Chapter Text
Lloyd sat on the roof of the monastery and watched the sunset. He was glad that the cold winter months were coming to an end. Spring was approaching, which meant longer days and more sun.
He felt a little nostalgic. Back then, when the team was still together, spring approaching always meant longer training sessions, because the days were longer. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Even though everybody was exhausted after those days, Zane made sure they would eat a freshly cooked meal. He missed Zane's cooking. Lloyd himself can't cook very well, but he tries. He tries for himself and the other three living with him now.
One week ago he saved Sora, Arin, and Riyu from being captured. He still remembers the look on Arin's face. He was completely shocked when Lloyd asked if they wanted to come with him to the monastery.
It was still weird without Kai and the others. He missed them so much, but at least he wasn't alone anymore. He now had two other people and a dragon living with him, whom he had to care for.
Of course the first few days were exhausting, especially for Lloyd, who had to set up the dorms and had to cook for everybody. He felt like a mother caring for her children. But now that they have developed a routine, things have already improved.
Arin and Sora are learning fast. Within the first three days they already improved their hand-to-hand combat. Lloyd was sure they would learn Spinjitzu just a few weeks later.
He heard Sora and Arin arguing in the kitchen, which was right under the roof where Lloyd was sitting right now. It was time to cook dinner. He climbed down from the roof and made his way to the kitchen.
When he opened the kitchen door, he saw something he did not expect.
Sora and Arin were cooking dinner and argued if there was enough salt in the soup. They didn't seem to notice Lloyd's appearance, so he stood in the doorway and listened to the two of them arguing. He was surprised that they didn't notice him.
"Sora, this soup is supposed to be a little salty according to the recipe," Arin said while trying to put more salt in the soup.
Sora tried to take the salt from Arin's hand while saying, "It doesn't matter, even if the recipe says it, over salted soup always tastes awful."
They continued to fight until the salt container fell to the floor and shattered.
They both fell silent and just stared at the floor, which was flooded with salt. Lloyd cleared his throat, and both Sora and Arin looked up from the floor and directly in Lloyd's face.
"I'm so sorry, Lloyd, but salt-" Sora tried to say, but Lloyd interrupted her and said, "It's okay, I'm actually more surprised that the two of you cooked dinner." He looked at the mess on the floor and tried stepping over it to get to the stove. "Arin, can you go grab the broom so we can clean up in here?"
Arin nodded and made his way out of the kitchen to get the broom.
"Why did you cook dinner? I told you I would do it later. And where is Riyu?" Lloyd asked while he took a spoon out of a drawer to try the soup.
"You seemed so tired today, so Arin and I thought we could cook dinner for tonight," Sora replied. "Oh, and Riyu is already asleep, he was really tired after today's training," she added.
Lloyd just hummed in response. "The soup is really tasty," Lloyd muttered as Arin came back with the broom.
Lloyd cleaned the kitchen, while Sora and Arin set the table. When everything was done, they sat down at the table and started eating. Lloyd missed this. Eating together and chatting about what everyone did that day.
"And then she tried to tackle me to the ground, but I was stronger, so I just threw her off of me," Arin explained excitedly. "But I won the fight after that one and the one after it too," Sora replied with pride shining through her voice.
Lloyd just tiredly nodded along. He liked listening to their new fighting experiences, but today he was too tired to participate in their conversation. Here and there he threw in a short reply.
When they finished eating, Sora, Arin, and Lloyd cleared up the table, and Sora and Arin washed the dishes.
Lloyd decided to take a shower in the meantime. While he showered, he reflected on the past week. Arin and Sora are good kids. He's glad that he found them, even though it feels weird being responsible for someone again.
Another thing he missed. Being responsible. As a ninja, you always were responsible for something. Especially as the green ninja. Not that he doesn't feel like a ninja anymore. It's just…different. The merge changed a lot. And he knows that.
He remembered being alone a long time before Kai came back and then left again. He was so happy that day. Being alone for a long time does something to you. It felt like home when he hugged Kai. He never wanted to let go again.
But then he eventually had to let go.
"I have to find the others, and I can't do that while just sitting here and doing nothing," he said maybe two weeks later. "No, please don't leave me, Kai, please," he almost begged. "Somebody has to look over Ninjago, or more so, Crossroads' Lloyd. I promise you I'll come back." And then they hugged, and Lloyd cried. One day later Kai was gone again. And Lloyd was alone again.
Not wanting to think about it more, he stepped out of the shower, dried himself with a towel, and dressed in his pajamas.
He made his way to the living room. When he came in he saw that Sora and Arin had set up everything for a movie night. There were snacks on the small table next to the sofa and Sora and Arin were drowning in blankets.
"Hey Lloyd, we thought we could do a movie night tonight," Arin said while petting the empty space between him and Sora. Sora smiled and did the same. Lloyd walked over to the couch to sit down in between Sora and Arin.
Sora started the movie and sank even deeper into the pillows and blankets.
Not even half an hour later, Lloyd felt two heads on each side of his shoulders. He looked and saw the two of them fast asleep.
He slowly stood up while trying not to startle them. Fortunately, both remained asleep.
He walked to his room, took a pencil and paper, and went outside. He climbed back onto the roof and laid down. It was a really clear night, so he could see stars.
Maybe Nya or Cole or anyone on the team looked at the same sky as him right now. It was a calming thought because it would mean that they maybe were still alive and did not die because of the merge.
He and Kai promised each other to stay in contact. They wrote letters to each other every other week. But now it has been weeks since Kai last replied to one of his letters. Lloyd decided to update him regardless.
Hey Kai,
I really hope you will get that letter because something exciting happened last week. I was patrolling around crossroads, and there were two kids who tried to save a dragon. I helped them because they almost got captured by some people who wanted the dragon. Arin, one of the kids even had a green ninja mask on. He was so excited when he saw me and told me that he is a fan of us. Both of them have an elemental power…maybe I'm not 100% sure about that. Sora can kind of control electric things, and Arin can make objects do Spinjitzu. He only did it once, when they all almost got captured. If you wonder, yes, I took them with me. Arin's parents probably died in the merge, and Sora…I don't know. She's really secretive when it comes to her parents. Maybe they died too, or she never had any to begin with.
I hope you're okay, because you did not write me back in the past weeks. I don't want to lose you Kai. Today was a hard day. I've been pushing it out of my mind the whole time, how much I missed you. But today I remembered and remembered and remembered. Zane's cooking. Your hugs. God, I miss Nya so much, she really is the heart of the team, isn't she? I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Jay's dumb jokes. I miss Cole's love for cake. Arin also loves cake. He and Sora sold them for a living when they lived in Crossroads. They're so delicious you can't even imagine.
I hate how much I miss you and the others. I hate it so much. I'm trying to slowly accept that you and the rest might be dead, but it's really hard. Maybe impossible.
Okay, I think that's enough for now. If you're still alive, please take care of yourself.
Love you Kai
He felt better having all that off his chest. The feeling would not hold on for longer than an hour, but it was okay for now.
He felt freezing since it wasn't spring yet. He folded the paper and put it in his pajama pockets. He would send it tomorrow or maybe in a few days when he felt like it.
He slid down the roof and made his way back inside. When he opened the door, he was overcome by a feeling of warmth. He looked into the living room. It was completely empty, and everything was put back.
They most likely went to their rooms to sleep while Lloyd was outside. He decided to take a look in their rooms to check if everything was okay.
He first took a look in Arin's room. It was completely dark, you could only see the moon shining through the big window. Arin snored quietly.
He closed the door and went over to Sora's room. Before he opened the door, he could hear light sniffling behind.
He decided to knock on her door. The sniffling stopped for a moment, and he heard Sora quietly say, "Who's there?"
Lloyd cleared his throat and said, "It's me, Lloyd. Is everything okay? Can I come in?"
He heard her bed creaking and her walking to the door. He took a step back.
Sora opened the door. Lloyd looked in her face, her eyes were red, and her face was wet because of the tears. "Can I come in?" Lloyd asked carefully.
Sora just nodded, so Lloyd went inside and sat down on the edge of her bed. Sora sat down beside him.
It was quiet for a moment, until Lloyd asked, "Sora, you can always come to me if something's bothering you. I know you've only known me for a week, but no matter what it is, you can always talk to me."
Sora just looked at the ground for a moment and then started crying again. He put an arm around her shoulders, she put her head on his shoulder just like when they were watching a movie earlier.
After a few minutes, she stopped crying and started talking. "I don't even really know myself, if I'm being honest. It's just I never had real parents, and sometimes it just hurts. I know I should be over it by now, but it makes me sad and angry. And I miss the parents I never had, which doesn't make sense. I don't know. I just feel so dumb for it."
He thought about what she said for a moment before he started to speak. "You know, when I was a kid, I grew up without parents too. I was in an orphanage until the ninja took me in. My dad was an evil man, and my mom wasn't really present. The ninja showed me that family doesn't always mean a blood relative. Your family can be your friends or whoever you want it to be, but of course it's okay to be angry that you didn't have real parents who were there for you."
Sora nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Lloyd. I'm really glad that you took me and Arin in. I talked to Arin yesterday, and like I said, he's really glad too."
Lloyd smiled and said, "I'm also happy that I took you both in."
"I'm going to sleep now. Thanks for your help."
Lloyd stood up and walked to the door, but he remained standing in the doorway and said, "Of course. You and Arin can always come to me if something's wrong."
He closed her door and went to his own room. He pulled a box out from under his bed, which contained Kai's letters. He took the last letter Kai had sent him out of the box.
He unfolded the paper and read the last sentence Kai had written.
Don't worry, Lloyd. I'm coming back soon!
Before he even realized it, he was already crying. His tears soaked through the thin paper.
He folded it back in its original form. He put it back in the box and under his bed.
He lay down in his bed, tears still streaming down his face. He can't stop thinking about them. It's slowly consuming him. He doesn't want to lose hope, but it's really hard.
Closing his eyes, he falls into a restless sleep.