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"Why do you keep creating solutions for problems that don't even exist?"
The words, fresh out of the other Kai's mouth, yet seeming far more taken in by the other. Lloyd's running thoughts and words paused. Green eyes no longer frantically observing the cobblestone ground, taking each and every trespassing weed into consideration.
"Lloyd?"
"Buddy?"
Impatiently, Kai was awaiting a response, always expecting one immediately. But Lloyd had none to give. At least no reasonable one. He knew how to fight, and win. But he also knew how to accept a loss.
His pale fingers grasped around his thumb, clenching his fists into tight balls.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Deep breaths escaping his lungs, before he allowed more air to replace it.
What could he even respond to Kai with?
That he fears he may never live up to the previous masters that had walked the different realms?
But, he also fears the exact opposite of that.
"I'm don't think I can do this, Kai."
Were the words that Lloyd let escape through his mouth. After several moments of waiting for an answer, Kai's previously agitated face had relaxed into what appears to be a more understanding expression. Through the recent years, Kai had been learning to control his short-temper. Learning to use it to his strengths and gaining dominance in his fights more easily. And for that, Lloyd was grateful. Especially now, as he was met with more sympathy, rather than sarcastic comments. Green eyes met brown, and the contact held. Once those eyes would have withheld intimidation, now they only contained comfort.
In a brisk movement, Lloyd's body was no longer alone. Kai had stepped forward, encasing Lloyd's smaller body in his arms and embracing him tightly. The action had taken Lloyd by surprise. Kai had never been much of a 'comfort' hugger - more of an overjoyed hugger. Whenever someone was feeling the blues, it was more frequently Nya or Cole that would be the comforting individuals, never Kai. However, there was no other ninja that Kai could seek out to help him right now.
"Kai, you don't have to-"
"I think you can. Actually, screw that, I know you can."
Kai had interrupted Lloyd, gently pushing the green ninja back but keeping his hands on his shoulders to make sure he was still in his grasp. Kai stared at Lloyd, a small smile gently placed upon his face. Chapped lips parted, preparing to speak up again.
"And besides, we're a team. If you need help, I'm here, buddy. Also, Nya, Zane, and probably Cole. But y'know I'm usually the most useful one."
A chuckle escaped through Lloyd's mouth as he listened to Kai's reassuring, yet somewhat stupid words. A part of him was glad Kai had implored no further into his current worries, meaning he didn't have to speak up about his troubles and face the possibility of sounding stupid.
"Useful my arse."
Kai's mouth dropped, and his eyebrows raised. An over exaggerated expression of pure shock from Lloyd's response. His right hand was removed from the younger boy shoulder and caught onto the back of his head, pushing down and encaging Lloyd under his shoulder. An attacking move they had learnt through Sensei Wu's training, used to immobilise their opponent. Oh. Realisation slapped Lloyd in the face, with zero remorse, as he begun to understand Kai's current intentions.
"Don't you dare, Kai!"
As if he were waiting for some sort of disapproving remark, Kai continued on. His left hand moving straight to attacking Lloyd's blonde hair. Fingers going in-between strands and ruffling them into looking like a total mess.
"Silly, green boogers." Kai muttered, releasing his hold on the younger man.
Lloyd stepped back, his hands immediately reaching for the top of his hand as they desperately tried to smooth his hair back into some form of normality. But no matter how hard he attempted, hands alone would not be able to relieve him of this mess. He would need to go find a hairbrush at some point.
Lloyd's head shook in a disapproving manner. No matter how much he had sworn to Kai that he didn't pick his nose and eat it, the nickname stuck.
Sun had set, and the hour grew late. All the lights were on at the monastery, yet it did not feel like home.
So many of them were missing, so many far from home. Dead or alive? The question frequently visited Lloyd's mind and grew more worrying with every passing day. To be apart from them for so long was so unusual. He had grown accustomed to living with them from young. Used to their ways of living. But now, everything had changed.
He was no longer able to sit down around a dinner table, enjoying Zane's cooking.
He was no longer able to flick at a guitar string whilst Kai gave him some decent advice.
He was no longer able to steal the latest comics off of a disapproving Jay.
He was no longer able to get help from Nya with mechanics and building new gadgets.
He was no longer able to come up with master plans to steal the sweet treats at midnight with Cole.
He was no longer able to listen to P.I.X.A.L's smart tactics and advice.
He was no longer able to gain tips from his uncle.
He had never wanted to take after his uncle and become a master. He would've much rather stayed as a ninja until he was forced to quit due to old age or get a simple job, like a window cleaner. He didn't want to be responsible for a bunch of kids getting into fights and hardly making it out alive half the time. Yet here he was. Everything had changed and now he was truly responsible, just like his uncle.
He understood to be as skilled as he was was a common dream. A childish dream that many have but cannot achieve. Arin was an exception, a risk that he knows shouldn't have been taken. But the kid showed potential that couldn't be missed. Especially with his halfway their spinjitzu. Same goes for Sora, elemental powers was a necessity and despite having hardly any training, she's got the brains. Put those two together, and they're a match born to succeed. The only thing that Lloyd disliked was the fact they were kids.
Lloyd understood far too well the feeling of being brought into a battle you didn't choose. Too young to know any better than to follow the thrill and to listen to the elders. He didn't blame the other ninjas either, they were also blinded by the excitement of being the strongest and most powerful. Wu, however, he couldn't help but feel a bit of annoyance towards. His uncle, the man who was supposed to protect him and hide him away from these wars did the opposite. The sensei had been desperate, in need to end the war, and as soon as Kai had realised Lloyd had a possibility of being the glorious green ninja, Wu was no longer a protecting uncle. He trained Lloyd hard. No room was left for failure, Lloyd had to succeed. He had the weight of the entirety of Ninjago on his shoulders alone . A weight so pressuring, he'd never want anyone else to bare it.
So that's why Lloyd chose to agree to becoming a master to these kids. Not to shove them into the war alone like his uncle. To hopefully deter the duo from following the same fate as he did. He pushed these kids through intense training, however, he gave them a choice he never had. To back out.
But these kids were stubborn.
And, that's why Lloyd was here now. On a cold Saturday evening, inspecting their training whilst trying out a new tea recipe in an attempt to stay warm. They were working individually at the moment.
Sora was practicing her fighting technique on the spinning wooden poles. She was good, but she needed to become stronger without her elemental powers, so she would be prepared for any possibility. Lloyd would like Sora to train with Nya one day, they'd understand each other. It had taken Nya awhile to accept her elemental powers, never understanding them and being upset at the thought of having to leave her Samurai X past behind. And, although that would put the two in opposite situations, an understanding would be there. Nya is a strong fighter, probably the strongest. But Lloyd would rather die before admitting that to her.
Arin was attempting to learn proper spinjitzu with Kai by his side, going through each step. Arin was extraordinary. A child, without elemental powers, teaching himself spinjitzu. Even if it wasn't proper spinjitzu, it still was a thousand times better than what Lloyd could've done without training. Carefully, Lloyd watched, his eyes bouncing off of every small movement Arin made, trying to catch the exact moment a mistake struck. Yet, he couldn't. Maybe he was too far, or maybe it was due to the lack of elemental powers Arin had. he knew the kid was getting agitated by the lack of success, and Lloyd put every hope into him being successful soon, despite all the odds.
Then, there was Wyldfyre. Oh boy, is she a character. The newest asset to the team. A girl that reminded him of the younger, hothead version of Kai. However, more angry. Much more angry. And stubborn. She was situated to the side, firing her heat blasts into a pile of cans and yelling "Take that!!" every so often. This wasn't the task that Lloyd had assigned her to do, instead he had assigned her to work with Kai and Arin. She refused, arguing that she was already strong enough. Lloyd didn't have the fight in him to argue back, and decided that as long as she is doing something somewhat productive, it is okay with him.
Together, they had begun to build a new team. New faces, new memories, new abilities. Having more members grew an advantage. But was it really an advantage when it left him feeling so incomplete? He couldn't imagine this mini team being apart, how distraught they would become if they were to lose one or another. How weirded out he is everyday, waking up and watching others train, rather than him being the one training. The constant feeling of being out of place crawling through his mind. Would he just have to get used to it? Could anything ever be the same again?
His eyes casted upon Sora. If the realms were to ever undergo, what would that mean for her? Would she be taken back? He couldn't imagine an Arin without a Sora, nor a Sora without an Arin. The duo were inseparable.
A steady noise of footsteps approached him, followed by shallow breaths. Lloyd unglued his eyes from Sora and brought them to look at the tired Kai who was now stood next to him.
"Kids. Too much energy."
Was the greeting that Kai spoke as he plopped down on the step next to him, looking out to watch the others train. There had been a day, where he had been this energetic, desperate to improve as he felt the need to catch up with the others. Was that what was motivating these kids?
Kai's voice broke the silence between them again, making Lloyd refocus his attention on the fire ninja.
"I've been meaning to ask."
A dreadful statement, which could lead to literally anything spilling out of this man's mouth. Although, it wasn't just Kai that Lloyd hated these words from, it was everyone. He'd much rather the other person just straight up ask the question instead of building up to it and creating a tense atmosphere.
Lloyd nodded his head, hoping to hurry Kai up.
"Can we talk about earlier?"
A sigh. This topic was not one Lloyd had been wanting to be brought up, but a part of him had been expecting it.