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They’d done it.
The Preeminent was gone. Her ear-splitting screams and wild thrashing had reduced to nothing more than a few last bubbles on the ocean’s surface. The ghosts were gone. Morro was gone.
Nya had saved them all. Lloyd really should congratulate and thank her. They would’ve been toast without her. Her powers were the thing that tipped the Preeminent over the edge of the underwater cliff and to her doom.
But, well. He felt awful.
Fighting hand-to-hand with Morro and realm-hopping on top of weeks of being possessed took its toll. He hadn’t realized he’d started shaking until a warm hand landed on his shoulder.
Lloyd struggled to meet Kai’s concerned amber gaze. “Lloyd?” His brother asked, but it sounded warped. “You with us?”
He knew Kai was scared, and he had every right to be. He remembered everything from Morro’s possession, including the fights against the Ninja. He probably didn’t look very good.
“I—” Lloyd broke off as a cough ripped its way free, followed by more. His throat burned with each one and he was alarmed to taste copper. Sharp pain stabbed into his chest. He struggled to catch his breath afterwards and Kai’s expression turned horrified. “I don’t feel good,” Lloyd finally rasped out.
But between the fighting, the possession, the coughing fit, followed by an adrenaline crash, the mere act of speaking took the rest of the fight right out of Lloyd. His legs turned to jelly and he collapsed forward.
Kai caught him before he could hit the ground. His vision blurred and faded. He heard Kai yelling but couldn’t tell what his brother was saying.
FSM, he was exhausted.
A little nap couldn’t hurt, right? Honestly, it felt deserved. After everything he’d gone through in the last couple of weeks, he’d earned a nap.
He didn’t realize that Kai was shaking him and demanding that he wake up. He hadn’t noticed when his eyes closed.
Sorry, Kai, Lloyd managed to think weakly.
Then everything faded away.
One of—if not the most—Lloyd’s least favorite places was the hospital.
The white walls, bright lights, chemical smells, and sympathetic attention made him restless and anxious. He’d expressed his opinion the last time he’d been, back when he broke his ankle on the Dark Island. The other Ninja understood and agreed, and they decided to avoid the place as much as possible. They made their own infirmary so they could avoid the hospital whenever possible.
So when Lloyd woke up to those white walls and bright lights, he knew it was bad.
They wouldn’t have brought him here otherwise.
He took a moment to orient himself. For the first time in a while, he was nice and warm, tucked under blankets and resting comfortably on the pillows behind him. His arms lay on top of the blanket, the left with an IV sticking into him and the other hand held by a sleeping figure.
Lloyd smiled slightly. He was glad to not be alone. He probably would’ve started freaking out soon once he assessed his situation. He still felt exhausted and weak, and pain pulsed lightly through his ribs. Every inhale wheezed slightly and he couldn’t breathe deeply lest he trigger another coughing fit. He could feel bandages tied all up and down his body and around his head. If he was alone, he’d freak out at the vulnerable and exposed position he found himself in.
But he wasn’t, because Kai was by his side.
Lloyd gently squeezed his brother’s hand. He frowned slightly when he realized that even if he wanted to add more strength to the action, he couldn’t. He was too weak to really do anything.
Luckily, the light movement was all Kai needed to shoot upright and wildly look around the room until his gaze landed on Lloyd. He visibly relaxed upon seeing the younger Ninja blinking sleepily at him.
“Hey, buddy,” Kai greeted softly, scooting his chair closer to Lloyd’s head and not letting go of his hand. “Good to see you awake.”
Lloyd nodded in tired agreement. “How long?” He tried to ask, but his voice caught and he coughed.
Kai jumped to his feet and briefly let go of his hand. Lloyd mourned the loss but it came back after only a few moments. His brother had just gone to the corner of the room to grab him a water bottle.
He drank greedily and relished the feeling of cold water traveling down his throat. Morro hadn’t exactly given him any water when he was possessed, and in his brief moment back with the Ninja before the fight against the Preeminent, he hadn’t gotten much, mostly from all the rush and simply forgetting. But there was no more fight. He could relax and take care of himself for once.
“Thanks,” he rasped, resting the half-finished bottle in his lap.
Kai studied him for a long moment. “To answer your question, you’ve been asleep for two days. But…how…are you feeling?” His voice came out tentative and unsure.
Lloyd raised a brow. “Peachy.”
“Lloyd.” He winced at the solemnity and worry in Kai’s voice. “I’m serious.”
He dropped his gaze. “I dunno. Tired. Sore.” He hesitated, then squeezed his eyes shut as he dared to ask, “How bad was it?”
Now it was Kai’s turn to hesitate. “Well…when you passed out on the boat, Zane told us that you had a partially collapsed lung and broken ribs. He thinks that’s what caused it. We had to bring you here.” Lloyd nodded once, timid. “The doctors said you were also dehydrated and malnourished. And you know about the rest.”
Lloyd couldn’t find the words to reply. He’d never been in a condition that bad before. He probably scared everyone, especially after his epic wipeout on the boat.
“Don’t make that face,” Kai pleaded. He grabbed Lloyd’s hands and the younger Ninja met his gaze. “None of this was your fault.”
Lloyd had a list of reasons why it was, starting with allowing himself to be possessed in the first place. But he kept his mouth shut so he didn’t upset his brother.
“I’m serious,” Kai continued. He sounded almost desperate. “I promised to protect you.”
“Stop.” Lloyd struggled to squeeze his brother’s hands. “It’s not your fault either.”
“We could’ve done something,” Kai protested. “Anything to get you away from that creep.”
Lloyd shook his head. “He wasn’t in your head, Kai.” He shuddered as the unwelcome memory of Morro’s horrific plans resurfaced. The ghost had found great joy in showing Lloyd vividly imagined images of what he planned to do with the world after the Preeminent arrived. The ghost had made it clear that he was going to take no chances when it came to his conquest, and that included extreme measures to keep the Ninja at bay or worse. He loved when Lloyd had nightmares about the Ninja’s various deaths. “N-nothing could stop him.”
Kai must’ve seen something in his expression. Or it was how he’d started shaking again and his face had drained of color at the memories that returned to the forefront of his mind. The Fire Ninja reached up to gently ruffle his hair. The familiarity of the motion broke Lloyd out of whatever terrified stupor he’d found himself in and he flinched lightly.
His brother immediately pulled away with a sad smile. “If I’m not allowed to blame myself, then neither are you,” he told the younger Ninja.
Lloyd drew in a trembling breath. His chest protested the action with twinges of pain both from the lung and the ribs. “Okay,” he agreed shakily. He didn’t know if he would ever be able to shake the blame, but if he wanted Kai to stop, then he needed to try. Or at least pretend to.
“You look like you’re about to pass out. Get some more sleep,” Kai urged, squeezing his hand. Lloyd obediently leaned back. “I’ll get Nya in here when you wake up next.”
Lloyd managed a small smile at the offer. Along with Kai, Nya was the other Ninja he felt the most protected by in his current state. Ghosts couldn’t get through her watchful eye and newfound powers.
He didn’t think he’d be able to fall asleep, but he quickly discovered that exhaustion was waiting just beyond his view; when he let his eyes close, fatigue slammed into him.
It didn’t take him long to slip under, comforted by Kai’s presence, but knowing the nightmares would reach him sooner or later.