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Lloyd is used to being hated.
Being the son of the city’s number one enemy puts him in a bad light. He’s used to it. Doesn’t mean he likes it, but he can push through each day with bullying and hate glares and the occasional ambush out on the streets. After all, that’s only half of his life—he’s also the city’s beloved Green Ninja, and he has the best teammates anyone could ask for, and he can count on them for anything.
He’s not used to how violent it can get.
Those “occasional ambush” events he sometimes faces aren’t pretty. They range from stabbing to getting nearly choked to death. The people who pounce on him—street thugs to terrified civilians—aim to kill. They’re not like the kids at school who’re just scared of him and express that through bullying to make themselves look stronger. The people who come after him out in the city have a mission, and it’s to rid the city of the second-most hated person.
He’s grown to be wary whenever he’s out in the open; everyone is a threat. His senses are on high alert on the walk from home to school, from school to the warehouse, and from there to home. He watches for suspicious movement; a hand reaching into a pocket, a suspicious glare, even someone being nice. A friendly face was usually a lure into a place where he’d be trapped and then they’d surround him. It’s happened too many times for him to trust anyone outside of his team.
All the paranoia is exhausting and sometimes he slips up.
Like when he walks past a darkened alley in the dead of night, worn out from a long afternoon of training as he heads home, and doesn’t raise his eyes off the ground. He normally looks into alleys to see if there’s anyone ready to pounce on him. But he’s so tired that he forgets.
And the very thing he feared happens. Without warning, arms wrap around him and something presses over his mouth to muffle his startled screech. He’s yanked into the alley and as he scrambles for balance, he feels something sharp dig into his neck.
Well, that’s not good. He’s seen too many movies to be naïve to what just occurred. He probably has mere minutes to escape before the effects of whatever was injected into his bloodstream takes effect.
Instinct takes over and Lloyd thrashes to free himself. He manages to slip out of the tight grasp only by shrugging out of his hoodie and forcing the thug to lose their grip. He rapidly backs away with fists held up in front of him. His mind spins dizzyingly and his hands shake slightly. His fingers are already numb.
“Slippery one, eh?” The thug snarls. He’s flanked by two more, tall and intimidating and more importantly armed. Knives flash in the streetlight. The one in the middle holds Lloyd’s hoodie away from his body, then drops it to the ground. A second thug kicks it to the side. “Not for long.”
“The stuff shoulda worked by now,” the third thug growls. She glares at Lloyd like it’s his fault. “What’s takin‘ so long?”
“How should I know?” The first thug snaps back. He steps closer to Lloyd, who can barely pay attention. He feels sick and oh so dizzy. “But by the looks of it, it won’t be long.”
Lloyd needs to leave. Now. He’s backed into the alley with the only way out being through the thugs. There’s no fire escapes or doors on the buildings to either side. The thugs picked the perfect place for this and he hates that he was foolish enough to get caught.
He should call the other Ninja for backup. That would be the logical thing to do. But the streetlights dim slightly with every blink and his thoughts grow cloudy. He doesn’t have time to call for help, even if they could get here before it was too late. And he thinks there’s another reason that he can’t call them…but he can’t remember.
No. He has to fight his way out. Fast.
Lloyd rushes forward. He feigns to the left and dodges to the right—
—straight into the vice grip of the female thug.
She immediately slams him to the ground and knocks the wind from his lungs. Lloyd wheezes as he weakly claws for purchase on the ground. His arms are numb and he can barely move them. His legs don’t have much feeling either.
Something cold and sharp presses into the back of Lloyd’s neck. He stiffens in fear and stops struggling. He can’t move much anymore even if he wanted to.
The thug doesn’t say anything, which is perhaps even more terrifying than if she would. Instead, she keeps him pinned and waits.
Lloyd senses the drugs flooding through his body. He can’t feel anything anymore and his vision darkens. He tries to say something but it only comes out as a weak groan.
There’s another prick in his neck. Apparently the thugs aren’t happy with how slow the drug is affecting him. He knows it’s because of his heritage, and he hopes it’s enough to keep him alive with the double dosage.
Kai, Lloyd silently begs as his body goes slack and his eyes flutter shut. Anybody. Help…
Then nothing.
Is this what drowning feels like?
He can’t breathe. Air won’t enter his lungs no matter how hard he tries to inhale. His body seizes and he doubles over with coughs that only lose more air. His legs turn to jelly as he collapses, hands wrapped around his throat like it would help him breathe.
He’s drowning.
He can feel air brush past him. He reaches out and his fingers grasp nothing. His lungs burn with the need for air but he just…can’t…
“Lloyd!”
He knows that voice. It’s his teammate and brother Kai. He sounds more terrified than Lloyd has ever heard him.
“Lloyd, wake up!” That’s Zane. He’s normally upbeat and optimistic. But now he sounds just as scared as Kai. Lloyd isn’t sure if Zane’s ever sounded so emotional over anything.
When silence follows, Lloyd is suddenly reminded that he can’t breathe. He gags and collapses onto his side. Energy drains from his body like water in a leaky bucket. His eyes close again.
He hears several overlapping voices, calling out in panic, but they echo and he can’t tell what they’re saying. But soon they fade away and he’s left in quiet peace.
A pressure lands on his shoulder.
“Breathe.”
The iron grip around his lungs abruptly vanishes. Lloyd gasps and coughs violently. But his lungs fill with glorious, precious air. Lucidity somewhat returns to his mind and he’s able to open his eyes as he struggles to push himself to his knees.
“Come on, kid!” The voices return with shocking clarity. “Wake up! Come back to us!”
Lloyd’s still struggling to catch his breath. He remembers feeling the pressure on his shoulder and the deep, soothing voice that accompanied the action. He lifts his heavy head and is met with a sight he could never imagine even in the wildest dreams.
It’s a man in a long white robe and a straw hat. His face is shadowed but if Lloyd squints hard enough, he thinks he can see kind eyes and a sad smile.
“W-who?” He rasps, lacking the energy to say anything more.
“Wake up,” the man says instead of answering.
The darkness around him suddenly brightens until it’s a blinding white. The man vanishes.
Lloyd’s eyes fly open as he gasps for breath. Right—the alley. The thugs and the ambush. Where is he?!
Before panic can fully set in, a familiar face appears in his vision. Kai’s cheeks are wet but he laughs breathlessly as he brushes hair away from Lloyd’s eyes. “Thank FSM,” the Fire Ninja breathes. “Welcome back, bud.”
“Kai?” Lloyd wants to ask what’s going on, but his voice comes out no stronger than a whisper and it drains most of his energy. He blinks slowly and attempts to raise his arm. It won’t obey.
“Take it easy,” Kai soothes. Lloyd feels him grab his hand, warm and gentle, which is nice after the numbness in the alley. “We found you just in time.” His smile vanishes and fear clouds his expression. “They had you pinned, and they—if we hadn’t gotten there when we did, if you hadn’t forgotten your phone—”
He’d forgotten his phone?
Maybe that’s why he didn’t think to call for backup.
“Still came,” Lloyd rasps quietly. He tries to squeeze his brother’s hand but his fingers barely move. “Saved me.”
Kai’s smile returns, but it’s shaky. “We don’t know what they gave you, but Lloyd—” He breaks off with a trembling inhale. “We had to breathe for you for hours.”
Well, if that’s not terrifying, Lloyd doesn’t know what is. The drugs must’ve slowed or stopped his lungs from working. He remembers his dream…thing…and the way he felt like he was drowning until the voice stopped it. And this is his fault isn’t it?
“No, don’t,” Kai begs, standing, and Lloyd realizes that he’s started crying. Hot tears fall down his face and his breath hitches in a sob. “It wasn’t your fault, bud.”
Sure feels like it, though. If he’d only just paid attention—both to his surroundings and to the fact that he left without his phone. He never would’ve been in this situation.
He tries to cover his eyes with his arm but, again, it won’t move, only twitches. Kai must’ve felt the motion, because he uses his sleeve to swipe away the tears and his hand lingers on the side of Lloyd’s face. It only makes the younger Ninja cry harder because he feels safe with Kai here. He might not be able to move but he knows he’s okay ’cause his brother is looking after him.
“Zane said the drugs are still in your system,” Kai explains softly. “Probably why you can’t move. You can sleep it off.”
Does Lloyd really look as tired as he feels? His mind is ready to sleep as soon as he allows himself to. He must look like a wreck if Kai could tell without Lloyd saying anything.
“I’m not going anywhere,” his brother adds as he pulls his chair closer to Lloyd’s head. “If anyone comes after you, they gotta deal with me.” Lloyd manages a weak half-smile. “And if we need to breathe for you again, I’m ready.”
His voice shakes slightly with the last promise. Lloyd knows it’s likely from finding him in that situation and watching as his condition worsened. He tightens his fingers around Kai’s hand, silently telling his brother that he trusts him.
And he allows himself to sleep.
When he wakes up next, he feels lighter. He can finally move on his own again, though his limbs feel weighed down and weak. Zane tells him that recovery will take a few more hours before he can safely walk home—this time with an escort. He doesn’t protest the protectiveness.
After all, he’d do the same for any of them.
It’s just unfortunate that he’s the son of the enemy. But it’s nice to not be hated by everyone. He can always count on his team.