. Every time my kids see me in it before now, they’ve always complained, because both already have to deal with enough of the “your mom’s a MILF” comments as it is and they think it's too risque for a woman my age. I actually got this dress as a dare from Tasha who said I need a “back on the market and on the menu” dress. Blossom calls it my “get dicked down dress”.” You laughed as you struck a few poses for him as Noah had a hard time forming a coherent sentence and simply made a string of half word-like sounds along the lines of ‘yeah’ ‘mmhmm’ of agreement as he simply settled for gestures of approval and agreement cause his words were failing him.

“Yeah..that’s...that’s exactly what’s going to happen.” Noah reassured you which made you laugh even harder.

“Oh I know. It’s the last night of the cruise, I wanted to go out with a bang.” You shrugged as you slipped your shawl on.

“Ready?” You asked him.

“I uh, I’ll need…” Noah tried to hint as he tried to adjust the bulge in his pants, it had only been hours since you had sex shortly after lunch, but he couldn’t help his reaction to you and he doubted he ever would get used to you or stop reacting to you like this.

“A moment?” You guessed as you beamed smugly, happy to elicit such a reaction from him, even after you thought he would be sated, at least for a few hours but you would be lying if you claimed you didn’t want Noah to try to rip this dress off of you and ravish you- preferably after dinner because you had worked up an appetite.

Being married to your former husband, Andrew, he was ok in bed. But he wasn’t necessarily “sexy” to you, at least in looks. He meant safety, security, stability and comfort for you when you met him and married him but eventually, the spark left, the more narcissistic traits you saw and experienced and the more of an ‘asshole’ he acted and the less natural chemistry you had. He didn’t always know how to get your engine revving and keep it revving. Mentally or emotionally which eventually bled into physically.

But Noah? Oh, all you had to do was think about him and your whole body was humming and buzzing with delight, anticipation and- what you had thought was your long past dead sex drive- which thanks to the awakening it received from Noah, was very much alive and well and practically insatiable with Noah and even though you were losing count of how many times you had had sex, or made love in all of it’s forms, you hungered for more. And with just a look, a touch, or gesture, or especially warm, wonderful words and deeds from Noah and it was all over for you. He was...everything you had ever wanted or needed and you were so grateful you had waited for him because he had been worth the wait and definitely worth all the effort and he made all the bad times and obstacles and trials and tribulations up to this point- worth it and was the last piece of the puzzle and completed everything and you couldn’t wait for him to fully join and complete your family.

Once Noah “recovered” enough, you went to dinner and if Noah had thought you garnered a lot of attention in the red dress, it was nothing compared to the attention you received in the gold dress. He never heard so many ‘god damn’s’ or ‘wow’s’ or even ‘holy fucking shit’s’ from guys and even other women when you strut past, with your arm happily hooked in the crook of Noah’s elbow.

You were happy that his own gold tie matched your dress flawlessly so that it was clearly evident that you were a couple and one hell of an attractive one and you couldn’t help but notice how the women who weren’t looking at you, were staring in awe at Noah. And while you, understandably, weren’t necessarily one of the jealous types, it filled you with pride to be on his arm to show him off, cleaned up and looking like a million bucks himself and you felt so lucky to be with him.

Even after dinner, when you went to one of the “clubs” on board, it was wonderful when Noah danced with you. Andy didn’t dance and hated to dance with you even though you loved to do so and would begrudgingly dance with you at weddings, only when you begged and pleaded for him to.

Noah though? The man, thank the gods, had rhythm, and could keep up with you on the dance floor and the two of you danced really well and the chemistry you had in the bedroom spilled out everywhere else. You were so focused on grinding on Noah with his hands possessively on your hips and riding the hypnotic beats from the music to notice how Doug stared in disbelief as he watched from a safe distance while Alorna was in the restroom and felt jealousy eat him alive, that could have been him. He could have been the one to dance with the hot millionaire MILF. What did Noah honestly have that he didn’t? Was it because he was an ice orc instead of a “traditional” green one? Or was it the plane? Probably the plane.

When Alorna came back she scuffed in disgust to see you and Noah on the dancefloor cutting it up, like you were in your own little worlds as she watched how all the guys who had been staring in desire at her, were now staring at you, their jaws on the floor and their hard ons tenting their pants.

“Come on Baby, lets go back to the casino, let her have this little tiny club, I’m feeling lucky tonight.” Doug insisted to get Alorna out of there before she started a fight because he could see the fire in her eyes that she wanted to start one.

“So do I.” Alorna cooed as they strut out of there and went back to the casino and in the beginning they were winning back all their previous losses, but just like any casino, the longer they played, the more they lost until they lost even more than what they had previously won and then some.

But all of that was a world away from you and Noah.

You barely made it back to the room before Noah hiked your dress up, pulled your breasts out, moved your slimming panties to the side and fucked you into the back of the door of your room while sucking on your tits as you moaned and keened in ecstasy, to the point no one could pass by the hallway without knowing exactly what you were up to inside the room and by the time you made it to the bed, your dress was ripped, Noah’s buttons on his shirt had popped off and the room looked like a hurricane had torn through it and Noah and yourself slept like the dead, having worn each other out half the night.

In the morning, you both got the remainder of your things together and checked out of the room and were happy when even with some shopping on board, you still had left over credit and you had the cruise cut Noah the check for your surplus and just as you disembarked, you watched as Alorna and Doug were arrested by four police officers as they had tried to disembark.

“Get your hands off me!” Alorna screeched as she struggled as Doug was struggling too before both of them got tazed and pissed themselves as you and Noah gasped as you watched on from a safe distance before you two couldn’t help but snicker a laugh as everyone else watched on eagerly and laughed as they recorded it to upload it onto YouTube as the cruise simply handed them a very hefty bill, from not just their room and drinks and spa services and add ons but also a bill for tens of thousands owed at the casino.

“Wouldn’t want to be them.” You practically sang to Noah as you both laughed, watching them get their comeuppance.

“Me neither.” Noah shook his head as you both eagerly watched as they were hauled off and you and Noah got your baggage and got a taxi to the hotel you would be staying in tonight before you would have to go to the airport the next day and each of you would fly your separate ways home.

Once at the hotel you went ahead and booked the Disney cruise for the dates that worked best and went ahead and booked things for all the kids, the extra experiences and excursions you could, you wanted Sakura to have the princess treatment, and knew that Skylar, for as tomboyish as she was, she wouldn’t say no to some pampering, nor Zane for that matter as you did the same for things for you and Noah as Noah made plans of where he was going to park his plane and stuff and meet back up for the cruise before you made more plans of how you were going to move Noah and his own animals and pets and things down for the winter and when and even ordered new things to decorate Sakura’s room with because you were taking Sakura, and her pets home with you after the two families met and would hopefully, with all fingers crossed, would get along and get her on your insurances, get her in school and get her room ready for her so that moving in would be as easy and hopefully seamless as could be and even made plans so that Noah could fly his family down to see where Noah and Sakura would settle in for the winter and have a chance to have a really big, proper gosbe and merging of the two families in September as everyone in your family was eager to meet Noah and Sakura and their family too.

You spent the last night together holding each other tightly, making promises and plans as you made love slowly, savoring every nano second because it would be a while before you would have the opportunity to have this pleasure with each other for a while. The next morning at their airport, Noah waited with you at the gate since your flight left before his, not wanting to spend a single second without you- that he didn’t have to and gave you one hell of a kiss goodbye.

Several hours later, you both arrived home and while you were happy to be home, you missed Noah and Sakura especially and once the kids were dropped off at home, you sat them down to bring them up to speed with the first part of your plan and were surprised when both of them were ok and at peace with it, and strangely- eagerly looking forward to it and when they asked about the second part of the plan, of Noah and Sakura moving in with you for the fall, winter and spring and Noah working on flipping the estates while they were in school and you were at work- they were actually impressed and relieved that Noah would be “pulling weight” and working with your dad on the houses too and were more interested in the how rather than the why of the matter because they could tell that you genuinely loved Sakura and Noah and they were grateful that at least Noah was “connected” to people they knew and trusted, mainly, your father.

“Ok, I’ll be honest, I totally thought I was going to have to do a lot more convincing.” You admitted to them once you seemed to have laid all your cards out on the table to them.

“Grandpa Gru vouched for him and when Grandpa Gru talked with Noah’s dad Ukluk and Noah’s former father in law Tonrar, we were right there and got to hear most of it and we got to talk to them too and they’ve been talking back and forth ever since and Grandpa Gru has been telling us about him and Sakura and they were really nice, and we got to talk to Summer and Isla and we got to talk to Noah’s siblings, well, all of them except Alorna, who’s apparently in jail for slandering you as a priestess, which isn’t cool, but you can’t please everyone. But otherwise we got to talk to his former siblings in law too and even Sakura’s cousins who all seem really cool and they’re all pretty normal, which is a good thing. And to hear all of them be honest about Noah and his situation and especially about Neena and their relationship and how he treated her and how he treats his family as well as the circumstances of her own death and how he’s dealt with it, in particular how he didn’t turn to the bottle or any other vices, or even his own temper, impressed us, like a lot. And instead of a “sales speech” about how great he is, to hear he’s imperfect and makes mistakes but tries his best and treats the people around him respectfully and really well and has honor and a strong sense of duty and was already making sacrifices for people around him, and has similar values that we have and has a very similar situation that we have. That was enough for us. We also comprised a list of questions for him.” Xander revealed before they showed you the list.

“Aww, this is really comprehensive.” You praised as you looked it over and grinned when you already knew the answers to most of these but you’d leave it to Noah to confirm them himself.

“Can I copy this?” You asked.

“Please do.” Skylar nodded before you went to your office and took a photocopy of the list, both sides before you took pictures and then took a pen and added a third page of things they didn’t come up with that Noah had to offer and things to talk about before you copied that and handed it to them to look at before you got a call from Noah.

“Yes?” You answered when you picked up only to hear Sakura’s voice on the other end.

“Hi Mama,” Sakura greeted you sleepily as you looked at your watch and noticed that it was bed time in her time zone as you yourself were feeling quite tired.

“Hi Honey,” You greeted, your heart melting in your chest as your soul ached to be holding her again.

“Can I have a bedtime story?” Sakura asked.

“Of course,” you readily agreed.

“I gotta read Sakura a bedtime story.” You informed your kids who both grinned knowingly and were happy to see you happy before you went upstairs to the bookshelf in your kid’s old playroom and got an appropriate story to read her and once Sakura was put to sleep, you talked with Noah and told him about the list and the developments with Sky and Zane and what your dad had done which Noah was very grateful for as Noah revealed that after you had boarded your plane and he was waiting for his own, that he got a call from your dad and the two talked for a couple of hours while he waited as your dad got to have a good conversation and came to an understanding and was surprisingly sympathetic and really nice and welcoming and Noah had a really good feeling that they were going to get along just fine and when he talked with your Mom, all your mom wanted to know was about his pets and horses and what he liked to to eat and drink and otherwise welcomed him with open arms which made you blow out a breath of relief you suggested that for next year that he would probably need to put an addition to his house for everyone which he was more than happy to agree to because his house currently was only a cottage sized house, big enough and cozy enough for Noah, you and Sakura but with adding Skylar and Xander and the menagerie to the mix, not so much. And even the barn would be cramped but Noah’s plot of land was definitely big enough to accommodate your needs and it could be made to work.

In just the span of three weeks, you had turned one of your guest bedrooms into a bedroom for Sakura and worked overtime to make it perfect while also working with your dad, your brothers and brothers in law to make sure the outbuilding, aka the man cave- was ready for Noah and and looked into zoning for several acres of land to see if you turn it into a runway so that Noah wouldn’t have to rent a space at another air field and looked into commissioning an airplane hanger to be built on the property too since you had bought up the surrounding farmland.

But that time seemed to fly by and now your children and yourself were waiting in the lobby of a hotel, waiting for Noah and Sakura to arrive while you and your children all played games on your phones as they were also waiting, having brought gifts for Sakura which were in gift bags while your own gifts had been a new suitcase full of new clothes and things for them both.

While all of you were excited, you were particularly anxious because the weather forecast told you that this week was going to have some storms and you weren’t sure how the cruise was going to go if the weather was bad, but you had an abundance of seasickness medicine and other medicines, just in case. You were prepared.

Finally Noah and Sakura made it into the hotel and the moment she saw you, she let go of Noah's hand and bolted for you.

"Mama!" Sakura shrieked in delight as you readily got up and closed the distance as you caught her in your arms and tried and failed not to cry, when you got to hold her again as you kissed each other all over as Noah came over and simply kissed you sweetly before the three of you made it back over to where Xander and Skylar were still hanging out in the lounge area, gift bags in hand and friendly smiles on their faces before Sakura got down and practically tackled Skylar and Xander with hugs which made the kids laugh as Noah was holding Sakura’s gifts for your own children.

“Hi, I'm Noatak, aka Noah, nice to meet you both.” Noah greeted your kids with a handshake which they were happy to give him, staring up at this mountain of a man, kind of awe but still a trace of fear because he was still just a little fear inspiring in person but they weren’t terrified or anything. His smile and demeanor and especially his energy was friendly and while they could tell he was nervous, he seemed to radiate calm and warmth, which is what Skylar picked up on the most and just by this first impression, she was cool. Xander, was still reserving his final judgement though.

“Hi, I'm Skylar, you can call me Sky for short,” Your daughter mirrored and echoed back to him as she watched as her little hand disappeared into his much larger one.

"And I'm Xander but you can call me Zane for short too." Xander replied before Sakura happily exchanged gifts as Zane and Sky were excited to see what Sakura would get them before a discussion was held about where to get dinner at before a place was decided that was within walking distance where the kids happily walked with their gifts, eagerly talking and getting to know each other which left you and Noah to walk hand in hand only a step behind them.

“Here, you left this.” Noah said as he tried to hand you a check for the entire amount that you had left him on the day he flew you out.

“Oh no you don’t. You need to keep that, it’s our money now, who knows when you’ll need it, moving can be expensive, as are planes, I know you already had plans to upkeep the plane this winter, I just made the “how” a little easier.” You argued as you took the check and promptly tore it into little pieces and stuffed the pieces into your pocket to burn later.

“Nice try though.” You cooed to him.

“Well then the moment we get back, I need to put you on my bank accounts so that you can access it anyway.” Noah insisted.

“Only if you’ll let me do the same for you and my own accounts.” You proposed.

“Only the small ones.” Noah gently countered.

“Fair enough.” You grinned with a soft chuckle.

Over dinner the kids brought out “the list” of questions as you and Noah sat side by side in the booth while the kids sat on the other side of the table as they went down the list while you waited for the food.

“So what was your first job?” Zane began.

“Well officially, the first job I had that came with a paycheck, was actually on a fishing boat, fishing for snow crabs and just about everything else under the sun up there and that’s how I saved up my money to buy the plane. But otherwise I have been flying with my dad in his plane since before I was old enough to legally drive as did my brother who actually flies for USPS.” Noah revealed which got all but Sakura to blink in surprise.

“Well that might come in handy, there’s supposed to be storms this week on the cruise, I’ll need your help getting my sea- legs.” You murmured.

“Oh there’s plenty of tricks to getting the seasickness to abate.” He reassured all of you which made you feel better about the prospect of spending a cruise on stormy seas as he simply squeezed your hand reassuringly.

“So how did you know that our mom was the one for you?” Skylar asked which got Noah to bark a laugh for her bluntness.

“Direct, I like it, actually, she was the answer to a lot of prayers, the least of which was financial.” Noah began.

“I had been praying, ever since Neena died, so for a while now, for the right woman to look at Sakura and see a daughter, her daughter specifically and love her just as much as I do and would want to be her mother and would be an excellent mother at that and be what Sakura needed to help her heal from the loss of her first one. And have a future with her without erasing or ignoring the past and who would respect our culture and not look down on it, and would help her embrace it. And your mom did all of that and more, like so much more than I ever could have thought to hope for, much less pray for.” Noah answered as you practically glowed with pride next to him and smiled so adoringly at him and thanked all the gods for a man who finally recognized your contributions and gave you credit where it was due.

“Because she prayed with me to the same gods my first mama and all my grandparents pray to and then she showed me how she prayed to hers and we shared a lot of the same ones and she made me my summer solstice outfit, just like my first mama did, only better. And hugging her felt like I was hugging my first mama, that she loved me just as much.” Sakura volunteered which melted everyone’s hearts.

“And it became immediately apparent to me just on that first day that it was The Gods Will that everything that I packed for Taylor and her family, I packed two, and both sets made it and it just so happened that Noah needed everything that I had packed but he didn’t ask for any of it and I sincerely doubt he ever would have either. But he did appreciate it and was more than deserving of it too and while his house wasn’t the biggest or grandest house I’ve ever been in, he built it with his own two hands and he built it well and it was full of more love than anything which was very keenly felt. And I could tell that Noah took care of his house really well too, everything was in good working order, and well maintained and neat and orderly and pretty clean too. He’s been used to doing all the domestic chores along with earning an income and providing for his family just like me and trying to carry everything all by himself which is hard and a burden- I’m all too familiar with myself and he cooks really well too. So, win-win.” You added with a proud smile which got Sky to smile fondly and even Zane to grin as he sat on one side of Sakura while Skylar sat on the other side of her which Sakura couldn’t be happier about, being surrounded by her new family.

“So how did you know that Daddy was the one for you Mama?” Sakura asked you in turn.

“Well he also answered a lot of prayers for me too. So on the trip up to the Frozen Tundra, I had to take a flight and a short cruise up there and it was just non stop men with a few women too, both married, divorced, single, in and out of all kinds of relationships and it was just a barrage of mostly guys wanting to buy me every drink at every bar that they could make- in an effort to have sex with me and I was really sick of it, been sick of it for years now and I was worn down and weary of it all. Like even the spa manager on that first cruise ship tried to have sex with me so my guard was up and I figured I wouldn’t have a break from that until I got to Taylor’s house when surprise- surprise, even there, I ran into the same thing from her brother in law and the whole way up I had been praying that I would find a friend and find relief from all of that and lo and behold- Noah was there waiting for me to get off the boat and he didn’t flirt with me once on that first day or even the second and not really on the third either. He was nothing but respectful and professional to me even before I met him and after he met me in person he showed unbelievable restraint and self control which encouraged me to do the same, because the moment I saw him in person, I thought he was the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on and there was that instant attraction, connection and chemistry and even with all of that, he let me just hang out and help him in exchange for flying me all over which I love flying and at the first subtle sign of discomfort from other’s advances, he didn’t hesitate to protect me and shield me from those unwanted advances from everyone else and it was such a welcome relief, like it was walking into a cool air conditioned room to rest and get replenished and feel completely safe while also feeling completely free and it was so wonderful to feel that after being in the oppressive heat all day with buzzing mosquitoes trying to suck every bit of blood and joy and peace from me they could and it was really nice and refreshing.” You began which got Noah to huff a laugh.

“That’s funny I felt the same way but kind of the opposite.” Noah said.

“I was oppressive heat?” You laughed.

“No, no, no, it was the opposite in that for me it felt like it was the never ending winter and oppressively cold, but with you- it was like getting that first warm breeze of summer, where the winter finally shakes it’s hold on everything and wishy washy spring where it’s cold one day and hot the next only to be cold the day after that- it felt like winter was finally over and once that warm summer breeze rolls in, it’s even and stable and you can trust that it’ll stay warm instead of trying to rip it away in two seconds, and you did smell like some tropical blooms in paradise, and what was really poignant, was that morning when I dropped Sakura off at my mom’s, my mom said her tea leaves told her that I would find Paradise that day and at the time I had no idea what she meant but the second I met you, it was crystal clear.” Noah explained.

“Which is why I called you Paradise at first Mama and because she showed me the tea leaves and then did some more and they told me that you were a really good mama, one of the best.” Sakura sighed dreamily as she smiled adoringly at you as you mirrored her.

“Aww, that’s so sweet!” You fawned as you picked up his hand and kissed the back of it sweetly before you reached across the table to stroke Sakura’s cheek with your palm and smiled even brighter when she leaned into your touch as Zane and Skylar smiled fondly too as that seemed to cement things for Skylar especially, the gods themselves picked Noah and Sakura out for them and through destiny itself, brought them together.

“So anyway, when I first came up, when I finally got to him- others tried to flirt with me, once he observed that I was tired and uncomfortable, he shut them down and stood up for me without asking for anything in return or trying to flirt with me himself even though at the time I would have probably flirted back but because he showed restraint, I showed some too and he was generous with me without any thought of being paid back for any of it and treated me like we’d been friends for years and we just got along and we clicked on just that base- friendship level because he thought I was married and I thought he was married and we both deeply respected those boundaries and didn’t push them and when we found out that we were both widowed, it didn’t jump straight from friends to romantic, it stayed friends and it grew very organically from there and he went above and beyond for me, helping me with my luggage, helping drive half my crap to Taylor’s house, and hugging him that first night felt like hugging home, only it wasn’t a home I had known yet and it was such a relief all around and a very welcome change.” You explained.

“Yeah except, because you were that wonderful paradise compared to everything else and it’s not like I wasn’t immediately attracted to you either. You were wonderful on the phone and then when I saw you coming down the pier with a plane load of cargo, I figured you were my fare but the closer you got, the more I could see and I had every intention of meeting you halfway but once I got a good look at you, my whole body just froze and my brain shut down and my eyes got tunnel vision and I just watched completely bewitched as the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life who looked like paradise incarnate, coming down the pier and so that’s why I just stupidly stood there and stared at you like an awkward teenager and then when you saw me, smiled politely and turned and called me and pulled me out of that daze, I almost said ‘sorry, we don’t get too many drop dead gorgeous women up here’ but that would have been incredibly unprofessional and inappropriate and my mouth has never worked that smoothly with my brain and then when I was driving you to the plane and I’m seeing every sailor, every passenger, every guy with a pulse stop, stare and do a double take, I thought I needed a warhammer strapped to my back and I thought I was going to be fighting all of them off just to keep you safe because we may live in a polite- modern society but that can change in a hot minute and I had to hide behind my sunglasses and I was terrified something was gonna happen to you and so I had to call Taylor and voice my concerns to her because again, didn’t want to be rude to you and told her that you needed a bodyguard and she told me to volunteer basically before she laughed and hung up.” Noah confessed.

“Really?” You and the kids all laughed in delight, grateful that there was that instant attraction and chemistry.

“Yeah, so like I just had to put myself on my best behavior because I did not want to mess up anything with you.” Noah explained.

“Well obviously it worked.” You reassured him.

“Plus when I met Sakura, I had the most overwhelming mothering urges towards her, like every instinct in my mind and body was telling me to love her and take care of her and do everything in my power to make sure she was ok and help her in any way I could, whether it benefited me or not. And when I got to hug and hold her for the first time, it was like I was holding you guys after I first gave birth to you. That ‘there you are, I’ve waited so long to finally meet you and I’m gonna love you forever.’ feeling.” You repeated and even now Noah still got misty eyed just thinking about it as Skylar had her arm around Sakura and hugged her tight too.

“And that’s exactly what I prayed for.” Noah repeated.

“And then to know that he wasn’t a stranger or just some guy- but to know that it was Grandpa Gru’s old airforce brother from another mother, that- that- was his dad and that our families had actually been old friends before my dad had moved us away, that if my parents had stayed we would have grown up together and probably would have been friends starting then too. And the fact that Taylor also vetted him for me, and that Taylor knew him and knew his family too so that I had not just that childhood connection but also have that mature adulthood character reference and his reputation alone was outstanding and the fact that he not only respected me but respected my profession too which is a really big deal, especially for me, when so many think it’s an invitation for solicitation, but not him, he recognized that it was, not just my bread and butter but actually my calling and was really helpful and supportive.” You mused.

“Well and likewise, because you were the first client since Neena died that didn’t haggle me or look down on me because I was an ice orc and a pilot and you didn’t treat me and my family like tourist attractions which has happened a lot before and you respected me and my profession which also went a long way too.” Noah confessed.

“Yeah, being objectified sucks, we just get objectified for different things. I’m actually worried that’s gonna happen on the cruise, that you and Sakura will get patronized because you’re ice orcs and get roped into posing for other guests who think you’re part of the experience.” You confessed.

“Nah, I wouldn’t, if Sakura and I brought our native regalia, maybe, but since we didn’t, I doubt that’ll happen, I don’t think people will care enough to notice us because usually we get ignored everywhere we go that isn’t home where we know everyone.” Noah reassured you.

“But, back to what we were talking about, the moment you came into my life, suddenly money was the last thing to matter to me, all that really mattered was Sakura and you, and making sure both of you were ok and taken care of and most of all safe.” Noah professed.

“Aww, I had the same feeling but especially for Sakura, like I knew you would be ok and could take care of yourself and I knew Sakura would be ok as long as you would be successful so making you as successful as possible so you could continue to care for her became my immediate goal. Which is why once I found out that your competition was undercutting you to steal your already limited pool of clients, I felt I needed to try to help any way I could and it ended up working out really well. And what worked out even better was that all the money that I made that first day, even when I went and didn’t expect to make any money at all, I spent helping you even more so that it was in no way a burden and the more I gave and the more I helped, the more blessing and happiness I got in return and the blessing didn’t stop at you and Sakura, it went to your family and Neena’s family too and even the clans, despite Alorna and Doug’s attempts to sabotage that because the seeds and things I brought from the lower 48 that I barely spent anything on- ended up getting split up and going to all the clans and it all got used and appreciated which is, at the end of the day, what matters.” You added.

“And it proved to everyone what a fine woman you were that even in the face of deep disrespect and sabotage that you kept your cool and kept your composure and were classy and gracious and respectful and still honored the clans and the council, which was the right thing to do, it wasn’t easy and I didn’t make it any easier on you either.” Noah confessed.

“How did you make it hard?” Zane asked with a frown.

“I took her concession as her giving up on me and Sakura and it wasn’t that at all, she was in her own priestess regalia and in regalia, she has a code she needs to abide by and I didn’t take that into account or consideration at all and I, very wrongly jumped to the conclusion that she was giving up and I will probably regret that mistake till the day I die.” Noah readily confessed which impressed Zane and Skylar that he was humble enough to admit he made a mistake and owned up to it and didn’t sugar coat it or downplay it but was actually very factual in his recounting which was very honest and forthcoming, which they respected and admired.

“Well you need to forgive yourself for that, I know I have, and beating yourself up for a mistake won’t get you anywhere.” You comforted him with another squeeze of his hand.

“No but it sure did teach me some humility and the lesson to not to jump to conclusions and to actually talk things out and figure it out instead of just emotionally reacting.” Noah gently countered.

“And it taught me to explain myself before misconceptions and misunderstandings happen because the difference in culture is still there.” You allowed.

“Huh,” Zane hummed and shrugged it off.

“But that’s still a really good thing that you would admit that you were in the wrong and obviously you apologized and tried to make amends and that you’re humble enough to admit that you were wrong and learned lessons, even as an adult.” Skylar praised.

“And what an apology it was.” You grinned cheekily which got Noah to blush and smile bashfully.

“It wasn’t just sex was it? It was an actual apology right?” Zane pressed.

“Yes, it was an actual apology, like, crying, on his knees, begging for forgiveness and admitting fault and promising to do better and then following through with actions.” You reassured Zane.

“And then yes, sex.” Noah took a chance and teased Zane which got Skylar to snort a snickering laugh as Sakura giggled too as Zane just sighed tiredly and resigned himself to this even though secretly he was relieved that it was Noah that you had chosen, or the gods rather, because now that you were in a serious relationship, his friend’s dads would hopefully now be deterred and stop drooling over you already.

“Yeah, I guess that’s inevitable and part of a healthy, committed monogamous relationship right?” Zane returned, trying to be cool about it because he could tell Noah was being harmless, in his joking and appreciated the gesture and could humor him.

“Yup, very healthy,” You nodded.

“And very committed and monogamous.” Noah nodded in turn.

“So have you ever killed anyone?” Skylar asked which got you and Noah to laugh because she just- came in from left field with that one.

“No, I have killed many animals though, for hunting purposes because hunting and trapping is legal and absolutely necessary if you’re going to live up there.” Noah answered.

“What’s the biggest thing you’ve killed?” Skylar asked.

“A bull moose that was just over 1500 pounds, getting that thing to my plane was the hardest thing because you have to dress it in the field and carry it out in pieces and carry it out quickly before the wolves and bears get wind of it. But thankfully I was hunting with my dad and my brothers and brothers in law so we all helped and we got a few moose that day, it set up the families for most of the winter actually.” Noah began before he recounted his other hunting expeditions and by the end of dinner, Sky and Zane seemed happy and satisfied with Noah’s answers to his questions and Noah in turn got his own questions about you and them, answered too.

You went back to the hotel and you tried to “ease” everyone into this by getting two hotel rooms, one for Noah and Sakura and the other for your kids and yourself, but they were right next to each other and had a door from one to the other that you kept open and once the kids got dressed to go swimming in the hotel’s pool and Noah got to see you in a bikini again, he nearly lost control and had to actively remind himself that not only was Sakura around, but your own children and the guests at the hotel meant he couldn’t just scoop you up and fuck you against the closest surface. The bikini wasn’t even all that “sexy” it was actually modest compared to most but your body in it was giving every ounce of will power he had a run for its money.

“Did you miss me?” You cooed to him as you caught him staring at you as you laid out the kid’s towels down over the sun chairs as you taunted him by wiggling your butt just enough to make it jiggle a little.

“You have no idea.” Noah returned huskily as he simply came up behind you and wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you flush to him to pin his hardening cock to your backside and left the most salacious kiss on the side of your neck, your knees almost buckled from under you as you dropped your own towel on the ground as your whole body betrayed you and you were ready to rip your bikini off of your frame and offer yourself to him poolside.

“Fuck.” You cursed under your breath as it was suddenly unbearably hot in the sun, because Noah had practically set you on fire with just that little touch and kiss.

“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” He teased you.

“You keep pushing it and this will end in one of two ways, I get away from you so I don’t fuck you in front of the gods and everyone- right here, right now and scar the kids for life or you can figure out a way we can both sneak away for five or ten minutes so we can get our own private business taken care of.” You offered as you bent at the waist to pick up your towel and to feel his shaft tried to spear the cleft of your ass as it laid against the length of it.

Thankfully the kids soon made friends with the other kids swimming at the pool and Noah and yourself did manage to “sneak” into a family’s restroom.

That door was barely shut and locked before Noah ripped your bottoms off as you barely had a chance to step out of them before he picked you up, pinned you against a wall and entered you roughly then started up a very earnest and powerful rhythm as he kissed you like a man starved while you clung to him like a lifeline while you tried to stamp down your whimpering keens and feeling rejoined was feeling like you were whole again.

“Gods I’ve missed you.” You confessed between scorching hot kisses.

“Missed you too, my hand has been a poor substitute.” Noah confessed which got a giggle to bubble from your throat.

“Likewise.” You returned as his hips snapped forcefully into yours and the pleasure was almost overwhelming, after three weeks of just talking on the phone, seeing him again in person, the magic and the sparks and the chemistry was still there, if anything there was more of it. That three weeks had felt just as long as the two years between losing Andy and finding Noah to begin with and it was crazy how in a month, what once was a stranger was now the center of your life and the same could be said for Noah.

But at least you had all the texts, phone calls and emails. And thankfully Noah had been busy with his business while you were gone, having practically worked nonstop once he got back. And you talked to both him and Sakura at least once a day, especially at night, reading stories to Sakura to put her to sleep and then talking to Noah about his day after putting Sakura to bed. And sometimes it was just decompressing or heart and soul bearing conversation and other times it turned into some really amazing phone sex. But none of it held a candle to the real thing and way faster than you were expecting, you came in a shuddering keen, nuzzling your face into the crux of his neck and shoulder while your fingertips dimpled into the meat of his shoulders and back and it took less than ten pumps later before Noah finally let loose himself and pumped you full of his seed, a growling groaning moan as he simply pinned you against the wall and held you tight and nuzzled his face in the juncture of your own neck and shoulder and breathed in your scent deep into his lungs, feeling anchored by it because now, that he had you in his arms, he didn’t care about anything else. Everything else seemed so far away now.

By the time you made it back out, Sakura was on Zane’s shoulders as he and some of the other kids there were playing chicken and didn’t notice that you and Noah had stepped away it seemed as you both slipped into the warm water and swam around until the sunset and you finally got to go back to the rooms where you happily put Sakura to bed, snuggling with her in her bed as you read a story from your phone to her as Sky and Zane got ready for bed in their own bed across from you and watched on fondly before they fell asleep after Sakura did before you happily crawled into bed with Noah, made love and then fell asleep in his arms, finally sleeping well for the first time in weeks and Skylar and Zane didn’t have any issues with it in the morning which was a relief for you and Noah.

Before loading the cruise ship you had Noah take you and your second set of luggage and a huge crate of gifts for kids, all of Sakura’s cousins on both sides of her family since you and your kids had insisted on also getting gifts for their soon to be cousins and loaded those up on the plane so you wouldn’t have to worry about those gifts getting dirty or damaged before they could reach their recipients and your kids got to explore Noah’s plane which they thought was really cool, Skylar actually did summersaults down the cargo hold as Zane sat in the cockpit and eagerly looked at all the controls and was asking Noah about what each one was and did which made you happy as Noah promised that after the cruise, he would let them fly the plane for a few minutes on the way home which made them really happy and excited for. Which made you so excited to see everything again, but instead of the eyes of a visitor but from the eyes of a soon to be local.

Thankfully you got onto the cruise ship early because you were in the concierge royal suite and not surprisingly, Zane and Skylar seemed to make new friends right at check in, some of them had even been at the hotel the night before and even Sakura made new friends too which gave you some relief that she wasn’t being left out or ignored. Skylar and Zane could make fast friends wherever they went when they wanted to and for a week long cruise, they could do so freely to make the trip more enjoyable and Skylar and Zane had gifted Sakura a little notebook to write down all the names of all her friends so that once they got on board they could send each other gifts and “pixie dust” to other guests which Zane and Skylar insisted that all the kids staying in all of the handicap rooms on board get pixie dust in particular which damn near made Noah cry because of how thoughtful and inclusive they were to include them as Sakura also agreed to do the same which made you particularly proud. You had also spent the last three weeks making sure that you would have all the extra touches and flourishes that would make the cruise memorable and special for everyone.

Once you were invited to board, you got your pictures taken and then it was announced to the welcoming crew that the Kintucks and the Kingsleys were arrived which Sakura thought was really fun and once onboard the concierge lounge on the ship, you got each of them the program for the cruise and your highlighters out and brought out the list of things you had already put into your agenda, like princess makeovers and royal tea service for the nights you would be going to Rapunzel’s Royal Table for dinner where it was basically Disney’s version of “formal nights” as all five you got to have your choice about activities for the cruises.

Noah, unsurprisingly, was happy to just be along for the ride. Sky and Zane were really looking forward to all the kids clubs and since this was Sakura’s first cruise, much less a Disney one, she was just eager to experience everything she could as Skylar and Zane were equally eager to share the experiences with her while you were eager to have some good proper alone time with Noah because your suite had two huge whirlpool tubs, one for the master and one for the kid’s room and while you brought plenty of bath bombs for the kids, you also brought some for yourself too along with some amazing lingerie just for Noah’s enjoyment, as all of you tried to get used to the rocking of the boat.

“So...what’s that trick to getting your sea legs?” Zane asked Noah as you could tell from his expression that he was getting a little queasy as he sipped on his ginger ale.

“Ok so back when I was on a fishing boat, what we would do is we would fill the hold up with sea water, get our gear on, as if we would go overboard and we would take turns throwing each other into the holding tank, like throwing each other as high in the air as we could, with more flips and twists, the better and when the body gets thrown around like that, it’s forced to re-calibrate itself and even in a really bad storm there is always a rhythm to the waves that your body gets used to, we would barely be out of port and we would start doing this, usually on the third throw, maybe the fifth throw if you’re really bad off, you’re good to go, now the biggest trick is when you get back on land, your body will still want to follow the rhythm of the sea and you can get “land sickness”, which is getting sea sick sitting perfectly still, but again, it’s the same trick to get out of it.” Noah explained.

“So you yeet us basically.” Skylar grinned excitedly.

“Yeah, into the pool.” Noah nodded.

“Yes!” Skylar cheered which got Noah to laugh as he looked around casually and noticed something...odd.

“Hey, not to be a worry wart but we might have a problem, 8’oclock.” Noah murmured to your family as he looked around casually again which got everyone’s ears to pick up.

“What?” You asked, as you instantly looked around yourself before you noticed the family in the direction Noah alluded to before your own stomach dropped.

“They’re looking at Zane pretty hard.” Noah realized.

“Ah, fans, this happens quite a bit, hopefully they’ll be cool and not swarm me.” Zane muttered in resignation.

“Cause of your YouTube channel?” Noah asked.

“Most likely, they don’t look like the ballet following type.” Zane answered.

“If they come over and bother you- do you want me to get rid of them?” Noah offered casually.

“Uh, well, there’s no reason to be rude, but yeah if they get bothersome and hound me, please do.” Zane answered, happy and relieved that Noah would even offer before the family couldn’t help it and came over.

“Hey, are you Zane Kingsley, with King’s Snakes?” Another boy asked Zane as the family from across the lounge had been staring and gawking at Zane the moment your family had been waiting to board the ship and Noah noticed Zane plastered on that same, forced polite smile you did that first day when that whole tavern tried to buy you drinks as Noah looked from Zane to you to see you did the same thing as Skylar didn’t bother hiding her annoyance at the intrusion while Sakura looked on curiously as she ate her snack.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Zane reluctantly confirmed before the whole family seemed to gush and fawn and geek out that they met a “celebrity” on the cruise before they all got pictures with Zane as Zane humored them and gave them autographs while he tried to keep it about the snakes, asking if they had any and was happy that they were looking to buy one soon.

“Oh my goodness, look at us being so rude, are you vacationing with your family?” The mom asked.

“Yup, that’s my mom Zara, my sister Sky, my soon to be stepsister Sakura, and soon to be step dad Noatak.” Zane introduced which brought a more genuine smile to your face.

“Oh wow, you guys are ice orcs aren’t you?” The dad asked.

“Yup, we’re from the Sungilak tribe too.” Sakura volunteered.��

“Oh that’s so awesome, do you mind if we get pictures of you guys too? We’ve never met ice orcs before, you have such beautiful coloring.” The mom tried to flatter.

“Sure.” Sakura agreed before she smiled really brightly for them as you and Noah shared a meaningful look before the family seemed satisfied they left you alone.

“Gods, please let that be the only time that happens.” You muttered to Noah worriedly as you squeezed his hand as you walked the halls to your suite to get changed into your bathing suits since the luggage that wasn’t your carryons had already been delivered.

You all got to your room and just as the other guests were boarding, Noah took the lifeguard aside and explained what he was about to do to you and your family and got special permission to do so since he would be throwing you guys much higher and farther than would normally be allowed but they trusted Noah for his word and his experience.

Skylar had never screamed more gleefully in her life, even on roller coasters, she didn’t squeal so loudly and Sakura did about the same and Zane even let out a shout or five as you marveled at Noah’s strength in not only picking you up but throwing you just as high and just as far as the kids but it worked like the charm it was. Then Noah jumped and did flips in the air to calibrate himself to it and once done, all of you happily went back to the room to fully settle in and get ready for the sailing away party as Sakura got to be on your shoulders while Skylar requested to enjoy it on Noah’s shoulders and was happy to be the tallest in the crowd that was gathered.

The first two days of the cruise were perfect, everyone got to have all their fun events that they wanted to go to and no one had issues with seasickness at all and you and Noah got to fully reconnect and Noah loved the lingerie and loved getting it off of you in record time too while the kids were in their kid’s clubs and do a lot of crafts in the oceaneers clubs.

The third day however, the storms hit and thankfully you were in the middle of the ship so you didn’t have to have deal with the bow going up and down with the waves, but the winds and rains hitting the glass of the veranda was the scariest thing you had encountered on the sea as all three of the kids huddled close to you in your bed as Sakura was squarely on your chest, Zane was under your right arm and Skylar was under your left and Noah was on the other side of Skylar as Noah simply smiled fondly to see you comforting all your children through the storm and was relieved that none of you were faring badly because of the seasickness as you all huddled together under the blankets during the worst of the storm.

Then after that, the storms passed and things went back to normal however, for the rest of the cruise, your family soon garnered more and more attention every time you left your cabin as Zane got an exorbitant amount of attention and “pixie dust” from just about all the kids on board because the news of “a celebrity” had traveled fast and even Noah and especially Sakura was approached a lot too, to the point that Noah actually did have to intervene and remind the other guests that you were all on a family vacation and that if they wanted pictures with ice orcs, to get them on shore with the others who were actually dressed to cater to tourists but that he and his daughter were not part of the attractions themselves and that Zane was also on a private family vacation and appreciated his privacy which Zane had never been more grateful and thankful for Noah to do as Skylar was more adoring of him in those moments than she had been yet because usually you fiercely protected Zane from “fanatical fans” but with Noah, he was the best deterrent yet and she had immediately claimed him as her step dad and had instantly started calling him "Dad" which Noah got used to pretty quick as Zane had to get a second piece of luggage to pack all of the “pixie dust” from the cruise.

Then when you got off the boat with your luggage, Noah flew you back to your family’s new home away from home, to meet his family which your kids thought was the coolest thing to be flown in and all took turns in the cockpit with the head gear and help steer the plane and then the kids happily loaded themselves into the back of the pickup truck with their luggage and thought the Frozen Tundra was really, really pretty, with the mountains and the greens and the swaths of wild flower blooms in the other fields and you had them also pack gifts for their soon to be cousins as well, making sure that all the kids were accounted for and prayed that the kids would like the gifts as you went to Noah’s house first to unload all your luggage as Zane happily poached stickers and other items from all the “pixie dust” that he got form all his “fans” on the cruise and added them to the gift bags for a special Disney touch to them.

You were never more relived to see Neena's family with the Noah’s family again as they still gave you the same warm welcome that they had done last time and Sakura was so proud to introduce her new siblings to all her cousins who were thrilled to get presents as you and Noah watched on, as Skylar of course, wanted to wrestle with her new boy cousins while Zane was content to simply sit and talk with his new girl cousins as they all happily played with their new things of slime happily around the card table in the game room.

“Ok, you guys can wrestle if you want but here are the rules, no broken anything, no broken noses, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles and obviously necks, we don’t want to take anyone to the ER today, that kind of thing. No pulling hair or braids or anything like that, and anything that a bathing suit would cover is off limits and of course, honor the tap out code and only displays of good sportsmanlike conduct is allowed. And boys, if you’re not cool with a girl like Skylar getting the best of you and beating you, don’t wrestle with her in the first place. She’s had a lot of formal training. Skylar, only match what you’re about to be given, no ganging up on anyone, lets play fair, one on one or two on two or however it has to go to be even. No breaking furniture or windows or anything like that, let’s be respectful of each other and the space. No trash talking or anything like that.” You specified, making sure you made eye contact with all of them before they all eagerly nodded their agreement.

“Ok, have at it then.” You agreed before you backed away before it descended into controlled chaos.

“Does that happen a lot?” Isla asked as she sat next to you on the couch with Summer as you all watched as Skylar happily started pinning each one down to the ground as all the boys were beyond happy and excited that a girl was willing to play this rough and could go toe to toe with them and they didn’t have to worry about holding back to keep from hurting her cause she was one tough cookie.

“Yeah, now don’t misunderstand, the two of them could just as easily switch places. And at home, Zane is Skylar’s workout and sparring partner so he knows everything that she does martial arts wise and in school he was the one to restrain her when she would get in fights in school so he knows those holds better than she does. But he prefers to make interpersonal connections through talking. Skylar, is obviously more physical and they’ll both bond to everyone else, just through different means. And Skylar, is actually a really gifted, graceful dancer and Zane can do all kinds of lifts with her and it helps her keep her own balance in the martial arts, but she prefers the skin on skin contact and getting to know each one by playing like this.” You explained before you watched Skylar actually kick one particular boy cousin off of her with so much power he practically went flying backwards about 10 feet, a few feet off the ground as Zane saw him coming and pulled the other girl cousins out of the way so they didn’t get pulled into it and hurt as the boy got up and laughed and dove back in as the other fathers watched their sons play fight with amusement as the other women were puting the finishing touches on dinner as Noah had never beamed with so much pride at seeing Skylar seem to take on two at a time with ease and judging by all the bright smiles on all the faces of the kids, they were all definitely having fun.

“So how was the cruise?” Noah’s brother Nago asked from the pool table.

“Uh, it was a mixed bag honestly. The first couple of days were awesome. Then word got out that “a celebrity” was on the cruise and then it wasn’t so great. Zane has a YouTube channel about breeding ball pythons and he’s only ten but he’s already making money as a breeder and he’s actually really, really smart when it comes to their care and genetics and medical care. And so, because of that exposure, he gets recognized a lot and he got recognized on the ship and he signed more autographs than Mickey Mouse did. It was insane. And it got to the point that he had me step in and remind these people that he wasn’t at an expo, he wasn’t on this cruise for any kind of publicity but he was just on a private family vacation and it’s a good thing I have a mean glare to keep them at bay but it was the same people who objectified Sakura and I the whole time, thinking because we were ice orcs that we were part of the cruise and the experience too, that wasn’t cool and Zara showed her claws a few times trying to keep Sakura safe and not hassled either and the staff of course was really cool and understanding and helpful. And then of course we had those storms roll in and it got pretty dicey a few times and if I had not done the water tank trick on all of them and myself, all of us would have been sicker than a dog that whole time. But even with all of that going on, Zara never faltered once. She was amazing and kept everyone safe and together and having a good time and to Sakura, she just thought it was the best family vacation she had ever been on and thankfully didn’t think the attention she got was a bad thing as Skylar warmed right up to me and loved it that I was bigger and taller than anyone else on board and loved to sit on my shoulders to watch all the shows that weren’t canceled due to weather. Zane is of course reserving judgement which I can’t argue with or find fault in. So, like I said, mixed bag.” Noah surmised.

“Well of course it wasn’t going to be perfect. Nothing ever is.” Ukluk noted.

“No, I wasn’t expecting it to be but I just wasn’t exactly expecting what we got either.” Noah muttered as he continued to watch Skylar closely to make sure she wasn’t getting hurt before she put one of Sakura’s cousins, Kako into a choke hold.

“Hey! Kako! Tap out, she’s gonna make you pass out buddy.” Noah suggested as Suka laughed at how his son was being put into a choke hold as Kako never looked happier to be in such a state.

“I’m good!” Kako tried to say as he waived off his uncle in between trying to squirm out of the hold only a minute later he went limp into a pile on the floor before Skylar let him go and rolled him over with the help of his siblings and other cousins as they all cheered that she had knocked him out before they clamored for her to do the same thing to them.

“Really?” Skylar asked.

“Yeah!” They insisted before Skylar looked at you and then to Noah and the other dads for permission.

“Go for it!” Nago, Yakone, Tonrar, Dave, Max and John all encouraged her.

“If that’s what they want, go for it Sweetie.” Ukluk laughed and gave her the nod before she beamed and outright tackled the rest of them until she had all the boys passed out on the floor around her and stood and caught her breath and appraised her handiwork while Noah and his brothers and brothers in law and his father and father in law all give her high fives and teased that she needed to come over to their house for sleep overs to do that to their sons that night for bed.

“If this was two hundred years ago, she would be getting marriage proposals left and right for that.” Isla practically cackled to you which made the rest of you laugh with her.

“Yeah, most of the boys at school already view her as this little warrior goddess as it is. And she’s only 8, just turned 8 too, I can’t imagine what she’ll be like at 18, but my rule is, no dating while in elementary, middle or high school. If you want to date in college that’s your choice but nothing before that.” You insisted.

“Ooh, that’s gonna be hard, especially up here, most are matched before high school graduation.” Isla grimaced.

“Well then she’ll be one of the few who aren’t as will Zane, and Sakura. Because they’re children right now and they should focus on being kids, having fun, enjoying hobbies, learning life skills and school. Not anything romantic, they’re still growing and developing and maturing for their age, romance should be the last thing pushed onto them.” You insisted.

“Agreed.” Noah practically boomed from across the room which made you smile even brighter as Skylar then joined Zane’s group and met all the girl cousins and sat next to Sakura and put her arm around her.

“Can you show me how to do that?” Sakura asked Skylar.

“And me?” The other girls chimed in.

“Yeah sure, wait for them to wake up first.” Skylar said as she nodded over to the boys who were still passed out before their mothers came down to get everyone.

“What happened to the boys?” Samantha asked worriedly, seeing her sons passed out on the floor.

“Oh Sammie, you should have been here! So the boys found out that Skylar can wrestle, asked her to put them in choke holds which she did! It was the single coolest thing I’ve ever seen.” Nago laughed giddily as he went over to his boys and picked up their arms and let the arms drop.

“The boys...asked for this?” Samantha repeated.

“Yeah, and of course I was cool with it and gave her permission too.” Nago insisted.

“We all did.” All the guys insisted.

“...ok. Well dinner is ready, and they need to wake up for dinner.” Samantha insisted before all the guys murmured their agreement and woke up their sons who almost jolted awake.

“Hey bud, how do you feel?” Suka asked Kako.

“I feel fine, that was really fun!” Kako beamed happily.

“Good, I’m glad you had fun, time for dinner.” Suka insisted as he helped his son to his feet before all the other boys as they all happily got up and went upstairs and happily told their mothers all about how awesome Skylar was and how she plays just as rough as they do which made their mothers happy to hear that they were getting along and you and Noah were finally relieved that this time, things were going much smoother.

#Jewel Of The North #Jewel Of The North Chapter 12 #ice orcs #jewel orcs

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fanfalc-616 · 4 years ago

Text

The Rights Of A Nindroid

Chapter Thirty-Two: How The Game Is Played

(Previous Chapter Here)

Yesterday I realized that posting two chapters over Memorial Day weekend was not my best idea, so I waited until today to post the next one I had prepared dhjsgdh

Cole looks at the computer again, blinking a couple times. “You can’t be serious,” he mutters, more to himself than anything.

He flashes the device a glare before turning back towards the main room. “Guys?” He calls. “We’ve got a problem.”

In any other circumstance, it might’ve been funny how quickly Kai bolted in- but as of now, with Zane being gone for over a year, it’s hard to find humor in much of anything.

The others follow soon after, of course, but by that time Kai’s already next to him, a thousand different stressed expressions flashing over his face.

“What’s wrong now?!” He demands, practically vibrating with his intensity.

Cole holds his hands up in a way that’ll hopefully be calming. “Okay, okay, take a deep breath. It’s not that big of an issue, we can figure this out.”

Jay peers over his shoulder, looking at the computer. “Uh. Actually. That looks like a really big issue.” He chuckles nervously, and Cole can already see the freak out that’s coming.

“What is it?” Lloyd prompts, but before Cole can answer, Kai’s already talking.

“Oh hell no!” He protests, concern flashing over to rage. “Is that-“

“A smear campaign.” Cole finishes, looking back over at the site. “Against Lloyd.”

With that, Lloyd comes over. The surprise on his face seems to wither into a more hurt and guilty expression. “I-“

“Alright, I get that we haven’t met in person, but I hate Harumi.” Kai suddenly declares. “So what if Lloyd opened the serpentine tombs?! The Great Devourer was Pythor’s fault! And that was years ago, too! Counting the tea, he was what, eight?! How is that fair?!”

Nya grimaces. “As much as I hate to admit it, she has a point. And with all the chaos we’ve gone through-“

“It’ll be easy to find things to blame on him.” Cole finishes, the realization sinking in.

Jay makes grabby hands at the computer, and Cole rolls his chair back to let him reach it. Glancing over at Lloyd, he fights back a wince at his expression.

“… okay, the serpentine thing is valid. A low blow, but technically valid. But accusing him of purposefully summoning Morro and the Preeminent just to see his dad again? Come on!” The ginger crosses his arms with a scowl, and Cole can see Kai preparing to say- or more likely, shout- something else.

Before he gets the chance, Cole stands up from his seat, intentionally getting everyone’s attention. Forcing confidence that he doesn’t feel into his voice, he tries to redirect the conversation. “Alright, this isn’t ideal,” he admits, “but we need to keep going. There’s gotta be records for times people have won things with a smear campaign against them, right? We can research them and figure out how to counter this.”

Kai opens his mouth, but Nya talks over him. “That’s a good idea,” she agrees. “I don’t think there’s ever been one in an election this big before, but we can definitely get some ideas from that.”

Looking back to Lloyd for confirmation, he sighs internally at the way the blond is still intently staring at the screen, clearly dozens of thoughts flashing through his head.

Putting a hand on Kai’s shoulder, Cole leans down enough to softly whisper in his ear. “Go take Lloyd somewhere he feels calm,” he suggests. “You’ll both be able to do more when he’s doing better.”

For a moment, Kai looks like he wants to argue. But after a glance at his honorary brother, he hesitates, and then gives a small nod.

“C’mon, Green Bean, let’s go take a break.” He starts guiding Lloyd away, and even though the blond looks conflicted, he lets himself be led out of the room.

With that, Cole turns back to Jay and Nya. “How about you guys do that research?” He offers. “I can do some digging on Harumi while you do.”

“Sounds good.” Nya gives a nod and looks over at Jay. When the ginger keeps staring at the computer, she sighs, glancing back at Cole.

Tapping Jay on the shoulder, Cole waits for him to look back. “Huh?” The other frowns, clearly not having been paying attention.

“With me, Sparky. I’ll give you the rundown.” Nya grabs his arm, and Jay gives a guilty smile.

“Let’s go, then,” he nods his agreement as she leads him out.

Once the two have left, Cole turns back to the computer, giving the campaign- or more accurately, slander- another glare. But he quickly changes gears, opening a new webpage.

“Alright, Harumi…” he mutters, beginning to type out her name.

“Let’s find out just why you’re so desperate to win.”

{ { { { { { { { { { ~ } } } } } } } } } }

Sentry narrows his eyes at his internal screen, trying again to get answers.

It’s obvious at this point that the direct approach isn’t working. It’s been thirteen months since Zane was taken- meaning Cryptor has been there for over two and a half years.

So they’re still working on this election plan, unable to do anything that might have a more immediate effect. It’s not ideal, but at least he’s begun to make some progress.

Actually… hang on. He might have something here. Another thing on the candidate running, Rune Duncan. He’s seen enough about Harumi to know that she’ll be the competition no matter what, but if he plays his cards right, he might be able to work with Rune enough to-

Perfect. According to this security camera, Rune was last seen entering a shady part of town- a place that usually only gangs meet up.

Hmm. If Sentry can’t get him to help, then maybe he can at least get some blackmail on him.

As he heads out, he sends a message to Dad letting him know that he’ll be out for a while- he knows that he’s been working on rescuing Cryptor, so he probably won’t need a rundown on what exactly he’s doing.

It takes him only about fifteen minutes to reach where Rune was last seen- Borg Tower isn’t exactly close, but with this, Sentry is nothing if not determined.

Quietly, he makes his way down the alley where the candidate was last seen. This place is insanely suspicious, so he-

“And what are you doing here?” A voice behind him prompts.

Flinching, Sentry spins around. How did this guy sneak up on him?! With all the sensors he has, it-

Wait. Looking over the guy’s dark ginger hair and tanned skin, he suddenly recognizes him.

“Looking for you, actually.” Sentry forces a smile he doesn’t feel as he studies Rune. “My name’s Sentry. I’m the general of Borg’s security forces.”

Rune arches an eyebrow, but all Sentry can think of is how out of place he looks in this back alley with a three-piece suit. There’s definitely something going on here.

“Huh. Well, you found me. Is there something you need?” He sounds unimpressed and maybe even a little annoyed. But there’s no way Sentry’s going to back out now.

“Yeah, actually. I wanted to ask you a couple questions.” Sentry keeps his forced smile, but he knows the other can see past it- he’s not exactly trying to hide his malice, anyway. “Maybe a bit about your past, if you don’t mind.”

Rune tenses for a moment, but then relaxes. But even then, the discomfort is still visible on his face- even though he seems to be trying to hide it. “And if I decline?”

Letting his smile turn cold, Sentry looks him dead in the eyes. “Y’know, I wonder what the public would think if they heard about a finalist in the Emperor Election poking around in a place like this. I don’t think that would look too good for them, now would it?”

There’s a tense moment, both of them staring each other down. Sentry doesn’t break eye contact- instead, he lets them glow an even brighter red in an unspoken threat.

Actually, it’s longer than a moment. Time seems to stretch on as the two of them glare into each other’s eyes. He’d check his internal clock to see how long it’s been, but that would involve glancing away, and he refuses to be the one who flinches first.

After what feels like an eternity, Rune looks off to the side with a growl, crossing his arms.

“Ask away.”

The tenseness coming off of him clearly shows that he’s got something to hide. And one way or another, Sentry’s going to find out what.

“Alright.” He pauses a beat before choosing to lead with a statement instead of a question- though it’ll hopefully get him more answers then outright asking.

“Whoever made you this fake identity did a horrible job.” Rune’s eyes widen the smallest amount, but Sentry keeps talking. “I dug everything up in a matter of weeks. The family tree, the missing records, the faulty information… honestly, I’m surprised that I’m the first person to realize.”

The ginger clenches his jaw. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Seriously? That’s got to be one of the most transparent bluffs he’s ever seen.

“I think you do, actually. I’d just like to know why you can’t run with your real one. You got something to hide, Rune?” He puts a little too much emphasis on the name, making sure the other gets the point.

There’s the beginning of another stare down, and this time instead of indulging him, Sentry tries something else.

Not breaking eye contact, he runs a scan on the other- maybe he can compare it to the ones in the criminal database and…

His thoughts clatter to a halt as he looks at the results.

“Oh,” he gets out. “That’s why.”

The other starts to say something, but Sentry speaks before he can as he finally fully processes the information.

“You’re a nindroid, too.” He breathes.

And he is. The scan shows it, he- Sentry’s never seen such a believable hologram as a disguise, but there’s no other explanation! That-

‘Rune’ narrows his eyes, and Sentry notices him starting to draw a blade from behind his back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he repeats, this time with more force.

Taking a step back, Sentry lets the possible scenarios flash through his head, struggling to figure out what the hell is going on. The design doesn’t match Cryptor or Zane’s, and it most certainly doesn’t match the ones Dad did, so-

“Who built you? Why are you doing this? Do you- do you not know what’s at stake here?! Who even are you-?!”

He’s cut off when he’s tackled, the move so abrupt that he can’t counter. He struggles underneath him, but in less than a heartbeat, there’s a blade pressed between his scope and skin- a spot that underneath connects almost directly between his CPU and motor functions.

The cloak drops, and he stares at the other’s metallic skin, worn and scratched from who knows how many battles.

Red eyes boring into his own, Sentry feels himself almost shiver at the dark, smug expression the other nindroid has.

“You want to know my real name? Fine.” The voice suddenly has a more distorted, robotic lit to it, his vocal box not hiding his true nature with the cloak dropped. “I doubt you’ll get the chance to use it…”

“But I’m known as Mr. E.”

#the rights of a nindroid #trauma #psychological torture #torture #ninjago fanfiction #angst #zangst

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ninja-go-to-therapy · 4 years ago

Text

Whumptober 7: I’ve Got You

the red marks the prompts that have been filled, and the white marks the prompts that have been requested.

@badthingshappenbingo

Oh hey, a double bingo! It’s kind of freaking me out that there are only four left. But yay for progress!

Prompt: bthb - anger born of worry ; whumptober - support

Fandom: Ninjago

Character: Zane

Summary: Jay hasn’t been taking care of himself. Zane is tired of it.

Trigger Warnings: self hate/deprecation

Requested By: @razzle-zazzle

1092 words

Zane had noticed that Jay was spiraling.

It wasn’t like Jay was doing a good job of hiding it. He’d been holeng himself up in his workshop for days, now. He only ate when one of the others all but dragged him to the kitchen, and even then, as soon as they were done, it was right back to the workshop.

The others often found Jay asleep over his workbench, and would have to carry him back to bed themselves. They didn’t mind too much. They just wanted to make sure he was actually sleeping.

By the time anyone ever woke up the next morning, Jay was already gone.

Zane was getting increasingly worried about him. He wasn’t eating enough, he wasn’t sleeping enough, and quite frankly, he was in desperate need of a shower.

Zane hadn’t been the only one to voice his concerns. But Jay kept waving them off, promising he’d do better.

He was not, in fact, doing better.

Zane was getting sick of it. Jay wasn’t taking care of himself at all, and if he had anything to say about it, it wasn’t going to continue.

Zane opened the door to the workshop, disappointed but not surprised to find Jay slaving away over some new project. Again.

He was still wearing his clothes from yesterday.

“Hello, Jay,” Zane said, sitting opposite him.

Jay muttered his own greeting, but didn’t even look up from what he was doing.

Zane sighed. He needed to be gentle about this.

“I am worried about you.” There was no point in beating around the bush. He had come here to express his concerns, and he was going to do just that.

“Yeah,” Jay said, nodding absently.

Zane pushed down the frustration and instead opted to try again. “Jay, I said I’m worried about you.”

“Why?” Jay asked, as if his recent behavior hadn’t been incredibly worrying.

“You haven’t been taking care of yourself,” Zane said, gently prying the screwdriver Jay was holding from his hand. Jay finally looked up.

“So?”

…So? What in the first master’s name did he mean, so?

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Zane said, a frown tugging at his lips.

“I’m doing you guys a favor. I’m more useful in here than I am out there,” Jay said, stating it so factually that Zane actually had to take a moment to process that. That… was the dumbest thing Zane had ever heard Jay say, actually.

How could he think so little of himself? Was it something someone had done? There had to be a reason he was acting like this.

Zane couldn’t remember anything that would have set him off like this, but maybe he just hadn’t been paying close enough attention. Clearly, it had been something bad.

“Besides, I’m doing pretty alright.”

“You absolutely are not!” he yelled. Jay’s eyes widened, but Zane couldn’t help himself. “You’re acting like a child, throwing a tantrum over something that can’t be fixed because you won’t tell us what’s wrong! What is going on with you?”

Judging by the hurt expression on his face, Zane may have sounded just a bit too harsh there. But it wasn’t as if Jay didn’t deserve it, if he was being honest. Zane had a long fuse, and Jay had found his way to the end of it. He couldn’t — wouldn’t — stand for this anymore. If Jay wouldn’t treat himself well, then Zane would make him.

“It can’t be fixed!” Jay yelled, tears glittering in his eyes. “And you’re right, I am a child! I’m a worthless, good for nothing, stupid little idiot! I shouldn’t be here, all I do is get people hurt!” He screamed.

“I swear to Lloyd’s grandfather — wait, what? When did you get someone hurt?” Zane asked, his anger slowly melting to what had been underneath the whole time: concern.

Jay’s eyes widened, the action causing tears to escape and fall down his cheek. He blinked the rest away furiously.

“I — forget I said anything — it doesn’t matter.”

“Tell me, Jay. I’m not letting you leave until you do,” Zane said, crossing his arms.

Jay glanced between him and the door, probably plotting an escape that he wouldn’t be able to enact. He knew he wouldn’t get further than a step in before Zane froze him to the floor. And he would do it, too. He wasn’t letting Jay out of this that easily.

“It’s nothing,” Jay insisted, staring hard at the workbench. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Too late,” Zane said, narrowing his gaze and all but glaring at his brother. “I’m perfectly fine with staying here all night if we need to.”

“Have fun with that.”

“You need to take care of yourself, dammit! I don’t care if you tell me, Nya, Cole, anyone, you just need to tell someone!” Zane demanded.

“It’s not a problem that can be fixed!” Jay insisted. He buried his face in his hands, breathing deeply. “It. Doesn’t. Matter.” he muttered.

“Bullshit. It does matter, because anything that has you acting like this is clearly a problem. I care about you Jay, why don’t you care about yourself?”

“All I do is hurt the people that I love,” Jay sobbed, his hands still covering his face. “I don’t want to be the burden that I am, but maybe if I try to do something useful…”

“Jay, listen to me,” Zane said, lowering his volume. He didn’t need to be screaming right now, as much as he wanted to. It wouldn’t get them anywhere and would likely only send Jay spiralling further. “You are not a burden.”

“You’re just saying that,” Jay sniffled.

“Have I ever lied to you?”

Jay looked up, moving his hands slightly so he could at least see Zane. He looked at him for a long time. “No,” he finally muttered.

“Exactly. You know I wouldn’t lie to you. Especially not about this.”

Jay wiped his face with the hem of his shirt.

“Please tell me what’s wrong?” Zane asked.

Jay sighed. “It’s just a stupid little nightmare.”

“Nightmare?”

“Memory — nightmare — it can’t be a memory if it never happened, huh?” Jay asked, laughing bitterly. “I dunno why the universe wanted me to remember, of all people!”

“…Remember what?”

“It doesn’t matter, it never even happened anyway.”

Zane raised his eyebrows, and Jay withered under his gaze. “Please, for your own health, you need to tell someone. I can get Nya, or someone else. It doesn’t have to be me.”

“No, no. I’ll tell you.”

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raevenlywrites · 4 years ago

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The Ties That Bind 2 of ???

“What were you thinking?”

Rei exploded, frayed ends of his nerves finally snapping. It was enough to snap me out of my shocked horror, the dread that had taken me in the hallway. Seeing both sides, so ready to fight--

“Rei, this has to stop!”

We stood in the violence charged aura of the room, muscles still singing with unused adrenaline. The tension trembled through me, a humming string just waiting to be released. I couldn’t help but see Zane’s coiled readiness in Rei’s tensed hands, as he clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to burn off some of that fighting edge.

“He tries to kill you,” Rei said with a forced calm I knew he didn’t yet feel, “and you jump to defend him?”

“If he’d wanted to kill me,” I bit back, “he could have done so over an hour ago when he’d first arrived.”

Rei stared at me, scanning me from head to foot for some hidden injury. Then he looked me over again, taking in my interrupted attempts to dress for bed, and it was only when color rose to his cheeks and his gaze darted quickly to the side that I realized what he must think.

“You too?” I cried. “What is it about my unbuttoned blouse that makes every man that sees me think I have no virtue left?”

I clutched my arms tight about myself, partly to comfort myself, and partly to keep from slapping my guard and lifelong friend. I didn’t know what infuriated me more: that Zane thought he’d interrupted me and Andreios, or that Andreios somehow thought he’d interrupted me and Zane.

“Dani, I didn’t--“

“Didn’t sweep the room for her safety, or didn’t do you duty and slay the villain while you had the chance?”

We both whirled to see my mother, standing in imperial fury, flanked by all our people, and half the Mistari guards.

Rei dropped to one knee, fist to his chest in the deepest salute our people had to offer. The guards didn’t usually bother--it left them utterly defenseless--but my mother had already murdered Rei on the spot with her words, so what did it matter, the safety of his body?

“My lady--“

“Oh get up, Andreios. You won’t do anyone any good down there.”

Rei snapped to his feet, tall and still and perfect as any carved soldier. Only the furious crimson of his face gave any indication that his heart still beat.

“Mother--“

“Button your blouse, Danica, and put on your boots. We’re leaving.”

“Mother!”

The Mistari guards all flinched at my raised voice, anticipating further violence. I thought again of the scene in the hall, our little armies ready to clash, our insatiable war threatening to spread.

This had to stop.

“We just got here; we’re tired. In the morning--“

“In the morning we will be half-way home--flying over the remains of a failed ambush.”

“I-- what?”

I stared at mother, uncomprehending.

“The messenger came just now. General Cadmia found spies in the woods, waiting to shoot us down on our return. We must leave now, before they discover their plot has failed and regroup.”

“There’s no way. Irene assured us their soldiers had pulled back--“

“They lied, Shardae. It’s what they do.”

Apparently, so had we. Or else how would we have known their soldiers hadn’t retreated as promised?

I wanted to stay, to see if the Disa might offer some less outrageous suggestion, or if I had simply misunderstood her intention in my exhaustion from the long flight. But I also wanted to speak with my generals, and discover why they had ignored a direct order from their Tuuli Thea.

Assuming she had given it.

I let my flight lead me back home, fleeing the problem of Zane Cobriana, and fearing I was returning to a much bigger one. - “Routine maneuvers,” General Rinnman said. The raven was three score my senior, and one of the oldest among us. Our people could be quite long lived, if not cut down prematurely in battle. Rinnman and the other generals all had varying degrees of grey at their temples, but their bodies remained sculpted and sharp. While the generals did not engage directly in most battles, they still trained daily with their soldiers, each knowing every member of their flights and their exact capabilities. The Royal Flight was the best of the best, and most that survived to step back from active duty became our army’s generals.

My army’s generals.

“You had been ordered to stand down,” I repeated, not satisfied with the dismissive nature of his answer. This wasn’t my first time attending a meeting of the generals’ council. It was, however, the first time I had called one.

The flight home had done nothing to calm my doubts; the constant vigilance of Rei and the rest of the flight had only heightened my unease. I summoned my generals to me almost the instant we’d landed. The agitated guard had hastened to obey; the restless soldiers in the yard buzzed with the potential for action. I hated the sense of approval from them, that they were glad their soon to be queen was ready to act so swiftly. On the one hand it was true; I was primed and anxious for action. But it wasn’t for any battle or fray they would be taking part in.

“We have to keep up our conditioning,” General Viridian said. He was closer to my mother’s age than Rinnman. He had the grace to look somewhat apologetic in his explanation.

“The soldiers were restless, on edge. Sending them on scouting maneuvers made them feel less like sitting ducks.”

“We were sitting ducks,” Rinnman insisted. “Or would have been, if the scouting parties hadn’t found them out--“

“How do you know they weren’t scouting parties?” I demanded. The half dozen men just stared at me.

“How do you know the serpiente soldiers weren’t just doing exactly as you were, burning off nervous energy on routine maneuvers?” I pinned Rinnman with my molten gold eyes as I said it.

Rinnman bloviated, but in the end, didn’t have a good answer. None of them did. I called an end to the meeting with a pounding headache, insisting once again that we stand down. I told my generals that if they needed to fly scouting parties that was all well and good, but that their scouts were to report back before any actual engagement. I also gave them permission to put teams on additional fortifications, if they had that much energy to burn, around the outlying farms and settlements that lay between the serpiente and the Keep. Too long, those parts of our lands had been left more or less on their own, with the large focus of our forces spent on defending the keep itself, or engaged on the bloody fields that stood in the empty stretches between us and the serpiente. Like a scar on the land, those stretches of forest and field lay empty of any habitation for generations. I wondered nonsensically as I prepared for bed if all those years of blood would yield richer crops, or anything could be grown there at all. -- I dreamed of Zane, of Rei, of Vasili. The only thing that allowed me to sleep at all I think was exhaustion. I had been up for nearly two days straight by the time I’d finally retired. It mirrored my emotional weariness perfectly, and made for unshakable slumber.

My dreams walked a familiar path, adding little detours here and there but remaining mostly unchanged. I would dream of my most recent walk through the fields of blood--this time seeing the red of Gregory’s eyes leaking out in crimson tears to stain the world and leave his eyes grey and hollow and lifeless--and inevitably I would find myself a small child again, chasing after Rei, who had gone out to find his missing father...

“Rei...”

I called out for my friend, finding the man who would be my guard, and in the way of dreams he was somehow both Rei and Vasili, my fallen alastair. I had been too young when I’d lost him to remember much, so my mind often substituted the relationship I’d built with Rei for the man who should have had his place. I let myself fall into his arms, taking care and comfort in dreams in a way I wished I knew how to do in my waking life.

I turned my face up to him, but somehow it was a garnet gaze that looked back at me.

It's not a dealbreaker for me, he’d said. We both have heirs to produce.

“Give me back my alastair,” I muttered to the dream, burying my face in his chest. It was a nice chest, broader and more muscled than his avian counterpart. Counterpart. Goddess, what a thought. What my mother and the other scandalized hoverhawks would think if they could hear me now.

“Not your alastair yet,” the dream Zane mused lightly. “I believe that was the point of all this?”

He gestured around us to the Mistari hall, grown up around us in the way of dreams. Though the ground was still the blood-stained grass and undergrowth of our own lands. But now tigers had been added to the fallen dead, my sick premonition of our war spreading come to life in my awful, unshakable dreams. Why couldn’t I believe in peace with as much certainty as I dreamed of war?

I turned away from the carnage, waking just enough to feel myself rolling over in my bed. Almost enough to wake, almost, but never quite enough. Zane’s voice was soft behind me.

“I wish we’d had a real chance to talk,” it said. I did my best to ignore it, willing my dreams to shift.

“I can’t say,” he continued, and his voice sounded closer now. I hugged my pillow closer to me, whimpering softly in my desperation to wake, or change dreams, or something. Anything but this fitting torment of my guilty subconscious. I should have tried harder to stay. I shouldn’t have let my mother bully me out of the peace talks. She could have flown back to deal with the generals--

“I think I could learn to love you, Danica, impossible as it seems.”

The dream’s voice sounded directly in my ear, the breath of my guilty apparition brushing across my cheek. I thought I felt the barest caress of lips on my temple, as if this facsimile of my enemy could somehow absolve me and release me from my nightmares. He leaned over me and pressed something into my hand, a talisman against further bloodshed.

“Come chase better dreams with me,” he whispered, closing my clutching fingers around something smooth and hard. I gripped it the way I wanted to grip him, to hold any hand in this unending morass of memory and horror. It was said the first hawks could sing beautiful visions into their dreams, the first songs of my people being more spell than sound. Apparently all that remained of those gifts was a penchant for lucid mocking nightmares.

“It was meant to be my eldest sister’s.” The dream of Zane was starting to fade, retreating into the dark as the next dream prepared to take his place. Would I dream now of brutalized infants, or crushed eggs in a nest of hawks and serpents alike?

“I hope you will consider wearing it.” He laughed, a dark sound. “Grim as it may be. I’m afraid everything I have to offer you will be somewhat bloodstained.”

“Your majesty, we have to leave.”

That new voice almost startled me to wakefulness. But even the familiar unfamiliar voice was not enough to break me from my wretched nightmares.

The Ties That Bind Tag list: @thehellinsideyourhead @therecouldbecolorsandlove

Raev’s Gen Tag List (should I tag you guys in this? It IS a thing I wrote. I’m gonna say yes unless you guys are like “no of course not we’re sick of hearing about your stupid fic for a twenty year old book XD)

List is currently: @lordkingsmith @writinglyra @drbibliophile @mperialscribe @adie-dee @lexiklecksi @writinginslowmotion

#raev does fic #hawksong fic #hawksong #the kiesha'ra #kiesha'ra fanfic #the ties that bind #danica shardae #zane cobriana #andreios

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amayawolfe · 4 years ago

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Ch. 4 - On Death's Doorstep

My Stories Masterlist

Word Count: 4468

Summary: Hisoka finds himself back in familiar company from his past. Is this all real? Or is he dreaming? Perhaps even... dead? The only thing that quickly becomes clear is that the redhaired teen is most definitely not safe.

⚠️ Warnings: angst, blood, gore definition, mild violence, nightmares, mental trauma, mentions/suggestions of trauma, mental instability, panic attack, rot/decay, self harm, strangulation, near death experience, unintentional/accidental suicide, death rattle

Hisoka

A warm, bright light slowly penetrated Hisoka's closed eyelids, steadily rousing his conscious mind. He could tell he was laying on something soft and was covered with some sort of blanket. Keeping his eyes closed, he attempted to shift his position to get more comfortable only to be greeted with a wave of intense pain. He winced and hissed through his teeth, he felt as though his entire body had been trampled by a herd of stampeding horses.

Having been overcome with such a great amount of pain so quickly, his muscle tensed and cramped, making matters all the worse. He swallowed hard and felt his brow furrow as he tried to focus on making his muscles relax. It was a slow and exhausting process.

The sound of someone walking on soft flooring close by caught his attention. Whomever it was shuffled right up beside him and stood silently next to him. Before he could speak, a warm hand lightly lay on Hisoka's sweaty forehead as though checking his temperature. After a moment, it began to gently stroke his head, brushing his damp hair away from his forehead. The act was soothing, and Hisoka could feel himself start to relax and take some of the edge off the pain.

"I'm sorry, baby, that last one was really rough with you, wasn't he..."

Upon hearing his mother's soft, tender voice, Hisoka felt as though he had downed an entire bucket of ice water; ice and all. He forced himself to suppress a shiver when chills ran down his back and he felt himself nod in response. Confusion trickled into Hisoka's brain, was this a dream? Or was he dead, too? How come the pain felt so real? If he was dead and now in the afterlife with his mother or simply dreaming of her, he shouldn't feel this kind of pain, right?

"Am I-" ♣ his voice cracked, sounding hoarse and brittle. He licked his lips and found that they were dry and cracked. He then realized he was horribly thirsty as if he hadn't drank anything in days.

"Water," ♠ he pleaded in a croaked whisper.

His mother loosed a pain filled sigh, "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but the water was shut off again. I'll have to leave to try and find some." The soft rustle of clothing indicated his mother was starting to move away to do just that.

Hisoka shook his head, causing it to throb and spin behind his eyelids. Everything hurt so badly, it made him feel weak and vulnerable. He didn't want to be left alone, even if it meant the company of someone he hated. He feebly reached out to where he had heard his mother's voice coming from. His arm shook and ached as he reached for her.

After a hesitant moment, he could feel her soft, warm hands gently wrap around his own. He sensed her draw close; the movement was followed by a tender, motherly kiss placed upon his brow. Her actions made a tight ache form in Hisoka's chest. How he wished that this could have been his mother all the time. Loving, caring, gentle. He knew all too well this facade was only the beauty that hid her venom.

He slowly opened his eyes, his vision was a little blurry but he could see her sitting there beside him in her pale green bathrobe. Hisoka guessed she had just recently gotten out of the shower since her hair was up in a towel. The warm light that filled the little apartment they shared was brighter than normal and gave their surroundings a very fuzzy and surreal feeling.

Hisoka tried to recall how he could have possibly gotten here. His brow furrowed again as he struggled to remember the most recent past events.

I was with the troupe, we reached Dolle, we got to the inn, Jasper harassed Aba- Wait! ♠ Hisoka's eyes narrowed as flashes of being pulled into an alley darted through his mind. He could see and hear Jasper talking to him, and the brief scuffle they had. Then someone was behind Hisoka, but the broken stream of memories ended there.

Hisoka felt a sinking sensation within the pit of his stomach. He licked his lips once more and tried to swallow before he spoke, "Am.. Am I dead? ♠"

His mother gave him a sorrowful look, "Oh, sweetie, no no, you're not dead." She let go of his hand with one of hers and began to stroke his head again.

"You must feel awful, I told that last one to be gentle with you. I'm so sorry sweetie."

Her tone had become sickeningly sweet with empty apologies. Hisoka's nose wrinkled as a wave of disgust washed over him. He pulled his hand away from hers and looked away, yet she continued to stroke his head.

"You always did say you were sorry, mother," he barely croaked in a rough, broken voice, "but you never did anything to prevent it." ♠

The hand that had been stroking his head stopped and slowly pulled away. There was a heavy silence for a few minutes before he heard his mother sigh.

"You're right, I'm a terrible mother. I should have done more to love and protect you."

A scowl started to form on Hisoka's face yet he did not respond to her. Another heavy silence, one that grew uneasy with every tick of the second hand in the clock on the wall.

After a while, Hisoka finally broke the silence, "Do not expect me to disagree with you..." ♣

He could hear her shuffle and shift uncomfortably beside him.

"I didn't- I mean, I know..." She trailed off and Hisoka snickered at her pathetic attempts.

His anger and disgust with his mother was starting to override his pain and dissipate the fog in his mind. It gave him new energy to say the things he had wanted to for so long.

"You knew perfectly well what you were doing," ♠ he snarled, glaring at the back of the couch he was laying on, "Yet you never did anything to fix it. Your own pleasures were always more important than me. ♣ Even though you could see what it was doing to me and what I was being put through you-"

Hisoka stopped his tirade, he could sense something was wrong. The warm light that had been filling the room started to fade away and the air around him had become cold and heavy. His mother's breathing changed, becoming thick and ragged.

"I know," her voice rasped, barely above a hoarse whisper, "I know I was a horrible mother. No, a horrible person. But Hiso, my son, my love, did I really deserve... this?"

Hisoka hesitated, dreading what he would see. The air had become so heavy he could barely breathe as the room continued to descend into darkness. He slowly turned his head to look back at his mother. What he saw caused him to open his mouth wide in a silent scream and desperately attempt recoil to further into the couch.

All color had drained away from his mother's flesh. A horizontal slit appeared in the middle of her throat. The wound wept crimson rivers as it began to yawn wider and wider. He could see muscles, tendons, and trachea seemingly rot away at a frighteningly rapid pace. Hisoka tried to scramble away but his battered and bruised body failed him while his decaying mother leaned forward and slowly began to reach for him with both hands

"Tell me, please sweetie, did mommy deserve to die like that? Did you really have to kill me?"

As she spoke her lips started to rot and pull away exposing her teeth and gums. Her cheeks became sunken as her eyes fell back into her head, leaving empty withering voids that bore into Hisoka's tortured soul. She wrapped both of her rotting hands around her son's throat and began to squeeze, cutting off the precious oxygen his body so desperately required to sustain life.

Hisoka began to thrash and tear at the arms in a frantic and desperate attempt to pull death's hands away from his throat. His actions were futile as he only managed to tear away large handfuls of rotting flesh leaving behind exposed bone. His mind was in full panic, he couldn't breathe to scream and his eyes were blown wide, staring into those voids in his mother's now skeletal face. She drew closer, slowly descending upon him as she chanted over and over.

"Hisoka, why did you do this? Why did you do this to me? I'm your mother. Hisoka? Hisoka! Hisoka! Hisoka!"

Abaki

"Hisoka? Hisoka! Hisoka wake up!" Abaki cried out to her unconscious friend who now thrashed around in his bed and wasn't breathing as his own hands were wrapped tightly around his throat. She desperately tried to pry Hisoka's hands away to free his airway but couldn't get a good enough grip.

She watched in horror as his usually pale, freckled face started to change to an angry shade of red and his lips began to turn blue. Shaking her head, Abaki turned and bolted for the door. Flinging it wide open, she screamed out into the hall, "HELP! PLEASE, SOMEONE, ANYONE, HELP! IT'S HISOKA!"

She looked back over her shoulder, tears of fright were streaming down her face. Terror gripped her heart as she feared she was going to lose her closest friend. That she was going to watch him die right in front of her, unable to help.

Within seconds, Abaki could hear doors opening and hurried footsteps rushing in her direction. The first to the door was Magikana, barefooted and in her long sleeping gown.

"Abaki vaht-" the magician's gaze darted from the frightened girl to the thrashing, dying boy. Her already wide eyes grew even wider as she pushed passed Abaki and made a beeline for her apprentice. As she made it to Hisoka's side, another showed up at the door in boxers, a tank top, and socks. It was the juggler that had seen Hisoka before the sideshows. His eyes grew wide with shock amd concern as he took in what was going on.

"Do not just stand zere, Zane, hold him still for me!" Magikana snapped, struggling to hold Hisoka down the best she could. The juggler blinked then rushed over to help. He barely managed to grab hold of Hisoka's legs to pin them down.

"Kids stro- OOF!" Zane was cut short when Hisoka unconsciously delivered a hard kick to Zane's gut, knocking the wind out of him a bit.

The next person who appeared at the room's door was Moritonio in a house robe. With a quick look he immediately understood the dire circumstances, grabbed Abaki's wrist, and made his way towards the others.

"Come girl," he instructed calmly, "we'll need your help, too."

Moritonio drug a dazed Abaki with him over to the bedside opposite Magikana, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. Zane was now laying over Hisoka's struggling legs, keeping them pinned to the bed.

"Press your hands on his chest, Abaki, try and keep him still as best as you can," the troupe leader ordered, "Kana, hold his shoulders, I'll try and pry away his hands."

"Be careful as to not break his neck," she warned as she adjusted her position and pressed Hisoka's shoulders down into the mattress.

Just as Moritonio took hold of Hisoka's wrists he noticed the boy's thrashing had diminished greatly, becoming nothing more than feeble twitches. A sense of dread washed over him as he realized what was happening.

"Hisoka?" The boy's hands were still wrapped tightly around his own throat. Moritonio strained to carefully pull Hisoka's hands away. As he did so, Hisoka's nails drug across his own flesh leaving behind bright red trails in their wake. The moment his airway was free, a strange gurgling sound started to emit from the trainee's throat. The adults grew pale as Moritonio felt for a pulse. After a moment, he looked up at Magikana and shook his head.

Abaki's chest grew tight and it felt like her heart had stopped. Her eyes grew wide and became brimmed with tears, gaze falling upon her friend's face, "H-Hisoka?"

At the sound of her voice, Moritonio glanced over at Abaki and his eyebrows suddenly shot up; an idea came to mind. He looked back to Magikana who seemingly heard the ringleader's thoughts and she nodded. The magician then snapped her fingers at Zane to draw his attention away from the poor boy and onto her,

"Quick, fetch zee doctor, ve vill do vaht ve can."

Without question, Zane nodded and bolted out the door. As soon as he was gone Moritonio looked back to Abaki once more.

"Abaki. Abaki!" The traumatized girl jumped a little and turned her focus to her troupe leader and nen master. "Listen to me carefully, Hisoka's heart has stopped as well as his other bodily functions. We could try to resuscitate him, but Kana and myself are not familiar with the methods and may make matters worse trying. However, we need to try something, and I may have just the thing. I want you to emit a small amount of energy into his body. Give it a jump start."

Abaki blinked a few times, she was in a mild state of shock, "W-what? You want me to..." She looked down at her friend's lifeless body and nearly broke down. Magikana turned swiftly and grabbed the girl by the shoulders, shaking her just enough to snap the trainee's attention to the magician.

"Listen carefully, if ve are to save Hisoka," she said in a cool, calm yet stern voice, "ve need you to listen to vingleader, okay?" Abaki nodded with a sniffle before looking over to her nen master.

"O-okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Place your dominant hand here," Moritonio instructed, pointing to an area of Hisoka's chest just over his heart. Abaki hesitated, but only for a moment, then she leaned forward and rested her hand lightly on his still chest. Her lip quivered but she kept it together and looked back up at her nen master.

"Okay, what's next?"

Moritonio spoke clearly and quickly as he explained to Abaki to move her nen to her hand. Once she had done that, she was to slowly and carefully emit her nen into Hisoka's fading residual nen. Abaki was terrified, she knew there were so many ways this could go wrong. She could accidentally force too much nen into her friend causing organs to be ruptured and bones crushed. Or she could completely fry his nervous system rendering him brain dead. She could even damage his aura nodes and cause him to become nenless.

Tears started to spill from her eyes again when those horrid thoughts threatened to cloud her mind. She gave her head a little shake and bit her lip to help maintain focus. She understood why Moritonio was having her do this instead of himself. Emitting nen would flow smoother from a person who is naturally an emitter. With Moritonio being a transmuter, the task would most likely be more dangerous even though he was the more experienced nen user. The fact that her and Hisoka had been training their nen together for the past several weeks and were more intune with each other's nen was another positive factor.

Abaki bit her lip a little harder as she felt the strain of her efforts start to fatigue her body. She had no idea how much time had passed. Seconds? Minutes? Or had it been hours? She honestly felt as though it had been the latter. Her eyes having been shut during most of the process, she wasn't even sure if Magikana and Moritonio were still there.

Hisoka, please, wake up, her heart and mind pleaded as one. She pictured his warm, mischievous smile as he teased her about her crush on Camilla. Those sparkling amber eyes filled with life and excitement as he showed off his nen and magic tricks. She couldn't picture him any other way. This cold, still, lifeless body she was mixing her nen with was not, no, could not, be her friend.

Her brow furrowed and her jaw tensed all the more as she pushed those happy memories of their short lived friendship down through her nen and into his. She now tasted blood coming from her abused lip, but she didn't care.

Hiso, I'm not giving up on you. Wake up. Wake. Up. NOW!

Abaki gave her waning nen a gentle but firm push in a last attempt to save her friend. The last of her nen energy that she could spare. She gasped and would have collapsed onto Hisoka if not for Magikana catching her and holding her upright.

Her vision had begun to blur from over use of her nen, but she could see her friends' still, lifeless face. Moritonio checked for a pulse once again. After a moment his shoulders drooped and the look on his face became sad and grim.

"H-Hiso?" Abaki whimpered. She began to reach towards him with trembling fingers when all of a sudden his entire body jerked.

Abaki cried out in frightened surprise as Magikana pulled her back in sheer reaction; even Moritonio jumped back. Hisoka threw his head back into his pillows and his back arched greatly, lungs hungrily sucking in a massive breath. His bloodshot eyes were now wide open and possessed a frightened, feral look.

When Hisoka started to flail again, Moritonio quickly stepped forward and grabbed the trainee's wrists in case he were to hurt himself again.

"You're alright, boy," Moritonio calmly stated, "no need to thrash about, you're safe. Nothing and no one here is going to harm you. You're among friends."

Hisoka blinked several times, pupils so constricted they were barely visible within their golden irises. He was obviously confused, not to mention terrified. He seemed to slowly recognize the older man as he began to settle down. Moritonio let go of Hisoka's wrists and slowly backed away a bit to give the boy a little more room to breathe. And breathe he did, for he was alive and now conscious to the waking world.

Abaki let out a choked sob as an enormous wave of relief washed over her. She wanted to rush forward and hug her friend, but Magikana held her back. A task not too difficult since the girl was now quite weak herself.

"Is best to let him rest, yes? Little one still has injuries."

Abaki glanced up at the magician and saw that, she too, had tears in her eyes and her lower lip trembled ever so slightly. She looked back at Hisoka then reached out and gingerly took her friends hand. She winced a little at just how cold his usually warm hands had gotten. The touch made Hisoka look in Abaki's direction. His gaze was a little unfocused, and he still seemed a bit confused. He blinked a couple times before he attempted to speak.

"Aba-" Hisoka, Magikana, and Abaki all winced in unison at the sound of Hisoka's voice. Broken, dry, hoarse, it sounded painfully horrible. Hisoka lightly touched his throat with his free hand then jerked it away with a ragged hiss. He then looked over to Magikana with a muddled expression.

"Is bit of story," she sighed softly, reaching over and gently brushing the red raspberry hair out of the eyes of her apprentice. "Rest now, you are safe. Doctor should be here any minute now."

As soon as the magician finished her sentence, a huffing, red faced Zane magically appeared through the door with an exhausted looking woman in tow. She wore medium length salt and pepper hair up in a messy bun, wore glasses, and carried a doctor's bag.

"S-sorry it- *pant* took so long," Zane puffed, "She was *pant* asleep."

"Well," the doctor mumbled under her breath, "it is the middle of the night." She spotted Hisoka and adjusted her glasses as she walked towards him. Moritonio stepped back to give the women more room while Magikana and Abaki stuck close on the opposite side.

She instantly frowned upon a closer look at Hisoka and looked back over at the ringleader.

"Is this the same boy that was attacked in the alley a couple days ago?" she asked, carefully tilting Hisoka's head up to get a better look at his neck.

"Yes," Moritonio answered plainly.

"These are not the injuries my colleague told me about, these are fresh," she glowered at the marks on Hisoka's neck and snapped her head back round angrily. "What happened to him? Who did this?"

"It would appear that while the boy was in comatose he had a horrendous nightmare," the ringleader explained calmly. "He's been mumbling and talking in his sleep throughout most of this past day. We figured he would soon wake up, but instead, he attacked himself. He strangled himself to the point of losing consciousness once more, as well as he had stopped breathing."

The doctor's face paled a few shades and even more serious, something Abaki had not thought possible just a moment ago.

"Heartbeat?" Moritonio slowly shook his head.

"How long?" she further inquired.

"Close to thirty minutes I'd say."

The doctor's frown depended and she continued her exam. She checked his eyes and listened to his vocal cords, heart, and lungs. Once that was done, she asked Hisoka to do some simple motor function tests which he completed relatively well. Abaki held Hisoka's hand while the doctor worked, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze whenever Hisoka flinched or seemed uncomfortable. She was relieved to feel the warmth returning to his fingers.

When the doctor lifted his shirt, Hisoka's eyes blew wide with surprise. His attention was drawn to the vast collection of bruises and bandages all over his body as well as the ones on his arms and legs. He looked over at Magikana and Abaki. His trainer frowned and shook her head slightly, silently mouthing the words, "vill explain later".

Finally the doctor sighed, removed her stethoscope and placed it back into her black bag.

"Well," she started in a tired voice, "his vocal cords and trachea are damaged, but not to the point of needing hospital care, thankfully. The rest of his injuries seem to be coming along nicely; and quickly, might I add. But he will still need at least two weeks of bed rest, plenty of good food, and lots of water. You want to have him stretch a couple times a day so his muscles don't stay stiff all the time. It'll help up blood flow and healing as well. I will be back to check on him in a week, but call me or my colleague if anything strange starts to arise. Not breathing or having a heartbeat that long, I am honestly surprised he's doing as well as he is, all things considered."

"Thank you, doctor," Morintonio replied solemnly.

Abaki noticed the older man frowning at the doctor's news and how he exchanged looks with Magikana. This was an issue, the troupe was supposed to have been in the next town by now, but due to the recent events things had been put on hold. To put travels on hold for another two weeks could prove to be devastating to the troupe's finances.

Moritonio motioned for Magikana to come with him as he walked with Zane and the doctor outside the room. She nodded then gently brushed Hisoka's hair once more.

"Rest, little vun, I vill explain everyzing in zee morning." Hisoka frowned a little as he looked over his trainer's face. He then sighed through his nose and weakly nodded his head. She produced a tired smile and gently ruffled his already messy hair. Before she left, she retrieved two blue sports drinks from a nearby grocery bag and handed one to Abaki and Hisoka each.

"Both of you, drink, rest," she instructed then focused on Abaki, "Stay viz him, I vill be back as soon as I can be." And with that she left the room.

Abaki shifted her position so she could lean back against the headboard to rest more comfortably. She watched as Hisoka opened his bottle and chugged down over half of the blue liquid in one go, wincing from the pain as he swallowed.

Once Hisoka drank his fill, he pulled the bottle away from his dry, cracked lips and took a large, shaky breath. He looked over to Abaki and the two friends stared in silence.

I wonder if he knows that he nearly died. Well, I guess he actually did die. At least for a short bit there. Should we tell him if he doesn't know? Or would it be better left not telling him? I'm not sure if I would want to know that I did something like that to myself without knowing.

Her mind continued to wander as she carefully examined the red haired teen. His dark and sunken blood shot eyes, messy hair, bruised and scratched face, then finally the freshly forming brushes on his neck. She felt her lips twitch as she surprised a grin and snorted through her nose.

Hisoka blinked and opened his mouth to question her but quickly thought better of it. Instead, he closed his mouth and tilted his head, giving Abaki a look of inquiry.

She couldn't help it, a wry, exhausted smile lightly danced across her lips as she said to her friend, "Hiso, you look like shit..."

~ ~ ~

📜 A/N: Thank you so much for reading my story and I really hope you liked the chapter. If you did, please remember to heart and pass word along of this story! I do apologize for the long wait on this chapter, life just gets crazy sometimes, yah know?

Also, I wanna add that if you are feeling down, depressed, unstable, or think that you could cause harm to yourself or even others, please, please, please reach out and get help. Whether it be friends, family, or even someone from a help service, someone out there does does care about you and you do, in fact, matter! As a survivor of attempted suicide, and one who deals with Bi-Polar I Depression, I know that the battle can seem tough, endless, and just down right exhausting. I know that asking for help can be tough and scary, but the first step to anything worth while usually is.

With that said, I again thank you for reading, and please take care of yourself. Get lots of rest, sunshine, exercise, and drink plenty of water! Until next, laters!

~ ~ ~

Previous Chapter: Ch.3 - The Show Must Go On!

Next Chapter: Ch. 5 - Whispers of the Cards

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dobrikswriting · 5 years ago

Note

Can you maybe do a part 2 of the David and reader one (the recent one where the reader cheated) I would love to see if they get back together or what happens. Love your writing!

This made my heart happy! That was the first thing I’ve written in four years and it was rough but it felt so good to be doing it again and I’m so excited to get back at it.

I know I’m just getting into the swing of things again but requests are always welcome!!

Part 2

I quickly tried to walk to my car from the filled mall, seemed like everyone had decided to do last minute shopping for Christmas. I didn’t really have anyone to buy presents for so I decided last minute to buy my mom some bracelet to have sent back home. I was watching the ground as I was walking not noticing the person that had stepped in front of me with his arms out.

“Y/N?!?” Was all I heard before I ran right into a tall warm body, that instantly wrapped it’s arms around me. I quickly stepped back looking up to see a familiar face.

“Oh my god Zane hey, how are you?” I said genuinely happy to see him. I had grown quite close with David’s friends during the year we dated. It was hard to cut them off but I couldn’t look them in the eye and tell them what I done to one of the best people I know.

“I’ve been good girl where have you been, what happened? We all miss you so much” He stated putting his hands on his hips.

I looked at him not quite sure what to say, I decided to not go too into details about why I hadn’t been around or answered any text or call. “I just needed my space after the break up, but I have miss everyone so much too, especially you Carly and Erin.” I said with a pout holding my arms out to give him a proper hug.

Zane hugged me and then quickly pulled back still holding the tops of my arms. “Okay it’s settled then you need to come out with us tonight.” Zane said in a very matter of fact tone.

“Zane I don’t know I don’t think it’s that good of an idea.” I said trying to think of any reason to not have to go out and see everyone. I really did miss them all I just wasn’t ready to see David. It had been four months since our breakup and I was not handling it well.

“No excuses you’ve cut us out for too long, no matter what happened between you and David the rest of us don’t need to be punished please come out. You know it would mean so much to Carly and Erin to see you.” He said dropping any silliness or fake act that Zane usually has going on just truly trying to get me to come out tonight.

I sighed not wanting to blow him off as I really wanted to see everyone but still not knowing if it was fair to David to even put myself in a situation where I’m there and it makes him uncomfortable.

“

I stood at the bar with a vodka cranberry in hand awkwardly looking around to see if I could spot Zane. It was weird not coming to the club with everyone, we normally all met at Davids and came together in the Tesla. I caught a reflection of myself in the mirror hung on the wall and examined my outfit one more time. Crop top, ripped skinny jean, and knee high boots, simple enough, but still sexy enough to hopefully catch someones eye. I doubt he would even come, but if he did I wanted to be as enticing as possible.

I felt an arm creep around my waist as I saw Zane appear next to me in the mirror phone out ready to take a mirror pic. I smiled for the picture and then turned to hug him. The second I let him go I was engulfed in another hug from both my left and right the mix of red and blonde hair in my eyes telling me exactly who it was.

“Oh my god!” I exclaimed loudly putting my arms around both of them. “I’ve missed you so much”

“You’re telling us, you just ghosted us how rude.” Erin said faking smacking your arm.

“I’m sorry it was just hard.” I said sheepishly, still not a good enough reason to cut off my friends.’

“Yeah yeah yeah we get it breakups are hard. Just please don’t leave us again.” Carly added laughing pulling you for another hug.

“I’ll do my best.” I said as I looked around and noticed the rest of the gang all around in groups doing their own thing.

My breath caught in my throat when I scanned and saw the familiar mop of brown hair shoved under a black baseball cap. He came. He came and looked amazing. He was caught in conversation with Toddy I couldn’t tell if he didn’t know i was there or if he was purposely ignoring me. Or maybe he knew and didn’t care. Maybe he was over me. I didn’t have much time to think about it before I was whisked away to do shots.

”

The night had flown by too quickly. I had forgotten just how fun being out with everyone was. I was ready to say my good byes at the end of the night, I had managed to avoid contact with David all night. No awkward eye contact no matter how long I stared at him, he seemed like he didn’t even care that I was there. Which I guess it what I deserved. I was ready to walk back to the entrance of the club to get an uber as everyone pilled into the Tesla, when David came walking up behind me.

“You coming?” He asked me as he glided by.

My heart stopped beating as I heard his voice. God how I missed that sound. I couldn’t even manage to say anything as I climbed in the back of the tesla, quickly joining the conversation with Zane and toddy about what kind of pizza we should get delivered.

“

The night settled quickly after we got back to Davids house, some of the friends got ubers and went home, some of the passed out on the couch. I was the last one left awake, as I walked to the kitchen to get a drink of water, running my fingers over the once familiar home.

“Everything’s the same, just like when you left.” A voice said walking over to the kitchen behind me.

I looked back at David walking behind me and just nodded. Still not able to come up with words to say to him.

We both moved around in the kitchen in silence, as I got a glass of water and David poured a bowl of cereal. I stood there for a second before I finally got the courage to say something.

“How have you been?” It was a lame question but I wanted to know.

“Rough.” David said looking at me. It was the first time I had locked eyes with him since he told me I ruined his dreams by cheating.

“Me too.” I said softly, not sure of what else could be said since I’m the reason he hasn’t been good lately.

“Well you know who you can thank for that.” David scoffed as he took a bite.

That was fair but it stung. I got the hint he didn’t want to talk anymore and started to walk away, when i heard him speak up again.

“I’m sorry that was too much.” David said getting up to walk closer to me. “I really have missed you.” He said leaning on the counter next to me.

“I’ve missed you more than I thought it was possible to miss someone.” I said not moving an inch, I never thought I would see David again and being in this moment with him actually talking to me and standing so close to me I wanted to soak it all in.

David stood up straight and then took a few steps so he was directly in front of me. He looked into my eyes for a while, it was so comforting looking at him and only seeing love, I didn’t see any hurt or hate at all. He slowly reached his hand out to rest against my cheek and then quickly moved his lips to mine. I felt like I was having a heart attack it was beating so fast. I kissed him back and he pulled away just as quickly as he kissed me.

“I missed that.” He stated. The he moved to standing next to me again. “I’ve really missed you.”

We stayed up the rest of night talking about what was going on in our lives, I told him about how I had started a new job that I really enjoyed and he told me about all the funny stories I had missed.

“Things probably will never be how they were.” David said as we both sat on his bed, it had gotten so early that the sun was starting to shine through his curtains.

“I know” I replied as I stood up and moved toward the window to watch the sun rise. “I hope it can be better.” I said looking back at David, who was getting up to come next to me.

“I don’t know about that. Tonight it was really good to see you but you still broke my heart and I’m still not okay.” He said standing to me and opening the curtain a little wider so he could take in the view with me. “But it reminded how much this group works with you in it. It’s not the same without you. I’m not the same without you.” He said looking away from the scene outside to look me in the eyes.

“David if I could take it all back I would.” I said quickly, looking at the sun hitting his face made him even more gorgeous than normal.

“I know you would. I want to try to make this work” David said, my face perking up at the thought of being with David again I could feel my heart start to race. “Us being friends I mean.” He added, not wanting me to get the wrong idea.

“I don’t know what the future holds for us, maybe one day we can move past this and be together again. But for now,” He started moving his gaze back out to the beautiful view in front of us. “I just want to enjoy every moment that I can, and I can’t think of a version of my life that I don’t want you to be apart of.” He said giving me a side hug and a kiss on my temple. It was more than I was expecting to come of the night and getting to be in David’s life at all is way better than nothing at all.

We sat in silence for the next couple of minutes, then David pulled away and looked back at his bed. I could tell he was contemplating something before he looked at me with a slight grin on his face biting his tongue slightly.

“But just for this one night, will you lay with me. I’ve missed being next to you.” He said grabbing my hand and moving towards the bed, not giving me a chance to respond before he pulled me down and I landed next to him. He wrapped his arms around me and for the first time in months I truly felt happy and save and loved. Nothing could beat that moment.

#Anonymous #david dobrik imagine #david dobrik #david dobrik x reader #david dobrik x y/n #david dobrik x you #vlog squad imagine #vlog squad

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nonexistent-anime-echo · 5 years ago

Text

Cole's A Vampire: Part 3

A/N: I think I'm going to call this an AU. Can I call it an AU? I mean it seems like an AU and not just a random vampire fanfiction. I also just think getting AU asks would be fun. If I did get AU asks for this, I'd probably answer them both with text and drawings so I can work on my human drawing skills. TW: Blood, mentions of killing (both people and animals), poor mental health

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

----

"I can't believe I did that," Cole whispered shakily. He'd cried himself dry of tears an hour prior, so Jay was hugging him, trying to comfort him.

"Cole, it's not your fault," Jay said quietly.

"I-I don't want to go to a vampire hospital," said Cole. He felt his eyes stinging, and quickly stood up. "My eyes are watering," he explained to Jay, who was looking at him, clearly confused.

"Oh," said Jay. "Okay."

"What if something happens to the city while they're gone? We can't do anything! I'll just make the situation worse and you're still getting used to not being solid!"

"Calm down, everything'll be fine. We'll get a call from the others and Kai will be okay."

The phone rang inside. Jay and Cole ran in; Cole was the one to grab the phone.

"Hello?"

"H-He's stable," said Lloyd. "They said he should survive. He's still unconscious though."

Cole started crying. He covered his mouth with his hand and looked at Jay. Jay gave him a minute to calm down.

"I — I want to visit my dad," said Cole. "He might know how to help me control myself."

"Okay," said Jay. "How are we gonna get there?"

Cole thought for a minute.

"Our elemental dragons?"

"That'll work," said Jay. A few seconds later there was a blue dragon in front of him. He hopped on it. Cole got on his.

----

"Hey, Dad," said Cole, looking at the vampire in front of him.

"Hello, Cole! Who's this?"

"Jay. You remember him, right?"

"Vaguely. How'd he get turned into a ghost?"

Jay answered for Cole.

"It's a long story," he said.

"Anyway, I need your help," said Cole, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I've been having an extremely difficult time controlling my urges. That's how Jay was turned into a ghost, and a couple hours ago I almost killed my boyfriend. The blood the hospital's giving me isn't helping me much."

"You used to have so much control, what happened?" asked Lou, looking at Cole with a worried expression.

"I had a little too much control," Cole answered, looking at Lou. "I refused to get blood from anywhere, so I got sick. I tried a heart transplant, but it didn't do anything."

"Your mother tried the heart transplant too," said Lou with a sad expression. "It didn't help her either. They had no choice but to —"

"Kill her," Cole finished. "I don't want that to happen to me."

"I don't know how to help," said Lou. "The most advice I can give you is limit your blood intake, but that didn't do much for your mother."

Cole, Lou, and Jay stayed silent for a few minutes.

"The reason I attacked Kai in the first place is because his blood type is my favorite," said Cole. "B negative. It's almost like I crave his blood specifically, but I don't want to kill him. The more of his blood I get, whether he donates it or not, the more I get urges to attack him."

"I — don't know what to do about that," said Lou.

"If you can tell what blood type a human has by scent, what blood type did I have?" asked Jay, who was now sitting on the floor.

"O positive," said Cole. Jay looked at him curiously.

"So how long did I keep your cravings at bay for?" he asked, playing with a loose thread in the carpet.

"About two days," said Cole. "My cravings hadn't fully kicked in y — why are you comfortable talking about your death with the vampire that killed you?"

"I don't know," said Jay. "I'm surprised too."

Lou's phone rang.

"Hello? Cole, it's for you."

Cole grabbed the phone from Lou.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cole." Kai's voice sounded a little shaky. Tears stung at Cole's eyes.

"Kai —"

"I know what you're going to say. It wasn't your fault you attacked me. You need to remember that."

"How was it not my fault, Kai?" Cole said a little angrily. "They're my urges, my temptations, my choices —",

"Because you're having a hard time controlling yourself," said Kai. "It's almost like you're out of control."

Cole stayed silent for a minute.

"Cole —"

"I'm not going to visit you and risk killing you," said Cole almost angrily. "I love you, I really do, but I'm not about to risk killing you."

He heard Kai sigh.

"I at least want to know you're okay," he said. "Jay's there, right?"

"Yeah," sighed Cole, putting the phone on speaker. He set the phone down on the table.

"Is he doing okay, Jay?" asked Kai.

"Yeah," said Jay. "I think, at least."

He glanced at Cole nervously. Cole looked at him, sticking his tongue out and crossing his arms.

"Maybe not," said Jay. "He's doing his best, that's what matters."

"You're right," said Kai, sighing. "I-I love you, Cole."

Cole's expression changed from mild defiance to sadness.

"I love you, too, Kai."

----

"Kai, he'll be fine," said Nya, looking at Kai nervously. It had only been about ten minutes since he'd gotten off the phone with Cole.

"But what if he isn't?" Kai asked nervously. "If he hadn't —"

"Kai, don't say it," said Lloyd. "You should be thankful that Cole didn't kill you. It mean he's regaining control. If he'd killed you, he might've gone on a killing spree. Attacking people is only making his urges stronger and harder to control."

"How would you know that?" asked Kai, glaring at Lloyd.

"We've done our research," said Zane. "I guess technically I didn't have to research it, but I helped Lloyd do some research."

Kai yawned.

"We'll let you get some sleep, Kai," said Lloyd, standing up. "It'll help you heal faster. See you later."

"Bye."

----

"You're — You're a vampire!"

Kai stared at Cole, whose eyes were glowing red. His fangs were protracted.

"Kai, I won't hurt you," said Cole, retracting his fangs. "Trust me. I would've attacked you before now if I wanted to attack you."

Kai looked at Cole cautiously.

"I promise," said Cole. He smiled. Kai smiled back. Cole turned a little red. "M-Maybe we can go to a movie or something? Sometime?"

Kai looked contemplative for a minute.

"Sure."

"I'll try to keep my fangs retracted if it makes you feel better," said Cole.

"You don't have to," said Kai. "I kinda like your fangs."

Cole smiled, fangs protracted.

"If you say so," he said. "C'mon. We have some training to do."

----

If only I had that much self-control now, Cole thought, relaxing on Lou's couch. Jay was sitting in a chair next to him.

"Don't you think they'll get worried, Cole?" he asked, looking at Cole worriedly.

"They're safer with me here, where I can't attack them," said Cole. His eyes started to water as he remembered his promise to Kai.

I won't hurt you…

"Jay?" said Cole, looking at the ghost next to him.

"Yeah?"

"I — I broke a promise I made to Kai," said Cole.

"What was that promise?"

"I promised him I'd never hurt him when he found out I was a vampire."

"It's not your fault you attacked him, Cole," said Jay gently.

"You and the other four keep telling me that," mumbled Cole.

"It's really not your fault though, Cole," said Jay. "You at least seem to be regaining control of yourself."

"But I still so badly want to attack Kai again," said Cole. "That's why I'm not going to visit him. Kai's my boyfriend, if I killed him I'd never be able to forgive myself."

"There are doctors there to restrain you," said Jay. "The point I'm trying to make is you can't stay cooped up on your dad's couch for the rest of time. And Kai needs to see you're okay."

Cole stayed silent for a few minutes.

"If you start getting ready to attack, the doctors can restrain you," said Jay. "They can do what they did when you attacked that woman."

"I'd rather not," said Cole. "I don't think you understand what it's like to be stabbed in the arm while you're attacking someone."

"Well, we have to do something so Kai knows you're okay," said Jay, looking at Cole with a slightly worried expression.

"I just really don't want to risk attacking Kai again, Jay," said Cole. He didn't make eye contact with Jay.

"If you won't visit him, at least tell him you're doing okay," said Jay.

"But I'm not," said Cole, looking at Jay. "I just almost killed my boyfriend, Jay. I'm not okay."

"You'll get better with time," said Lou, walking into the room.

"Mom didn't," Cole mumbled.

"I — I have faith in you, Cole," said Lou, looking at Cole nervously.

"We all do," said Jay. "You can regain control. You have to try."

Cole nodded and laid down.

----

"I hope he's doing okay," said Kai, looking at Nya.

"Okay," said Lloyd. Kai and Nya looked at him; Zane was on his back, smiling.

"What? Am I holding on too tight?"

"No," said Lloyd. "You're light as a —"

They watched as Lloyd fell. Zane fell backwards.

"Are you sure I wasn't holding on too tight?"

A nurse ran into the room.

"Is everything okay?" he asked frantically.

"Yeah," said Lloyd. He rubbed his head a little. "I just fell. Don't worry about him, he's titanium," he added as the nurse looked over at Zane and opened his mouth.

"What?"

"He's an android," Kai explained. "I mean, he's clearly not human."

"Oh," said the nurse. "If — If everything's okay, I guess I'll just go —"

The nurse walked out of the room.

"You are okay, right, Zane?" asked Lloyd, standing up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Zane. "How are you doing, Kai?"

"I'm doing okay," Kai replied.

"Your vitals are stable, that's good," said Zane.

"Can we try to call Cole again?" asked Kai. He winced as his IV tube caught on the blanket.

"Yeah," said Lloyd. "Hopefully he's doing okay."

Zane grabbed the phone next to Kai's bed and dialed Lou's number, putting it on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jay," said Zane, smiling. "Kai wanted to talk to Cole."

"If he's up to it," added Lloyd.

"Cole, Kai wants to talk to you!" they heard Jay shout.

"Is he coming?" asked Kai, looking at the phone.

"No," said Jay. "He — He's still trying to cope with the fact that he almost killed you, Kai. He keeps telling me he's not okay. He tells me he feels better distancing himself from you guys because if he's not near you he can't attack you. He's comfortable around me because he isn't tempted to attack me since I'm a ghost, but since three of you are human —"

"What about me?" asked Zane, looking at the phone with an eyebrow raised.

"He hasn't said anything," said Jay. "I think since you're solid and I'm not, that might have something to do with it. He — He also thinks talking to Kai is going make the urges worse."

They heard Cole crying in the background.

"Let me talk to him, Jay," said Kai, adjusting his position on his bed.

"Cole, Kai wants to talk to you," Jay said gently on the other line. "He's worried about you."

"If he won't talk, I will," said Kai. "C-Cole, I know you're mad at yourself. But it wasn't your fault. I don't want this to change our relationship. Please make sure you're taking care of yourself. If not for yourself, do it for me. I love you."

Kai laid down. Tears were starting to run down his face.

"I'll see if I can get him to talk," said Jay. "I guess I'll see you later. Bye."

"Bye."

----

"How do other vampires drink this?"

Cole stared at the limp, bleeding horse in front of him. Lou had taken him out to try animal blood while Jay went to visit Kai, Lloyd, Nya, and Zane.

"It's not that bad," said Lou. "Not to me at least."

"I wouldn't be able to drink this on a regular basis, though," said Cole. "It's a little too bitter for me. I wish I could live off this instead of human blood."

"Is it sustaining you?" asked Lou, looking at him.

"Not really," Cole replied. "I need human blood, animal blood doesn't do me any good."

"How long has it been since you last had blood?" Lou looked at Cole, worry on his face.

"About two or three days," said Cole. "I haven't had blood since I attacked Kai. Horse blood isn't doing anything to calm me down."

"How about I go get you some blood when Jay gets back? I don't want you to get sick."

"Okay. Can you try to get B negative?"

"Of course."

It was about forty five minutes before Jay got back.

"Okay," he said as he got off his dragon. "I'm back. Kai's really worried about you, Cole."

"I know," said Cole. "But I'm not about to risk attacking him."

"Is that horse's blood doing anything?" Jay asked, looking at the dead horse.

"No."

"I'll be back in a little bit," said Lou. "I'll be back with some blood."

"Okay. Thanks," said Cole. Lou left, leaving Cole and Jay alone in the grass. They stayed silent for a few minutes; Cole stared at the bite mark in the horse's neck and Jay kept his eyes on Cole.

"We should go back to your dad's in case the others call," said Jay. Cole nodded and stood up. They walked to Lou's house quietly.

"I don't think we should draw attention to ourselves, especially since my dad and I just killed a horse," said Cole. "It's a little chilly."

He curled up on the couch when they got to the house.

"Are you doing okay, Cole?" asked Jay, looking at Cole with a concerned expression.

"I'm just a little cold," said Cole. A few seconds later a blanket was put over him. "Thanks, Jay."

"You're welcome," said Jay, smiling. After a couple of minutes, Cole's breathing slowed down and he was quietly snoring.

----

"Cole? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kai," Cole said, smiling. He was doubled over with his arm across his stomach.

"If — If you need blood, take mine," said Kai. He held out his wrist. "I don't want you to get sick."

"But if I lose control —"

"It would be my fault for letting you drink my blood in the first place," interrupted Kai. He shoved his wrist in Cole's face; he winced as Cole pierced his skin. Cole drank a little bit, then stopped. He wiped his mouth.

"Thanks, Kai," he said.

"You're welc —" Kai let out a yelp of surprise. Cole was kissing him, his arms wrapped around Kai's waist. Kai eased into it after a few seconds.

"I want it to be like this forever," whispered Kai after they broke apart. "I'd give anything."

"Me too."

----

I'd give anything…

Kai was in his hospital room, staring at the ceiling. His eyes stung with fresh tears.

I'd give anything…

Worry pricked at his stomach. He hadn't heard anything from or about Cole in several days. He didn't even know if Cole was still —

No. He had to be alive.

But what if he isn't…

"Kai?"

Jay's voice snapped Kai from his thoughts.

"Hi, Jay. What's up?"

Jay moved away from the doorway.

"C-Cole!"

Cole ran over to Kai, hugging him tightly.

"I've — I've been losing sleep over you, you jerk!"

"I was protecting you from me," said Cole. "I have a better handle on myself, I feel like you're safer around me now than you were before. At least, I'm not so tempted to attack you."

"Then you can go back to the monastery?" asked Kai, looking at Cole hopefully.

"I'd have to let my dad know I'm leaving first," said Cole.

"Are your fangs protracted?" asked Jay, walking over to Kai's bed and sitting on the chair next to it.

"Nope," said Cole, smiling.

"Then I guess we don't have to expect you attacking any of us any time soon," said Kai. He kissed Cole lightly.

"Hey, I'm here too —" said Jay a little nervously.

"Sorry," said Cole, breaking the contact with Kai. "Well, I'll go talk to my dad about going back to the monastery. I'll come back after, I promise."

"Love you!" said Kai as Cole walked out the door.

"I love you too."

----

"Cole! You're okay!"

Nya ran over to Cole and hugged him.

"Calm down, Nya, he has a boyfriend," said Lloyd, laughing.

"Yep, I'm okay," said Cole a little awkwardly. "I don't have such bad blood cravings anymore."

"That's good," said Zane. Nya let go of Cole and stepped away from him.

"So you feel safe being around us now?" asked Lloyd.

"If I didn't I wouldn't be here," said Cole.

"Kai gets out of the hospital tomorrow," said Zane. "We should go to bed, then we can get up early tomorrow and get Kai."

----

"Maybe this can sustain me for a little bit?" said Cole, looking at the deer in front of him. "I mean, deer blood isn't extremely bad."

"As long as it keeps you from attacking people," said Lloyd.

"Can we keep the antlers?" Kai asked excitedly, looking at the buck's head. The others stared at him. "What? We technically hunted it, it didn't go to waste, and it has some pretty decent antlers! We didn't poach it!"

Cole, Jay, Zane, Lloyd, and Nya exchanged glances.

"I guess," said Zane. "You're cleaning them though."

It was a few hours before they got went to the monastery. Kai carried the buck's antlers, smiling.

"We went hunting!" he said happily as they walked inside; Wu was staring at them.

"I thought I'd try deer blood," explained Cole. "I can handle it, but it won't sustain me for very long, I don't think. I'm still satisfied from it though."

"Good," said Wu. He looked at the antlers Kai was holding.

"He insisted we keep the antlers," said Lloyd. "We — We probably should've asked you first, right?"

"Yes, but it's too late now," said Wu. "Put them somewhere safe."

Kai's smile grew and he ran to put the antlers away. Cole followed him.

"You're too happy about those antlers," he said, laughing.

"They're cool!" said Kai.

"Whatever makes you happy," said Cole.

----

A/N: Unless I get people literally begging me to write another chapter of this, this is the last chapter of the "Cole's a vampire" saga. I want to keep this story/AU alive through asks, so if you want you can submit an ask.

#ninjago #ninjago jay #ninjago nya #ninjago kai #ninjago cole #ninjago zane #ninjago lloyd #jay walker #nya smith #kai smith #cole brookstone #zane julien #lloyd garmadon #ninjago vampire au #ninjago au #lavashipping

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gwenbrightly · 5 years ago

Text

(When You Weren't There)

Cross-posted from ffnet. Just a quick oneshot featuring the Smith siblings following some of the events of season 11 (because someone's gotta smack some sense into Kai for being an idiot).

Footsteps echoed softly.

First to the left, then the right. Repeat.

Nya watched her brother quietly wander the halls of the monastery. It had been several hours since… Since Zane had been hit by Ashpeera’s spell and… ceased to exist…

The aftermath had been devastating. No one felt like talking, felt like doing anything, too caught up in shocked grief. It was too reminiscent of Cole’s fall, and far, far too soon. Why did tragedy always strike at the worst possible moment? She’d never get used to this feeling. No matter how many times they lost someone.

The master of water glanced at the clock on a nearby wall. It was late. The others were probably already in bed (Pixal had retired to her room hours ago), and she really ought to consider joining them soon, but there was something she needed to do first.

“Kai?” She called. He stopped, glancing over at her.

“Y-yeah?”

“We need to talk.” Nya stated firmly, grabbing Kai’s arm and leading him toward her room.

“We just lost Zane, sis. This had better be important.” He replied, eyes red and puffy. It was obvious that the day’s events had hit him hard, but Nya was dead set on having this conversation now. Someone had to do damage control before things got even worse.

“Oh, it is..” She dragged him inside. Seating herself on the bed, she eyed him expectantly. He couldn’t ignore the look on her face.

“What’s eating you?” The master of fire asked quietly, not sure he wanted to know what else might be bothering her. He sat next to her, waiting for a response. Nya glanced away, picking at her bedspread as she chose her words.

“I think…” She took a breath, “I think you need to apologize to Lloyd. For what happened earlier.”

“Apologize?” He repeated. The former samurai nodded.

“Yes. Apologize. Maybe you think that coming back at the last possible moment counts, but it doesn’t. The way you acted? The things you said? They hurt Lloyd. A lot more than you realize. And while he’s too nice to say it to your face, I’m not.”

“I… I was being a little insensitive…” Admitted Kai, sheepishly. His behavior definitely wasn’t something to be proud of.

“A little?!” Nya hissed, a bit louder than intended, “What the heck, Kai?! Have you already forgotten that Lloyd lost his own elemental powers not that long ago? That he had to deal with his maniac of a father trying to take over the city while grieving the loss of his family all at the same time?!”

“I-”

“Do you have any idea how horrible that was for him? And then you, his brother, come along and basically tell him his struggles weren’t justified!” He shrank back as she continued, realizing just how badly he’d messed up.

“Oh gosh… I feel like such a jerk now… I didn’t mean for it to come out like that…” Kai said, feeling even worse than before, “I just… I felt so useless and frustrated and I guess I didn’t…” She sighed.

“That’s just it. You don’t get it… none of you do!”

“I… what?” He questioned, a bit surprised by the outburst.

“It’s so easy for you to forget that Lloyd went through living hell while you were off gallivanting about with dragons, for you to say or do something stupid and ignorant, and you wanna know why? You. Weren’t. There.” Her words felt like a physical punch. Kai reeled backwards, nearly falling off of his sister’s bed. She turned away, bitterly.

“You weren’t there when Lloyd woke up without powers, or when he refused to eat for days on end… or when he cried himself to sleep every night blaming himself for getting you killed, or when… When everyone else got captured?” He could hear her voice beginning to break.

“You weren’t there, and I was so, so scared a-and everything was so bro-oken - I didn’t know what to do…. we needed you, and you w-were gone and… And then we almost lost you again, and…” Nya’s voice grew quieter, resigned. This wasn’t just about Lloyd anymore. And the master of fire was beginning to wonder if it ever had been. She chocked out a sob.

“And I-I know it’s not fair to blame you for that b-because it wasn’t your fault you were stuck i-in another realm, but I still…. It hurts and I can’t….”

“Oh, Nya… I’m so sorry… why didn’t you tell me….” He whispered, edging over to her. The girl’s crying turned to hiccups as she allowed Kai to scoop her up into a tight hug. He rubbed comforting circles on her back, attempting to calm her down enough to get a coherent response out of her.

“I was so relieved to h-have you back again, you know?” She whispered, beginning to feel better now that she’d gotten all the negative feelings that had been plaguing her for the past 6 months off her chest, “I-I couldn’t lay that on you, not when…”

“Nya… Nya, look at me…” Kai begged. Nya shifted towards him, face streaked with tears. He grabbed the box of tissues she kept on her bedside table and handed them to her. She gratefully accepted them.

“I don’t care how idiotic I’m acting. You can always come to me when something’s bothering you. You know that…”

“I do.” The master of water agreed with a watery smile.

“Good. Because you shouldn’t have to feel like you’re going through this stuff alone – you aren’t, and you never will be. I promise.” He replied, giving her nose a tweak. She leaned against him, comforted by his words.

“Thanks. I really needed that right now.”

“No problem, sis. I’m your brother. It’s what I’m here for. And you’re right... Lloyd deserves an apology. I’ll make sure I talk to him as soon as I can.” Kai determined.

“Yeah, I… I think that’s a good idea… maybe it’ll help soften the blow to know that you understand… after what happened today? He’s gonna need some encouragement…” His sister stated, knowingly.

“Things are definitely gonna be rough around here for awhile…” He said, nodding in agreement. Suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of someone screaming down the hall. Pixal.

“We’d better go check on her.” Nya commented as she pushed herself up from the mattress. Kai followed her to the door, steeling himself for yet another difficult conversation. They were a family… They’d get through this…. Right?

#ninjago #ninjago fanfiction #My fics #ninjago season 11 spoiler #ninjago season 11 spoilers #ninjago season 11 #ns11 spoilers #ns11 #Smith siblings #Nya still having emotional baggage from hunted?#It's more likely than you think #Kai is a good big brother even if he's an idiot

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fairwindsandblueskies · 7 years ago

Text

Just a Dream

The covers over the small double bed tucked away in a corner of the rundown Ul’dahn apartment shifted as a sleepy, black haired Hyur roused himself from his slumber. His eyelids slowly fluttered open, revealing a pair of pale blue irises lingering underneath. He was wearing no more than a simple, short sleeved shirt dyed dark blue and a pair of matching cloth pants to go along with it. Pajamas, no less. Or at least his own variation of them. A low groan escaped past his lips as he slowly came to and slipped towards the edge of the bed, and as he planted his bare feet over the surface of the hardwood floor the young man cast a quick glance around him in an attempt to assess his surroundings. “Hell, how much did I have to drink last night?” He muttered out loud to himself as he slowly rose from the bed and came to a stand with his right hand rubbing along the back of his stiff neck.

He didn’t recognize his newfound surroundings in the slightest, and try as he could to recall how he’d gotten there in the first place his mind was blank. It was likely the result of whatever substance he’d been drowning himself in the night prior, at least that’s what he told himself. Yet, he didn’t feel the familiar sensation of a migraine attempting to split his head in two. As he slowly collected himself, the young man began to pace around the room. He quickly ran his pale eyes across the various furnishings of the room, making quick mental notes to himself as he eyed over the unlit fireplace and the small dining table in one corner of the room where a dark blue uniform lay over the back rest of one of the wooden chairs nearby. But what really drew his attention was the cluttered work table leaning against the wall just opposite of the bed. A small pile of books, half-empty vials filled with strange liquids, scattered papers, and even a mortar and pestle lay over the worn surface of the wooden table. And as he approached he could make out the strong, mixed scent of various herbs wafting from the general area.

For a moment, the Hyur found himself a little worried after his discovery. It didn’t take Eorzea’s greatest detective (who was probably buried from the head first up to his waist in the ground somewhere out there in the world) to figure out that the room belonged to some sort of alchemist. Whether or not that had anything to do with his lack of memories from the night before was a different story of its own, but he knew one thing. He wasn’t going to stay to find out. Yet, as he cast one more wary glance over the table the Hyur couldn’t shake off the familiar feeling creeping through his veins that he’d been here before, many, many moons ago.

Before he even had a chance to gather his things and depart, he heard the lock from the door leading into the apartment behind him clicking open followed by the low groan of the door swinging upon its old hinges, and as he turned to meet the person there his eyes widened in shock.

Standing in the doorway was a woman with long brown hair tied back into a pony tail that looked to be no older than twenty. She was sporting a heavy looking dark-green coat that ran as far down as her calves and held a brown paper bag filled with what appeared to be groceries in one arm, but what really drew his attention were the all too familiar glasses fit with a circular, dark red pair of lenses covering the upper half of her features. Even with her eyes covered, he recognized the woman standing before him all too well. How could he ever forget?

The black haired Hyur parted his lips to speak, but no words came. The shock had left him speechless as he just stood there and stared, dumbfounded by her presence while the woman planted the flat of her boot against the door behind her to push it closed before she returned to meet his gaze with a warm smile gracing over her lips.

“What’s wrong there, Zane? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost,” She said to him.

Zane, now that was a name he hadn’t heard in a long time.

“Lillian,” He managed to mutter out in a voice so low it could barely be considered a whisper as he finally found his voice.

“Zane?” She asked again with a spot of worry in her voice as her tone softened. “Is something the matter?”

He slowly trudged forward toward her, feet dragging over the surface of the floor all the while as he closed the distance between them. The moment she fell within arm’s reach he quickly embraced her without warning, wrapping both his arms tightly around her. Lillian yelped out in surprise by his sudden embrace, and dropped the small bag of groceries in her arm down onto the ground as a few bits of fruit rolled out from its confines.

“It’s you… gods, it’s really, really you.” He said as he choked back a sudden sob and tightened his arms around her, pinning her against his chest.

“Z-Zane?” She said out loud again, confusion in her voice by his sudden display, but after a brief moment of hesitation she found herself wrapping her arms around him in turn. “Of course it’s me, you big goof. Who else would it be?”

“I don’t… I… I thought I lost you, Lily. It felt so real, and… and… I thought you were gone. For good.” He tried to fight back the tears welling in his eyes, but it was a losing battle from the start, and before he knew it, Zane found himself weeping softly in her arms.

“I was only gone for a moment to get some groceries,” She teased, as she shifted in his arms to remove the pair of red lenses from her face, revealing the pair of light green eyes hidden behind them as she stared into his own soft blue orbs. “Bad dream?”

“An utter nightmare,” He admitted with a nod, only to feel her arms tightening around him as the flat of her palm rubbed soothingly over his back.

“There, there. Everything’s alright now. I’m here.” She whispered softly to him as Zane only nodded in reply.

“It felt so vivid. So real. I’ve never… never had a dream quite like it before,” He said.

“Why don’t you tell me about it?” She asked.

There was a moment of silence from Zane before he loosened his hold from her and reluctantly nodded and wiped away at the remnants of tears over his features. “For you? Anything. I just… don’t know where to start.”

“The beginning, you goof.” She teased again as she flashed a reassuring smile his way before kneeling down to pick up the brown bag on the ground, and the scattered fruit that fell out from their exchange. As she slowly gathered her things Lily set them all aside on the small dining table not too far from the door and pulled out one of the nearby chairs to seat herself before motioning Zane over to do the same, and he quickly followed suit with the chair at the opposite end of their table.

“The beginning,” He muttered out loud as he tried to collect himself. Zane shut his eyes and took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling. “Right then, it all started after your well, death. After much debate I decided to leave Ul’dah and take to the road, so I set my eyes on Limsa.” As he spoke, Lily leaned forward in her seat, listening eagerly to the story he had to tell.

The two must have sat there for hours during their exchange. Zane would tell his story, and Lily listened while she offered comments of her own in turn. He told her everything. Well, almost everything. There may have been a few drunken escapades in his ventures that he chose to leave out along the way, but a few tidbits aside he told her everything he could about his journey across Eorzea. About the various people he met along the way. The enemies, the friends. He told her about the first free company he joined, and the men and women within its halls that he grew to call his family. He told her about his time up north in the freezing lands of Ishgard, and though he was hesitant to say it at first, the story of the woman who had saved him a midst a raging snowstorm in Coerthas. Zane went on, and Lily eagerly listened. Before long, the sunlight beaming through the windows began to disappear little by little, signaling the fact that night had fallen.

“Sounds like you had quite an adventure,” She said as she reached out across the table to gently grasp his hand. “It was hard, wasn’t it?”

“Very,” Zane admitted. “Still can’t believe I made it as far as I did, dream or not.” He felt her thumb rubbing gently against the back of his hand and smiled at the small comfort.

“But you did. I’m proud of you for it,” She said.

Her words were met with a soft chuckle from the man who just shook his head to her in retort. “Proud? Come now, Lily. It was only a dream.”

“Dream or not, you’re stronger than you know.” She added before her eyes drifted toward a clock hanging against the wall overhead. “My, look at the time. I best start prepping for dinner. I got so lost in that story of yours I forgot to eat,” She laughed as she rose from her seat. “Shouldn’t you be preparing for work as well? You have night patrols this week, right?”

“Oh, I guess… I guess I do.” Zane lifted himself from his seat as he glanced at the uniform hanging over the backrest of the chair he was sitting in. “I best get ready myself,” He said as he lifted the material from his chair and got changed, donning the uniform of the Immortal Flames. As he shifted his hat on over his head, Lily approached and reached out to adjust the collar of his coat only to peer up toward him. Soft green eyes met his own pale blue before she leaned forward to plant a soft peck on his lips.

“Be careful out there, alright? I don’t need you coming back with more cuts and bruises for me to mend.” She chided before gently patting at his arm. “I’m being serious now. Stay safe out there, Zane.”

“I know, I know. I will. Don’t worry. I love you, Lily.” He said as he softly smiled and walked past her toward the door. As he approached, Zane felt a noticeable lump in the right pocket of his uniform and paused as he slipped a hand in to reach out and grab the object from within. It was circular in shape, and as he drew it out from his pocket into the light his eyes widened at the sight of the silver pocket watch now in his grasp.

Though he was hesitant at first, Zane eventually found the nerve to press down on the small switch to pop its lid open. The familiar text engraved within the interior of the watch was all he needed to see to confirm his suspicions, and a weary sigh escaped past his lips. “It wasn’t a dream,” He softly said in a voice so low that only he himself could hear it.

Zane pressed his gloved thumb against the lid of his watch and pushed it closed before slipping it back into his pocket. Of course it was a dream.

“Zane? What’s wrong? You’ll be late, you know.” Said Lily from behind in question to his noticeable pause.

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing. I just…” He found his words trailing off as he started at the handle of the door just a few feet away in front of him. “Lillian, I can’t stay. Can I?”

“What are you talking about, you goof? There are people out there who need you,” She said in retort.

“I know,” He said in a quiet voice as he balled his hands up into two trembling fists. “I love you, Lillian.”

“And I, you.” Lillian said as she crept up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling the man into a tight hug while she buried her face into his back. “I love you too, Zane. Now, don’t dilly dally. There are others out there waiting for you, right? No matter how hard things may get out there, I know you’ll be able to pull through. I believe in you. When you come back, I want to hear more stories about your adventures you hear?”

“Right,” Zane said in response as he slowly uncurled his fingers. He couldn’t bear to look back at her now knowing full well that if he did he’d want to stay all the more, even as she slowly slipped her arms away from him. “Remind me, Lily. What is it I always told ya before? Y’know, after you’ve had a long day at work.”

“Hmm? Oh, remember that you can’t save everyone.” She said, “And what is it I’d always say back to you?”

“Aye, but remember that you have to try.” And as he spoke those final words to her, Locke reached out and grasped the doorknob, giving it a turn as he swung the door of their apartment open and a blinding white light on the other side consumed him.

#stories #locke fairwind #ties to the past #writing

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rabiesram · 7 years ago

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hot head can’t do math

ech a one shot I did one night when I couldn’t sleep well freeform kai and lloyd just bein bros (movieverse)

The bell echoed throughout the school. It's loud ring signified the end of the school day, much to the joy of all the hardworking students. A whole class nearly busted out the door, almost thirty teenagers pouring out from the classroom they were just sitting in seconds ago. Out of all these teens, six of them grouped up at a line of lockers in a hallway just nearby. "Cooole! Do you really have to throw these airplanes at me?" Jay whined, picking various shaped paper airplanes out of his curly hair and throwing them on the ground. "Heey! Don't throw 'em! Those are good paper planes!" Cole complained back, scooping them off the floor. "Since when did you learn how to make these...?" Nya questioned her friend, taking a paper plane out of his hands. "Give it back! I spent so much time on that one too!" He cried out, snatching it back quickly. He flung his large black book bag off his shoulder and shoved his planes into his bag. They were his hard work! How dare they try to destroy them, let alone take them! Jay chuckled at this. Meanwhile, Zane just watched with the most confused expression. "So, get your homework before the end of class?" Lloyd casually asked his hot-headed buddy. Kai sighed and shook his head. "No. I...I didn't really...get it." He muttered, clenching his hands into fists. He didn't like admitting it, really. Lloyd's eyebrows shot up. "You? Out of all people? Kai glared angrily at Lloyd. "Don't say it like that! I...I usually get this stuff! I'm like, so good at this stuff...most of the time!" He yelled, crossing his arms. Lloyd laughed and let his hand fall onto Kai's shoulder. "Don't sweat it dude," He said, a smile across his face. "If you want, just swing by my place later and I can see what I can do to...uh...help out." Lloyd suggested, pushing his friend backwards a bit. Kai snorted and then took a minute to consider it. Did he really want to put the effort towards this? And did he really want Lloyd, his leader to help him with such a petty little thing? He really didn't want to waste Lloyd's time anyway. But...finals were coming up... "...I'll probably pop over in a hour." Lloyd smiled at that answer. Though he wouldn't admit it in public or to Kai himself (yet), he really liked spending time with Kai. It wasn't like he didn't like spending time with the other ninjas on his team, but he just seemed to click with Kai. So it was pretty nice just to kick back with him, even if it was school related. Lloyd brought out his fist in front of Kai, a grin still stuck on his face. Kai returned the smile and bumped his own fist against Lloyd's. "See ya' around greenie." "See you soon!" With that, Kai walked off with a very subtle skip in his step and Lloyd turned back to the rest of his friends. -- Lloyd was in his apartment building, sitting at the kitchen table with his mother at the sink doing the dishes. "Everything all cleaned up for your friend?" Koko asked with her cheerful voice ringing through Lloyd's ears. Lloyd nodded. "Yes Mom." "Are you sure? We wouldn't want Kai to find your dirty shirts all over the place, now would we?" Lloyd groaned and put his head in his hands. "I'm super sure. A hundred percent. Just...don't embarrass me when he gets here, 'aight?" Koko giggled and dried a dish off with a towel, setting it gently to the side on the counter. "Understood, lil' Lloydie!" She smiled. The blonde groaned again and slammed his head on the table. Then, a ring at the door. Lloyd shot up. "Kai!" The blonde scrambled out of his seat, nearly tipping over the wooden chair. He ran to the door and looked through the peephole quick before opening the door. He had made this a habit of his ever since Garmadon sent one of his shark army general's to his door a few times to attempt a kidnapping of sorts. Much to the teenager's delight, the only thing at the door was a kid his same age with brown, spiky hair, a scar over his left eye, and a red jacket. It was Kai. Lloyd sighed in relief and unlocked the door to his apartment, swinging the door open. "Welcome to my humble-abode!" Lloyd called out, stepping to the side to welcome Kai into the apartment room. "What a welcoming. Wish I had that every time I got home." Kai said, patting Lloyd's shoulder as he walked in. "So, you brought your stuff?" Lloyd asked, shutting the door. Kai nodded, shaking his back a bit to show off his backpack. "You know it." "Alright, good. So what do you need 'help' with." Kai was about to tell him, but he froze. He looked around quickly, making sure nobody was around to hear about Kai's...academic problems. He crept closer to his leader and cupped his hand around his mouth. "Math. All of it. Everything we've learned this week." Lloyd was surprised by Kai's rather strange behavior. He couldn't remember the last time he saw Kai like this. Kai's cheeks even looked like they were starting to grow pretty pink from the embarrassment. "Uh...no problem dude. Follow me." Lloyd said, making his way through the small living room. Kai followed him as ordered. It didn't take long to reach Lloyd's bedroom where his dark green backpack lay on his bed. He grabbed the pack and zipped it open, digging his hands through the bag. "Ok...sooo...I got notes from the last couple days...a few worksheets...and to be honest I never really did any of them but you could try 'em out...uhhhh..." Lloyd continued to throw his papers back on the floor, aimed at Kai's feet. Kai bent down and started to pick up all of the flurrying papers that came from his friend's bag. He didn't like the look of all of this...it seemed incredibly boring. Inhumane even. He looked over each paper as he shuffled them together as more came to his feet. "That's great 'n all but...where do we start? This is...pretty overwhelming." He said, nervously reading over each of them. Lloyd looked back at Kai with a 'oh' kind of expression. "Oh! Um...we can try notes first and then we can move on to the worksheets." Lloyd spoke up, flushing the rest of his bag out of all the papers that were filled with equations and any signs of numbers. Kai watched the whole scene unfold and grumbled to himself. "I knew this was a bad idea." -- "So, that's how a arithmetic sequence works. Got it?" Kai looked obviously pretty stressed. His eyes were wide, trying to take in all the information being thrown his way. His hair even looked incredibly messed up, which Lloyd didn't understand because his friend didn't even touch his hair for the whole time he was here. All he knew was that Kai looked like a mess. And he didn't even know if his hot-headed friend was even getting any of this. "...I...yeah I think I know now." Kai lied through his teeth, a tight grip on his pencil. Lloyd noticed Kai's grip on the pencil, seeing his hand shake. "Do you...wanna take a break, bro?" Kai snapped his pencil. And so did he. "AUGH!" Kai threw everything that was on his lap onto the ground with one big push. He then chucked the split pencil at the wall and got up. Kai angrily stomped his way out of the room, his hands still clenched into fists. Lloyd blinked in disbelief in what had just took place in his room. After getting over the shock, he rubbed his hair out of his eyes and started to pick everything up. He was quick about it though. The teenager had everything in a pile near his bed in a minute. He then slid this pile back into his bag and zipped it up before pushing it under his bed for the day. "Well...better go after him. Don't want the apartment burning down." He groaned himself, setting out to find Kai. It didn't take incredibly long to find him though. "...Lloyd?" "Kai? Where are you?" Lloyd asked in response to his name, looking around. "Bathroom." The blonde slowly went over to the bathroom and leaned against the door ever so slightly. "...Sorry 'bout that...you know me..." Lloyd felt a pinch of pity bite at his stomach. He knew Kai pretty well, and he usually prepared to handle Kai's kindergarten-like tantrums. He thought that it must've been hard being the fire ninja...having a temper like that. "I just...well...I don't like having weaknesses. I always want to be the best person I can be, y'know. I just...want to be the best ninja I could be," Kai ranted. "And I can't be the best if I have flaws!" "...Hey Kai...?" "...Yeah?" "...It's just math." A awkward silence blew through the air before Kai broke it with a soft chuckle. "For real though, nobody can truly be the best. For example, I'm the green ninja and everyone expects me to be the perfect ninja on the planet, right?" There was a brief silence. "Well, I'm not! I'm literally the most in-perfect loser there is out there." Another silence ripped through the air, making Lloyd cringe a bit. He must've been saying something wrong. "But...I think you're a pretty good ninja. You make a excellent member to the team, no matter what flaws you might have." The door flew open, nearly hitting Lloyd. The blonde stepped backwards before getting tackled. Lloyd let out a yell as he was pinned to the ground with...affection. Kai was tightly hugging him on the ground, his grip tight as ever. Lloyd wondered if he was going to end up like the pencil; split in two. Lloyd grinned and returned the hug gently in comparison to Kai's death grip. "Thanks dude." Kai sighed, starting to let go and getting up onto his knees. Lloyd gave him a dismissive wave. "Ey, it's no problem," He replied as he sat up to face his friend. "So now that we've hugged it out...I say it's time for a little...desert?” Kai gasped. "You don't mean...?!" "Yep." "Dude. I'm gonna take it all." Kai said in awe, darting off to the kitchen. "You always take all the ice cream when you come over! Mooom! Protect the ice cream with your LIFE!"

#my stories #freeform one shot

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silver-ninja-of-the-tides · 7 years ago

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Silver and Gold

Chapter 10--The Truth

(AO3 ver.)

(Prologue Tumblr ver.; AO3 ver.)

Blake’s POV

Days turned into weeks, and I had healed faster than most expected. But after I was fully healed I made sure to keep a few tabs on them.

In the times I had been with them, the Silver and Gold Ninjas had gotten stronger, and the bond they shared between the group of heroes had grown. In no time they were welcomed as part of the team more so than before, and Kai and Destiny were gradually growing closer to each other. She’s an amazing person, and I never thought I’d think of her as more than an acquaintance.

During the couple of days I was with them, they appeared to be comfortable around me. But a certain Red Ninja couldn’t be more annoyingly protective of his team.

As for right now, I was paying another little visit to the Ninjas. The elders had gone out for an errand and everyone else was in the living room.

Standing behind Kai, I looked over my shoulder at the study. “Hey Kai. Could I talk to you?”

A suspicious look clear in his eyes, he followed me to the study after excusing himself. With everyone entertained by that box in the room, this was going to go well.

Picking up the pace, I slipped behind the open door just as he entered the hallway, and he growled in frustration. Once he was deep enough into the room, I calmly closed the door and locked it. Out of reflex he assumed an offensive stance.

“Oh I’m not gonna fight you, Fire Boy,” Blake said. “I know you haven’t let your guard down. You never did for one second, did you? I figured out how wary you all were of me the minute I met this group. And you thought I wasn’t gonna notice, did you?”

He narrowed his eyes as I held my hands up in a mock surrender.

“Well, you got me. I’m a bad boy. But, so are you. You’re just tamed.”

“You better keep your mouth shut before I shut it for you.”

“You can try. I have everyone else’s guard down, and by the time I make my move you’ll be short a few members.”

“Short a few—” He balled his fists. "So you are the Overlord!”

"Really, Fire Boy? You wanna go there? I’m not exactly him.”

“Hey who’s in there?” It was Lloyd.

“It’s Bla—”

I covered Kai’s mouth and had him in a head lock before he had time to react.

“Kai?” Lloyd called. The Red Ninja’s cries of warning were muffled, and then I heard a new voice.

“Lloyd? What’s going on?” It was Nya.

“Kai and Blake are in there.” The doorknob wiggled. “Rrr. The door’s locked!”

The ninja slammed his foot onto mine, and with a yelp I released him. I countered with a deep purple force field and slammed Kai into the door. He barely rolled to the side away from another shot, and the door became coated in a layer of dark matter.

I heard Lloyd blast at the door, and seconds later he growled again. “My powers aren’t working!”

“Blake is the Overlord!” Kai yelled before catching a hard punch.

“What?!”

“I said, Blake is—AH!” He ducked down from a high kick and was quick to counter with Spinjitzu. But it was going to take more than a little fire to take me down.

I jumped up and slammed my palm into the floor, releasing a dark pulse throughout the room. A resonance that those who knew of it dreaded surged throughout the building, forcing Kai out of his fire pit and into a bookshelf. Suddenly the power went out in the apartment, and soon all of Ninjago City had lost power.

“The Horns of Destruction!” Zane exclaimed.

“The what?!” Des asked.

“Guys! I need your help!” Lloyd yelled.

I watched numerous books and scrolls rain onto Kai as I slowly rose. His eyes threatened to close, but that fire of his wasn’t out just yet.

He yanked himself to his feet and surrounded himself in a fiery tornado again, illuminating the room with an orange haze.

With a short yell I swept my leg under him only for the Ninja to tackle me to the ground. I ignored the sizzling pain in my leg as I thrust him off of me.

“Someone tell me why the door is purple!” Des said as Kai and I unsteadily stood.

“Dark matter?! How do we get past this?!” Jay exclaimed.

“Wait, I got it!” Cole exclaimed. “Everybody stand back!”

I heard the sound of rocks tumbling down a slope as the Fire Ninja and I exchanged blows, but the noise was cut off abruptly.

“It didn’t work!”

“Forget that! Bust down the door!” Janet yelled.

“What do you think we’re trying to do?!” Jay exclaimed. The two of us caught one another’s punches yet again, and we strained to overpower each other.

“You’re not getting anywhere near the team,” Kai spat. “Not while I have a say in it.”

“I admire your passion, Red Ninja, but I’m winning this fight,” I sneered. I kneed his gut and shoved him into the bookshelf again, and this time I made sure he wasn’t getting up.

3rd person POV

“Oh step aside, people!” Janet barked.

As she prepared to break down the door, it exploded right in the heroes’ faces and knocked them down. With the heroes stunned, Blake was able to walk out of the battle scarred study and down the hall. But upon hearing them groan, he turned to face them.

“Come find me if you heroes want to settle this once and for all.” Blake rolled out of the way of a stream of Lloyd’s lightning, making him shatter a window instead.

Both Nya and Jay rushed after the culprit, but they found only an open door.

“Kai?” Lloyd called.

The rest of the heroes poured into the study that was now in ruins. The doorway was simmering and smoking, and the door was in a million pieces. Scrolls and books littered the floor and desk, and one of the bookshelves was cracked. Lying unmoving at the base of the cracked bookshelf was the Red Ninja.

Nya sat her brother up. “Kai?“

No response.

”Kai? Oh please don’t be …” She noticed his chest slowly rising and falling, and a small wave of relief passed over the room.

“That’s it. I’m gonna say it. I told you so!” Jay snapped. “We should’ve just kicked him out while we had the chance!”

“We just had to be nice, didn’t we?“ Cole spat.

Footsteps running toward them brought the young heroes’ attention to the hallway, and the elders of the team appeared in the doorway. A look of quick shock passed over each of them.

“We leave for one hour and this is what happens,” Garmadon said.

“What happened in here?” Dr. Julien asked. “The power went out in the entire city!”

“Blake tuned out to be the Overlord,” Nya replied with disgust. “And we just had to bring him in.”

“The guy probably knows how we work now!” Jay exclaimed.

“Where is he now?” Wu asked.

“He just took off after he said to find him if we wanted to settle this,” Destiny said.

“Then we can’t waste any time,” Misako said. “We need to search the entire city now before he causes anymore damage.”

“This is Gayle Gossip reporting live in Ninjago City,” the TV stated.

“Oh great,” Janet grumbled.

“A major power outage has just recently swept over the entire city! So far no one knows what caused this power outage, but witnesses say it had something to do with some horns that they heard …”

“All right, guys, let’s hunt this Overlord down,” Cole ordered.

“What about Kai?” Nya asked.

The Black Ninja blinked. “Right. Um—”

“I’ll help with him,” Destiny said.

“And this study isn’t going to clean itself,” Misako said.

As the group took their positions, Nya and Destiny got Kai to his feet and each took an arm, leaving Lloyd and Misako to the study.

“When I get my hands on that guy I’m going to fling him into next week,” the Silver Ninja heatedly muttered.

“Just don’t leave me out on the action,” Nya said. “No one messes with my brother.” The girls situated Kai onto a bunk bed as Destiny was conjuring up multiple ways to dislocate a few of Blake’s limbs.

“And he was trying to act so smooth and—and all that and—ugh! And I even started to–“

A groan from Kai cut her off. “Nngh … what …” His eyes suddenly flew open, and he shot up to hit his head against the bottom of the top bunk. “Ow.”

“You okay?” Nya asked.

“Ugh … a little bruised but—heeey. Where’s—”

“He’s gone, Kai,” Destiny said, and the Red Ninja growled.

“I can’t believe I let him get away with this.”

“The team’s making a sweep right as we speak,” his sister said.

He attempted to get up when a sharp pain flared up in his back.

“Easy. We can’t have you going out there like this,” the Silver Ninja said.

“I can’t just sit here while the Overlord’s running around Ninjago City! I have to do something!”

“You’re not going anywhere if you can’t even sit up,” his sister argued.

“The falcon has located the Overlord!” Zane announced as he appeared in the doorway. His attention quickly went to his friend. “You’re awake!” The Nindroid walked in. “How are you feeling?”

“Good enough to get out there and teach that guy a lesson,” Kai replied, but Zane wasn’t buying any of it.

“Judging by your expression I would say that you are not good enough to get out there to teach the Overlord a lesson. You are not going after him.”

“Zane! We’re heading out!” Lloyd called, and the White Ninja looked to the girls.

“We’re on our way!” Nya replied to the Green Ninja, and the trio took off.

“So you’re just gonna leave me here?!” Kai protested.

Destiny stopped at the doorway, and she strained to keep from turning around. “We don’t need you getting hurt more than you already are because of your hot head.” I’m not letting you get hurt more.

Once she left him to catch up with the others, Zane led the way his falcon provided.

“How many times are we going to go running through the streets of Ninjago City to find people?” Jay asked.

“As many times as we need to,” Wu answered. “And this time, we will find him and put a stop to him.”

“I hope so,” Cole said. “I wanna fight this guy already!”

“That makes two of us,” Destiny replied.

As the team ran through the streets, she thought back to how her sister discovered Spinjitzu. If Janet had that power, then maybe she did, too.

So why haven’t I done it yet? “Hey uh, question. How did you guys … y’know … figure out how to do Spinjitzu?”

“It will only be unlocked when the key is ready to be found,” Wu said. “Patience.”

Okay so I just have to go through the motions, then. Good advice for someone who’s never heard of Spinjitzu.

Up above, the falcon cawed as they arrived at the main square. The city was bustling with repairs and usual city activities, but there was no sign of Blake.

"Anybody see him?” Lloyd asked.

“He should be here,” Zane replied. “And I am!”

Citizens and heroes alike turned to see Blake on a roof.

The boy curled his hands into fists and released them. “Looks like you’re one Ninja short.” The deep purple flecks in his eyes brightened with anticipation. “Gold Ninja! You have a choice!”

All eyes turned to Janet, who held her sister back before stepping forward.

“Surrender yourself to me and I won’t harm the people. If you don’t … well … you’re smart enough to figure it out.”

She narrowed her eyes at the blonde, whose hand drifted to his jacket pocket. “You think I’m going down that easily?! You want me? Then get down here!”

“Hmph. I was told Ninjas never seemed to go down easily!” Blake leapt off the roof and slammed his fist into the ground, sending a massive shockwave throughout the square. Panic surged in the citizens as they ran for cover, and the Horns of Destruction echoed in the air as the power flickered.

“Everyone get inside!” Lloyd warned the people.

“It’s all of us against him, guys!” Jay said.

“Never underestimate the enemy!” Wu said. “Especially the Overlord!”

“Cut off all the exits! We are not letting him get away again!” Cole ordered.

“Ninjaaa-GO!” the Ninjas exclaimed. Six tornadoes shot off to surround Blake, and a gold one led Destiny and Nya straight for him.

“Apparently I can change clothes!” Janet said from behind Blake as she briefly examined her suit.

Blake was thrust back by Wu’s Spinjitzu, but he was quick to block a blow from Wu’s staff and kick Destiny back. Nya was able to swipe her leg under the blonde, and the earth began to shake as a crack rapidly travelled to him. The trio quickly moved out of the way before shards of earth popped up. With one swipe of a shield of dark matter, the shards became corrupted and shattered.

“Ice!” Zane and Janet barely landed a hit on Blake, who merely threw the shield at them. Luckily it was intercepted by a blast of wind, and the rest of the team continued to keep Blake on his toes. And a fight like this wasn’t complete without someone catching it all on a news camera.

“Reporting live from the scene of the action, it seems like all of Ninjago isn’t safe after all,” Gayle stated from a safe distance. “But luckily the Ninjas of Ninjago and their new friends are here to save the day!”

After getting hit by a kick from Nya, Blake rolled to the side to let Zane get pelted by a stream of water.

“Sorry!” Destiny called. Shortly afterwards Cole was shocked by one of Jay’s attacks.

“Aahh! Aim for him! Not me!” Cole exclaimed.

“Well it’s not my fault he keeps moving!” Jay fired back.

“Focus!” Wu scolded.

Blake climbed back onto a roof, and Janet wasted no time in using the wind to catch up to him. Within seconds they were exchanging fierce punches and kicks. Upon spotting them, Destiny swiftly hoisted herself up toward the duo. Just as she reached the top, Janet was shoved to the ground.

“Hey!” she yelled, and Blake turned around. “Nobody picks a fight with my sister!”

The boy merely smiled. “Destiny, just the girl I wanted to see. Besides your sister, that is.”

The Silver Ninja surrounded herself with a tendril of water as her sister motioned for the others to surround him.

“Keep him occupied,” Janet mouthed.

"You fight her, you fight me.”

Blake rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak.

“Fire!“ a familiar voice shouted from behind Destiny. Blake ducked from the blast of fire, and his irritation flared greatly.

“Kai!?” Cole exclaimed.

The Red Ninja landed beside Destiny with his sword at the ready.

“You’re supposed to be inside!” she hissed.

“I’m not letting him get away this time!”

“Now’s not the time to prove yourself!”

Blake rolled his eyes again. “Fine. This’ll make things a whole lot easier for me.”

To prove him wrong, the others finally had him surrounded.

“Hmm. Let’s see. Nine of us against one of you? Huh. I find that easier for us,” Jay mocked.

“And this time, you have nowhere to hide!” Lloyd added. “Now!”

As one the Ninjas fired their elements at Blake. A bright light flared up upon impact, and the force was enough to knock the team off the roof. When the light subsided, there wasn’t a single trace of Blake.

The Green Ninja moaned as he began to sit up. “… Is everyone all right?” The rest of the group muttered replies as they sat up.

“Is he gone?” Nya asked.

“I’m not quite sure this fight is over just yet,” Zane said. “His energy is still here.”

The team slowly got to its feet, and citizens hesitantly emerged from their safe havens. As the heroes scanned the square, something in Janet was warning her to stay alert.

Movement caught her green eyes, and it took her seconds to register a dark substance in a person’s hand.

"Look out!” Janet yelled. She shoved her sister out of the way, and a stinging cold sensation consumed her whole being.

(First chapter) (Next chapter) (Previous chapter)

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libralita · 8 years ago

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Reread Review!

Title: The Hero of Ages

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Summary: Tricked into releasing the evil spirit Ruin while attempting to close the Well of Ascension, new emperor Elend Venture and his wife, the assassin Vin, are now hard-pressed to save the world. This adventure brings the Mistborn epic fantasy trilogy to a dramatic and surprising climax as Sanderson's saga offers complex characters and a compelling plot, asking hard questions about loyalty, faith and responsibility.

Rating: ★★★★★

Original Review

Review:

I have finished rereading the original Mistborn trilogy! If you haven’t read the Wax and Wayne series or Secret History then I recommend you read my original review instead. I really enjoyed this book because I actually understood what was going on and it didn’t take like nine months to read. It was amazing!

“I am, unfortunately, the Hero of Ages.”—Page 3

I just became an all-powerful god and I saved the world but holy me it sucks blue koloss balls!

Elend has grown up so much.

“The general wore well-used armor of leather and steel, his face bearing a scar on one cheek, the left side of his scalp missing a large patch of hair where a koloss blade had nearly taken his head.”—Page 76

Important.

“Black is so monotonous that you can forget about it, but red—you’d always be thinking, ‘Why, look at that. That hill is red. That evil force of doom trying to destroy me certainly has style’.”—Breeze (Of course), Page 86

Breeze would clearly be the best force of doom.

“‘I’m not convinced there is any ‘evil force of doom’, Breeze,’ Sazed said.”—Page 86

That’s the evil force of doom talking, Sazed.

“‘He didn’t recruit me,’ Cett pointed out. ‘I got pulled by my balls into this little fiasco.’”—Page 107

Like I said before, I do love this asshole.

“‘You’re one of us,’ Human said. Vin looked up. ‘Me?’ ‘You’re like us,’ he said. ‘Not like them.’ ‘Why do you say that?’ Vin asked. Human looked down at her. ‘Mist,’ he said.”—Page 141

Even Human knows.

And now Spook has been stabbed with a hemalurgic spike and sees Kelsier…or “Kelsier”.

“They should never have given children of a new generation to be raised by a Third.”—MeLaan, Page 178

I guess I totally misread MeLaan and TenSoon’s relationship the first time I read this because I thought it was romantic but apparently it’s more parent-child/teacher-student.

“For the greater good.”—Vin, Page 187

The greater good.

So apparently Slowswift is a homage to Tolkien. I also do love Cett use to write poetry.

“Vin said nothing. Belief in the Lord Ruler was misplaced. If he’d been a god, then he wouldn’t have been able to kill him. In her mind, it was rather simple matter.”—Page 230

Actually killing gods in the cosmere is surprisingly easy.

“She picked an informant on the other side of the spectrum—a beggar named Hoid whom Cett claimed could be found in a particular square late a night.”—Page 231

Hi, Hoid. Also Vin, leaving Hoid was a mistake. He could have given you important advice about how to handle Ruin or give the reader more information about the cosmere.

“Gunpowder, for instance, was so frowned upon by Rashek that knowledge of its use disappeared almost as quickly as knowledge of the Terris religion.”—Page 235

Ay, gun reference.

“‘Well, then,’ he said. ‘Let’s do it.’ ‘What?’ Vin asked. ‘Save the world,’ Elend said. ‘Stop the ash.’”—Page 238

A simple task.

“Oh, come on. You have to admit that you’re unusual, Vin. You’re like some strange mixture of a noblewoman, a street urchin, and a cat. Plus, you’ve managed—in our short three years together—to kill not only my god, but my father, my brother, and my fiancée. That’s kind of like a homicidal hat trick. It’s a strange foundation for a relationship, wouldn’t you say?”—Elend, Page 239

This is the greatest and most accurate summary of Vin.

The ball scene is coming and I’m so excited.

“Rashek wore both black and white. I think he wanted to show that he was a duality, Preservation and Ruin. This, of course, was a lie. After all, he had only touched one of the powers—and only in a very small way at that.”—Page 268

Interesting.

“‘Ladies,’ Elend said to the women, ‘as Lady Vin herself will be quick to tell you, I’m rather ill-mannered. That, in itself, would be a very small sin. Unfortunately, I’m also quite unconcerned about my own disregard for propriety. So, therefore, I’m going to steal my wife away from you all and selfishly monopolize her time. I’d apologize, but that’s not the sort of thing we barbarians do.’”—Pages 290-291

I love Elend when he’s at these parties because he’s so sassy.

“At that moment—as the music began—Elend reached into his pocket and pulled out a book. He raised it with one hand, and the other one her waist, and began to read.”—Page 292

He’s also an adorable little shithead.

Allomancy is of Preservation, Hemalurgy is of Ruin and Feruchemy is a balance. Funny.

It’s interesting that Demoux is bring up the 16 number. Is he doing this deliberately? Because y’know worldhopper business.

“‘I am human,’ the large beast said quietly.”—Page 336

Chills.

“Even now, I can barely grasp the scope of all this. The events surrounding the end of the world seem even longer than the Final Empire and the people within it. I sense shards of something from long ago, a fractured presence, something spanning the void. I have delved and searched, and have only been able to come up with a single name: Adonasium. Who, or what, it was, I do not yet know.”—Pages 344-345

This is why we reread.

Vin is really bad figuring out who’s a Mistborn. First she thought Cett was and now Yomen.

“I’ve always been with you. You’ve heard me in your mind since your first years of life.”—Page 406

This is such a good twist.

“He sat down at the table, opening his portfolio, taking out the next sheet in the line. It listed the tenets of the Nelazan people, who had worshipped the god Trell. Sazed had always been partial to this religion because of its focus on learning and study of mathematics and the heavens. He’d saved it for near the end, but had done so more out of worry than anything else. He’d wanted to put off what he’d known would happen. Sure enough, as he read about the religion, he saw the holes in its doctrines. True, the Nelazan had known a great deal about astronomy, but their teachings on the afterlife were sketchy—almost whimsical. Their doctrine was purposefully vague, they’d taught, allowing all men to discover truth for themselves.”—Page 410

Trell has been mentioned again.

“‘Once we’re done, maybe you could introduce me to the emperor and empress,’ Beldre said. ‘They sound like interesting people.’”—Page 479

Oh, you will meet them…

“Kill him, Ruin’s voice whispered. You can do it. Take a weapon from one of those soldiers, the use it on Yomen.”—Page 489

Why is Ruin acting how he was with Zane? I think a more effective tactic would to still act more like Reen.

“These two minds were, of course, independent of the raw force of their powers. Actually, I am uncertain of how thoughts and personalities came to be attached to the powers in the first place—but I believe they were not there originally. For both powers could be detached from the minds that ruled them.”—Page 490

I guess the shards are corrupting the person who is using them. In Hoid’s letter in Way of Kings it mentions that Ati use to be really nice and then he became Ruin.

“I will kill you, the words said. Death, death, death. ‘Wel…that’s pleasant,’”—Page 495

I am Elend.

“If Elend had waited just a few more minutes on that ashen field, he would have seen a body—short of stature, black hair, prominent nose—fall from the mists and slump dead into the ash. As it was, the corpse was left alone to be buried in ash. The world was dying. Its gods had to die with it.”—Page 499

Bye, Fuzz.

“I have come to see that each power has three aspects: a physical one, which can be seen in the creations made by Ruin and Preservation; a spiritual one in the unseen energy that permeates all of the world; and a cognitive one in the minds which controlled that energy.”—Page 507

Cosmere things!

“Survive!”—Page 525

Hey, Kell.

Elend don’t you dare attack, this is a bad idea.

“So, what if Ruin couldn’t find the storages on his own because of the metal shielding them? He would have needed someone to lead him. Someone to visit each one, read the map it contained, then lead him on… Lord Ruler! We’ve made the same mistake again! We did exactly what he wanted. No wonder he’s let us live!”—Page 571

I literally face-palmed at this realization. God, Ruin is so clever.

“Good lad. You did well, Spook. I’m proud.”—Page 577

Chapter 64 makes a lot more sense after Secret History.

“‘Lady Vin saved my life,’ Goradel said. ‘The night of the Survivor’s rebellion, she could have left me to die at the hands of the mob. She could have killed me herself. But she took the time to tell me that she understood what I’d been through, and convinced me to switch sides. If she needs this information, Survivor, then I will get it to her, or I will die trying.’”—Page 579

Aw, that’s so sad. He’s such a good man.

I can already tell watching Elend and Vin die for a second time…well third if you count Secret History, is going to be a depressing experience.

“‘We will be asking the questions here, Terrisman!’ said one of the aristocratic kandra. Sazed paused, turning. ‘No,’ he said. ‘No, you will not.’”—Page 604

Oh snap.

“The question remains, where did the original prophecies about the Hero of Ages come from? I now know that Ruin changed them, but did not fabricate them. Who first taught that a Hero would come, one who would be an emperor of all mankind, yet would be rejected by his own people? Who first state he would carry the future of the world on his arms, or that he would repair that which had been sundered? And who decided to use the neutral pronoun, so that we wouldn’t know if the Hero was a woman or a man?”—Page 608

Good question. Do we know? Was it Hoid? It was probably Hoid...

“‘I apologize,’ Sazed said. ‘This is a personal problem, not related to the fate of the Hero of Ages.’ ‘Please, speak,’ one of the others said.”—Page 623

We’re a bunch of old farts, we’ll give you some advice to help with your faith crisis.

If the Terris religion is all about Preservation, then is there a religion that’s all about Ruin?

“‘The sliver remains,’ another reminded. ‘The shadow of self.’”—Page 660

Foreshadowing.

“Welcome, Ruin said, to godhood.”—Page 664

Becoming god. Like you do. Okay, this is the cosmere, so it’s not as uncommon as you might think.

“[Ruin] must have known that by giving her a disguised Hemalurgic spike, he would keep the mists from investing themselves in her as they wished.”—Page 680

Invested as in Investiture?

“Then, with his free hand, the kandra reached toward his own shoulder.”—Page 685

I’m so bitter that Vin never got to see her puppy before she died.

“‘In the end, they will kill us,’ Elend said, voice loud, ringing in the cavern. ‘But first, they shall fear us!’”—Page 701

Yeah the second read through is going kill me.

“The axe took of Elend’s head.”—Page 710

Brandon is so evil.

“So few left of the original crew, she thought. Kelsier dead so long ago. Dockson and Clubs slaughtered at the Battle of Luthadel. Yeden dead with his soldiers. OreSeur taken at Zane’s command. Marsh, fallen to become an Inquisitor. And the other who joined us, now gone as well. Tindwyl, TenSoon, Elend…”—Page 711

Brandon does like killing his characters. Also TenSoon aint dead!

“You created the thing that can kill you, Ruin, Vin said. And you just made one huge final mistake. You shouldn’t have killed Elend. You see, he was the only reason I had left to live.”—Page 712

Goodbye world, I’m so depressed.

“Beside her, atop the pile of dead koloss, lay another body. It was that of a man with red hair, one whom Sazed did not recognize, but he ignored it.”—Page 713

Hey, Ati.

“There had been a people known as the Nelazan. They had worshipped the stars, had called them the Thousand Eyes of their god, Trell, watching them.”—Page 716

Trell, again.

“Ruin and Preservation were dead, and their powers had been joined together. In fact, they belonged together. How had they been split?”—Page 718

Ask Hoid, he was there.

The sky is blue and the grass is green.

“At the center of the flowers, he found two people. Vin lay wearing her customary mistcloak, shirt, and trousers. Elend was in a brilliant white uniform, complete with cape. They were holding hands as they lay amid the flowers. And they were both dead.”—Page 723

It’s so sad and beautiful. End me..

#hero of ages #brandon sanderson #mistborn #reviewsdaytuesday #rereads #2017 reviews

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afreviews · 8 years ago

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In-Depth Review of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘DAMN.’

by Sadé

Embed from Getty Images

Debuting at No. 1, DAMN. had amazing sales in it’s first week with all of its tracks charting on The Hot 100. Topping Drake (503k), and even his own To Pimp A Butterfly (324k), with 603,000 units. He’s also announced The Damn Tour, and recently added a second date at The Barclays Center for May 5th because it was sold out so quickly.

The album in its entirety is...it’s hard to describe it. Correction: it’s easy to describe it but hard to fully grasp the meaning and just the power of the album. When sitting down with Zane Lowe, Kendrick speaks about DAMN. in comparison to To Pimp A Butterfly:

To Pimp A Butterfly would be the idea of the thought of changing the world and how we worked and approach things. DAMN. would be the idea I can’t change the world until I change myself. So when you listen to records like “PRIDE.” “HUMBLE.” “LUST.” “LOVE.” - these are all just human emotions and me looking into the mirror and coming to grips with them.

The album takes you to that place where you can self-reflect - as he did when making it. He puts his soul into this project. There is so much a person can take from DAMN. It did take some time to let the lyrics and the meanings sink in. The album’s been in heavy rotation since April 14th and I hear something new every time.

It’s a introspective-braggadocious-passionate-emotional project that touches upon religion, politics, a sense of community and self-worth. I think that would be the best way to describe the project in one (run-on) sentence, and yet that doesn’t fully grasp the concept of the album. So let’s dig deeper.

“Oh yes, you have lost something. You’ve lost...your life.” - BLOOD.

Produced by Bēkon and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith (of...you guessed it! Top Dawg Entertainment) and debuting at No. 54, Lamar tells a story of running into a blind woman who looked as if she needed help. After much hesitation, he decided to help but then gets shot. You can imagine a black and white scene, and red “BLOOD.” filling the sidewalk. It’s an eerie start to the album. I got Quentin Trentino feels, Kill Bill vibes going on. Bēkon actually starts off the song with “Is it wickedness? / Is it weakness?” and you see this duality between “wickedness” and “weakness.” Do you trust your first instinct? Or should you try to conform and do what you think is right? Do you act in selfish-ness or act in kindness? There’s a fork in the road, Lamar decides to conform and “lend a helping hand.” He ends up suffering from the consequences.

For those who have heard the album, that last track more specifically, then you know that there’s something up with the first track and the last. They’re connected. There’s a missing piece to the puzzle and Lamar is holding out on us. Maybe in his next album? Or is it hidden within the album? In his interview with Zane Lowe, Lowe tried to get information from him but Lamar was not budging:

KL: “It’s many things in there...I don’t even think if I can find the wit to tell you about it. The wit to tell you about that record without telling you about that record. It's a new life.”

ZL: “Is it the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?”

KL: “I can’t tell you that. C’mon now, that’s the whole thing!”

He doesn’t reveal much, which means there’s some real true gems to be discovered. “BLOOD.” definitely sets the tone for the album. It is so out there and completely riddled that you don’t know what to expect. And man oh man, you will not expect what’s to come next. After listening to the FOX News snippet (that refers to his 2015 “Alright”) he ends with, you think you know but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

"I transform like this, perform like this Was Yeshua’s new weapon” - DNA.

Produced by Mike WiLL Made-IT and debuting at No. 4, there is just bars and bars of gems in this track. There is just something in his tone and execution, and as he tells Lowe:

You gon’ hear that same hunger and desire that I had as a kid, but through record. Through my own DNA, through my own bloodline. It’s just everything who I am.

And because it’s just in his “DNA.”, he’s killing shit in this track. Let’s not forget its visual starring Don Cheadel. A lot of power in just the second track. Lowe refers to the Yeshua bar to question Lamar’s take on religion:

We’re all spiritual beings, and that’s something I can't never run from in music. And when I say as 'a weapon'…I always felt like God used me as a vessel. Period. Whether to show my flaws, whether to show my intellect, show my pain, show my hurt, to share my stories, to share his message … You need to hear that because I can't sugar coat the reality of what’s going on out here. I can’t sugar coat the reality of my imperfections.

Lamar is the second coming. He is our (Hip Hop) savior, our prophet. The GOAT. It is a hefty position to hold but as Lamar’s music has always been that “voice for the voiceless.” This album is a perfect example of that.

He includes the track with the second half of the FOX News clip where Geraldo Rivera goes to say how damaging Hip Hop is to “young African Americans than racism in recent years.” Rivera took 2015’s “Alright,” that had a powerful message of hope, and used it against Lamar as if he was promoting violence.

“Fuck your life.”

For real. In good ol’ prophet fashion, Lamar goes on to lyrically slaughter Geraldo. After the release of DAMN., Rivera came out to praise Lamar but still held true to his original testament: “[Hip Hop is] the worse role model. It’s the worse example. It’s the most negative possible message.” To each his own Rivera, but stick to Al Capone - leave Hip Hop alone.

“Somebody tell Gerald this nigga got some ambition” - YAH.

Produced by Top Dawg, Sounwave and DJ Dahi and debuting at No. 32, Lamar continues the religious theme. “YAH.” is short for “Yahweh.” which, among ancient Hebrews, “is believed to be the closest estimation to God’s actual name” - Thank you Genius.

He directly confronts Rivera in this track, pretty much saying to stay in his lane and out of Hip Hop. Kendrick “wasn’t for it,” and we weren’t either. Moving on.

“I’m willin to die for this shit, nigga I’ll take your fuckin life for this shit, nigga” - ELEMENT.

Produced by James Blake, Sounwave and Ricci Riera, and debuting at No. 16, Lamar goes further into asserting himself as the great rapper. In the interview, Lowe asks him “you’re the greatest rapper alive?”

I’m so passionate about hip-hop...you have to challenge yourself and you have to confirm to yourself, not anybody else, confirm to yourself that you’re the best. Period. No one can take that away from me. Period. That’s my drive and that’s my hunger ... I want to hold myself high on that same pedestal 10, 15 years from now.

That sounds like a legend to me. Which leads us to the next track: “I am legend, I feel like all of y’all is peasants.”

“I feel like the whole world want me to pray for ‘em But who the fuck prayin’ for me?” - FEEL.

DAMN. is a project filled with such a wide range of emotions, note the tracklist. And Kendrick really taps into that with “FEEL.” Debuting at No. 35, the Sounwave-produced track taps into something that goes beyond just listening to the words. You’re not just hearing it, you need to feel his lyrics. There is such raw emotions - relatable emotions of introverted loneliness, anger, loss of hope. He goes from “I feel like I’m losin’ my focus” to “fuck your feelings.” I mean, listen to the track and tell me at some point you’ve never felt those same emotions. It’s straight from his heart, and the name of the song is perfect not because he says feel a million times - no. It’s because you feel his emotions within the song. Everything from the lyrics to the beat, you feel the disappointment, you feel the anger, you feel the angst within him.

“I feel like this gotta be the feelin’ what Pac was the feelin’ of an apocalypse happenin’”

Kendrick references Tupac a couple times throughout the album, and anybody who’s a fan of Kendrick knows (or least can hear in his music) that Pac is a major influence for Kendrick. As a fellow Compton native, Pac has always been in Kendrick’s music.

This dude’s impact on not only me but the culture. … No matter how many times I come into my own as Kendrick Lamar…I will always have that sense of reaching a certain standard of empathy and compassion toward a record, the same way Pac approached music. It’ll always be in the back of my head to never forget that. I'll always have that compassion and that’s why his memory and his legacy in my music will never leave.

Oh and as I was checking out the credits I found something very interesting: Thundercat is credited for the bass. Thundercat? I love it.

“Tell me when your loyalty is comin' from the heart" - LOYALTY.

Produced by Top Dawg, Terrace Martin, Sounwave and DJ Dahi and debuted at No. 14, Kendrick links up with Rihanna on this track:

I love everything about her. Her artistry, how she represents women to not only be themselves but to express themselves the way she expresses herself through music, and how she carries herself. I love everything about her so I always wanted to work with her…Great vibes. She’s a vibe itself.

Their voices on the track mesh really well. It flows effortlessly. To just have chosen three features for the project, Kendrick was being very picky and his decision to have Ms. Bad Gyal Riri on “LOYALTY.” was a good move. The track questions one’s loyalty: What do you choose to honor and be faithful to? “Is it money? Is it fame? Is it weed? Is it drink?” Or are you loyal to people rather than the material things in life: “Do it start with your woman or your man? Do it end with your family and friends? Or you’re loyal to yourself in advance?” Are you a ride or die for the people in your life, or would you rather have all the material things? What you’re loyalty to, and if it’s “comin from the heart” determines your character.

“See, in a perfect world, I’ll choose faith over riches I’ll choose work over bitches, I’ll make schools out of prisons” - PRIDE.

Produced by Top Dawg and Steve Lacy, the track debuted at No. 37. “PRIDE.” is pensive and mellow and serves as the half way point of the album. The production of it is perfect. It waves in and out, the pitch of his voice goes high then deep. Fast then slow. It’s a beautifully executed song. With background vocals from Steve Lacy and Ana Wise, the track is very trance-like and...well not at all reminiscent of “PRIDE.” in the slightest. As religion is very prevalent in DAMN., it just so happens that “PRIDE.” is one of the seven deadly sins as well as the 7th track. “PRIDE.” is a character trait that you feel almost God-like. While taking pride in the things that you do is okay, being overwhelmingly in-your-face prideful is not. There’s a difference. I think the track more so speaks to the pride of others, than Kendrick’s own pride. Choosing God over money, or choosing to work rather than sex sounds more like a “HUMBLE.” man.

“I’ll take all the religions and put ‘em all in one service Just to tell ‘em we ain’t shit, but He’s been perfect, world”

“HUMBLE.,” which is the following track, alludes to Kendrick’s pride and the humbling of those around him. There’s a juxtaposition between the tracks, going from the dream-like beat of “PRIDE.” to the very pompous beat of “HUMBLE.” As a contributor on Genius points out: “Consider Proverbs 11:2: 'When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.’” There is a sense of a graceful wisdom in the track where “HUMBLE.” is a brilliantly, in-your-face disgrace...but in a good way.

“I’m the realest nigga after all, Bitch, be humble” - HUMBLE.

We’ve past the half way point in DAMN., and if you haven’t noticed a lot of little gems echo through the album and one being “wicked or weakness” which from the first track appears here in the eighth. Interesting.

Produced by Mike WiLL Made-It, the track debuted at No. 3 but made it to No.1 with the album’s release. “HUMBLE.” was released last month along with a visual. The track further proves his sentiment expressed in after his fourth installment of “The Heart” series: “I am the greatest rapper alive!” Humbling those around him, the track in no way paints a picture of a humble Kendrick. It’s video shows Kendrick in the place of Jesus - literally in many scenes. And as Yeshua’s weapon, he’s proud to be the savior of hip hop. In his interview he speaks about how he wants his music to live on.

Everything for me is about execution. I can go in with a thousand ideas but if I’m not executing it right it doesn’t feel home to me. ... I want it to live for the next 20 years. So you have to listen to it over and over and over again to fully understand the direction and the message I put in there and the execution of it. I want you to do. I want to challenge the way you think and challenge the way you take in music. That’s what excites me.

Shit, you definitely challenged me.

This paradox of humility and honor, “HUMBLE.” and “PRIDE.,” has been executed so intricately. It’s thought as “wicked” to be prideful. In the same breathe, it’s thought as a “weakness” to be humble. And yet Kendrick turns the tables on his listeners. While you’re expecting “wickedness,” you hear a somber beat; while you’re expecting “weakness,” you hear a bombastic beat. Kendrick is definitely a calculated artist that is humble when he speaks but prideful when he spits. You see the difference there?

“Girl, I respect the cat I promise just a touch” - LUST.

Produced by BADBADNOTGOOD, Sounwave and DJ Dahi, the track debuted at No. 42. Kendrick goes from a describing a wasteful day of a normal person to a typical day of his own. While the first verse starts with “Wake up in the mornin’ / Thinkin’ ‘bout money, kick your feet up,” the second starts “I wake in the mornin’, my head spinnin’ from the last night / ...what a fast life.” Then in that same verse, we combines the worlds. There’s no “you” or “I,” there’s...

“We all woke up, tryna tune to the daily news Lookin’ for confirmation, hopin’ election wasn’t true.”

Whether it be lust in the sexual sense, or lust for material things, this track is Kendrick’s commentary on that. There’s this emphasis on how lust controls our life and we let it control our life. And yet, here is something that knocks some sense into us. A president who is has lust as well and is very (and awkwardly) public about it. Most of us (well those with common sense) woke up in the morning like “this can’t be true.” Well it is. Kendrick’s point is that we all live different lives but we had the same reaction to the news: “sad, distraught, and mad.”

Here goes another deadly sin for his listeners. It’s interesting to see how Kendrick constructed the tracklist: we go from “PRIDE.” to “HUMBLE.,” then “LUST.” to “LOVE.” Hmm.

“Keep it a hundred: I’d rather you trust me than to love me” - LOVE.

Produced by Top Dawg, Greg Kurstin, Sounwave, and Teddy Walton, the song debuted at No. 18. I definitely wasn’t expecting a track like this on the album, and it was my favorite the first time I heard this album. As “HUMBLE.” juxtaposes “PRIDE.,” “LOVE.” juxtaposes “LUST.” While in “LUST.” Kendrick comments on what we (and him too) lust after whether it be material things or sex, here he questions his partner’s love for him and exclaims “don’t got you, I got nothin’.”

The track features Zacari, an up and coming R&B singer. This for sure is his breakout feature. He actually pitched the track to Kendrick, and Kung Fu Kenny himself chose to work with Zacari because he is so new and fresh. And well c’mon, that kid’s got major talent.

I heard the beat and immediately I go to this space of being a teen and you just now figuring out what is the concept of...actually loving someone. ... Going back to that space and the simple idea and the simple concept of love and that feeling amongst all the other madness around the album.

Now, everybody knows about Kendrick and his high school sweetheart, turned fiancé, Whitney Alford. Not that it was secret, just nobody knew for so long. Kendrick keeps his personal life out of the public eye. These two have such a grounded and strong relationship. GOALS.

That’s the Yin and the Yang, you can’t have love without your pride affecting it, you know without having to take your ego out the situation. Doing your humble…I thought it was the perfect exclamation.

And it is. While there are mellow tracks like “FEEL.” and “PRIDE.,” they still circle around some dark topics. “LOVE.,” along with its feature, is a breath of fresh air. Just the mood of the song against the album, with tracks like “HUMBLE.” and “DNA.” Especially the next track.

“It’s not a place This country is to be a sound of drum and bass You close your eyes to look around" - XXX.

Produced by, well all of the major producers on the album - Top Dawg, DJ Dahi, Sounwave and Mike WiLL Made-It. The track debuted at No. 33, and features the legendary rock band U2. Out of the three features, I was most excited about this one. The highlighted quote is Bono’s chorus in the song. Here is where Kendrick dives right back into the religious and political themes. After asking him what the meaning of the title is, Lowe mentions how Bono has (outside the song) referred to America has an object of sorts, an idea.

'XXX' is the idea of complete chaos and madness. That’s what I got from it. Organized madness, controlled madness. Us trying to control this madness so when you hear the lyrics of what he’s saying - it’s a place, it’s an idea and us trying to control that idea through lyrics, through song.

Lowe continues to ask if America, “even the original idea of America,” is a good idea; and Kendrick has the perfect answer: “For better, for worse - it is a content idea.”

“XXX.” is another mellow and pensive track about what’s going on in the world and the questioning of one’s morals. We go from him advising his friend to seek revenge over his son’s death, to “We lost Barack and promised to never doubt him again.” Last year Kendrick was invited to the White House to sit down with our former president:

[Obama said] ‘Change doesn’t start while I’m here, it starts once we leave the space that we’re in.’ …you gotta prep yourself for the next decade of what you’re gunna do thats going to result to changing idea or the thoughts that we have consumed for so many years.

We’re in such political turmoil with Trump being in office - it’s up to us to actually make that idea of “change” that Obama ran his campaign on. He did what he could, he did his best - but it’s really up to us, the public, to work on executing that idea.

“Wonderin’ if I’m livin’ through fear, or living’ through rap” - FEAR.

A dark song that debuted at No. 50, it was produced by The Alchemist. It wasn’t my initial favorite track but it grew to be once I was really able to hear the words and grasp the meaning of them. “FEAR.” is a common emotion that we all feel. There’s always something we’re afraid of, whether it be if we’re doing the wrong thing, or afraid of losing something, or afraid of heights. One of the greatest storytellers of our time, Kendrick shares his fears at the age of seven, 17 and 27. As Zane Lowe describes the album as one big human experience (as it truly is), Kendrick alludes to this track.

To even speak that truth on a record, to expose yourself even more, to have that closer connection with another human, and have them relate to it. It’s not easy telling your truths. Things that you fear from when you were seven, 17, and even a couple of years ago. But I know, at the end of the day, that the music is not for me. It’s for somebody else that’s going through a fucked up day to listen to and progress in their lives.

This track is a milestone for the album. A landmark where he shares his fears and vulnerability to his listeners. I’ve experienced the same sort of fears he alludes to in this song, and I’ve reached the third verse where I’ve been in such a creative space that at times I’m afraid of what’s to happen next - Am I going to lose this? Even in my 5-year relationship - Does he still love me? The album is about what we experience as humans and whether it be “LOVE.” or “PRIDE.,” and this song pieced it all together for me.

“I’m talkin fear, fear of losin loyalty from pride ‘Cause my DNA won’t let me involve in the light of God I’m talkin’ fear, fear that my humbleness is gone I’m talkin fear, fear that love ain’t livin here no more”

The fourth verse is the most essential and stand out of the whole project. It pieces the whole song and its gems ("wickedness or weakness” again). This is where Kendrick is now, questioning all his fears and his insecurities and hoping they all vanish by putting them into this 14 track project for his fans. The placement of this track and the next, “GOD.,” is perfect and plays off each other so well.

He ends this song with a voicemail from his father explaining that all minorities (African Americans, Hispanics, etc) are Israelites which brings us back to “YAH.” where he states he’s a Israelite. He ends the sentiment with “I love you, son, and I pray for you,” and Kendrick repeatedly says that nobody prays for him.

“Everything I do is to embrace y'all” - GOD.

Produced by - there’s just too many, but it debuted at No. 58. Back to talking about being the greatest rapper, he says something to being a voice and how he makes music not for him but for his fans.

This is culture. ... People live their lives through this music. My partners in the hood right now, they listen to rap every day, because it’s the only thing that can relate to their stories and their tribulations. They live and breathe it. ... If you’re not doing it to say the most impactful shit or doing it to be the best you can be for the listener to live their lives through, what are we doing here?

As Kendrick has positioned himself as the greatest rapper alive, in this track he puts himself in the position of God. Not that he is God, but that he’s God-like with all of his successes and accomplishments. He goes through all of that to just remind himself that he’s mortal. He’s been through pain, he’s sacrificed a lot and “killed" to get where he’s at. He has his flaws like everyone else.

“Whoever thought the greatest rapper would be from coincidence? Because if Anthony killed Ducky Top Dawg could be servin life While I grew up without a father and die in a gunfight” - DUCKWORTH.

And finally - the second track I’ve been waiting to write about (next to "FEAR.”). The highlighted quote explains concludes this story of how Ducky (Carl Duckworth) dodged a literal bullet by giving free chicken to Anthony (Top Dawg) who was planning to rob him. Produced by the legendary 9th Wonder, 9th was the first one to confirm the story was true with a sit down with Complex. Kendrick had this to say about the story:

It was just the right time. Top himself didn’t know I was gunna do it or even execute it in that fashion to be the last song or to be anywhere just making it make sense. I remember playing it for him and he flipped, because further than the song - when you really can...hear your life in words that is so true to you and that affected your life 100 percent through one decision. It really make you sit back and cherish the moment...this is what happened. This is real life.

After Top Dawg signed him at the age of 15-16 to TDE, Ducky walked in the studio and that’s when they recognized each other. None of them knew who each other was until Kendrick’s father walked into that studio. And to this day, Kendrick says they tell everyone that story and just laugh about it.

After the gunshot, the music reverses back to “I got, I got, I got” of “DNA.” and then “I was taking a walk the other day” of “BLOOD.” This is what we’re left with. The last track that reverts right back to the beginning. What does it mean?!

What I’ve discovered from repeatedly listening to the project is that everything comes full circle. “BLOOD.” and “DUCKWORTH.” are neither “the beginning to the end or the end to the beginning.” They are just life. As broad as that seems, they represent how there’s always a fork in the road. You have two decisions: “wickedness” or “weakness.” There isn’t just a plain right or wrong because you never know the outcome or the consequences you can say. And even as a kid, Lamar brings up that he would always tell himself, “Bro, anything is possible and it always comes around, ten-fold.” Although not the same scenario, Lamar takes one road in “BLOOD.” and his father takes another in “DUCKWORTH.” One lives, and one dies. So think about that next time you come upon a fork in the road.

#kendrick lamar #damn #sade

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