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strangermask · 8 months ago

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WOOO NINJAGO FIRST ELEMENTAL MASTERS SHORT FIC

Ninjago: The First Elemental Masters

Night Light

Synopsis: The first elemental masters were separated from First Spinjitzu Master and are forced to take shelter in a grundle hole. Now the four sit around a fire, unsure of what to say to each other:

Word Count: 2,532

Author’s Note: This is set near the very beginning where they all barely know each other. We get to see them bond for the first time in their journey together.

— — — — —

The elemental masters got separated from First Master during a battle with some bandits. The four acquired minor injuries during the fight, and now they were trying to find shelter. It did not help that it was raining as well. “Dragons, could they not have picked a better day for this?” Akiharu asked.

“Oh, do not complain!” Yoshimochi scolded. “Bandits never pick a day to accommodate their targets.”

“Oh forgive me, your nobleness.”

“Can both of you be quiet?” Yukito asked. “We are not here to discuss our misfortune, we need to find a place to recover.”

“What place could we recover in!?” Akiharu asked. “In case you have not taken in our surroundings, there are nothing but trees!”

“Over here.” Sai said, grabbing Akiharu’s hand. The serpent took the human down a hole, the other two companions following out of panic. “Stay behind me.”

Sai grabbed a purple fruit with blue polka-dots from his bag and squashed it. He spread the juices at the entrance of the hole. He snapped his fingers, making a small fire, then lit up the entrance. Immediately, a horrendous smell emitted through the hole.

“By Overlord, what in the cursed realm is that smell?” Yukito asked.

“Do not worry, you will get usssssed to it.” Sai answered. “It will keep usssss sssssafe.”

“From what?”

“Grundlesssss. Thissssss issssss a Grundle hole—”

“This is a what?”

“I know it sssssoundsssss bad, but I have come to learn a few tricksssss to avoid them. For example, they only hunt at night due to their eyesssss being sssssensssssitive to the daylight. With that, I’ve noticed they tend to sssssteer away from thessssse fruitsssss I found. If you sssssquisssssh the fruit and light the juicesssss, it givesssss off a sssssmell that wardsssss them off.”

“I can see why.” Yoshimochi said. “It smells like a rotting corpse.”

“Exactly! They already avoid it without the sssssmell, ssssso why would they bother usssss now?”

“… You seem quite excited about this.”

“Oh, uh, apologiesssss. I sssssuppossssse I got a bit carried away. I-I will make a fire now.”

A fire was started. The four were surrounding it, not saying anything to each other. To be honest, there was not much to say. They don’t know each other well, having been selected randomly by the elements. They were all too different from each other. A son of a nobleman, a peasant from the streets, a demon of cold, and a serpentine prince. What common ground could you find?

However, the curiousity in Akiharu grew more and more about the serpentine prince.

“Alright, I cannot take it much longer.” He spoke. “How do you know so much about grundles? Is that a common predator in your lands?”

“O-Oh, uh,” Sai cleared his throat, “not entirely. Our tribe hasssss defensssssesssss againssssst predatorsssss, but my father isssss very ssssstrict about who can and cannot ssssstay.”

“What do you mean?”

“My father hasssss thisssss belief where if you cannot handle the wild, you cannot come back to the tribe. He isssss more ssssstrict about that belief with my brothersssss and I. He will sssssend usssss in the wild every once in a while to tessssst usssss. Though, he tendsssss to sssssend me out more than my brotherssssss. Thusssss I tend to have more wildernessssss knowledge.”

Yoshimochi and Yukito turned their heads to the serpentine.

“You would think he wasssss trying to kill me by sssssending me out ssssso much.” Sai chuckled. It changed to a frown. “It would not be hard to disssssprove. I have… never really been a favorite of hisssss.”

Akiharu straightened his posture: “What makes you think that?”

“…I am the runt of my brothersssss. I am not asssss ssssstrong nor have any ssssspecial abilitiesssss. I am half blind which isssss not favorable for hunting, fighting, or even leading. Cursssssed Realm, I ssssshould not even be alive.”

“Woah, hey, hey. Who told you that?”

“Well, when I hatched, I wasssss weak and pathetic. My father wanted to throw me away to be eaten. However, I made it through thanksssss to Andrai. We were both born from the sssssame egg, and he wasssss much more healthy than I. And even in infancy, he cared for me. I would not be here if it weren’t for him. My father likesssss to hold that againssssst me.”

“Well that is stupid.

“What?”

“What, because you were born a bit unhealthy, you are worth nothing? I mean, he sends you out on these survival things, and you come back alive every time! How does that not say you are strong?”

“Well, it isssss not that defining.”

“Oh please, you probably know more ways to evade a predator then spikey over here.”

“Excuse me?” Yukito raised an eyebrow.

“You heard me.”

“Let usssss not get ahead of ourssssselvesssss.” Sai said.

“While Akiharu is being a bit brash,” Yoshimochi stepped in, “he does have a point. I do not see your father’s reasoning to dismiss you.”

“I appreciate your wordsssss, I do, but you all do not have to sssssay thessssse thingsssss. After all, I am not asssss dessssserving of an element like you all.”

Yoshimochi and Yukito blinked at that. Akiharu, on the other hand, shrunk into himself.

“… I would not say that is true for me.” Akiharu said.

Sai tilted his head: “What do you mean?”

“Well, you see… I am not that very honorable considering everything in my life. I do not tell people this to save myself the trouble but… I do not have a family or name to fall back on. My parents perished when I was really young, and I did not have a family name.”

“You are an orphan?” Yoshimochi asked.

“Uh, yes. I have been alone on the streets since I was a child. And when you are a little girl with no one to guide you, you end up having to guide yourself. Sometimes that means by holding up lies.”

“Wait, a little girl?” Yukito raised an eyebrow.

“Oh shit, uh.” Akiharu stumbled on his words, taking a gulp. “Please do not tell anyone, especially the First Master, but… I am not a man?”

The three stared at Akiharu.

“You are a woman?” Yoshimochi questioned.

“Yes.”

“This entire time?”

“Yes.”

“Wh— But I thought— You seem so much like a man!”

“That is the whole point of this charade. I had to do some tricks to get this way.”

“But why would you pretend you are a man and not a woman?”

“Well, a thing you learn on the streets is you survive better if presented as a boy. You get more opportunities to make money, you can get away with minor acts of crime more easily, and you get taken a bit more seriously. I mostly did it to pass a day on the streets. But then I got chosen to be the Master of Earth… and I did not feel like I could reveal my little secret.”

Akiharu could feel the stares of his teammates, but he couldn’t recognize that each stare brought a different feeling. Yukito gave the feeling of curiosity. Sai gave the feeling of empathy. Yoshimochi gave the feeling of horror… To fake who you are just to live?

“Does… Does it make you uncomfortable that we refer to you as a man?” Yoshimochi asked.

“Not really.” Akiharu clarified. “To be quite honest, I have gotten used to it and I have found an appeal to it. But that does not make it any better, does it?”

“… Well, you said it was to pass a day on the streets. If you think about it, it is like how Sai has learned to survive the wilderness.”

“… Are you trying to compare wilderness survival to street survival… as an attempt to make me feel better about my deception?”

“I-I mean, well, I, uh—”

“No, no, I can sssssee it.” Sai chimed in. “Yesssss, very different sssssituationsssss, but in a way they are sssssimilar.”

“Can you explain how?” Akiharu asked.

“Doing what we can to make it passssst a day alive.”

“… Huh. I guess so. Never would have thought of it that way.” Akiharu turns to Yoshimochi. “Didn’t know such a nobel could see that.”

Yoshimochi’s face turned red, “I— Well— I have to be. It is expected by my father that I see all of the details.”

“You see all of the details?” Akiharu teased.

“… No, but I am trying to get better.”

Sai noticed Yoshimochi becoming a bit nervous.

“Isssss sssssomething troubling you, Yossssshimochi?” Sai asked.

“Oh, uh, it is not important.” Yoshimochi. “It is only a minor thing that is rather silly.”

Sai scooted closer to Yoshimochi. Akiharu rested his head on his hands as he stared at Yoshimochi. He looked at Yukito, who only shrugged and put his hands up. The lightning master sighed.

“Well, if you must insist.” He began. “I supposed my… trouble is living up to my family’s name. I am the only son, and I must hold the Koizumi family high. I have to leave a good mark… but I will admit, there are times I wished I did not have such a burden. I would rather spend my time in a farmhouse with the animals then try to upkeep the family’s name.”

Yoshimochi, feeling he is being too whiny, quickly cleared his throat.

“Again, it is only a minor and silly trouble. I cannot compare it to anything else, especially since I’m lucky to have my luxuries.”

“Oh, Yossssshimochi.”

“D-Did I say too much?”

“Get over here.” Akiharu said as he pulled in Yoshimochi. “And quit being so humble. You are making me feel guilty for thinking you were only another stuck-up noble.”

“Excuse me?”

“Mostly assumed because of past experience. But here you are, acting like you are not allowed to complain because you are rich.”

“Well, I mean—”

“No, no, no, that is how you begin to hide your true feelings. My Mama always told me: ‘If you do not express how you feel, then your feelings will stay buried until something forces it out’. And, well, it can get nasty when buried feelings are forced out.”

Yoshimochi’s face turned redder and spoke quietly: “I suppose so.”

The two boys and serpent turned to the demon.

“… Please do not tell me I am supposed to share something.” Yukito said.

“We all shared something personal about us,” Yoshimochi began, “it is fair you do the same.”

“Please, like you three could empathize with me. I am a Demon of the North, I am an immortal being of ice.”

“Well I think even immortal beings of ice have emotions.” Akiharu smirked.

Yukito glared at the earth master.

“If it makesssss you uncomfortable, you do not have to ssssshare.” Sai offered.

Yukito turned to the serpentine. Unlike the humans, Sai held an actual genuine face. He was respectful and a little too kind for a serpentine. In Yukito’s experience, kindness means nothing but trouble. However… The serpentine stood no threat, and the demon wasn’t uncomfortable sharing his life.

Yukito let out a sigh: “Alright fine. If you must know, then I will share a fraction of information about my life. I have an older brother and sister who hate me along with the rest of the demons in the Northern Quarters. So I am usually on my own avoiding everyone who wants me dead. And before anything is said, this is quite normal in my territory. I am used to it by now.”

The humans were shocked. Sai did not show a clear emotion. He got up and slithered towards Yukito, giving him a hug.

“Wh-What—”

“I needed a hug.” Sai explained.

That was a lie. The serpentine was only hugging as an attempt of comfort. Comfort that Yukito didn’t need since he did not have a problem with his life. Being hated is normal among all demons. You could trust no one, and anyone could leave you to die in the dust.

… But Yukito will accept the hug. Only for Sai’s sake. He would most likely become sad if the hug was rejected.

Yoshimochi let out a sneeze.

“Ewwwww.” Akiharu cringed. “You sneezed on me.”

“Oh please, you probably have more illnesses than my sneeze.”

“Oh, how dare you! You are shattering my fragile wounded orphan heart.”

“Do I speak of lies?”

“No, I agree with you.”

“Then why did you—”

Yoshimochi let out another sneeze.

“Oh fuck, I think I am getting ill from the rain.”

Sai pulled away from Yukito and went straight for the bag. The serpentine pulled out a big blanket and wrapped it around Yoshimochi.

“May I asssssk you to trussssst me for a moment?” Sai asked.

“I am scared of what that is implying, but yes?” Yoshimochi hesitantly answered.

Sai wrapped his tail around Yoshimochi as if cradling eggs. The serpentine then grabbed a small vile and spoon.

“Sai, may I ask what you are doing?” Yoshimochi questioned.

“It isssss a warming technique ssssserpentine mothersssss ussssse for their young.” Sai explained. “It isssss usssssually usssssed for vipersssss or when a child isssss ill. What I have in my handsssss isssss medicine that ssssshould prevent illnessssss but will make you feel tired.”

Sai gave Yoshimochi the spoon of the medicine. It caused him to gag.

“That tastes terrible.” Yoshimochi commented.

“Unfortunately that isssss one of the downfallsssss of medicine.” Sai chuckled.

“Do you have an extra blanket?” Akiharu asked.

Sai smiled and handed Akiharu another blanket from the bag.

“Why do you have two blankets?” Yukito asked.

“Emergency.” Sai beamed. “Alssssso I get cold easssssily.”

Akiharu laid his head on Sai’s tail, Yoshimochi eased up, feeling the drowsiness from the medicine kick in.

“Can we all promise to not tell a soul what was discussed tonight?” Yoshimochi yawned.

The other three agreed. No one really needed to know what they talked about in the grundle hole.

“I shall keep watch if anyone comes to find us.” Yukito volunteered. “You all should rest for the night.”

“Thank you, Yukito.” Sai thanked.

“… It is not much trouble.”

And so, the humans and serpentine fell asleep as the demon kept watch. This group of mortals is strange. Especially Sai. When there is bickering, he’s able to dispute it. He offers comfort and kindness to everyone. It seems so silly and unneeded.

And… admittedly, Yukito can’t make sense out of it. Especially with everything the serpentine went through. He has experienced hatred and danger for all his life. He knows his father wants him dead and has tried to kill him. Yet despite all of that, Sai somehow chooses to be kind. Perhaps he’s hiding his true intention? No one can be that kind.

Yukito let out a small sigh. He’ll just keep an extra eye on Sai. The other two aren’t much threatening. They are a little annoying though. The bickering was getting tiring, and it was driving Yukito nuts.

And so the rainy night continued until sunrise. Although the four may not know it yet, they all have more in common than they think. And it is that common ground that will bring them together as the closest and bestest of friends.

#ninjago #mask writes #first elemental master #first elemental masters

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