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In the desert expanse surrounding Ninjago’s Kryptarium Prison, not all was barren. As a hundred feet away, with torn, green clothing stained with red providing a stark contrast against the dunes, there lay a boy no older than sixteen. If one hadn’t known any better—if they had just stumbled across him, having not witnessed the broadcast that displayed to the entire continent what led to this point—they would simply assume that there was no life in this body, that he’d met an unfortunate end before being found. A miracle prevented that from being true, but perhaps that makes this assumption worse; the idea that this boy was alive, hadn’t succumbed to the pain, was still breathing, would fill any person with an insurmountable horror. In the state he was in, how could he still be holding on?
From his current position when he’d collapsed, lost the remnants of his strength crawling, most of his injuries were not visible, but you could assume the worst from the oddly-bent limbs to the blood seeping out below him, soaking into the sand and dying it red. Every second that passed, his condition worsened.
At that moment, Lloyd Garmadon was dying.
There were witnesses—of course there were witnesses, the Sons of Garmadon made sure of that by hacking into the stations and broadcasting the fight between the Green Ninja and the recently-returned Garmadon to anybody near a screen—but only two people stood there and watched with an unnerving air of victory as Lloyd crawled across the sand then. Garmadon, who still had destructive energy crackling across his form, and The Quiet One herself, Harumi. Her face was contorted in an unnerving sadistic smile, almost reaching the swath of bleeding red over her eyes, and when she saw Lloyd finally stop moving?
She laughed.
And Lloyd was left alone in the desert.
(It’s so cold. It’s so cold, but everything feels burning hot at the same time, the combating temperatures blurring into one another. Is this what Zane felt like when he fought the Overlord? Does Kai’s blood burn through his veins and arteries as scorching as his did now when he taps too much into his element? The sensation is almost nauseating, but no part of his body could move or function enough to gag, even if his face weren’t pressed against the sand.)
The moment that they saw Lloyd stop moving, everybody on the Bounty did not hesitate before setting course for Kryptarium. Everyone but Kai, who, even as the others ran to their post, stood there with wide eyes as he watched his little brother bleed out. He didn’t move until the screen switched to a map and someone was pulling him out of the way.
“We’ll get to him,” Nya was saying in his ear as they moved to the side, but Kai was only half listening. The panic barely veiled in her voice was not truly as immense as what was swarming throughout his mind.
(The pain hadn’t been this great then, had it. It was hard to think now, he’d already lost his sight when he hit the ground and his hearing not long after. He didn’t remember much of what Morro did to him—that time, it was exhaustion, the bruises barely noticeable with how much he slept. FSM, he wanted to sleep. He could, he was already tired, if he just…no. No, he had to stay awake. Think of something else. The Overlord wasn’t as bad as this either, his leg and neck hurt like absolute hell but it turned out the golden power sped up healing a bit, and the adrenaline hid the rest. Lloyd didn’t understand it at the time, as much as Uncle Wu and Mom would explain it to him. Nothing was like this. Nothing he’d ever felt hurt so much and so little at the same time.)
“Our ETA is—” Kai tuned Zane out the moment he started speaking. He didn’t want to think about how long it would be. Any time wasn’t enough, it wouldn’t be enough, and he didn’t want to listen to anybody. They had to get there. They need to get there faster, why couldn’t this damn ship move faster?
(Lloyd didn’t know where he was anymore, but he knew he was dying. At his father’s hands was a surprise, but at the same time, after everything else in his life, it made sense. Just like how it made sense that he was dying right now.)
“Kai, please,” Cole yelled, wrapping his arms around the fire ninja’s waist and tugging him back away from the side of the Bounty. Kai cried out, trying and failing to grip the wood as both of them hit the deck. “The hell’s wrong with you?!”
“I have to—Lloyd—”
“If you jump off the damn ship, you could die before we even reach him!”
Kai shook, letting Cole hug him tightly as he stopped fighting and attempted to breathe again.
(I’m sorry, Dad. I know you were the one who did this to me, but I shouldn’t have gotten involved. I’m why you were gone, and I provoked you. Maybe I’ll see you, the good you, after this.)
(I’m sorry, Mom. We don’t see eye to eye that much, but you were just trying to protect me.)
(Uncle Wu, you’re the reason I got to this point. Thank you for trusting me. And I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry that I couldn’t save you. You’re in safe hands now.)
“Can’t the Bounty go any faster?”
“We’re going as fast as we can!”
(I’m sorry, Jay. You can have my Starfarer collection, if you want. I don’t know if you were joking about being envious about them.)
“Cole, Cole can you—Keep an eye out while you’re holding onto Kai! We’re in the desert now!”
(I’m sorry, Cole. We’ve never been super close, but it’s my fault you got turned into a ghost that one time. I want to apologize for that, at least.)
“I don’t see anything yet! Turn on the lights!”
(Zane, I’m sorry. You were one of the first people to treat me like a person. You deserved so much better. I wish I could have talked more with you.)
“I am setting the Bounty to scan for any signs of life, but it hasn’t detected anything yet!”
(Nya, you were like a sister to me. I know this makes me sound like Wu, but I’m so proud of you. I’m sorry for being such a brat back then.)
“I can see Kryptarium—Zane! Zane, the monitor detected something! Stop the Bounty!”
(Kai. Kai, you’re the reason I’m even here, you’re my brother, I love you and everyone else so much and I’m gonna miss you. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, Kai. There’s so much I wish I could say to you. I’m so…)
“I can’t see any—LLOYD!”
When Lloyd woke up the morning after they arrived at the hotel, the ninja expected a breakdown, maybe even having been awoken by a nightmare. That’s what usually woke Lloyd up when it wasn’t normal. To be honest, Lloyd being bedridden with fever was the last thing on their list of possibilities.
But here Kai was, sitting next to the hotel bed Lloyd was in and dabbing at his forehead with a damp towel while the younger boy mumbled incoherently, his barely-open eyes glassy as he writhed under the blankets. One would normally expect this to be commonplace—after all, the ninja did first take Lloyd under their wings when he was nine, and little kids tend to be more vulnerable to illness.
However, due to either sheer luck or a side effect of being the Green Ninja, they never had to deal with this. Lloyd would get tired and exhausted from overworking. Never sick. Kai felt a shiver run down his spine as he mentally corrected himself. Only one other time does he recall Lloyd having a fever, and he wasn’t sure whether to even define it as that. He didn’t like thinking about it— none of them did—about when they found Lloyd dying in the desert after fighting Garmadon and brought him to Mystaké’s. The tea had healed major injuries but left him with a fever, one that left him crying out and hallucinating until it passed and he came to.
Kai did not like how similar the current situation was to that awful, awful night.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by a hand barely brushing his wrist as he wiped Lloyd’s face. Kai glanced down to see Lloyd reaching for him, gaze unfocused but clearly directed towards him. “Kai,” Lloyd gasped out, words slurred as he spoke. “Kai, Kai, I’m sorry, Kai—” Kai dropped the towel onto the ground, gently pulling Lloyd into a hug before it even touched the carpet.
“I’m here, Lloyd,” he whispered, running one hand through Lloyd’s messy locks. Lloyd made a choked sound akin to a cross between a groan and a whimper.
“I shouldn’t have—” Lloyd sniffled, “—Shouldn’t have gone off without you, then we could’ve stopped them and you wouldn’t have died, I’m sorry, Kai, I-I-I—” Kai’s eyes widened as he recognized what Lloyd was hallucinating. Oh, Lloyd… Kai tightened his hug, feeling Lloyd’s body begin to shake as he started to cry, though he wasn’t sure whether the shaking was a byproduct of him crying or of his fever. Either way, it wasn’t good.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Kai mumbled back, feeling his own chest tighten. “We’re—We’re all okay, okay, Lloyd? I’m right here, and Cole’s in the other room. Nobody’s dead, we’re all safe, and I won’t leave you again, alright?”
“Y-Y’promise…?” Lloyd murmured, muffled by his face in Kai’s shoulder.
“I promise,” Kai said, voice cracking as he rubbed his little brother’s back. “Now, you should get some rest, bud.” Lloyd hummed in agreement, reluctantly letting go of Kai as he was laid back on the bed. He pushed the dragon back into Lloyd’s arms, smiling softly as he gripped it, before standing up and walking to the other room, Cole glancing up from the phone as Kai entered.
“How is he?” Cole asked as Kai collapsed onto the couch, leaning his arms on his thighs. Kai sighed, looking at the earth ninja.
“Not good,” he responded wearily. “I can’t tell if the fever has gone down yet, but—” He shook his head, closing his eyes before continuing to speak. “…Rocky, do you remember the Colossus?” Cole’s eyes widened, and he put the phone down on the table, walking over and sitting next to Kai.
“I…Of course.” A hand rests on Kai’s shoulder. “Don’t think any of us could forget that.”
“And what Nya told us Lloyd had said?”
Cole winced. “…That…” He paused, looking at the other room as he considered his next words. “… she made him watch it crush the Bounty. That, for a while until we returned, everyone believed we were—were dead . Why?”
Kai leaned on Cole, sighing. “I don’t know if you heard—”
“I didn’t, I was on the phone with Vania—”
“—Okay, so you didn’t hear. Lloyd, he was, well— FSM, how do I say this —I think he was stuck in—you know, then. He—” Kai could feel the corners of his eyes burning. “—Cole, Cole he thought I was dead , he kept apologizing to me for running off to fight Garmadon—”
Cole sucked in a breath, whirling around to look at Kai. “ What?! ”
Kai nodded, gritting his teeth. “I told him we were fine, and he went back to sleep, but I just— FSM, of all the things he could be hallucinating, this is the worst for him.”
“Especially if he thinks he sees her .”
“ Exactly! ” Kai leaned back into the couch, wincing as his back cracked. “I’m just hoping he, you know, sleeps this fever off or Zane and Jay get back with medicine before anything like that happens.” He crossed his arms, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths to calm himself before leaning back forwards and looking at Cole. “Sorry, sorry. I’m ranting.” Cole softened, patting his back.
“It’s no problem,” he hummed, leaning over and giving the fire ninja a quick kiss on his forehead as he kept his hand on his back. “Trust me. We’re all just as stressed as you are.” Kai made a noise as Cole wrapped his arm around his shoulders, holding him close. “I can take over watching Lloyd, you should rest-”
“But Lloyd needs me to be there!” Kai gasped out indignantly, staring at Cole. Cole stared right back at him.
“He needs all of us, Firecracker. And what you need is to sleep. Did you get any shut-eye after we arrived last night?”
“…”
“Proving my point.” Cole stood, gently pushing Kai back into the couch and pulling the blanket up to his shoulders. “Try and rest. I’ll wake you up when the others are back, m’kay?”
Kai gave the earth ninja a lazy thumbs-up as he sunk into his pillow. Grinning, Cole typed out two quick messages—one to Jay and Zane, and the other to Vania—before shoving his phone into his pocket and making his way to the hotel room’s minifridge. He knelt down, opening it and pulling out two water bottles. Cole pushed himself back to his feet and kicked the door closed with his foot, turning on his heel immediately after hearing it shut and walking back to the other room.
Much to Cole’s relief, upon entering he saw that Lloyd remained fast asleep, curled up in a ball despite the size of the bed that he was sleeping in. The blankets were tossed about, and for a moment Cole considered pulling them back over Lloyd’s shoulders before remembering how feverish he was. Heat wouldn’t do him any good right now. Cole hummed, sitting down next to the bed and grabbing another towel to wipe off the sweat. The motion went unnoticed by the boy, who just let out mumbles every now and then (Cole assumed they were not in response to what he was doing, as they were out of sync). As Lloyd relaxed, Cole sat back, unscrewing one of the water bottles and taking a sip.
As he watched Lloyd rest, he couldn’t help but smile. The way he was sleeping reminded him so much of the night Lloyd first formally came into their lives. Even then, Lloyd slept in the same position—hugging a plushie as he curled up tight, taking up as little room as possible no matter the size of the mattress he was in. Cole chuckled to himself as he remembered seeing Lloyd dozing off in Wu’s bed all those years ago.
“I don’t get it, Sensei.”
“Why isn’t the little brat getting punished?”
Cole huffed, annoyance clearly evident in his voice. “Yeah, we had to train all day and he gets read a bedtime story? It's not fair.”
They hadn’t known what was to come at the time. All of them had been immature kids, half-trained and not fully sure of what being a ninja was then. Lloyd wasn’t even the Green Ninja yet; all he was to them was a bratty little kid who was causing them problems. Cole cringed at the thought of what he and the others said to Wu after he tucked Lloyd in. None of them knew what the future held.
Or how important Lloyd truly was to all of them.
Not Ninjago , Cole thought to himself, fidgeting with the water bottle cap in his hands. Them. His family. He didn’t want to sound like Wu or Misako, even in his own head. Lloyd was important to himself and his friends and his family. He didn’t want to sound rude, but right now Ninjago was an afterthought.
As were Lloyd’s uncle and mother. Cole never thought he would feel such conflicting hatred towards the sensei that gave his life purpose when he thought there was none to be found, but here he was, grip unconsciously tightening around the water bottle he held to the point of near-bursting. He closed his eyes, mumbling “Deep breaths, deep breaths” to himself over and over. The water bottle hit the ground with a soft thump and he sighed, leaning back in the chair.
He couldn’t speak much for Misako, but he’s known Wu for years, through every age on account of the Time Blades. Wu was…well, Wu was a lot of things. He was wise, he tended to be secretive, he had moments in which he showed irrationality, the most notable of such being whilst he was under the influence of the Forbidden Spinjitzu scrolls. But, normally, he wasn’t prone to anger. He was one of the most patient people Cole knew (besides Lloyd, a trait of his that constantly made him nervous) and would never snap or raise his voice or anything. So to see him snap, at his nephew of all people, still came as a shock to him 24 hours later.
At least—At least Lloyd was asleep now , Cole thought to himself. At least Lloyd was asleep and not cowering under the furious gazes of his family while they screamed their lungs out at him . Sure, he could understand why they’d be worried for Lloyd— all of them were worried for Lloyd, for what could happen with no powers and no role, but it was Lloyd’s choice, and they knew they would be there to protect him if need be. And Lloyd was strong , with or without his powers. But he couldn’t tell if what Misako and Wu were expressing in their lecture was fear or anger.
As he watched Lloyd curl up tighter, mumbling, he found himself thinking even more about Wu. What was their sensei— former sensei? —doing now? Was he discussing with Misako their next course of action? Trying to find out where they’d gone off to?
Had he even noticed they were gone , too wrapped up in his frustration or focused on meditation?
Zane had been absolutely meticulous in getting the team to where they were right now. Every detail, from advising Cole to park the car in the back to covering up their financial tracks, even down to the location of the very room they were staying in, was done by Zane to ensure all of their safety, especially Lloyd’s. Still, he couldn’t help but be nervous, as was everybody else, which was why they’d all been spending their time today contacting any ally they had. Which reminded him:
rockyroad [13:27]: hey uh. So I just want to make sure. you are going to inform everyone, right.
queenvania [13:28]: Cole, it’s fine. I have it handled.
queenvania [13:29]: Unfortunately, I can’t be as much help to you and the others since, you know, where Shintaro is, but at the very least, I am informing the people.
queenvania [13:29]: And before you ask, yes, there’s increased security in case Wu attempts any direct contact with me or my citizens.
queenvania [13:30]: Thank you, Hailmar.
rockyroad [13:30]: THANK YOU, HAILMAR!
rockyroad [13:31]: .
rockyroad [13:32]: sorry.
queenvania [13:32]: LOL, it’s fine. I can understand your relief.
queenvania [13:34]: …If you want, I can see if the Upplys can convey any messages out of the kingdom?
rockyroad [13:35]: that would be great, vania. thanks.
queenvania [13:36]: :-)
Cole sighed as he exited out of his chat with Vania. That was one of his contacts cleared up, but he knew there was another person he had to talk to. Glancing at Lloyd, who appeared to still be in a peaceful slumber, he got to his feet, walking to the desk on the other side of the room and opting to sit there, instead. Taking a deep breath, he scrolled through his contacts and clicked on the call button under the one labeled “Dad”.
He held his breath until the sound of his dad’s voice came through his phone. “Cole!” Lou said, sounding happy to hear from his son. “I didn’t expect any sorta call from you. How’s ninja business treating you?”
Cole ran a hand through his hair. “Fine, it’s-it’s fine, Dad. It’s nice to talk to you. Sorry if I sound quiet, I have to whisper because there’s people asleep. Um—” Cole paused, unsure of how to word this to his father. Lou broke the silence after a moment.
“Son, is something wrong?” he asked him, the concern evident in his voice. Cole sat forwards in the chair, staring at the ground.
“Dad, look,” he began, not removing his hand from his hair. “I know you don’t really know much about any of this ninja stuff or anything like that, but I just—I need to ask of you a favor.”
“A favor?”
“Yeah, uh—you remember my teammate Lloyd?”
Lou hummed in thought. “The short blonde one that acts way older than he actually is? Ton of curly hair? I’ve never really interacted with the boy much, but—” Cole cut him off.
“ Him , yes. I can’t exactly give you many details, but he’s—not really in the best situation right now. I don’t think my sensei will go as far as to visit you, but Dad, if Wu comes to your door asking about me or Lloyd or any of my other teammates, do not tell him anything. Don’t-Don’t even tell him that I contacted you. Okay?”
“…Cole.”
“What?”
“How serious would you say this is? On a scale of ‘outfit ripped right before a show’ to ‘group member dying suddenly in a performance’.”
“I—Dad, what —It’s like, an 8.5. Maybe a 9. Can you please promise me you won’t tell Wu anything.”
“Of course, son. Before you hang up, though, I just wanted to say: I love you, son.”
Cole couldn’t help but smile. “I-I love you too, Dad. Thank you.” He hung up before his dad got a chance to say anything else and sat back in his chair, letting out a weary sigh as he covered his face with his hands. Glancing through his fingers, he saw that Lloyd hadn’t stirred at all during his phone call with his dad. Thank FSM , he thought, putting his hands back in his lap. As long as Lloyd and Kai were both resting, it would be fine, and he could relax until Jay and Zane returned back to the hotel from their errands. He might as well grab some food from downstairs in the meantime, since there was nothing of urgency.
Cole got to his feet, stretching, and left the hotel room, triple checking that the door was locked behind him.
“ Lloyd…Wake up, sleepyhead…”
…
“ Llooooyd. Come on. I’m getting so bored waiting for you.”
…
“HEY! Lloyd, are you dead? That would be lame.”
“...Five more min’tes,” Lloyd mumbled, pressing his face into the mattress. He couldn’t place the voice, but he was too tired to care. Clearly, however, the owner of the voice had other plans. He felt someone shake him violently and awoke with a start, unfurling from his ball and rubbing his eyes before looking in front of him for the source. Sitting cross-legged at the other end of the bed was a girl his age, with familiar strikingly-white hair tied up in a bun and an outfit consisting of several layers of green. A friendly smile spread across her face as she waved at him.
“Sleep well, Lloyd?” she asked playfully, leaning forwards with a hand on her chin. Lloyd gasped, scrambling into a sitting-up position but finding it difficult to do so, instead opting to lean on his elbows.
“Harumi,” Lloyd whispered, eyes impossibly wide. “That’s-That’s-”
“Impossible?” Harumi hummed, giggling. “I thought you would say that.”
“I saw you die, I…no.” Lloyd forced himself to look away from her. “This isn’t real. This is just like in Prime Empire , you’re not real. It’s-It makes no sense for you to be here-”
“I brought your father back, didn’t I? Who says I’m any different?” Harumi extended a hand to him. “Here, I’ll help you up.”
“Rumi…” Lloyd said, a small smile growing in his expression as he reached out to her. He took her hand, felt her squeeze it, this was real, this was real—
Before he could say anything else, he felt her grip tighten, and the next thing he knew he was slamming into the wall on the other side of the room with a scream. He slumped to the ground, whimpering in pain, and as he looked up he saw Harumi—not the one he met in the palace, the one that betrayed him and left him to die with the bloody red across her brow—sneering at him as she strode over. A hand grabbed the collar of his pajama top, pulling him up to eye level with her.
“Even after all this time, you’re still as stupid and naïve as always, huh,” Harumi growled, pulling him closer so that their noses were practically touching. Lloyd opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. He reached up and scratched at her hands to no avail. She grinned, an evil smile that sent shivers down his spine.
“Rumi, you don’t—”
“Muh, muh, ‘Rumi, this isn’t you’ this, ‘It can be different’ that,” Harumi taunted, mimicking Lloyd’s squeaky voice as she talked. “When will you grow up , Lloyd? Being nice never saved anybody. Your little hero complex kills , Lloyd Garmadon. Yet you’re still lost in your little world that you don’t understand how much damage you cause!”
Harumi threw Lloyd onto the bed, and this time Lloyd did not hesitate before pushing himself up, rolling onto the carpeted ground with a pained groan. He heard her heavy footsteps coming toward him, but he didn’t face her, instead stumbling to his feet and running to the other room. The door was in his sights, but the footsteps still followed. He tried the handle, but it was locked, it was locked , First Spinjitzu Master please please let him out he couldn’t—
“You can’t run forever, Lloyd!”
Let me out let me out I wanna go home— He started banging at the door, but nobody answered.
“How are you going to save the world without your powers again? No wonder you quit! ”
I want Kai. I want Cole I want Zane I want Jay I want Nya I want my dad I don’t want to be here— He scratched and kept hitting it, but all it did was make him bleed and it wasn’t working.
“Such a sorry excuse for a Green Ninja. You already lost your title, you aren’t anything anymore, so do Ninjago—actually, do all sixteen damn realms a favor and just—”
“SHUT UP!” Lloyd cried out, banging harder and harder and harder and ignoring the pain that shot through his fists. “SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SH—”
Someone wrapped their arms around Lloyd, pulling him away from the door. It was a different presence, unlike Harumi, it was warm and comforting and Lloyd couldn’t understand it. He let out a whimper, flailing and kicking his feet at whoever grabbed him, but another presence was in front of him now, gently putting their hands on his cheeks and talking to him as he was lowered to the ground. Lloyd stopped fighting, trying to listen to whatever they were saying as he fought to breathe. He looked up, seeing only blurs in front of him. Who…?
“-oyd,” the person was saying, Lloyd could start to make out the shapes and he could see red, red was Kai and Lloyd shook, staring as he continued to talk. “Lloyd, hey, Lloyd, can you hear me?” As Kai’s face came into view, Lloyd mustered a frantic nod before the sound of the door clicking made him gasp in fear. Kai quickly rubbed his thumb on Lloyd’s cheek, shushing him. “Lloyd, don’t worry. It’s just Jay and Zane. Okay?”
Then who was holding him? Lloyd thought, but when he opened his mouth to ask Kai all that came out was a squeak and he shut his mouth again, trying so, so hard not to break down and cry. Kai seemed to understand, though, and nodded behind Lloyd.
“‘s me,” Cole said, his voice right by Lloyd’s ear, quieter than usual. “Cole. Sorry for grabbing you.” Lloyd tried to relax—Cole wouldn’t hurt him—but the world was still spinning around him and he didn’t know what was going on, and no matter what he did he still remained tense, his body rigid. His head was pounding even more than it had been before, making him want to curl up until it stopped. Cole, now sitting cross-legged on the floor, glanced at Lloyd. “Would you rather not be on the floor?” Again, Lloyd nodded, too tired to fight as Cole picked him up and carried him back to his bed in the other room, gently setting him down before standing back up.
Lloyd didn’t want to be alone, he didn’t want to be left here because what if she—Lloyd was snapped out of his thoughts by the creaking of the bed as Kai climbed onto it next to him. Without a second thought, Kai pulled him into his lap and began to card his hand through Lloyd’s hair in an attempt at comforting him. Lloyd leaned into the touch, it was like when Kai used to lull him back to sleep after he had another nightmare about the Final Battle, and sighed, not wanting Kai’s presence to disappear.
“If Lloyd feels he is up to it,” Zane’s voice cut through the silence. “Jay and I picked up medication on our trip back to the hotel.” To emphasize his point, he shook the plastic bag he held in his right hand, the rattling of pills audible. Kai glanced down at Lloyd, who was still trembling from the nightmare they had just gotten him out of.
“Lloyd?” he asked softly, “Did you hear that? You can go back to sleep after this. This is to make you feel better.” All Lloyd could muster was an incoherent mumble paired with a nod. Kai smiled, gently shifting Lloyd to a more sitting-up position as Zane set the bag down on the bed and began to ruffle through it. Zane took out a container then paused, glancing up.
“Do we have water?” he started to ask, but before he could even finish his question Cole was tossing him a water bottle. Jay caught it before he did, opting instead to walk around the bed and hand it to Lloyd ( if he threw a water bottle and it hit Lloyd, Kai would throw him right out the hotel window before he could even apologize. ). Zane waited until Jay had stepped back before shaking a couple different pills into his palm and kneeling by Lloyd, holding them out for him to take. “Apologies if the taste is less than preferable,” he said as Lloyd shakily took them from his hand. “I know you tend to have certain tastes you are okay with, so we did our best to find something.” Lloyd stared at the pills in his hands, listening while Kai unscrewed the water bottle. Taking a deep breath, he put them in his mouth, nearly gagging before Kai pressed the water bottle to his lips and he drank that. Zane winced at the expression on Lloyd’s face but did not comment.
All of the ninja—especially Cole and Kai, whose fears had become true—were wondering what happened with Lloyd’s hallucinated nightmare, what he saw and heard, but the absolute last thing they wanted was to cause him to spiral again, especially in his current state. The one thing they knew for sure was that, if Harumi was the one Lloyd saw, was talking to, then there was nothing good nor reassuring about whatever he heard. Thank the FSM that it wasn’t real, but to Lloyd, it was. Kai could only think about Lloyd’s screams as he let him curl back up in his lap.
Thirty minutes passed before the medication fully set in in Lloyd’s system, and FSM, he could feel it. He was back under the covers of the bed once more, having been tucked in by Zane while Cole and Jay put the groceries away and continued working (on what, Lloyd did not know). On their way out, they’d dimmed the lights, which Lloyd was eternally thankful for. Kai remained in the bed with Lloyd, letting the younger boy rest his head in his lap while he hummed some tune, petting Lloyd’s head. Watching the other ninja gradually join them in the room, he sighed, hugging the stuffed dragon tight to his chest as he averted his gaze down to the bed.
Kai’s humming suddenly stopped short. “Lloyd?” he questioned softly, combing his fingers through his locks. “What’s wrong? Is it your nightmare?” Lloyd hesitated but shook his head, not wanting to make eye contact with the others.
“I’m-I’m sorry,” he mumbled, hoarse voice barely audible despite the silence that filled the room. All four of them stared in surprise, and the three not yet sitting down took their places on the other end of the bed.
“You have nothing to apologize for—” Zane began, but Lloyd cut him off with another rapid shake of the head, forcing himself up into a sitting position so quick he nearly gave himself whiplash with the motion.
“ Yes , I do! It-It was my choice to quit and it’s my fault Uncle Wu’s mad! You didn’t need to do anything!”
“Lloyd-”
“I-I’m not a little kid! I could’ve left on my own or just faced whatever Mom and Uncle wanted me to do or-or, I don’t know, but I-you don’t have to be here, you didn’t have to risk everything and—Uncle Wu is still your sensei, how are you going to be ninja if you aren’t at the monastery and, and—” Lloyd wrung his hands into his hair, looking at the others who were watching with wide eyes. “ It’s all my fault that none of you have a home anymore! ” Eyes burning, he closed his eyes, not wanting to see the same tired, disappointed gazes that his uncle and mother had given him the day before.
What he didn’t expect, however, is the feeling of someone pulling him into a tight hug, a warm sensation that could only belong to Kai. Kai buried his face in Lloyd’s hair before pulling away with his hands on his shoulders. “Lloyd,” he said, keeping his voice gentle and even. “Don’t you ever say that. Nobody blames you at all for any of this.”
The mattress groaned as Cole sat down on Lloyd’s other side, ruffling his hair. “Seconded. We would never let you go through this alone. Ever. You know how stubborn us ninja are.”
Jay leapt over next, landing gracefully (by his standards) and sitting up on his legs, taking Lloyd’s hand. “I know it’s really hard! And, well, I dunno how much of this you’ll remember once you pass out from the meds!” He squeezed Lloyd’s hand, looking him right in the eyes. “We always find a way through this stuff. This isn’t even the first time we aren’t in the monastery anymore!” In the background, Zane grimaced, facepalming. “So you shouldn’t worry about us. We can still be ninja and be with you without Master Wu!” Jay gave him a beaming smile, resting his head on Lloyd’s shoulder while not letting go.
Zane’s eyes glowed with a sad kind of tenderness as he took his place next to Kai, extending his arm to reach out and place a hand on Lloyd’s cheek. “Lloyd, we are your family. We may not be blood, but you are our brother and we love you. And we will do anything to ensure your safety and happiness. No matter what happens, none of us will leave you. I promise.” Lloyd stared at them as tears began to dribble down his face, unable to muster any sort of response as the others piped up.
“ Ninja promise! ” chirped Jay, noogie-ing him in the way an older brother would.
“It’ll all be okay, bud,” Cole said reassuringly, wrapping his arms around Lloyd’s shoulders and resting his head atop his.
“‘Home isn’t the monastery or any other building,” Kai remarked as he pulled Lloyd back into a tight hug. “Home is you. Home is us. ” As if on cue, the others joined in hugging Lloyd, with him in the center of it all. It was so warm, so loving, so comforting, that Lloyd only began to cry harder. But not of sorrow or of fear—his tears were of happiness.
They were right: he was home.