Chapter Text
In the morning we decided to look for Lloyd in the closest town.
The dark never ending forest, only filled with green, begins to lighten.
The ride there was quiet, I don't blame them I wasn't talking. No one knew what to say, ' oh yeah sorry kid's we forgot to tell you that we all have been lying to you !" or ' Lloyd got his memories erased and thinks we did it how are we gonna convince him other wise!' No, There's nothing to say in this situation, you just stay silent and let your bitterness brew.
All of it kinda feels nostalgic and reminds me that youthfulness is ignorance.
When we where young, before Lloyd, before all of this. When it was just the four of us and the hope of being the green ninja. I and the other's where assholes and believed we we're better because well, we're hero's. We have accomplished and done more then anyone else, we are the chosen one's. We just are better.
Maybe that's where the problematic tendencies came from, thinking we're better because we're hero's. But, how we talked about and treated other species was disgusting. Comparing them to cockroaches; saying that they could never died and plagued the earth, how hard it was to get rid of them, and more simply things like, gross and dirty. We also called them aliens a lot, saying that they're eating our pets and poisoning the blood of ninjago.
We we're so hateful but that's what we were taught, told to do! It's not our fault, right ?
-
Soon, the dirt became paved.
A large town busting with life and warm colors surrounded us as we went in deeper. The majority of the buildings and architecture was wood and covered in, mainly, red and orange fabric.
We start asking around, describing to people what he looked like, repeating the same thing: have you seen a 5,10 blonde, dressed in green, horns, tail, and purple fur ?
Not entirely sure if that is even enough details after the merge.
Eventually a watermelon seller points us to a bar.
Thankfully, the bar doesn't age check so we all can go inside. " all right guys lets start looking "
" I wanna take a vote" Frak interrupts me.
" What"
" I know not all of us wanna look for him, not now that we've seen him like that"
While all the adult's and Wyldfyre gasp and give a mix of angry and shocked expressions, arin and sora look down. They felt betrayed and are full of teenage hormones, it's not their fault. Except for wyldfyre for some reason? Maybe she was more mature, no it can't be that. Maybe it's about our environment ? but she was raised by dragons ?! Maybe she is focused on the dragon part?
Or, it is our chose and I choose to be hateful and now the sora, frak, and arin are choosing to be that to. Because, let's face it, it's funner be hateful. But at one point, you have to realize that not everything is about fun and making yourself feel good, unlike what a lot of people say.
" Frak, I know it's a lot to take in but just, we will take about this later, right now spread out and look"
He goes quiet and steps away. We all walk in difference directions, except for Wyldfyre, who followed frak.
—
Beer filled air and drunk laughs fills the atmosphere, it's a bar what do you expect. Frak stomps aimlessly around the bar while staring at the floor till a hand grabs his shoulder. Frak turns around to see Wyldfyre on the other end of that hand.
" Why would you not wanna find Lloyd ?"
Frak huffs angrily " Because he's an evil, lying, oni !"
" He's also a dragon did you see that tail !" Wyldfyre barks back.
" Did you see that fur and horns !"
" Those horns were 100000% dragon horns ! You can tell by the color"
" You can tell that it's oni horns due to the shape ! And how do you explain that fur? "
" Well your both kinda right, I'm a dragon, oni, human hybrid" A third person chimed in.
frak and wyldfyre jump back by Lloyd sudden appearance.Lloyd's in her human form but looks like a woman. The poncho tied to make a long skirt, Curves highlighted by black crop top, long blonde hair tired up into a pony tail by a green bead bracelet.
" why are you a girl ?" Frak asks.
" because I am one, well for today at least ! Mkay bye!" Lloyd chuckles.
Lloyd starts walking away. Wyldfyre runs off to get the others while frak follows Lloyd up some stairs. He needed to slow her down till the others got here " What are you doing ?!"
" Going"
" Why did you show up in the first place if you were just gonna leave ?"
" Heard you talking about me, wanted to correct some stuff"
The two walked up wooded stairs with dark red carpet laid over them and into a long hallway all following the same carpet. Painting's full of no passion hang on the walls. Sometimes furniture will show up against the wall, pushing itself as faraway as possible to not disturb or bump into anyone passing by.
" what are you doing in this place?"
" I won't get into details but money"
Frak didn't know what to ask and was sweating, he may be mad and hateful but he has a job to do! His mind flashed back to small talk, so frak blurted out " Whats your favorite color ?"
Lloyd stops walking and turned to a very sweaty frak. " Uh, green? I thought it was kinda obvious " She points to her very green outfit. Lloyd rested on the wall and looked at frak in interest, like frak was a clown performing a funny act.
" Lloyd ?! " Kai yells from the end of the hall, at the start of the stair case.
Lloyd gasps loudly. " not you guys !" Lloyd starts stepping back.
" wait, wait, wait don't run !" All the ninja's shout.
She continues to step back slowly" Why should I listen to you all"
" We'll give you money " Frak adds. Lloyd had mentioned that she was here for money.
" Hmm, I guess I could play along" she smiles.
—
The bar was partly a hotel.
The bottom a bar, the second store a hotel. Lloyd had bought a room and had us all sit around in it making a large pile of money and sweets in the middle. She didn't say to add sweets but if we knew anything about Lloyd, it's their love for sweets. It felt like I was 15 again facing off a 10 year old with a sweet tooth.
She had called someone on the phone.After Lloyd deemed the pile big enough we all sat on the opposite side of the room as her and she hogged the bed all to herself. Lloyd unwrapped a big cherry lollipop and shoved it in her mouth and signaled with her hand to talk. Zane took the kids outside despite their shouts about being able to handle this. We all huddled together and started preparing questions, soon, we we're ready.
I started with one we all we're wondering.
" How come your a girl "
" I'm a shape shifter! Can you blame me ?"
" I always knew you where fruity ! " Nya shouts. Yes nya we all knew. I mean have you seen that hair, When's the pride festival? " Congrats man" Cole says at the same time. I assume it was nice for him to know he wasn't the only ninja who fell under the LGBT umbrella.
" What do you do for money, details " I continue.
" I get hired to seduce people by their enemies and take pictures of them in a vulnerable and humiliating state. My favorite is when someone's homophobic and I turn into a woman and then during sex, when they have their eyes closed, I turn into a man and take pictures to make them look gay. I also work at a flower shop sometimes! "
Everyone went silent for a second, that was not what we expected. " slut " jay slips out emits the quiet. "JAY" We all shout, expect for Lloyd who chuckles. Jay had started getting his memories back but still was missing more then not. But he and nya got back together and THANKFULLY, let nya fix that AWFUL hair.
I try to get us back on track" What do you remember about the past?"
" Being pushed back by a force and then you guys surrounded me and I ran and then I discovered I was a shape shifter, oni, dragon, human, thing. And … yeah" It sounded like she was gonna continue saying something but stopped herself. Everyone looked down at the carpet in devastation, she doesn't remember anything.
" Well at least your the same person…" cole mutters, I couldn't tell if it was meant to just be for himself or as comforting words.
" Am I though " Everyone looked up at a Lloyd with a shit eating grin on her face.
" What" I say it more as a statement then a question.
" I just mean, what is a person if not memories "
" Your still Lloyd"
" the Lloyd your thinking of only exists inside those aware of his existence now"
" We'll get your memories back, your be back to yourself"
" what if I don't want them back, where is this version of Lloyd when all is said and done? I'm real, you can hear me. "
" Fuck you"
" If I really am the Lloyd your talking about, shouldn't I get a say in if I wanna have those memories back? If i wanna be that person ?"
" No you don't, your my brother"
" no I'm not, he was but that person doesn't exist anymore. I replaced him and now, your not my brother"
I think I lied when I said I would take her angry over her indifference any day. I tried to attacked her. I was angry at that asshole who treated this like a joke. The other ninja's grabbed me back and told me to calm down but you could hear the anger boiling in they're throat. Lloyd got up and started heading towards the door.
" wait! I'm sorry" I reach out to her.
" But you not, you just want me to stay because I remind you of him"
She wasn't wrong but still. I care about every version of Lloyd or at least I need to learn to.
" Please Lloyd "
She sighs and looks at me with pity, all childish smugness wiped off." look I don't really understand this coping mechanism but I really hope you get over this grieving process"
BOOM ! The door gets kicked opened. A man with short dark hair and covered in clothing with blue flowers patterns on them busts in. ( GO TO TWIGS-SPRINGS ON TUMBLER PLEASE)
" Brad ! " Lloyd cheers
" BRAD TUDABONE ?! " everyone shouts. The kids and Zane, who we're perviously outside,
"What is he doing here!? "I ask and get ignored.
"Hey dude sorry I'm late! I got caught up in with these clowns. They're the one's who made me lose my memories. I have a theory though, you see they lost their brother and I look like him so they made me forget who I was so I could replace him!" Lloyd explains proudly.
" Poor things, " sniff" I feel so bad… Is what I would say if I was A little bitch ! Dragging me into your problems!? Fuck you !" Lloyd Kicks me off.
Lloyd takes a step towards brad. " hi kai… hi other ninja's" Brad waved weakly paying no attention to Lloyd.
" Wait you know these guy's ?"
" brad…" I whisper angrily.
Zane and the kids fully entered the room along with brad, joining in on the ogle at the dragoni. The people talk about what to do, till one of the empathetic, kind, humans who lives with the dragoni, invite's the other people and snake the and robot, to their home.
Sleep, rest will make us more rational. Eat, good food always makes things better. Talk, fully grasp and communicate to each other about what's going on. Address all the lie's, bring the facts into the light, give the children and snake a lesson about gender maybe, make things right.
The snake and other kids object to this idea, for the purpose of not feeling safe with an dragoni. The human in red objects because he hate's the non-ninja dressed in blue. They argue about it without the input of the dragoni. Hurtful word's get throw around.
When they ask the snake why, the snake calls the dragoni non-human.
Back and forth, round and round, trust breaking and deteriorating. Eventually they do end up in Brad's and Lloyd's house.