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Kai made his way to his room on the Bounty. He’d been rearranging since they’d gotten it back from Garmadon when he heard sniffling further down the hall. He paused. The others went out for supplies, who could that be? He tip-toed closer to the door. It was Lloyd’s room.
“Lloyd?” he knocked gently on the door. He tried the knob and, finding it unlocked, he slowly opened it.
“K-Kai,” Lloyd fumbled with his sweater sleeves, quickly wiping his face of fresh tears. “I thought you went out?” Kai made his way to the bed, Lloyd turning away from him the closer he got.
“I thought the same with you. What’s wrong?” Kai sat next to the smaller boy. Lloyd was visibly upset. Even with shielding his face Kai could tell he’d been crying for some time. His face was red and his eyes were puffy. Lloyd sniffled again, wiping his nose on his sleeve before turning to face Kai. The red ninja had seen Lloyd cry once before, but when he was still a child. Seeing Lloyd in his new body was still a shock. Everyone on the bounty was so used to Lloyd as a child, but the main thought on everyone’s mind was that of the final battle. Now that Lloyd was older, the day he’d need to face his father was nearer. Kai could tell that weighed on the green ninja much more than he’d let on. “Is it your dad?” Surprisingly, Lloyd shook his head.
“That’s been on my mind since I found out I was the green ninja. That hasn’t changed but…” he paused. Tears threatened to fall once more. “Yesterday I was just a kid and now… everything’s happening so fast.” He put his head in his hands. “I’ve been in Darkley’s all my life, kidnapped by the Serpentine, now I’m the chosen one. I never got a real childhood. I see my friends, like Brad, playing around in the villages and all but I have to train. Train, train, train. That’s all I’ve done since I got on this stupid boat.” His leg shook, furiously tapping the floor, his anxiety getting the better of him. Kai didn’t know what to do. He was a hothead, stubborn, he didn’t comfort people. He rubbed the back of his neck shyly, unsure of what to say next.
“What’s so great about being a kid though? You’ve got bedtime, you can’t go places by yourself, school. You can do whatever you want as an adult.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew they weren’t the right ones. Lloyd pulled his knees into his chest awkwardly, not used to how long his legs were now. “I mean…” Kai didn’t know how to fix this. “Just talk to me, bud. Please? Let it out.”
“I don’t know. I just miss playing ball in the courtyard at school with the other kids. I was happy then, even though I was basically abandoned there. I don’t like this sudden responsibility, there’s a weight on my shoulders now and I thought I’d have more time to prepare for it. Before the Tomorrow’s Tea… I knew I would wake up and train each day, but I also knew you wouldn’t work me as hard. The final battle is closer than ever and I… I’m scared, Kai.” Lloyd’s face grew redder as he tried to hold back tears. “Everything is happening so fast; I just want to live my life!” Lloyd threw his face into his hands and struggled to stop the flow of tears. He sniffled and choked and all Kai could do was sit there. He never dealt with emotional stuff, barely acknowledging his own at times. He hesitantly rubbed the green ninja’s back in an attempt to provide some comfort.
“Look, if I’m honest, I’m not very good at comforting people. I can’t really say for sure, but I can understand what you mean. My parents disappeared when I was young and I had to take over as the older sibling and help Nya. I didn’t have to go to Darkley’s or fight my father in the ‘ultimate battle between good and evil’ or anything like that,” Kai paused, feeling Lloyd’s shaking ease up a little. “I get the growing up too fast and feeling like your childhood was lost. You needed to fend for yourself as a kid, I did too. I know this is all hard on you but we need you to be strong. Where’s the Lloyd that wouldn’t let anything stop him? Where’s the Lloyd that would do anything for candy?” Lloyd snickered at that. “Growing up means more responsibility, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still indulge in your inner child.” Kai smiled softly when Lloyd lifted his head, a small grin standing out from his red, tear-stained face.
“Thanks Kai.”
“You’re part of our team now. We’re brothers, and brothers look out for each other. And older brothers get their younger ones ice cream,” the brunet raised a brow. Lloyd wiped his nose on his sleeve once more and laughed.
“That sounds great.” Kai stood up to lead the way out of Lloyd’s room. The younger ninja followed behind. “Uh, Kai?” Said ninja perked up and turned to face him. “I wanted to ask… I never really, uh… about this puberty thing…” Kai’s face flushed almost redder than his suit.
“Heh, uh, that is a good conversation to have with someone that’s not me.”