Chapter Text
Lloyd
Lloyd got woken up by his 6:00 a.m. alarm. He took a shower and brushed his teeth. Lloyd knew that this day was going to arrive but he didn’t expected it to come so soon.
On his last day of school, before the winter vacations started, he received three things he didn’t expect. One, Homework. Two, a beat up from some randoms at the end of the day, and three, the worst of them, a call from his uncle.
Somehow he ended up giving Wu his last week of freedom to help him with his tea shop.
“Good morning honey, I made you breakfast.” said Misako, Lloyd’s mom. She was sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other.
He looked at the little box on the table and took it.
“Thanks mom,” Lloyd said, returning to the living room to give Misako a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be back at 6.”
“Take care Greenbean.” Misako said.
“I will.”
***
For social reasons, Lloyd decided to walk. Mr. Xio protected him on the school’s bus, for some reason he couldn’t quite understand, but in the public bus it was different. Even if he got assaulted, which happened often, the authorities would not give a dam.
It was 9 a.m. when Lloyd knocked on his uncle’s door. He was exhausted from going up the 210 stairs to get to the monastery.
Nobody answered. He tried to give Wu a call and also to his cousin Morro, but again, no signs.
Lloyd decided to put some of Darkley's surviving class lessons into action. He climbed up the closest tree and saw if anyone was inside the monastery.
He identified the fighting arena in which his cousin Morro used to train when he was a kid. Then, he stepped on the pediment and jumped through the other side.
The monastery was as quiet as always. It was clean and it smelled like uncle’s Wu morning tea.
He drove himself to the kitchen and grabbed a lollipop from the glass candy pot his uncle had put on the kitchen counter so he came to visit more often when he was a kid, it actually seemed to work those days.
He was just heading to Wu’s office when he was suddenly tackled.
Kai
“I can’t believe we’re getting back to school next Monday” said Jay while extending his hand to get another pizza.
On his right side were Cole and Jay and on his left was Zane.
They were playing the new update of Prime Empire in the master's Wu console.
“Well at least we don’t have to do more warmings” Cole’s comment caused the group to laugh.
They have been working nonstop with Sensei Wu the whole holiday.
“Look out!” Screamed Kai.
The final boss had descended from his hideout. Jay was the fastest, shooting it with his electric gun, Zane cornered the boss with a frosting poison and Cole used his hammer to give him a final hit, while Kai stood there not moving.
“It’s not working!” Exclaimed Kai touching all the bottoms in his controller. Then the round ended as he groaned.
Suddenly the console shot off collecting everybody's groans.
Kai turned to take a sip of soda but found it empty. “Be right back, call me if it turns on again”.
“Wait!” Cole shouted, making Kai stop in his tracks. “Can you bring me more cake?”
Kai frowned and took the empty plate Cole was now offering him.
***
He had the sodas, the cake, and a new pizza box. He was heading to the room with his pals until he heard a glass sound.
Kai knew that the only thing that could make that sound was that candy pot that Wu didn’t let them touch. Once Zane ask him if he liked candies and he said ‘No. But I like tea.’
The person was getting close. Kai hid behind an arm closet and waited there. Nobody else was supposed to be in the monastery, the only person that lived here was the old man. It could have been Wu but with the man’s stealth, he doubted the glass would’ve made a sound.
The person passed by with a green hoodie on, they were a little shorter than Kai. Definitely not Wu. He waited until they passed and didn’t think twice before tackling the stranger.
Lloyd
Everything happened so fast. It took Lloyd seconds to remember why he was on the floor. Thankfully, (ok, not so thankfully), he was used to being tackled. Half by his school bullies, half by his cousin Morro.
He was suddenly turned around. A brown haired guy was looking, hatefully, at him. But also with a surprising look.
Lloyd’s reflexes acted on their own. He grabbed the closest thing on his surroundings, that happened to be a light table for one of his uncle’s expensive ancient vases. And before he knew it, the vase had broken on the stranger's head.
The kid got up to his feets. A hand grabbed his blue jeans and he was just pleasant to kick it off. Then he proceeded to do one of the things he did best in these types of situations, run. He fucking ran.
Lloyd turned to the left and then to the right twice, and then again to the left.
“KAI!!! The console is back to life!!!.” When Lloyd heard the shrill voice shout he started to panic.
He looked in his uncle’s office, bedroom and even went all the way to look for him in his tea shop. He wasn’t anywhere.
The boy decided to leave. None of this was worth it. And he still needed to complete his ‘ what you did on your break ’ essay.
Kai
After getting up the floor Kai went to the central alley, checked the cameras and spotted the kid on the patio.
When he arrived, he took the closest thing in his way and ran to the boy. Garmadon’s kid noticed him when Kai hit him on the head with a broom, the hit leaving him on the floor with a groan.
Then, grab him by the golden hair to pull him to his front and finally put the broomstick on his neck. The kid’s hands were already white while trying to push the broom off.
“You got nowhere to run,” said Kai, breathles, pushing the broomstick towards the boy’s neck. He wasn’t going to let him run away again, “Confess. What are u’ doing here?” The kid was trying to escape so Kai pushed the broomstick harder. “Are you working for your father trying to reveal the ninja's identities!?”
The boy, who was definitely younger than Kai, pulled his head up in a way that Kai could see his red, blood, eyes.
“Please let me go. I- I don’t work with my father.”
“Bullshit!”
“This is bullshit!!” Kai put more pressure between the boy’ neck and the Improvised weapon and after a pair of seconds let him enough space to breathe. “If I was, which I’m not, you're not even helping wearing your ninja suit without a mask”. He said with a sobbing voice. Kai could feel his cheeks flaming.
“You like to play smart, huh?”
“Yes I would say so” he gave a sassy reply.
Kai released the broom from his neck only to hit the kid with it and push himself up, leaving the kid on the floor. “Don’t move”. He needed to alert the others, but he had left his phone in the game room.
Lloyd
Lloyd felt humiliated in a way he had never felt before. People have always assumed the worst of him. But not in his own house. He had stayed there more than in his own house when he was a kid and his mother was nowhere to be seen.
Always saw his uncle and his cousin train and have fun.
He was sick of people treating him like a monster or assuming his next ”evil move”. Of not even wanting to know him because of his reputation.
But the worst thing is that he was sick of being compared to his father when the guy didn’t even know his name.
“What are you doing?” Said another voice. Three people and counting, no Wu.
Cole
Stupid. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have been convinced by Kai to stop training and start playing video games?
Kai had arrived 2 months ago and he already had caused so much trouble. ''bro, don't worry. It will only be a round" he had said. And of course, one became two, and two became twelve.
He was supposed to know better, he was the leader, he had the final word.
"Kai!! The console is back to life!!" Jay screamed.
The realization of his actions was starting to really set in, sensei Wu was going to come back, maybe he already had, maybe this was a test and he had failed and Sensei Wu was going to throw him out of the ninja team and he would have to go back to his father to dance.
After 5 minutes Kai still hadn't arrived, Cole realized something was wrong. So, he and the others went to look after him.
He wasn't in the kitchen and one of Sensei Wu’s favorite vase was scattered on the floor. Great.
“Zane, clean this up, Jay look for sensei Wu” he grabbed Jay’s shoulders and look into his eyes to ensure he understood the gravity of this, “distract him” then he told both, “I'm going to look for Kai, reunion in the arena in 10, we were training the whole time.”
“Then how did the vase break?” Zane asked.
“What?”
“You said ‘we were training the whole time’, how did the vase break?”
He had to be thankful for Zane, “You are right, make it look like an accident. Like what happened last week in sword training”
“Understood”
Cole wasted no more time and was heading for the camera system, however, he didn't need to arrive because he could already hear Kai on his way. At least he was in the arena.
He had a broomstick and was towering on a civilian.
“What are you doing?”he asked taking the broom out of his hands.
He looked at the kid to see if he was fine and gapped.
"Garmadon’s kid" Kai said, looking at him with despite. "He's probably here to spy on us"
"Did he tell you that? Why are you hitting him?" He said, full of astonishment.
"He broke in" he spoke as astonished as Cole felt. Neither seeing each other's point.
"He's a civilian, Kai!"
"His father is a terrorist!!!"
"Is he?!" They both swiped to look at the kid. He was gone. "Fuc-!
Jay
Sensei Wu had gone to the library. It was normally were he was when he disappeared.
He hadn't gone there in the past months with Kai arriving, not trusting him enough to not make trouble. He was of course right not to trust him in that.
Jay still remembers the first time Wu had told him he was allowed to enter and borrow books in the library.
It was amazing really, he currently had a beautiful book of poems and another in old-school mechatronik from there.
He tried to be cautious in case the sensei was meditating, but he was already spotted before entering the doorway.
"Jay" he said, "what's the matter? Is your training finished?"
Wu was sitting next to a table with a scroll on it, with his back to him.
"Umm…" of course, 'breathe. Say it like you practice', he bowed. Because even if Wu wasn’t watching him, he just had a way to know, "I slipped away"
Wu side glanced at him showing his disapproval.
He continued.
"I had a doubt." Jay stepped closer to him. "One of those you need to clear out for optimal training"
Wu grabbed his beard and nodded, then invited him to sit with him.
Jay did.
He saw the scroll, four figures of different colors surrounding a green one. Wu put the scroll away and indicated Jay to continue.
"My mom", he started, "her birthday is next week".
Wu raised a brow.
"I really want to give her a good gife this year, and she likes tee a lot, but i need guidance to find the perfect tone for her" it was only half truth, his mother's birthday was just in 3 moths, but he had been meaning to ask him about this.
Wu seemed surprised, but he still gave in and started yapping, "There are many different types of tee, and their taste can depend on their companions…" And he kept on, and on…
'10 minutes' he reminded himself while he put on a polite smile.
Lloyd
He got to the base of the mountain before they caught him. Damn those stupid stairs.
And now there were three of them.
Lloyd was too out of breath to say anything.
The one in red, who had put his mask on spoke, "going away so soon?"
"Can't we just…" Lloyd said, trying to catch his breath, " leave it… like this?"
The one in the black suit said, "okey look, this has comed all wrong. We wouldl like to apologize. Come with us so we can talk"
Lloyd shook his head and took a steep back, there was a step behind him so he went backwards.
The white suit one grabbed him from his hoodie's collar. Then he looked the black one for instructions.
"Let's take him up," he said.
***
Up in the monastery, they let him go.
The black one pushed the red one a little, expecting him to say something.
"I'm sorry", the red one said. The black one sighed, which pushed the red one to continue, "I Shouldn't have treated you that way, even if you have no business here-"
"Be for real" the black one interrupted, and started to speak to both lloyd and the red one" as the protectors of Ninjago city, our job is to protect. Regardless of who they are or what they do. I deeply apologize for the occured events. And if yoy let us, is there anything we can help you with?"
If the past 20 minutes hadn't happened he would have asked them to take him to his uncle, but now defeated he just asked, "Can I go?"
"No" he heard. Lloyd would have crashed out if he hadn't recognized his uncle's voice. With yet another masked individual in blue.
Lloyd made a run for his uncle, glad to see a familiar face that didnt want to hurt him. His favorite type of face. Until he was tackled from behind.
Kai
“Lord Garmadon is your brother?!” Jay was amazed by the revelation.
After the misunderstanding, they all sat in the living room, which meant that little Garmadon and Wu sat, the other group standing on their feet and in an attention position.
After Wu reprimanded them for 2 hours about discrimination, being protectors, lending a helping hand, skipping training, and the love he had for his beautiful vase, he introduced Lloyd. He was going to help with Wu’s tea shop for some time. In Kai’s defense, he didn’t know that.
The kid was on the opposite side of the room looking at the floor or when he thought Kai wasn't watching giving him a mix of hate/disgust/fear looks.
Wu stood up from the couch leaning on his bamboo stick.
“Kai, I need to talk to you,” he said, looking at him. Then, he left the room giving him no chance to argue.
Kai followed Wu to his meditation room. It smelled highly like incense. Wu didn’t seem to mind.
Wu took a seat on his mat and he mimicked him.
Wu tooked a deep breath and then spoke, "there is no easy way to say this Kai. But this is about Nya, your sister"
"Nya? What's wrong with her" he quickly asked, starting to become defensive when it came to his little sister.
"I have just been informed she has been taken by the Skulkin"
Kai gapped, "but…she's at home. I left her there this morning"
Wu slipped an open scroll in the table. It was a handwritten letter from a Skull general , it read ' We have the one that calls herself Nya. She will be trial and come out guilty, with a sentence of slow death in the dungeon'
Kai took the scroll, and tried to stop the trembling in his arms. He had so many emotions he felt he could just burst into flames.
"Kai" wu said, breaking him from his thoughts, " Nya is strong. Im sure she will hold until we get there"
"Oh" kai said, then added decidedly, "We'll get there”