Through Rose-Tinted Lenses, I See You

by WritingMadness13

Summary:

Arin and Sora find the cracked picture of Lloyd and Sensei Garmadon.

It brings up more questions than answers.

Notes:

procrastination time has begun once more, yay!

Chapter 1

It was a bright, sunny day. The Monastery’s red roof gleamed in the sunlight, gleaming and cheerful.

 

“Hey Arin, look what I found,” Sora’s voice came from inside an old, abandoned room.

 

Arin hurried over, interested, side-stepping the various ornaments and clothes that lay littered inside. “Yeah?”

 

You might be wondering: why were they digging around in the Monastery’s old rooms?

 

Well, to be fair, training to be a ninja was boring and exhausting work.

 

They were just taking a little break. They weren’t distracted or anything. It was for their own good.

 

It totally wasn't because Lloyd was out getting groceries and they practically had the entire place to themselves. 

 

(At least, that’s what Arin told himself as he made his way over to his best friend).

 

He looked over her shoulder and saw the picture she’d been staring at. “Woah,” he muttered, taking it into his hands, peering at it closely – although it was hard to hold it properly without prodding any of the cracked glass on top. “Is that…Lloyd?”

 

“I think so,” Sora replied softly. Her eyes strayed to the cracked picture as she hesitantly traced it. “Huh, wonder who this guy is.”

 

The guy in question was the one standing beside the younger Lloyd, old and wizened, laugh lines and crow’s feet lining his face. He looked…so proud of the boy, Arin almost felt like he was intruding on a personal moment.

 

And Lloyd, too: he looked so much happier, lighter – much better than he did nowadays, like a heavy burden had been placed on him, dragging him down so much that every smile felt like a forced one.

 

Arin coughed.

 

The room felt sombre, quiet – and he felt awkward.  

 

“We shouldn’t have seen this,” he muttered, backing away. “It looks…private.”

 

“Yeah, I know,” said Sora, standing. “But I want to show you something.” She tugged at his hand, pointing over to a small corner, decorated with pictures – all of the same man, laughing and smiling.

 

“I…” She hesitated. “I found the frame over there, right in the centre.”

 

“It looks almost like some sort of shrine,” Arin observed, before realizing, a stab of grief going through his heart. “Or…a memorial.”

 

His eyes fell on the clothes on the floor. “Sora,” he whispered, “look.” He picked up a robe, wide-eyed. “Isn’t this what the man was wearing in that photo?”

 

He swept his gaze around, and took a step back, looking at the room in a new light. 

 

Everything here looked like it had once belonged to the unknown man in the photo. Whoever he was, Lloyd clearly had cared for him once.

 

His eyes strayed back to the shrine, noting the reverent way that the pictures were placed, meticulously cared for even in such a dusty room. 

 

He shook his head. 

 

“Come on,” he muttered, taking Sora’s hand gently and leading her out. “I don’t think we should be here.”

 

The photo was placed back in the shrine, the two people frozen in a moment of happiness, unknowing of the hardships to come. The room remained dark and sombre, forgotten memories swirling in dust. 

 

Arin closed the door quietly, and left. 

 

Chapter 2: Explanations

Notes:

u asked for it, u got it!

lloyd's pov, y'all!

Lloyd didn’t know what to expect when he returned to the Monastery, arms full from the trip he’d taken to the Crossroads.  

 

Though he knew that Arin and Sora weren’t the Ninja, he couldn’t help but enter warily, green eyes flicking side to side in search of any…unpleasant surprises.

 

(The number of times he’d been the victim of a booby trap or something equally humiliating was far too high to count).

 

But…nope. He found nothing.  

 

Arin and Sora were actually training in the middle of the courtyard – and judging from the smell, they’d been at it for a while.

 

Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

 

Well, well, well: wasn’t that a welcome surprise?

 

He was most surprised by Sora – he’d had the hardest time getting her to train, and yet here she was, not a single word of complaint coming from her mouth.

 

He smiled and ducked inside silently, nodding at them encouragingly to keep up the good work. Arin shot him an enthusiastic thumbs up, but something seemed off about his smile. Lloyd’s smile dimmed slightly, worried, before brushing the feeling away. He was probably just feeling tired.

 

He dropped off the groceries and spotted his students making their way across the beams. He blinked, impressed they’d managed to make it that far so quickly.

 

He watched them for a bit, before hesitatingly casting his gaze to a closed door down the corridor.

 

…Should he?

 

He slipped into the room, trusting that his students were far too busy training to wonder where he’d gone.

 

But the moment he entered, he froze. Trepidation and anger started to fizz in his heart as he swept his wide gaze around, clenching his fists.

 

Someone had been in here. 

 

His father’s robe was unfolded, crinkled and spotted with the dust lining the floor. Someone had clearly picked it up.

 

He looked over to the corner where he kept his father’s pictures, and realized those, too, had been disturbed. The cracked frame had moved almost two inches to the left, and the photo had started slipping out – almost as if someone had taken it off and up to their eye level.

 

His hands were shaking, he realized belatedly, stuffing them into his pockets. He swallowed heavily and picked up a broom that lay nearby, beginning to sweep the room half-heartedly to calm himself down.

 

A few minutes later, he leaned against the broom and let loose a long breath.

 

Giving another cursory glance around the room, he put it off to the side and picked up his father’s robe, staring at it for a long time, a strange emotion unfurling in his chest.

 

(They’d had so many adventures together. He’d been taken from Lloyd too soon).

 

(Only to return in a form that he would've despised with his entire being). 

 

Alarmingly, tears began to well in his eyes, reminding him that there was a reason why he avoided looking at this thing.

 

Oh, the memories…

 

He felt something clench at his heart, and everything just fell apart around him. 

 

His knees gave out as he collapsed to the floor, sobbing quietly. He drew the robe around him, imagining that, just for a moment, his father was actually hugging him. He breathed in desperately, but after all these years, the familiar scent was weak at best.

 

...And wasn’t that a depressing thought. 

 

He sniffled, shoulders shaking. He missed his father. 

 

He sat like that for a bit, unmoving, lost in memories. He must've looked insane, staring at a random spot on the wall with his eyes glazed over. 

 

He was just glad that his students weren't here to see him in such a state. 

 

There was an awkward cough from the door. “…Uh…Lloyd?”

 

Damn it.

 

Before he even registered who'd spoken, he'd leapt to his feet, his hands jerking out and all but flinging the robe away in surprise.

 

His green eyes had dilated, wide and shocked, his heart beating far too quickly in his chest. 

 

Sora’s eyes were wide, too. 

 

“Woah, it’s just me!” She held out her hands in a placating manner, taking a step back.

 

Lloyd forced himself to calm down, placing a hand on his chest and taking in several deep breaths. He looked up, meeting her gaze.

 

“Sorry. You startled me.”

 

He walked over to his father's robe and picked it up again, folding it neatly in three precise strokes.

 

“What’s up?” He asked, not looking at her in fear of what he might find written on her face. 

 

“Are…you okay?” She asked hesitantly. “You…look upset.”

 

“I’m fine,” he said automatically. He tried for a smile, but it wasn’t very convincing, going by her unimpressed expression. “Really,” he emphasized. He moved his arms in a shooing manner, trying to get her to leave him alone. "Don't you have training to get back to?" 

 

Sora stayed right where she was.

 

“You know, talking about these things does kinda help,” she offered, ignoring the question. 

 

“I have talked about it,” Lloyd said empathetically.

 

In his mind, he added: to myself.

 

“Why don’t I believe you, then?”

 

He felt like cursing. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? This was none of her business. 

 

Calm down. She's just a kid. 

 

He forced himself to unclench his fists, and sighed. “Sora, just leave it. It’s all in the past now. How’s your training going?” He hoped his voice didn’t sound as desperate as he thought.

 

“Don’t try to change the subject,” Arin reprimanded, materializing behind his best friend – wait, where did he even come from?

 

(His ninja skills were getting rusty, Lloyd realized sourly). 

 

(That, or his students were improving their own skills at an accelerated rate).

 

He frowned, shaking his head to clear his mind. Focus.

 

He narrowed his eyes. “…Are you two ganging up on me?”

 

“We’re just curious,” Arin said hurriedly. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, wincing. “Uh, and also...we might’ve…accidentally gone into that room and messed it up a - a little bit?”

 

Sora groaned. “Arin. I thought you said we weren’t gonna tell him!”

 

"But -"

 

Lloyd spoke up before the two could launch into a full-on argument.

 

“You…saw?” He asked, dreading the answer. The room suddenly seemed much bigger than usual; the colours far too bright. He felt a strange ringing noise in his ear, almost causing him to wince at its volume. 

 

“Not much,” Arin hurried to elaborate, “just the picture…and the robe.”

 

“And pretty much everything else,” Sora muttered under her breath. Arin shot her a dirty look.

 

Lloyd forced himself to take a deep breath.

 

Calm down. They’re just kids.

 

Just. Kids. 

 

They had a right to be curious.

 

And, to their credit, they had tried to clean up their mess.

 

But then again…they’d invaded his privacy.

 

They’d seen things he’d never shown to anyone – not even the other Ninja.

 

His eyes strayed to the cracked frame, observing the way the splinters lined his father’s laughing face.

 

For the first time, instead of wondering what Wu would do, he wondered: what would Garmadon do?

 

(The good version, of course. Not the Oni. He was still unsure of his relationship with that man).

 

And of course, he already knew the answer. His father never liked hiding things from people - explaining in a calm, cool manner was the only way he ever talked. 

 

(Unless someone hurt his son. Then the man raged, and the world quaked in its boots, dreading the fate of the one who'd angered a son of the First). 

 

Lloyd's shoulders shook. He deflated and opened the door. “Come on in,” he muttered. “Just…sit wherever. It's too hot for me to talk about this outside."

 

Arin and Sora cautiously entered, eyes sparkling with wonder.

 

Lloyd leaned against the wall, observing them with half-lidded green eyes, tired.

 

“So,” he sighed. “I’m assuming you have questions.”

 

“Just one,” said Sora honestly. She pointed to the cracked frame. “Who is he?”

 

An ache settled over Lloyd's heart, and he almost cried.

 

They didn't even know who he was.

 

All those sacrifices he'd made, everything he'd lost, everything he'd earned - and yet, his father would remain but a footnote in his darker half's wrongdoings. Forgotten, in the face of the actions of one hurt girl and her crimes. 

 

(He wanted to snort. As if he needed another reason to despise Harumi).  

 

Because Lloyd had no doubt these two knew who Lord Garmadon was. 

 

But his time as a Sensei? A pacifist? A father?

 

No, they didn't know who that man was, because Lord Garmadon had eradicated that part of him from history.

 

After all, why be a sensei, a pacifist, a father when you could rule over Ninjago? Lloyd thought sardonically.

 

It wasn't like his own son had been abandoned for most of his already short childhood anyway, leaving him desperately searching for any shred of love and acceptance still left in the world. 

 

Lloyd remained silent for a long time, gathering his turbulent thoughts. How should he explain this?

 

Sighing, he picked up the photo, staring at it intensely.

 

His students waited, patient. Arin looked like he was resisting the urge to sneeze, stifling it only for Lloyd's benefit. Lloyd had read somewhere that doing that increased the risk of your brain exploding. He didn't want that to happen to Arin. 

 

So, he spoke. 

 

“He’s my father,” Lloyd said finally, tearing his gaze away. “Or at least, he was.”

 

“Is he – ”

 

“Yeah. He’s…gone.” He thought for a moment, before reluctantly adding, “Kinda.”

 

“Kinda?” Arin questioned. “What do you mean, he’s kinda gone?”

 

Lloyd hesitated for a moment, before shaking his head. “That,” he said, pushing off from the wall, “is a story for another time. Bunch of stuff involving dark sides, Oni masks and a very, very evil girlfriend.”

 

(Because while he was fond of these two, he really didn't want to start explaining that whole mess just yet). 

 

Instead, he shook his head wryly. “You really don’t wanna know.”

 

Arin and Sora exchanged looks, before nodding simultaneously. “Okay.”

 

They knew not to pry too much right now.

 

And anyway, they’d get it out of him later - one way or another. 

 

But for now, they were happy with the information they’d gotten.

 

Lloyd clapped his hands. “Now, back to training!” He pointed outside. “It’s a wonderful day, and dinner will be ready soon! Get those legs moving; we don’t want to get cramps at sunrise tomorrow!”

 

He grinned at them both.

 

Arin beamed.

 

Sora groaned.

 

Yep, just another day in Ninjago, Lloyd thought as he walked to the kitchen. 

 

And then he suddenly smiled. 

 

(And maybe, just maybe, it didn't feel like such a heavy burden anymore).

 

Notes:

im ded lol

Notes:

i need lloyd angst

i NEED it

also, thinking of adding Lloyd's pov to this, should I?

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 4 of The Ninja Need Serious Help