Chapter Text
Something absolutely terrible was about to happen.
It was one of those awful things that could shake you to your very core, and threatened to take away the thing you loved most. It was something that would test me in more ways than one---and would nearly drive me to my breaking point.
Of course, I was blissfully unaware of all that as I rose with the dawn that morning.
The warm rays of the sun streamed through the second-story window and roused me from my slumber once they hit my face. I opened my heavy eyes, sighing in content at how well-rested I felt. Slowly, I sat up in my bed, a huge yawn forcing its way from my mouth. I gazed out the window, blessed with the beautiful sight of the bright rising sun and the blue sky I loved. All the signs of a normal, good day.
Or so I thought at the time.
Something caught my eye next to my bed. I looked down at my bedside table, and my mouth went slightly agape as I was met with a wonderful sight. There sat a tray full of all my favorite breakfast foods. There was even a glass of juice to go with it. The sight of it all made my stomach growl, and the amazing smells pleased my senses.
Where did this come from? I wondered, even though I already had my suspicions.
Next to the tray of breakfast sat a beautiful pink rose, and a folded piece of paper lay beneath it. Smiling to myself, I reached over and grabbed the rose first, bringing it up to my nose to inhale its sweet scent. It smelled like it had been freshly picked from the garden Misako kept. After sighing pleasantly, I grabbed the note, leaning back against my pillows as I read it.
“Breakfast in bed for you, my lady,” the note said, making my smile grow wider and my heart melt. “ I wanted to eat with you, but my mom and uncle asked for my help down in the tea shop. Hope you like the food! Oh, and by the way---happy six months, Rose.
“Love, Lloyd.”
I was smiling so widely that I was sure my cheeks would start to hurt. I was so overwhelmed with warm, fluffy feelings that it took all my power to not give in to the urge to flop down and squeal into my pillow. I couldn’t hold in a loud, high-pitched giggle, though, and I briefly hoped nobody had heard me. He made me breakfast in bed?! I absolutely adored that boy. What did I do to deserve him? He’s literally the best ever! It was hard to believe that we had already spent six months in a relationship. If you also counted the many months before we finally got together, then I had known him even longer. To me, it felt like we’d known each other forever, and I briefly wondered how I’d gotten through the first ten years of my life without him.
Destiny may be fickle, but it led me to Lloyd Garmadon. For that, I would forever be grateful.
My stomach growled again, prompting me to eat the glorious meal before me. I set the rose and the note aside, hopping to my feet and grabbing the tray. I brought it over to the window seat so that I could eat it while gazing out at the light of dawn and the beautiful mountains outside. All it took was one bite, and I was practically scarfing down the food. It was incredibly delicious. I wondered if Lloyd was secretly a culinary genius, or something. Where in the world had he learned how to cook like this? Maybe his mother had taught him a few things.
I ate every bit of my breakfast. I was almost sad when I finished it, but I was pleasantly full enough to not crave more. I leaned back in the seat, sighing in content. Having breakfast in my pajamas in the comfort of my own room was so relaxing; I wished I could start every morning like this.
Movement caught my eye, and I looked out the window to see Sensei Wu, Misako, and Lloyd out behind the tea shop down below me. They were unpacking a giant crate full of small jars of tea, carrying them inside the store. Wanting to properly thank Lloyd for the breakfast in bed, I leapt off the window seat and scurried to get dressed in my ninja gi.
About a month ago, Sensei Wu had bought this building and transformed it into a tea shop he’d named Steep Wisdom (which I thought was incredibly clever). Apparently, it was one of his dreams to own his very own tea shop---and since we hadn’t had any major crises to deal with for a while, he’d decided to open one. We all had helped out with it, agreeing that Sensei deserved a good retirement. Along with the Destiny's Bounty, it had become our main place of residence. Unfortunately, the shop was located a bit out of the way of the city, hidden in a small farm valley, and despite having been officially open for a week, there had been no customers. On the bright side, there was a nice collection of small bedrooms on the second floor, and I was lucky enough to have received my own.
After I’d changed, I grabbed the rose and the tray of dirty dishes and headed downstairs. I briefly stopped by the kitchen to deposit the dishes in the sink, then headed outside. I made a mental note to get a vase for the rose later. I pushed open the back door and walked outside, seeing the three family members almost done with their task.
Sensei Wu was the first to spot me as I approached. “Good morning, Aurora,” he greeted with a smile.
“Good morning, Sensei!” I replied, beaming.
Lloyd, who was leaning down into the large crate to try and retrieve the last of the tea jars from the bottom, was startled by Sensei announcing my presence. He fell over the side and into the crate, crying out and letting out an “ow” when he landed on the bottom.
I had to giggle at his expense, and I saw Sensei Wu and Misako try to hide their smiles. Lloyd popped back up out of the crate, blushing slightly in embarrassment. He chuckled awkwardly, quickly climbing out.
“Heh… Hey, Rose,” he greeted me.
“Hey,” I echoed, smiling warmly.
Unable to resist anymore, I walked up to him and gave him a big kiss on the lips to express my gratitude. He hummed in surprise, then kissed me back. After a minute, I placed my hands on his chest and leaned away, giving him a large, delighted grin.
“You’re the sweetest boy ever,” I informed him. “You know that?”
Lloyd’s hands drifted to my hips as he smiled, not needing to ask what I was talking about. “So...you liked it?”
“I loved it!” I exclaimed, beaming. “Did you make all that food by yourself?”
“W-Well, my mom helped out a little…” he admitted, blushing again. He was embarrassed to admit that his mother had helped him, but he nobly didn’t want to take all the credit, either.
I giggled at his shyness. “Don’t be embarrassed,” I told him. I then turned to Misako, shooting her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Garmadon.”
She warmly smiled at me. “Aurora, dear, I told you to call me Misako,” she gently reminded me.
“Right, sorry,” I replied. “Old habits.”
I then went back to gazing lovingly into Lloyd’s eyes, sighing from the immense warmth and happiness I felt. He mirrored my smile, seemingly just as lovestruck as I was. Sensei Wu and Misako shared a knowing look, smirking as they stepped away from us.
“Misako, shall we go sort those jars of tea now?” Sensei Wu suggested, already heading for the door.
“Of course, Wu,” Misako immediately replied. She headed inside with Sensei, giving the two of us some time alone. They weren’t exactly subtle, but I still appreciated their efforts.
We eventually snapped out of our lovey-dovey stupor. Lloyd let go of me and grabbed my hand, and the two of us began leisurely walking through the garden and over to the nearby waterfall that sat next to the shop. I swung my free hand by my side, still holding the pink rose.
“Thank you,” I told Lloyd after a moment, realizing that I hadn’t verbally thanked him yet. “That was incredibly sweet.”
Lloyd chuckled, blushing at all the praise he was receiving. “I’m just glad you liked it. If I hadn’t gotten my mom to help me, it probably would’ve been a disaster.”
I shared a giggle with him. “Even if it was, I still would’ve appreciated it,” I informed him. I leaned over to peck him on the lips. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Lloyd immediately replied, a look of immense adoration in his eyes.
We found ourselves at the small pond of water that the waterfall cascaded into. We decided to sit by it and relax in the serene nature before the day’s responsibilities called us away. Lloyd leaned against a tree and I sat next to him, leaning on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around my waist. Listening to the soft roar of the waterfall almost made me fall asleep again.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Lloyd spoke up. “Are the others awake yet?”
I snorted in amusement. “You know they aren’t,” I replied. “Zane and Nya will probably be up any minute, but the others will sleep in as long as they can.” If they had their way, they’d sleep the entire day away. Lloyd liked sleeping in, too, but he was apparently willing to get up early to do sweet things for me. The sun was only just now peeking over the hilltops around us.
A mischievous smirk appeared on Lloyd’s face. “Should we pull a wake-up prank on them?”
The suggestion made me laugh, but I declined. “Not today,” I replied, smiling. “We’ll give them a break.” Right now, I just wanted a quiet moment with the boy I loved. After a few moments, another subject popped to mind that made me smile again. “Has it really been six months since we got together? Wow.”
“Feels like it’s always been this way,” Lloyd replied, giving me a warm smile.
“I know, right?” I agreed. I then craned my neck up to his face, pecking him on his lips. “Here’s to many more months to come.”
“Absolutely,” Lloyd vowed, pulling me closer. “I love you, Rose.”
“And I love you.” Seriously, could this day get any better?
. . .
The others eventually rolled out of bed. As the sun reached its peak in the sky, our favorite mailman paid us a visit. He carried a frantic message from a coastal village by the Endless Sea that needed our help. They were apparently being terrorized by a giant, mutant Fangfish that had moved into their waters, and it was depleting their main source of food. The beast was too much for them to handle, so they’d decided to call in the experts. Having not seen much action this week, we were all too eager to assist.
The six of us flew across the land on our elemental power dragons, heading for the coast. The village wasn’t far, so it took us no time at all to get there by flight. Lloyd flew at our front, leading us onward in a V-formation across the sea to search for the Fangfish. I took a moment to admire how much of a natural-born leader he had turned out to be.
And, as always, I was having a lot of fun riding on my dragon once again.
As we flew across the ocean, Kai started laughing, playfully pulling ahead of Lloyd and spinning his dragon.
Lloyd chuckled. “Getting ahead of yourself, Kai?” he yelled. “Heh. I’m leading this charge.”
He made his green dragon zoom forward and blaze past Kai. The fire ninja’s dragon was thrown off balance by Lloyd’s, and so couldn’t move out of the way when Lloyd’s dragon’s wing grazed the ocean’s surface, splashing Kai with a wave of seawater.
“Aah!” Kai spluttered in surprise as he was drenched.
I burst out laughing at him. “Don’t mess with the Green Ninja, Kai!” I advised.
“That’s one way to cool off a hothead,” Jay quipped, laughing with me.
“Hey, no one messes up my hair!” Kai exclaimed, smirking.
Kai zoomed ahead to catch up with Lloyd, flying beneath him. Lloyd saw him coming, and was able to fly up before Kai struck the ocean’s surface with his dragon, making a large blast of water fly backward in the wind and splash the four of us flying behind him.
I didn’t mind getting a little wet, but I decided to try and take revenge on Kai anyway. “How dare you!” I shouted, unable to keep from smiling. “You’re gonna get it, Kai!”
I had my dragon dive down toward him. Kai yelped, maneuvering his dragon out of my way and swooping upward. Lloyd laughed as I playfully chased Kai around our group.
Poor Zane had been splashed with the most water, and I heard him have a small coughing fit.
Cole chuckled at him. “You okay there, Zane?”
“Affirmative,” Zane replied, smiling in amusement. “It'll take more than a little water to take me out.”
Jay gasped. “Oh, what about a big fish?!” he asked, pointing behind us. “Incoming!”
I stopped chasing Kai, angling my dragon toward the back of our group. Looking down into the water, I saw something large rapidly swimming close to the surface---and it was heading right for us.
“Oh no!” Zane exclaimed.
A giant fish leapt from the sea, opening its jaws as it charged at Zane’s dragon. Zane cried out, maneuvering his dragon out of the way just in time, the giant fish’s jaws snapping at empty air as it dived back into the water. It quickly swam after us as we continued flying onward, cutting through the water like a missile.
“Whoa!” I shouted in surprise.
“There he blows!” Cole exclaimed, pointing back at the giant fish.
“Pixal says this is the one,” Zane informed us.
“And now that he’s taken the bait, let’s reel him in and get him to the aquarium,” Lloyd proclaimed.
I grinned in excitement as the six of us turned our dragons to the right, leading the Fangfish onward. It continued chasing us aggressively.
Jay smirked. “Let me guess, Kai. You caught one that big once?”
Kai scoffed. “Heck, no. He was twice the size.”
Just as he said that, the Fangfish leapt from the water again, heading for Kai this time. Kai yelped in surprise, steering his dragon up and out of the way of the giant fish’s attack. I had to giggle at his high-pitched yelp.
Jay looked over at Cole, smirking. “He’s almost as hungry as you, Cole,” he stated.
Cole mirrored his smirk. “And twice as ugly as you, Jay.”
I gasped at the playful insult. “Ooooooo! Got ‘im!”
Everyone laughed loudly---minus Jay, who pouted.
I flew my dragon back up to be next to Lloyd’s. Ahead of us, I spotted a fishing boat sailing on the ocean. Lloyd and I both saw it, and shared a smile of determination.
“Time for the catch of the day,” I stated.
Lloyd nodded in agreement, looking back at the others. “In-line formation!”
We all obeyed his command, maneuvering our dragons into a single-file line behind his. I was right behind him, and Zane was behind me. The six of us zoomed toward the boat, leading the Fangfish right to it. Despite being a huge fish, it was a very fast swimmer, swimming almost as fast as we were flying.
“It’s right behind us!” Cole announced from the back of the line.
I glanced back for one moment, just in time to see the Fangfish leaping from the water once more, heading for Cole’s dragon this time. We were almost right on top of the fishing boat.
“Now!” Lloyd shouted.
As soon as the word was out of his mouth, the six of us split up, darting to either side of the boat. The Fangfish, already in the air, was too late to avoid the boat. It crashed right onto the deck, making the entire vessel rock side to side and splash water everywhere. The poor sailor captaining the boat was thrown off his feet, and I sent him a silent apology.
The Fangfish flopped uselessly on the ship’s deck. We had caught it! Everyone cheered in triumph, circling the boat on our dragons and congratulating each other on a job well done.
“Now that’s what I call hook, line, and stinker!” Jay quipped, laughing.
The six of us escorted the sailor back to the village harbor, making sure that the mutant Fangfish didn’t escape his boat. Thankfully, we arrived without incident. Once the ship was safely docked, we all dismissed our dragons. While a crane worked to remove the Fangfish from the fishing boat, I walked around with Lloyd and Kai. A few of the village’s residents came up to us and thanked us profusely, and while I preened at the praise, I was still a little shy when it came to so much attention.
I spotted a father and son by a shop counter, purchasing fishing rods. The father handed one down to his son, who wore an excited grin on his face. The sight warmed my heart.
“Looks like we made this place safe to fish again,” Kai observed.
I smiled as I saw the little boy run off toward the docks in excitement, his father trailing behind him. It made me think of another father and son I knew. I turned to Lloyd, taking his hand in my own. “If your father was here, he'd tell you that he's proud of you,” I told him. I hated to bring the sore subject up, but I felt like it needed to be said. “You've become a great leader, Lloyd.”
Lloyd smiled at me. “No---we’re a great team,” he corrected, looking between me and Kai. He then looked away, hanging his head in grief as his smile faded. “Can’t say I don’t miss him…”
My heart ached for him. It had been a long, tough road for him as he tried to work through his grief for his father. Ever since Sensei Garmadon had sacrificed himself to save Ninjago, there had been a lot of sorrow, pain, depression, and tears on Lloyd’s part. And I had been there for him every step of the way, comforting him and reminding him not to grieve but to celebrate his father---which was easier said than done. The pain had slowly been healed with time, but Lloyd would always miss his father. So would I.
“It’s working!”
Cole’s excited shout drew our attention to behind us. The mutant Fangfish was being lifted over a giant tank of seawater that would transport it to the aquarium in Ninjago City. The crane dropped the fish, and it crashed into the tank with a mighty splash. Water cascaded over the side, drenching Cole, Jay, and Zane below. The three of them shrieked as they were soaked, and I had to chuckle at the amusing sight.
Lloyd looked up, still frowning. “With my dad gone, sometimes I question where I'm going,” he admitted, looking down at his hands. “Sometimes I worry about who I might become…”
I frowned a little. Who he might become? What exactly was he afraid of becoming? He wasn’t afraid of ending up evil like his father had been, was he? Impossible.
“I know how that feels,” Kai told him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “After I lost my dad, I lost my way. But I was lucky to have my sister to watch over me.” He then yanked Lloyd close, giving him an affectionate noogie. “Don’t let all that worry you, big shot. We won’t let you lose your way.”
Lloyd laughed, swatting Kai’s hand away. “Hey! Hey, no one messes up my hair,” he stated, mocking Kai from earlier.
Kai and I laughed at him as he extracted himself from Kai’s grip. My heart warmed at seeing the brotherly moment between them. After our laughter died down, Kai went to join the others by the fish tank to make fun of them for getting splashed. Meanwhile, I turned to face Lloyd, grabbing both of his hands this time.
“I know it’s been hard without your father here,” I said, giving him a comforting smile. “I miss him, too. But even without him, you’re the Green Ninja. You’re the greatest ninja in all the land! You may not know exactly where you’re going next, but wherever it is, I know it’ll be someplace where you’re the hero that you were born to be.”
My words made Lloyd’s smile return, and that in turn made me smile wider.
“And since your father can’t be here, I’ll watch over you from now on,” I vowed, beaming brightly. After all, I had promised his father that I would take care of his son for him---and it was a promise I was determined to keep for the rest of my life.
Lloyd chuckled at my statement. “And I’ll watch over you, too. Okay?” he insisted, squeezing my hands.
I giggled in delight, nodding. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Lloyd leaned over to share a kiss with me, and we both shared warm smiles after he pulled away.
“Hey, lovebirds!” Jay shouted at us, ruining the moment. “Either get a room or get in the picture!”
I blushed profusely, turning toward the lightning ninja. “Jay, I swear!” I admonished, stuck between being annoyed and embarrassed. Lloyd tugged me by the hand, leading me over to our brothers as I huffed.
Jay was already turning away, jumping in front of the camera beside Zane and Cole. “No one’s gonna believe this. Getting a picture. This is awesome!”
Lloyd stood beside Kai, and I stood next to him. The six of us faced a photographer, the giant fish tank in the background. Lloyd slung an arm around my waist, and I leaned on him, facing the camera with a smile.
“Back,” Zane instructed the photographer. “Back, just a little further…”
The photographer took a few steps backward.
“Just a little further,” Zane repeated.
The photographer took one more step back, and fell over the side of the dock. Just before he fell, the camera flashed, snapping a picture of us before the poor photographer fell into the ocean. The six of us watched with open mouths. Then, we looked at each other, and burst out laughing.
“Oh, great!” Jay exclaimed. “Who's gonna believe us now?”
We heard a splash above us, and looked up to see the Fangfish’s tail rising into the air. Before we could move, its tail smacked the water, sending another wave over the side of the tank that splashed us all. We all screamed as the cold water drenched us, immediately shaking ourselves off.
I took one look at Kai’s soggy hair--normally spiky and defying gravity, but now resembling a wet mop--then burst out laughing again, pointing at him. The others saw what I was laughing at, and it wasn’t long before they were laughing with me---even Kai, after a moment.
Just another typical day as the heroes of Ninjago.
. . .
After the Fangfish was well on its way to the aquarium, the six of us hopped on our dragons again and began flying back to the tea shop. We conversed the entire way there, and we were so immersed in talking to each other that I barely noticed when we arrived back in the quiet valley. Once again, Kai was trying to convince us of things that probably weren’t true.
“I’m just saying, it was big, but I’ve seen bigger,” Kai insisted, referring to the giant Fangfish.
I scoffed as I landed my yellow dragon. “Sure you have, Kai,” I sarcastically replied, not really believing him.
“As big as your ego?” Jay bantered, smirking.
I let out a guffaw. “Hah! I don’t think you’d ever find a fish that big.”
“Hey!” Kai exclaimed.
We all shared a laugh at his expense. As we gathered on the ground, Sensei Wu walked out of his shop’s front doors, carrying a cardboard box in his arms.
“Ninja, you need to find customers,” he told us, cutting right to the chase.
Jay frowned as he hopped off his dragon. “No ‘hello, how's it going, glad to hear you saved the day...again?’”
The rest of us hopped off our dragons too, the majestic beasts vanishing into thin air as we did.
“Yeah, Sensei,” Cole agreed. “We're all a bit tired. You mind if we handle this tomorrow?”
“We all have a share if this business succeeds,” Sensei reminded us. “How else do you expect me to be able to afford all your new uniforms?” He set the box down, opening the flaps. “Which reminds me: your new ones arrived.”
New uniforms? I thought, confused. We’d all just received new ninja gis not too long ago. They were pretty sweet, too, and had lots of black for stealth. So why had Sensei bought us new ones?
The boys all excitedly crowded around to get a peek at the new uniforms.
“What do they look like now?” Kai wondered aloud.
“New suits?” Zane echoed, smiling.
Jay bounced up and down in excitement. “Sweet!”
“I bet they’re off the hook,” Cole guessed.
Sensei Wu reached into the box and pulled out...a t-shirt with the Steep Wisdom logo on it? I also spotted strange hats resembling teapots packed inside the box.
“Huh?” everyone muttered in confusion.
It took me a moment, but I soon realized what we were looking at. Oh. They’re work uniforms. That made much more sense.
“Those do not appear to be ninja uniforms,” Zane pointed out. “They resemble work attire.”
Our sensei nodded. “Very observant, Zane. We must focus on furthering brand awareness.” He then put the shirt aside, pulling a stack of paper fliers from the box. “And here are the fliers I want each of you to pass out in the city.”
He walked up to each of us, handing us all our own thick stack of fliers promoting the tea shop. I studied mine after he’d handed them to me, guessing that I was holding at least fifty. Well, this is one way to get the word out, I thought. I wasn’t sure how well this would go, but the shop needed customers. I was willing to give it my best shot, for Sensei Wu’s sake.
Jay immediately groaned. “Ugh! If I have to pass all these out, I may be the one passed out!”
His wordplay made me chuckle. After Sensei Wu had passed out all the fliers, he began distributing the work uniforms amongst us. All six of us received one, and I had mixed feelings about them. The t-shirt and apron I could live with. But the hat that was barely more than a fake teapot sitting on top of my head? That was just a tiny bit...much. There was no way I was telling Sensei that, though.
As we headed toward the shop, now wearing our work uniforms over our ninja gis, I saw Misako and Nya behind the counter inside. The phone suddenly began ringing as we walked in, and Misako rushed over to it.
“Oh! That could be our first order! Shh!” She quickly picked up the phone. “Steep Wisdom, how may we serve you?”
Kai frowned at Sensei. “Aren't we going to look kind of dorky flying up on our power dragons with these things on?”
As he spoke, I overheard Misako speaking on the phone in the background. “Yes, I see,” she said to whoever was on the other end. “And you need him right away?”
Sensei Wu turned to Kai, looking the tiniest bit smug. “You won't be flying on anything,” he announced. “We're selling tea, not magic. Besides, you all have been relying a little too heavily on your elemental powers lately. Real powers come from the inside.”
The familiar phrase brought a smile to my face. “Words to live by,” I stated in agreement. If Sensei didn’t want us using our powers for this, then I planned to respect his wishes. Besides, he had a point; we all had been using our elemental powers a lot lately, instead of our ninja training. I often tried to balance the two out when I fought, but it was admittedly tough to not take the easy route where we just used our cool powers.
Lloyd placed a hand on his uncle’s arm. “It would be our honor, Sensei,” he stated.
I popped up on his other side. “I second that!”
Meanwhile, Misako was nearing the end of her phone call. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll let him know right away.” We all turned to her curiously as she hung up the phone.
“Is it a big order?” Nya asked, excited.
“It’s the police,” Misako announced, her expression turning grim. “They’ve asked for Lloyd. There’s been a break-in at the museum.”
Everyone collectively gasped in shock.
A confused frown formed on my face, and I spoke up. “Just Lloyd?” I inquired.
I only asked because when the police or somebody else only needed a few ninja to help them out, they usually requested both the Green Ninja and Yellow Ninja, instead of just either one of us. The public viewed us as an iconic duo, and rarely saw us apart. They all figured, why not ask for the both of us? Lloyd was awesome, as well as the team leader. And me---well, not only was I pretty cool myself, but I was also the only female ninja. That still blew people’s minds for some reason.
Misako nodded at me in confirmation.
My frown vanished, but my suspicion remained. This was a little unusual. A part of me wanted to offer to go with Lloyd, but it was only a mere break-in. He could absolutely handle it on his own, and I didn’t want him to think that I thought otherwise. Besides, the police had only asked for him; it would be kind of awkward if I showed up, too.
I turned to Lloyd with a quiet sigh. “Well, looks like you’ve got important ninja things to do,” I stated, smiling at him. “Go on, hotshot. I’ll take your share.”
Lloyd smiled at my offer, handing me his stack of fliers. “Thanks, Rose. I owe you one.”
“Think of it as paying you back for this morning,” I replied with a warm smile. Normally, I would’ve just left it there and let him leave. But a weird feeling made me say more to him. “Be careful, okay?” I told him, still smiling but sending him a serious look.
“Hey, ‘careful’ is my middle name,” Lloyd stated playfully, stealing my own words from way back when.
I chuckled, and my nerves were put at ease for the moment. “Okay, ninja smarty-pants.”
Lloyd chuckled in return. He leaned over and gave me a quick goodbye kiss on my cheek. The two of us had grown a bit more comfortable with PDA, but we were still hesitant to do anything romantic around our family members---specifically our obnoxious brothers, who would tease us every chance they got.
Surprisingly, this time it wasn’t one of the boys who said anything, but Lloyd’s own mother. As Lloyd turned to leave, her words stopped him in his tracks.
“Aren’t you going to kiss your mother goodbye, too?” she inquired, clearly messing with him.
Lloyd immediately blushed, facepalming, and I tried to muffle my giggles. “Mom,” he admonished. “We’ve… We’ve talked about this. I-I’ll catch you on the way back.”
He scurried from the shop, and everyone burst out laughing as he ran away. I found it hilarious that he had no problem kissing his girlfriend, but was hesitant to kiss his own mother. I’d definitely be teasing him on that when he returned---and, based on the amused look I exchanged with Misako, so would she.
After Lloyd had left, Sensei Wu brought us all back on track. “Remember: no powers,” he stated, leaving no room for arguments.
Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane all groaned.
I smiled and nodded in understanding. “As you wish, Sensei,” I replied.
Turning to the open doorway, I watched Lloyd out in the courtyard as he removed his work uniform, pulled on his gi mask, and then summoned his dragon, taking off into the sky. I found myself gazing after him as he flew away on his sparkly green energy dragon, watching until he was well out of sight.
It was just a museum break-in. I wasn’t worried about him. Not at all.
Nope...
No way.
Not at all.
. . .
Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, and I all headed for Ninjago City to advertise Steep Wisdom to the people. We flew on our dragons to the outskirts of the city, then dismissed them and walked the rest of the way. I was proud that the boys were at least attempting to follow Sensei Wu’s wishes---but deep down, a part of me knew that they’d soon grow tired of it and probably start using their powers anyway. If they didn’t, then I’d be pleasantly surprised.
The four boys all began handing out fliers in relatively the same area. I didn’t think we would really spread the word that way, so I decided to branch out on my own to cover more ground. After all, I had both mine and Lloyd’s share of fliers to hand out (which bordered on a hundred); I wouldn’t have much success if I stayed near the others.
So, I walked over to the east side of the city, a good distance from where the boys were hanging out. I picked a street corner near the park, claimed my spot, and started handing out fliers.
Well... tried to hand out fliers was more accurate. Most people walking by barely spared me a glance other than to stare at my dorky hat, and far fewer even decided to actually look at, much less take any of the fliers. At first, I was very determined, remaining optimistic and trying everything I could think of to try and grab people’s interest. I even came up with a few slogans along the way:
“Come try Steep Wisdom, the best little tea shop in all of Ninjago!”
“Tea for the wise!”
“Steep Wisdom! Enlightenment in a cup!”
“Did I mention that your first cup is free with the flier?”
“Good tea is its own reward!”
“Best tea you’ll ever taste!”
“At Steep Wisdom, we make tea, not war!”
“Did you know that tea relieves stress?”
“Sip it up at Steep Wisdom!”
Unfortunately, despite my bright smile, enthusiastic demeanor, and fancy taglines, the people passing me by were just not interested in a new tea shop. After an hour and a half had gone by, I had only passed out a grand total of eleven fliers---five of which had been because a few passerby had recognized me as the Yellow Ninja, even while wearing the slightly ridiculous work uniform over my gi. They’d wanted a picture with me, or begged for my autograph---to which I agreed and signed a few fliers for them, after insisting that they pay a visit to Steep Wisdom. They assured me that they would stop by, but whether or not they actually would do so was a mystery.
The idea occurred to me that I could use my fame as a ninja to attract attention and get people to take the fliers so they could go visit Steep Wisdom. It would be a great way to get the word out and hand out all my fliers quickly---but deep down, I knew it wouldn’t be right. If I did that, people would only want to go to the tea shop because it was associated with the famous ninja, not because they were genuinely interested in tea. And I had a feeling that Sensei Wu would prefer customers that actually wanted to buy tea because they liked tea, not because the ninja told them to. Steep Wisdom might even get turned into a tourist attraction that was only famous because the ninja and their sensei took residence there.
So, that idea was scrapped. I also refused to use my powers, genuinely wanting to do this Sensei Wu’s way. After all, I had learned long ago from Lloyd’s father that one should never rely on their powers too much, and it was a principle I had always tried to uphold ever since.
That day in the barren mountains played over in my head…
“Ninjago is no different,” Garmadon had told us. “It put too much faith in technology, allowing the Overlord to return. And because of your friends, now the world is without power. When one relies on something too much, we become weak, vulnerable, imbalanced.”
I made a noise of understanding. “So what you’re saying is that we shouldn’t rely on our powers all the time?”
“Precisely,” he replied. “In order to find your full potential and unlock your true powers, you both must find your own balance.”
...Gee, I missed him a lot. He’d used his past mistakes to teach us important lessons, and I’d enjoyed his words of wisdom just as I enjoyed Sensei Wu’s. And even though I didn’t get the chance to ever admit it to him...he’d been becoming something like a father to me.
Pushing the sad thoughts away, I thought hard about what to do. It was an unfortunate fact that tea just wasn’t that popular with most people. I’d come to like drinking hot tea to unwind, but most of my age group didn’t care for the stuff. Kids didn’t care for it, either, and honestly, a lot of adults preferred coffee to hot tea. So why would they be interested in a new tea shop?
It was then that an idea came to me.
No offense to Sensei Wu, but the age group that usually loved to drink tea was the senior citizens. None of them probably drank tea religiously like Sensei did, but they still enjoyed it, and some probably preferred it over any other drink. Well, at least, it had been a big staple with the older folks back in Jamonakai Village. Would it be the same here?
Wait a minute. Isn’t there a retirement village just outside the city? A smile formed on my face as the idea grew more and more appealing.
And so, I abandoned my street corner and made my way toward the retirement village. I still attempted to hand out fliers along the way. Thankfully, the walk wasn’t too long, and I was soon approaching the quaint section of town. I also may or may not have taken off my teapot hat along the way, because it might’ve been annoying me---but that detail wasn’t important.
It turned out to be the smartest decision I’d made all day. Literally everyone I came across took a flier. Not a single soul denied a flier, taking one even if it was just to be nice. I met old couples in the park, lone seniors out for a walk, and I even went door-to-door for a little while. I kept my bright smile on the entire time, and remained as patient and friendly as possible. I even happily listened to a few stories when a man or woman would start rambling about a relative of theirs or a memory or two. It turned out to be a lot of fun.
A lot of them admitted to me that most people their age were always looking for excuses to go out and about, try things they’ve never tried before. After all, most people could only stand to stay in one place for so long. A few also griped about the lack of tea shops in the city (the only other one I could think of was Mystake’s tea shop, but her teas were more...special). Once I let them know that their first cup was free if they brought the flier, they were all too eager to take one.
And so, I’m extremely proud to announce that I handed out ALL of my fliers. Every single one of them. Including Lloyd’s. Without using my powers whatsoever.
I think it was safe to say that I’d earned the right to brag about it to the boys.
As the sun set on the horizon, I strode out of the retirement village, not a single flier left in hand. I was still smiling, and I held my head a little higher as I left. Sensei would be proud, and his praise would be a perfect end to a perfect day.
Or so I foolishly believed.
I was just outside of the retirement village, planning on regrouping with the boys and heading back home. I took a few steps down the sidewalk, but a gust of wind made me screech to a halt.
Yes. Wind.
Normally, I never spared a gust of wind or a breeze a second thought. But not only did this wind make me stop walking, it made my proud smile slowly disappear. It had barely moved my hair and was gone in a few short seconds, but its presence lingered ominously, unsettling me. The wind, for some reason, had felt extremely...off, for lack of a better word. It hadn’t felt natural at all. I had no idea how I could tell that something was off, but I chalked it up to instinct or intuition. I’d always seemed to have a sixth sense of sorts that gave me a bad feeling right before something big happened.
That same feeling was forming in the pit of my stomach right now.
As I tried to process what had just happened, I suddenly felt like I was being watched. Startled, I whirled around, searching for the source of the eyes I was sure were staring at me. I spent a long minute scanning every direction, but I found nothing. None of the few people meandering about were even looking my way.
Perhaps it was nothing. Maybe I was being too paranoid. But instinct and anxiety won over me, and so I immediately summoned my dragon. The bright yellow dragon carried me into the sky, and I steered it in the direction where I’d last seen the boys. Maybe they had felt the wind, too.
It didn’t take me long to find them, standing in a small park that sat in the middle of a four-way intersection on the main street. To my mild surprise, there was a person-shaped hole that’d been smashed into the ground, and Zane was climbing out of it, looking dazed. What the heck is going on? As I came in for a landing, the four boys noticed me. To my confusion, at the sight of me they looked...shocked?
“What’s up, brothers?” I greeted, smiling as I hopped off my dragon and landed in front of them. “Ready to pack up and head home?”
Cole frowned in confusion. “Wait, Aurora...you still have your powers?”
I only grew more confused at his surprised inquiry. I held up my hand, summoning a bright orb of yellow light for him to see. “Uh, last I checked, yeah.” I made the light vanish, putting my hand back down at my side. “Why? What’s going on?”
“Aw, no fair!” Jay whined as I used my light, looking exasperated. “How come you still have yours?!”
Kai was the one to offer me an explanation. “None of our powers are working.”
“Wait, what?” I exclaimed, somehow even more confused than before. “You guys can’t use your powers? Why?”
“You think I’d be freaking out if we knew the answer to that?!” Jay snapped.
“There was this mysterious wind,” Kai informed me, making my eyes widen. “One minute, we were all using our powers. But after the wind blew in, all our elements just...vanished.”
Cole scowled. “Even my super strength is gone. I was nearly flattened by a car!”
I held up a hand. “Hang on,” I interjected. “You guys felt the wind, too? It felt unnatural to me, but I thought I was just being paranoid.” I guess my instincts were still reliable.
“Well, it was definitely unnatural,” Kai agreed.
Zane, seemingly no longer dazed, joined the group conversation. “But you still have your powers, Aurora,” he pointed out. “I wonder why the wind extinguished our elemental powers, but not yours.”
I frowned, looking down at my hands. “I have no idea,” I admitted.
What the heck was going on?
A realization suddenly struck me. “Hey, wait a minute!” I exclaimed, pointing at the boys accusingly. “You guys were using your powers? Sensei specifically told us NOT to use them!”
“Well, how else were we supposed to get people to take those fliers?” Kai argued. “Nobody was interested before we whipped out our powers!”
A grin spread across my face, and I cackled. “Did you guys even try? I’ll have you know that I passed out each and every one of my fliers and didn’t use my elemental power once! Both mine and Lloyd’s share!”
Cole grumbled. “Show-off…”
“That is not showing off,” I told him. “It’s following simple instructions and using my brain.” I smiled again. “You know what? I know why I still have my powers. It’s because I didn’t rely on them, and all of you did! The universe is punishing you guys.”
“What powers?!” Jay shouted. “Where did they go?! We have to see Wu!”
The argument was forgotten for the moment, and we all agreed with him. Something was wrong, and hopefully, our sensei would be able to tell us what.
“Are we supposed to walk all the way back to the shop?” Kai complained. “That could take hours!”
He and the other boys stopped, and seemed to have the same idea at the same time. They all turned to look at me, and it took me a moment to figure out what they were thinking.
“Oh, no,” I protested, shaking my head. “Get real, guys. There’s no way that all five of us can fit on my dragon!”
Zane smiled. “You never know until you try.”
“We don’t really have a choice, Aurora,” Cole stated.
I hesitated for a moment longer, then relented, sighing. “Okay, we can try. But if anyone falls off, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I leapt into the air and summoned my light dragon. Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane all hopped on behind me, sitting along the dragon’s long neck. After making sure that everyone was holding on tight, I grabbed the reins and let my dragon rise from the ground. I slowly rose into the air, letting my brothers adjust to the movement, and then I whipped the reins and zoomed forward.
The boys all let out a collective “Whoa!” but luckily nobody fell off. They all held tightly onto the person in front of them as we zoomed out of the city. I didn’t go as fast as I normally did while riding my dragon, but I still made haste back to the valley. Thankfully, we soon arrived without incident.
Night had barely fallen as I landed my power dragon in the courtyard. Immediately, everyone hopped off, and I dismissed my dragon as the five of us scurried into the tea shop.
“Sensei!” Zane exclaimed as we all burst through the front doors.
“It’s an emergency!” Jay yelled.
“We need you!” Kai shouted.
“It’s important!” Cole exclaimed.
Inside the shop, Sensei Wu was nowhere in sight at the moment. Misako stood behind the counter, handing two customers a paper bag that I assumed was full of tea. It was a mother and daughter, and I saw the little girl’s face light up at the sight of us.
“Boys, not so loud,” Misako scolded after the guys were done shouting. “Can’t you see we have our first customer?”
The little girl wandered up to Jay, beaming. “Wow! The real ninja! Ooh, can you shock me?”
Jay frowned. “Uh...not now, kid. Maybe later, okay?”
I walked around them and went up to Misako. “Where’s Sensei?” I asked.
Just as I asked, Sensei Wu walked out from the back room, carrying a bag.
“Sensei!” Kai exclaimed as we all rushed up to him.
“Yes?” Sensei inquired.
The boys began rapidly explaining.
“We were getting the word out…” Kai began.
“And there was this wind!” Cole continued.
“And all our powers disappeared, except for Aurora’s,” Zane told him.
Sensei Wu immediately frowned in disapproval. “You were using your powers?”
“I wasn’t!” I immediately piped up.
“Yeah, I know. We’re terrible students,” Jay agreed. “But what happened to our powers?!”
Outside the shop, I heard the loud creaking of the windmill. The wind was kicking up, whistling loudly, and I suddenly felt a cold sense of dread settle over me.
A grim look passed over Sensei Wu’s face. “If your powers are gone, then something must have happened to…” He trailed off, his eyes widening in horror.
I gasped, knowing what he was afraid to say. Lloyd!
He still wasn’t back. Something had happened to him. Where the heck was he?
Sensei Wu seemed to spot something behind us. He walked around us, and I followed closely behind him. Outside, dark clouds had covered the moon and stars, darkening the valley. The wind whipped violently, kicking up dust and whisking away fallen leaves. I followed Sensei’s gaze, and saw a figure walk through the gate at the far end of the courtyard. They pulled off their mask to reveal…
Lloyd.
But...it...it wasn’t Lloyd.
Even from a distance, I could tell that something wasn’t right with him. His expression was off, and he was wearing unfamiliar clothing, including some strange-looking armor. And even if his outward appearance wasn’t wrong, there were plenty of other things telling me that something wasn’t right. I wanted to run to him, to try and fix whatever was wrong, but instinct made me resist the urge.
Something was very, very, very wrong here.
But what?
The little girl excitedly pointed at him. “It’s Lloyd!” she announced happily.
I shook my head, putting my arm in front of her protectively. I found myself uttering the awful words that I didn’t want to say, didn’t want to be true. “That… That’s not Lloyd.”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Sensei agreed in a grim whisper. “I know that wind…”
Hearing Sensei Wu confirm my grim suspicion made my underlying fear morph into horror.
As I stood there, frozen, the boys all ventured out into the courtyard. Seeing them move made me snap out of whatever confused, fearful daze I was in---and after quickly removing my Steep Wisdom t-shirt and apron to expose my ninja gi beneath, I followed them outside. I remained behind them for the moment as we all walked to the center of the courtyard, still trying to wrap my head around whatever the heck was happening. I still couldn’t decide whether to rush over to Lloyd--not Lloyd--or demand answers from a safe distance. The emotional part of me was urging me to fix this, fix this right now , but the more logical side of me said to use caution.
As the boys halted in a defensive line, me still behind them, not-Lloyd spoke. “Step aside,” he demanded in a slightly deep, somewhat raspy voice that was most definitely not Lloyd’s. It only further confirmed that something was very wrong with him.
Jay decided to ask the million-dollar question. “Lloyd!” he cried over the wind. “What’s wrong with you?”
Instead of providing an answer, not-Lloyd made another demand. “I want a word with your master.”
He wants Sensei? Why did everyone always have some sort of beef with Sensei Wu?
Jay blinked in surprise. “Whoa,” he exclaimed softly. “Lloyd’s gone through puberty.”
If this situation weren’t growing more terrifying by the minute, I might’ve spared a chuckle at his humor. But at the moment, a small part of me wanted to smack him, because this was NOT the time for jokes.
“What’s gotten into him?” Cole wondered aloud.
Zane, as always, provided some insight. “I sense some kind of foreign entity has taken over his body,” he informed us. “So the question isn't what, but who 's gotten into him?”
Foreign entity?
Taken over his body?!
Did that mean… Was he saying that Lloyd was...being possessed by something?!
Right now, that was all the information I needed.
My fear was suddenly replaced with an underlying fury that had been waiting for a reason to bubble up to the surface. My concerned expression turned hostile, and I stepped out from behind the boys and into view, moving to stand in front of them. Whatever this threat was--whatever had taken control of the boy I loved--I had the best chance of stopping it right now before it grew worse. After all, I was the only ninja with elemental powers at the moment. As soon as I had a clear view of not-Lloyd, I shot him a furious glare (which pained me to do, because he was still technically Lloyd). When I stopped in front of the boys, I held my arms out at my sides at the ready, summoning a brilliantly bright orb of light in the palm of each hand.
With a voice that sounded a lot more confident than I felt, I spoke. “Whatever problem you have with our sensei, if you want to get to him, then you’re gonna have to go through us.”
As I threatened him and held my light at the ready, not-Lloyd’s attention focused solely on me. For the briefest of moments, so quick that I almost missed it, there was a flash of utter surprise in his eyes. But it was quickly gone, and it took only a moment for him to come to some sort of realization. That was when his hostile scowl morphed into a delighted smile.
“Ah! The fabled Yellow Ninja,” he greeted, giving me a look that I couldn’t quite read. His tone was suddenly far less threatening, almost as if he were...making an effort to be pleasant? “We meet at last!”
His words and sudden change in demeanor were very startling, and for a few seconds, it made me lose my confidence and anger. “Huh?” I muttered, my light fading as I grew hesitant.
Not-Lloyd approached me, still smiling. Even though he wore Lloyd’s face, the friendly expression looked very wrong. “I knew I’d find you sooner or later,” he said, further confusing me. “The prophecy said you would be powerful, but it failed to mention how... lovely you would be.”
Before my body and brain could catch up with him, he was suddenly right in front of me, swiftly lifting my hand and planting a kiss on the back of it.
My brain stopped working.
... What .
...What the actual heck?
He...
Was he---
Was he hitting on me?!
Oh HELL no.
If this was Lloyd, I would’ve been a blushing, giggling mess by now. But coming from some creepy entity possessing Lloyd’s body, all it did was make me shudder in revulsion.
It took a longer moment than it should’ve, but my systems sprung to life again. I quickly came to my senses and yanked my hand from his grip so lightning-fast that you would’ve missed it if you blinked. My hostile, furious expression quickly masked my bewilderment, and I took a giant step backward in order to be closer to my brothers behind me.
“Listen, creep,” I growled so angrily that it should’ve shocked me. “I don’t know who or what in the world you think you are, but I’m only gonna say this once: get the hell OUT of my boy, or I’ll Spinjitzu you back to the filthy hole you came from!”
Not-Lloyd merely chuckled at my threat, also taking a step backward. “Interesting,” was all he said, in a very cryptic tone.
Kai stepped up, moving in front of me protectively. “Give us back our friend,” he demanded. “Now!”
Not-Lloyd stood still, cracking his neck as if preparing for a fight. He laughed again, but it was much more malicious this time. My elemental light instinctively rose to the surface again, ready to be unleashed if there became a need.
“How are we supposed to fight a friend?” Cole wondered aloud.
He was right; someone else might be in control of Lloyd now, but it was still Lloyd. How could we consciously hurt him?
Not-Lloyd smirked. “Let me show you!”
As he spoke, his appearance suddenly changed. He still wore Lloyd’s face, but his sandy blond hair turned dark as night, and his skin went extremely pale, slightly tinged with a sickly green. Dark shadows surrounded his eyes---not Lloyd’s kind, bright eyes any longer, but the evil eyes of the one who possessed him.
The sight filled me with terror.
I hate to admit it, but I was caught off guard for a moment. That was the opening not-Lloyd needed to quickly sprint forward and leap into the air, sending a strong gust of wind down at us. All five of us were blown backward, screaming, and I landed hard on my back near the tea shop’s entrance. Not-Lloyd cackled at us, and it was the most unsettling laughter I think I’d ever heard.
“Great!” Jay exclaimed as we all picked ourselves up off the ground. “We don’t have powers, but he does?!”
Like so many other times, I made myself push away my terror and bewilderment, replacing them with determination. “He’s not the only one with powers,” I reminded him. I tugged my mask over my head--hoping it would hide any future expressions of terror and shock--and summoned my light again. It glowed brighter than before, fueled by my fury and determination. Normally, I’d try to fight without powers and only bring them out if normal ninja skills weren’t working---but this situation was way too dire. And I was angry.
Whoever had dared to possess Lloyd against his will was going down.
I sprinted at him, my hands both full of bright yellow light that lit up the dark atmosphere. Not-Lloyd smirked again when he laid eyes on me, and readied himself. When I was nearly upon him, he threw up his hands and sent a blast of wind straight at me. I was ready for it this time, and swiftly flipped out of its way. As soon as I was upright again, I immediately threw a beam of light at him. Unfortunately, he dodged it, but only barely; he obviously hadn’t been expecting me to retaliate so quickly.
I stood my ground, getting ready to attack again, when I hesitated. Was I really thinking this through? If I managed to land an attack, would it hurt him, or would it hurt Lloyd? I wanted to save Lloyd, of course, but did I really have to hurt him to do so?
As not-Lloyd and I came to an impasse, I saw Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane all charging toward their possessed friend. I decided to double back and join them.
Cole leapt at not-Lloyd first, but was quickly whacked away. He kicked Jay back, tossed Zane aside, and drop-kicked Kai, sending him flying. He fended them off easily, as if he were batting away mere flies. It definitely wasn’t a fair fight, as the boys didn’t have any powers to battle with at the moment. I leapt at him right after Kai did, aiming a kick at his chest and hoping to catch him off guard. He was expecting me this time, and grabbed my foot, throwing me away from him while I was still in midair. I cried out in surprise, landing roughly on my side and skidding in the dirt. However, I managed to recover as I moved, rolling to my feet and digging them into the dirt to stop myself.
Whoever this guy was, he had been trained well---as much as I hated to admit it.
The boys, all scattered about the courtyard as I was, struggled to pick themselves back up. Cole grew determined as he rose to his feet again.
“We may not have powers, but we still know a little thing called Spinjitzu!” he stated.
The violent wind surrounding us roared in my ears, reminding me of its presence, and I reached out a hand toward Cole in warning. “Cole, wait, don’t!”
My warning came too late, as Cole cried “Ninja, go!” and twisted into his tornado of Spinjitzu. He immediately charged at not-Lloyd, who didn’t move an inch. He didn’t even look concerned. With a wave of his hand, he sent a gust of wind crashing into Cole’s Spinjitzu vortex. It knocked the earth ninja off balance, making his tornado vanish and sending him flying through the air. He slammed against the wall of the tea shop, crying out in pain.
“Cole!” I exclaimed, ignoring not-Lloyd for a moment and scurrying over to him.
Meanwhile, Jay was growing more frustrated by the minute. “So not only does he have powers, but he can control the wind, too?!”
The element of wind. Was there such a thing as an Elemental Master of Wind? Was it whoever was possessing Lloyd now? Sensei Wu had never mentioned such a thing.
I quickly arrived at Cole’s side, tugging off my mask. Several feet away, I spotted Sensei ushering Misako and the two customers from before toward the truck parked over by the barn. I couldn’t hear what he was saying--the wind was way too loud--but he was most likely telling Misako to evacuate with the innocents. He ran back inside the shop, and I turned my attention back to Cole.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Cole grunted. “I’ve taken harder hits,” he assured me. I offered him a hand, and he grabbed it, letting me tug him to his feet. He staggered a little and winced, still in pain, but seemed relatively okay. “Don’t worry about me. Go protect Sensei Wu.”
I frowned, hesitating. I looked behind me at not-Lloyd, who was fighting Kai, Jay, and Zane, then looked back at Cole. “B-But… Lloyd. I have to help him! I---”
“I hate to say this, especially to you, but that’s not Lloyd,” Cole reminded me, speaking the same words I had at the beginning of this mess. “We’ll fight him with all we’ve got and try to get Lloyd back, but right now, whoever’s possessing him is after Wu.”
I understood what he was saying, but was still hesitant. “I’m the only one of us with powers, Cole,” I reminded him. “You need me out here.”
“No, we need you protecting Sensei Wu,” Cole stated. “You’re the one who’s best suited for that right now.”
He was right. I didn’t like it, but he had a point. Whoever was controlling Lloyd was after our sensei for some reason, and even though he could very well take care of himself, not-Lloyd posed a serious threat. As the only ninja with an elemental power at the moment, I had the best chance of stopping him if the others didn’t first.
I really, really did not want to leave Lloyd…
No, that wasn’t what I was doing. As soon as Sensei was safe, I’d come straight back to rescue him.
I relented with a small nod. “Okay. We’ll do it your way,” I told him. Cole’s judgement was always rock-solid, and I trusted him.
Cole gave me a small, reassuring smile. “We’ll get through this, sis. Go.”
Casting one last glance at Lloyd-- not Lloyd--I sprinted inside the tea shop. The wind outside was blasting through the open doors, and it was shaking the hanging lights and everything else that wasn’t completely tied down or heavy. I scurried around the counter and into the back room, where Sensei Wu and Nya were.
Nya turned to me as I approached. “Aurora!”
I stopped next to her, facing Sensei Wu. “Sensei, what in the world is going on?!” I asked, knowing that he was the only one who knew. “What’s happened to Lloyd? How do we save him? Who the heck is possessing him? Why can he control the wind?”
“There’s no time,” was his response to my barrage of frantic questions, quickly gathering a bag and his old bamboo staff.
Frustration was added to the pile of emotions I was feeling right now. I had to know what was going on! If I had a clue as to what was happening, then I could help Lloyd! But I knew that Sensei was right. Everything was happening so fast, and there was no time for the giant explanation I sensed was behind this.
I heard screams outside, and turned back to see Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane all being tossed around by not-Lloyd’s powerful gusts of wind. I also saw Misako quickly drive out of the courtyard, and I breathed a sigh of relief as they escaped. The wind then made the front doors slam shut, cutting us off from the events outside. I heard the wind grow louder, and more shouting from the boys.
Worrying for them and for what was coming, I told Sensei to stay in the back room, and ran up to the counter to face the doors. Nya followed me, standing at my side and trying to stay brave.
It wasn’t long before the doors were blasted open, revealing an angry not-Lloyd stomping into the tea shop. By now, he was emitting some sort of sickly green aura, and it struck me as familiar for some reason.
Banishing my fear again, I flipped over the counter, blocking not-Lloyd’s path. He stopped just inside the door, his anger turning into interest.
I decided to take the momentary impasse to try and reach the boy I loved. “Lloyd!” I shouted, looking into not-Lloyd’s evil eyes and hoping I’d see something familiar in them. “I know you can hear me! You can fight this! You can fight him ! Don’t let him take control! You’re too stubborn for that!”
For a second, I thought I saw something familiar flash in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it had come, and all that remained was not-Lloyd’s laughter. “He can’t hear you,” he stated, but I immediately didn’t believe him. “And you can’t help him!”
Anger surged within me again, and I geared up to attack. Not-Lloyd was faster, though, and unleashed a huge gust of wind that swept me aside. I yelled as I was sent crashing into the shelves of tea lining the east wall. I fell to the floor, dazed as pain shot through me. Was this how Cole had felt earlier?
“Aurora! No!” Nya cried. Through my blurry vision, I saw her turn to not-Lloyd with a glare, nobly standing her ground. “Get out!” she yelled at him.
“Go stock some shelves before you get hurt,” not-Lloyd told her, clearly not taking her seriously.
Nya slammed her fist on the counter. “I’ll take you on anytime!”
Nya was tougher than most of us---but without her Samurai X gear, she didn’t stand much of a chance alone against the supposed Master of Wind. With a grunt of pain, I willed myself to move. Get up! I urged myself, moving my aching limbs. You have to protect Nya and Sensei, and save Lloyd! Stand up! I grabbed the shelf with a hand, using it to lift myself off the ground. As soon as I got back on my feet and shook my head to clear it, I felt marginally better, turning back to the scene.
Before Nya could move to attack, Sensei Wu rushed out of the back room. He grabbed her by the shoulder, stopping her.
“Stay back, Nya,” he told her. “It’s me he wants.”
“Not you,” the unwelcome intruder corrected. “Just your father’s staff.”
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Sensei’s old bamboo staff? Why would he want that?
Sensei Wu held said staff with both hands, pointing it at not-Lloyd defensively. “I see you've found the Allied Armor, Morro---yet you haven't summoned your friends.”
Morro. So that was the creep’s name. That was one question answered, but many more remained. The first of which was: how was he possessing Lloyd like this? And why?
Morro--or Morro using Lloyd’s body, anyway--grinned. “Your pathetic students haven’t given me a reason to,” he answered Sensei. “The Yellow Ninja seems to be the only one you’ve decently trained.”
It was a compliment, but I wasn’t having it. You took away the boys’ powers, and you still have your own! It’s not their fault that you’re a cheater! I was still wondering why I could use my powers, yet the boys could not.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Jay protested from outside, having heard Morro’s words. “No one calls me pathetic!”
Morro turned toward him and the others, smirking. He used his wind to slam the doors shut, cutting them off from us and causing many breakable things to fall and shatter on the ground around us.
It was the opening I needed.
Lloyd, I silently said, please forgive me if this hurts you!
I leapt forward and summoned my light at the same time, charging at Morro. With a cry of fury, I aimed a flying kick at his back. Morro was caught off guard, and I finally landed an attack on him, kicking him into the doors he’d just slammed shut. I didn’t waste a second, landing next to him and blasting him away with a beam of bright light as soon as my feet touched the ground. He went tumbling to the floor near where I’d crashed a minute earlier, and despite it being Lloyd’s body I was really hurting, I felt a twinge of satisfaction knowing I’d hurt Morro, too.
It didn’t take long for Morro to pick himself up, chuckling as he did. “Impressive,” he admitted, making that amused smile he seemed to reserve only for me. It was starting to drive me insane. “Few have ever taken me by surprise.”
“Few have ever made me this angry,” I shot back, leering at him as I readied my light again. “You’re in for a world of pain.”
Morro, once again, laughed at my threat. Before either one of us could attack again, Sensei Wu ran out from behind the counter, stopping in front of me.
“Enough!” he declared, glaring at Morro. “You will not harm my students anymore.”
“Come on, old man,” Morro replied. “You should know that I would never intentionally harm the Yellow Ninja.”
His words caught me off guard again. Intentionally? So tossing me into a shelf wasn’t “intentionally” harming me? And another question to add to the ever-growing pile: why did Morro seem to be so interested in me?
“Then don’t,” Sensei Wu told him, readying himself for a fight. “You want the staff? Try to take it.”
Morro yelled in fury, leaping at Sensei before I could move to stop him. He pinned Sensei to the floor, the staff separating them. Sensei quickly shoved Morro backward to rise to his feet. The two held the staff firmly, each one of them tugging it as they moved about the room. Morro then rushed forward, pushing Sensei Wu backward and pinning him against a shelf.
“You’ve gotten old,” he observed, amused. “You used to be a great sensei. Now you’re just a petty shopkeep.”
“With age comes wisdom,” Sensei shot back.
Suddenly, he picked his feet up off the ground, placing them on the shelf behind him and using that leverage to shove Morro off of him. Morro staggered backward, and the staff flew out of both their hands. It landed between me and where Sensei had fallen, rolling in a clump of dust on the wooden floor. To everyone’s shock, when the staff rolled across the dust, it left symbols behind.
No way.
“A secret message engraved on the staff,” Sensei Wu gasped, apparently as surprised as I was.
Behind him, Morro rose to his feet. “The staff of the first Spinjitzu master,” he stated.
I couldn’t imagine what the secret message meant, or why it was even on the staff. All I knew was that Morro would not be taking it.
I darted forward before Morro could move, swiping the staff off the ground. I held it close with both hands, leering at Morro again.
Morro merely smirked, summoning his wind. He sent a gust my way, grabbing the staff with it. It was suddenly being pulled toward him, but I stubbornly hung onto it, digging my heels into the floor as his wind dragged me inch by inch toward him. I used all my strength and tried my best, but his wind was too powerful, yanking me over to him.
Morro grabbed onto the staff, smiling at me as I tried wrenching it from his grasp. “Sorry, my lady,” he said, trying to sound chivalrous, “but I’m not leaving without this staff.”
My lady. That’s what Lloyd always called me. The two simple words made me freeze, and for a brief moment, instead of seeing Lloyd’s dark, possessed demeanor, I saw his kind, smiling face.
I was quickly snapped out of it as the shelf behind Morro came crashing down on top of him, making him let go of the staff. Nya stood next to the fallen shelf, smirking triumphantly.
“I do more than stock shelves!” she stated.
I shook my head, chasing away the memories nagging at me. “Way to go, Nya,” I praised.
“Yes,” Sensei agreed as I handed his father’s staff over to him. “Now, we leave.”
Nya ran to the door and threw it open, Sensei hot on her heels. “To the barn!” she announced, running past the boys outside.
“Wait!” I shouted, stepping outside but not following them. “I am not running away from Lloyd!”
“She’s right!” Kai agreed. “We can’t just leave him!”
Sensei Wu stopped, turning back to face us with a grim expression. “We will not win this fight today.”
Zane, Cole, and Jay all immediately heeded his words, running with him and Nya to the barn.
Kai, after one last glance at the open shop doors, sighed in defeat. “Come on, Aurora,” he urged, reluctantly turning and running after the others.
I stayed put. I watched him rush toward the barn with the others, not knowing that I wasn’t following him. No, I would not leave Lloyd alone. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I told him a long time ago that I’d never leave him, and I planned to keep my word.
I also promised his father that I’d take care of him. I wasn’t about to break that promise.
I faced the open tea shop doors, taking a deep, calming breath to steady my racing heart. I could reach Lloyd, I knew I could---I just had to try. I took a few tentative steps toward the entrance.
Before I reached it, I heard Morro’s furious shout. “Give me the staff!”
There was a loud crash, and a strong gust of wind blew out of the entrance, knocking me backward. I hit the ground in the center of the courtyard, and rolled backward so I was on my feet again. As I stood, I saw the Destiny’s Bounty rising out of the barn and into the dark sky. Craning my neck upward, I spotted four concerned faces peering over the side of the ship, looking down at me.
I smiled a little, turning my attention back to the entrance. No doubt they think I’m crazy. Honestly, this probably was a little crazy. Morro was powerful, and I wasn’t entirely sure I could defeat him by myself.
But I would gladly do whatever it took to save Lloyd.
Morro appeared in the doorway, blasting the doors off their hinges with his wind. He spotted the Bounty flying away, and ran toward it. I immediately leapt in front of him, blocking his path. He skidded to a stop a foot away from me, scoffing at my stubbornness.
“Are you sure you want to stand in my way?” he asked.
I stood my ground confidently. “If that’s what it takes to save Lloyd, then yes,” I replied. “I promised to look after him, and I intend to.”
Morro charged at me, and I was ready for him. He swung his fist at me, and I ducked underneath it. I immediately moved to his side, aiming a kick at his leg, but he stepped out of the way in time. He then ran at me, and I threw up my arms to stop him. Our hands collided, and we began pushing against each other.
I took the moment to try and reach Lloyd again.
“Lloyd,” I called, looking into his eyes. “I know you’re in there! Fight him! Fight him with me! You can do it!”
Thinking quickly, I let go of Morro’s hands and swiftly moved behind him, pinning one of his arms behind his back and holding him close with my free arm. I used every drop of strength I had left, somehow holding him in place as he struggled.
“The staff is getting away,” Morro exclaimed as we watched the Bounty slowly drift further away. “Let go of me!”
“Only when you let go of Lloyd!” I shot back. “Let him go! Now!”
Morro grabbed my arm, trying to pull me off of him. He grunted as he strained himself, and I saw his eyes clench shut. After a long moment, he opened them again---but this time, they were eyes I recognized.
“Aurora…”
Lloyd!
That was Lloyd’s voice!
I gasped, immediately letting go of him and moving around to face him. I grabbed his wrists firmly, just in case Morro took control again. “Lloyd!” I exclaimed, relief washing through me for one blissful moment. “I’m right here, Lloyd! Keep fighting him! You can do it!”
He struggled to lift his head, and he gave me the most desperate, scared look I’d ever seen him make. “H-Help me…”
His broken tone shattered my heart, and tears quickly sprung to my eyes. “I-I’m trying, Lloyd! I promise!” I assured him, a tear dripping down my cheek. “Listen to me. I swear, I will save you. I’ll get you back if it’s the last thing I do! And until I do, I want you to keep fighting. I know how stubborn you are. Never stop fighting him. Never give up hope. I’ll get you out of this! Just hang in there for me! I’ll never stop fighting for you!”
Another tear fell from my eyes, and I hoped that I could fully break through to him, that I could free him from Morro’s control. “Lloyd, always remember: I love---”
I was cut off with a yelp as something suddenly yanked me into the air. I was forced to let go of Lloyd’s hands, and I saw that the Bounty’s anchor had scooped me off the ground, pulling me up toward the ship.
“No! Guys! Wait!” I shouted up at them. I frantically glanced back down at Morro, seeing him struggling to regain control over Lloyd again. “Let me go! Please! I-I saw Lloyd! He’s still in there! I was getting through to him! Put me down! I can’t leave him!” I reached down toward the hunched-over figure below. “Lloyd! NO!”
The others didn’t listen, and the anchor continued forcefully dragging me away from Lloyd. As I saw Morro regain his control, I felt an overwhelming urge to break down and cry.
The anchor reached the Bounty, and the boys immediately pulled me over the side and onto the deck. I felt far too many emotions as I stood there, not knowing how to process it all. The sails rattled around, making me look back over the edge of the ship. Morro was using his wind to keep the Bounty from leaving, trying to tug it backward.
Spotting Nya at the helm up on the bridge, I scurried up there, running over to her. “We have to go back, Nya! Please!”
Nya gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry, Aurora. That’s what I’m trying to avoid.”
I shook my head. “You don’t understand! Lloyd, he was---”
I was cut off as the ship began tilting backward, making me and Nya slide backward.
“Oh no!” Nya yelled as she was wrenched away from the wheel.
An idea quickly sprung to mind, and I turned to Nya. “Give me your hand!”
She put her hand in mine, and using the last bit of strength I had, I tossed her back up to the steering wheel. I blinked in mild surprise; I didn’t think I’d have that much strength left in me.
Nya reached the wheel, grabbing onto a lever. “I got it!” she exclaimed, pulling the lever down.
As soon as she did, the ship’s main booster activated, blasting us out of Morro’s hold and up, up, and away from the valley.
We’d escaped.
But all I felt was anguish. This was the exact opposite of a victory.
I slowly got to my feet as the ship flattened out again, feeling numb. A part of me wanted to start bawling my eyes out, and another part of me was angry---with Morro, with my family, with everything. There were also countless other emotions I was feeling, but I couldn’t decide which one to let loose first. So instead, I bottled them up for now, and numbly stared at the floor.
“Whew!” Nya cried in relief. “That was close. The coast is clear.”
I said nothing, fearing I’d snap or break down crying if I did. I could feel the boys’ concerned gazes on me, but I ignored them, still looking at the floor.
Jay sighed. “Spill it, Sensei,” he demanded, turning toward our sensei with the others. “What just happened back there, and what have they done to my friend?!”
I looked over at Sensei, too, also wanting to hear the impending explanation.
“Yeah, Sensei,” Cole urged. “Who was that?”
Sensei Wu sighed tiredly, an old wound haunting his expression. “You five were not my first pupils,” he revealed. “There was one before you.”
My eyes widened. Morro knew Sensei because...he used to be his student?!
“Huh?” Kai muttered.
“What?” Cole exclaimed.
Sensei Wu frowned deeply. “Morro,” he told us. “The Master of Wind.”
So my suspicions were correct: there was a Master of Wind. And that was Morro.
Before I could process this any more, Nya spoke up. “Okay, now those lights scare me,” she said, pointing up at the radar on the monitor. “We got something on our six.”
I saw a giant red dot closing in on the Bounty, moving fast. It could only be one thing.
“Looks like your Master of Wind just caught his second wind,” Nya announced grimly.
It was amazing how so much could change in so little time. Just this morning, Lloyd and I had happily spent time together. And now… Now he’d been possessed by some creepy entity called Morro---and I had no idea how I was going to get him back.
What had begun as an absolutely perfect day had transformed into a horrifying nightmare.