A Single Sakura Petal (Ninjago x Reader Insert)

by ItzGlitchy

Summary:

In which You, the beloved reader, are tasked with a mission from your village elders to keep Ninjago at bay, as to prevent the ponds of balance from becoming polluted, and tipping the balance of Ninjago forever.

~✿

Chapter 1: ✿~Preface

☯︎

 

Before we begin your story, allow me to preface this with some background knowledge.

 

You are you, your name, your preferences, even though it will not be directly mentioned, are all you. This fic is intended to be as gender neutral and inclusive as possible, with as little use of pronouns (she/her, he/him, they/them, etc.), as well as little use of descriptors as possible (such as (Hair Colour), (Eye Colour), so on and so forth).

 

There is also no use of (YN) either, with this entire fic taking place in 2nd perspective, using you and your when referring to you. Because there is no use of (YN), many of the characters will refer to you as simply ‘you’, with nicknames, or by the proper title given to you, which is Blossom.

 

Now that, I believe, is a good segway to our next topic; your backstory. 

 

You live in a village known as the Sakura Ring, which is a ring-shaped mountain, holding a village both inside the ring, and outside on its perimeters. Your title is known as Blossom, which is called this because of the first caretaker of the Ponds of Balance. The Ponds of Balance are two ponds, inspired by the Pisces zodiacs and shaped like the Yin Yang symbol, and they represent Yin and Yang, saltwater and freshwater, the balance of Ninjago.

 

In the very middle of these two ponds is a well known as the Wishing Well, which is full of the perfect equal parts of both freshwater and saltwater. This is meant to be a representation of the balance within Ninjago. However, if even one speck of pollution contaminates the well and ponds, the balance could crumble if not dealt with immediately.

 

Now, as for the placement within this timeline, this takes place mid Season 1. The carnage and chaos created by the Serpentine and their efforts to summon Great Devourer had caused much damage to the Ponds of Balance, much more than has been seen in decades. Because of this, the elders decided it was wise to put the previous Blossom, your elderly mother, in your place as you went out into Ninjago to hopefully keep things in check.

 

There will be some obvious canon divergence, such as the monastery being destroyed later on in Season 1, but even then it will still happen. Canon divergence is only slight changes, but it will still end the same way, if that makes sense. 

 

Now, for the family, like I said, your mother is elderly, and you are her youngest child, with only older brothers, being 4 of them. A lot, I know, but it creates an interesting dynamic, does it not?

 

Anyway, I believe this is all the information you need for now, seeing as how you have the entire world of Ninjago to explore!

 

Go forth Blossom, caretaker of the Ponds of Balance within the Sakura Ring…

I wish you the best of luck!

 

☯︎

 

MAJOR LOVE INTERESTS

 

⤷ Kai Smith, the hot headed Elemental Master of Fire

 

⤷ Nya Smith, the cool and collected Elemental Master of Water

 

⤷ Jay Walker, the comedic Elemental Master of Lightning

 

⤷ Cole Brookstone, the brave Elemental Master of Earth

 

⤷ Pixane, 2 for 1 deal with the Nindroids, Elemental Master of Ice & Samurai X

MINOR LOVE INTERESTS

 

⤷ Skylor Chen, the powerful Elemental Master of Amber

 

☯︎

Notes:

✿~baby, forever's sounding pretty good with you

Chapter 2: ✿~Prologue

☯︎

“Leave this village, and find the one known as ‘Sensei Wu’. He is detrimental to your mission in maintaining the balance of this realm.” 

 

You recalled the words of your village elder as you climbed the stairs up to the Monastery he told you Sensei Wu resides in. 

 

“He lives in a Monastery known as the Monastery of Spinjitzu. Tell him that Crimson sent you.”

 

You groaned as you climbed the steps of the mountain, up to the peak where the Monastary stood. Why it was so high up you had no actual idea. Protection? Maybe it’s a type of test, who knows. Certainly not you, you have no time to think about why a building is where it is.

 

It made sense, Monasteries were places of peace, and the Blooming Monastery was in an equally high peak within the village, but this one was so much more high up.

 

You were pretty sure that a man on a flying bike had passed you, panting and pushing onwards up the mountain, despite how tired he was getting. Your sight was confirmed when the same man came cycling down just a few minutes later, looking totally weirded out. 

 

The clouds covered your vision, and you swatted at the air. The action did nothing to clear your vision, and you grumbled, deciding to just be extra careful climbing. 

 

“Find the one known as ‘Sensei Wu’. He is detrimental to your mission.” The village elder’s voice repeated in your head like a mantra as your legs began to tire out. The coolness of the air biting your skin, making you pull your coat closer to you. 

 

It only took a few minutes—what felt like forever to you—before you reached past the clouds. There was a beautiful sakura tree off to the side, but your eyes focused more on the giant, gated building with large doors. This must be the Monastery of Spinjitzu. 

 

Using your last remaining energy, you sped up to finally reach the doors of the monastery. You spend a minute catching your breath before grabbing the handle on the door and knocking it loudly. 

 

The noises on the other side stopped, there was some murmuring of confusion and sharp, hushed whispers before the door was answered by a young boy in black. 

 

“Uh, hi? You’re not the postman.” He said, confused.

 

You shook your head. “Indeed, I am not. I am looking for the one known as ‘Sensei Wu’.” You explain, and the boy's eyes lit up. 

 

He nodded before turning around. “Uncle, some person is here to see you.” 

 

There was a curious hum and an elderly voice said, “Let this ‘some person’ come in, Lloyd.” He sounded amused, and if the boy's embarrassed blush was anything to go by, the old man was teasing him. 

 

The young boy, Lloyd, opened the door more to let you in, and you spotted Sensei Wu at the end of the courtyard, sipping tea. “Ah, I recognize those colours… Come, sit.” The bearded man gestured towards you, and you followed, sitting across from him, with Lloyd going to his side. 

 

The young boy whispered something to him, and Sensei Wu had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he whispered back, making Lloyd smirk deviously before running off. 

 

“Now, apologies for keeping you waiting. Tea?” You nodded at his offer and he poured you a cup. Strangely enough, he already had two at the ready. 

 

You gratefully took the tea before sipping it. You hummed in approval, Kashmiri chai, a traditional milk tea from your home. Pink in colour, warm and calming, and your absolute favourite. 

 

“I believe you are aware that I was aware of your arrival?” Sensei Wu asked, breaking the silence. 

 

You nod. “Yes, I’m curious as to how you knew, but I feel like there are more pressing matters.” 

 

“I have many visions.” Wu began. “Your arrival being one of them, but I am not aware of your reasoning for being here. Please, explain.”

 

“I was sent here by one of my village elders, Crimson.” A look of recognition flashed over the sensei’s face, but he stayed silent for you to continue. “There is something that is bothering the balance of Ninjago. Our Ponds of Balance are being polluted because of it, and he said that it all directed to here, the surrounding area of Ninjago City.”

 

Sensei Wu nodded. “Ah yes, Crimson is a very, very old friend of mine. He was correct in saying there is trouble afoot here.” He sipped his tea before continuing. “You see, my nephew has been misled, and in a string of unfortunate circumstances, he has released the Serpentine.”

 

You choked mid-sip on your tea, coughing as you slammed the cup down with more force than you intended. “He… d-did what!?” You asked between coughs, and Sensei Wu gave you a handkerchief. 

 

“He released the Serpentine.” He repeated. “He was manipulated by the last standing Anacondrai, wanting to prove he was just as menacing as his father. He was but another pawn in the game.”

 

You calmed down from your shock. “I see. S-sorry for the reaction.”

 

“It is only natural you would feel shocked, I was just as shocked when I caught wind of the news.” 

 

You nodded in understanding, and now the two of you were in a comfortable silence again. Wu would sip his tea, you would sip yours, and you would think about the information he just gave you. 

 

You were so deep in thought you almost missed the bright red figure walking along the side of the monastery, almost like he was trying to be sneaky. 

 

“Is he… supposed to be red?” You whisper as the boy slunk into the room. 

 

Wu nodded. “Yes, but they’re supposed to be sneakier than this.” He sent a pointed glare in the direction of the room, where you could hear the faint sounds of cheering as video game sound effects. You sigh. 

 

“Why is he red? Next thing you’ll tell me is that they’re all colour coded.” You exclaimed with a tease, but Wu’s silence gave you all the answers you needed and you deadpanned. “… They actually are colour coded, aren’t they?”

 

Wu nodded. “Yes, that was Kai, the red ninja, and Elemental Master of Fire.”

 

That intrigued you. “Fire? Elemental Master?” 

 

“Yes, all of my current students have some form of elemental power, the power to control and manipulate different aspects of the Elements of Creation. That was only one student of mine.”

 

“I see.” You hummed, then spotting Lloyd approached the room with a smug aura. Wu smirked knowingly, while you raised a brow, watching the boy curiously. 

 

You saw him open the door to the dark room, only illuminated by the coloured light of the tv. He said something to Kai before running off like a devious cat, all the while Kai raged from inside the room. You chuckled, and Wu nodded in approval. 

 

“This new lesson will go swimmingly.” Was all he said before you returned to your tea. 

 

The rest of the time was spent asking questions about what exactly happened with the Serpentine, and while Wu didn’t know the full extent, he explained what he did know about them because of his nephew, and his ninja students' interactions with them. 

 

The tea was all gone now, and just as you stood up to thank Wu for his hospitality and information, there was yelling from inside the Monastery. 

 

Wu shook his head. “Would you kindly take the teapot and cups and follow me? I hate to make guests pick up after me, but I have some explaining to do to my students.”

 

“Sure, I don’t mind. I must repay you for your hospitality.” You said, picking up the items. 

 

Wu shook his head. “No need, I understand the importance of the Ponds of Balance, and I will help you in any way I can, young Blossom.”

 

You followed behind Wu closely as he walked through the Monastery, eventually reaching a small dining area where all the ninja were arguing. 

 

Aside from the red one, there were three more, a brunette dressed in blue, one dressed in white with a pink apron on, and the tallest was dressed in black. 

 

“You couldn’t just be happy with the top score! You had to rub it in my face.” Kai yelled at the one in black. 

 

Said ninja glared at the one in blue. “Do you know how long it took me to make that? Three days. Three days!”

 

The blue one huffed at the white ninja. “It’s an unsaid law, okay? You don’t touch a man’s robot!” 

 

The white ninja stared Kai down menacingly as he held a pink gi. “How am I supposed to strike fear in this? It’s pink!” 

 

You look down at your white and pink outfit, feeling almost insulted at the words he said. You’re menacing! At least… you think you are. 

 

Wu chuckled at your reaction before fully entering the dining area, followed by you, who was now too nervous to leave his side. You both were left unnoticed as Wu opened the door to find Lloyd laughing evilly, surrounded by a myriad of objects. A bunch of spices, some mechanical tools and a pink labelled laundry detergent. 

 

The four ninja finally noticed and gasped. “You did this?” They all cried in unison. It was actually kind of amusing. 

 

The black ninja stood forth. “Boys, I get first dibs on…”

 

You gasped. Was he really going to just beat up a kid? Seeing the rising tension, Wu held his staff out to protect Lloyd from the ninja’s wrath. 

 

“No dibs. I put him up to this for today's lesson. I wanted to show you the destructive power of rumours and that jumping to conclusions can only lead to trouble. Did you ever think to find out if the accusations were true?” Wu scolded. 

 

You let Wu explain what happened to the ninja as you kneeled down to Lloyds level. “Are you okay? They looked really mad.”

 

Lloyd nodded confidently. “I’m alright. I knew my uncle was bound to step in sooner or later.” He said. You nodded and smiled, glad to know that you weren’t about to witness a bunch of boys trained in martial arts beat up some helpless looking kid. 

 

“Do you know where these go?” You ask, holding up the teapot and cups. Lloyd nodded and pointed over at a sink with some counter space next to it. You went over and went to place them down. 

 

“Ah, do not place those down just yet, young Blossom, we are not yet finished.” All attention was now on you. You looked over like a deer caught in headlights, seeing Kai now holding a book over Lloyd’s head, and the other ninja were rather calm now. 

 

Wu walked over and grabbed some more cups. “We’ll be needing more of these.”

 

“Uhh, Sensei? Who’s this?” The black wearing boy asked curiously. 

 

“This is a child villager of an old friend of mine, all the way from the village of the Sakura Ring.” 

 

The boys all gasped, there was a moment of silence before one of them quietly asked, “… what’s the Sakura Ring?”

 

“It is a place said to be home to one of the most important spots in Ninjago History, the Wishing Well. It is said to keep the balance of Ninjago at bay.” The boy in white explained. 

 

“That is somewhat true, it’s actually—.” You were cut off by the sound of a girl over what appeared to be a speaker. 

 

“If you’re done fooling around, I could use you guys on the bridge. We still do have a snake problem to attend to. Over and out!” 

 

“You heard Nya, let’s go!” The blue one asked, sounding way too excited for this ‘snake problem’.

 

Kai groaned. “It’s one thing to let the son of your nemesis live with you. But having my sister here? I mean, come on! I thought this was a ninja headquarters!”

 

“You know I can still hear you… over and out!” The girl, Nya, spoke again, sounding so done with her brother and the others. 

 

The ninja all ran out of the Monastery, Lloyd scurrying excitedly behind them, with you and Sensei Wu following behind. 

 

“Where is this ‘bridge’?” You asked, curiously. 

 

“The bridge is on our ship, the Destiny’s Bounty. It is where we keep a close eye on Serpentine activity.” You nodded in understanding. 

 

“And… Why do we need all these cups?” Wu didn’t answer, and telling by the look on your face, something was probably going to go wrong. 

 

You stayed silent up until you reached Destiny's Bounty. 

☯︎

The girl, Nya, looked at you curiously. You were a new person, dressed in white and pink, with no sort of weapon or ninja attire like her brother and his friends. All you had was the bag on your back and Wu’s teapot and some cups in your hand. 

 

Wu never let anyone touch his teapot. 

 

Deducting that you were someone he knew very well, she pushed her suspicions aside and gave everyone the rundown of what was happening as the ship sailed in the air towards their destination. 

 

“Last we heard of Pythor, he stole the Map of Dens from Lloyd and is now on his way to open the last two Serpentine tombs.” She explained, pressing some buttons and the ship sped up. 

 

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Lloyd said, full of remorse and guilt. You carefully adjusted the cups and teapot so you can place one hand on his head, patting him comfortingly. Your older brothers did this whenever you were upset, so you hope it had the same effect on him. 

 

“Pythor’s our most dangerous threat. If he finds these tombs before we do, with his intellect and all four tribes unleashed, there’s no telling what he’ll do.” Wu exclaimed seriously. 

 

“Like I explained with Sensei Wu earlier and wanted to elaborate on with you all.” You spoke up, making all seven pairs of eyes look over to you. “While the Wishing Well that… you brought up.”

 

“Zane.” He interjected respectfully. 

 

“Thank you. While the Wishing Well of the Sakura Ring is indeed an important part of our village, it’s actually the Ponds of Balance that keep Ninjago in harmony. If such balance is tipped, the ponds will pollute, and will continue to do so if not taken care of. If it’s too late, Ninjago will fall into chaos.” You explained seriously. “You can not let this… ‘Pythor’ fellow go through with his plan.” 

 

“But those tombs could be anywhere. Without a map, we might as well throw darts at a map.” The blue ninja said sarcastically, and Nya smirked. 

 

“Good idea, why don’t we?” With quick precision and grace, she threw two darts at a map. “Those are the two locations of the Hypnobrai and Fangpyre tombs.” 

 

“Show off.” Kai grumbled. 

 

“Impressive.” You complimented. 

 

Nya giggled before throwing another dart. “And this is Pythor’s tomb. After many hours of ruminating on why the tombs were placed in these three precise locations, I discovered a secret pattern. If you notice, all three are in line with the Ninjago symbol for serpent.” 

 

A look of realisation dawned on the blue ninja’s face. “So the last two tombs must be here and here.” He pointed at two locations on the map before looking back at Nya with a lovesick sigh. “Ah, you’re so smart.” 

 

Nya confidently smiled. “Was there ever any doubt?”

 

“There’s little time. Kai and Jay, you head to the Venomari tomb. Cole and Zane, you take the Constrictai tomb. And take this.” Wu handed the ninja team a curious looking flute. “You might need it if you run into Pythor. Good luck, ninja.” 

 

“What am I gonna do?” Nya asked. 

 

“Yeah, what are we gonna do?” Lloyd asked excitedly. 

 

“Nya, I need you to make sure Lloyd doesn’t get into any more trouble.” The excitement of the duo washed away, and was replaced with annoyance. 

 

“Yes, Sensei.” Nya grumbled. All Lloyd did was nod, head hung low. 

 

“Let’s go, boys. We got some snakes to club.” The black ninja pulled his hood over his head and all the ninja ran out of the bridge. 

 

Wu sighed, looking out the window in the distance. “Where are you, Pythor. What are you up to?”

 

“Sensei Wu, where would you like these?” You asked, holding up the teapot and cups. Wu stroked his beard as he held his own pile of cups. 

 

“Ah, right. Nya, please take these cups. I want you and Lloyd to show our new friend around.” Wu handed the girl in red the cups before returning to his contemplation. 

 

“Sure, Sensei. Follow me.” Nya and Lloyd led you to the dining area of the Destiny’s Bounty. “We can just put them in these cabinets for now. She said, helping you store them away. 

 

The silence was so awkward, and Lloyd was the one to speak up. “What’s the Sakura Ring?” He asked. 

 

“Oh, that’s my home village. It’s a village surrounded by a ring shaped mountain, meant to protect our pond from those who wish to pollute it.”

 

“What’s that mean?” Nya spoke up. 

 

“The Ponds of Balance are the balance of Ninjago in physical form. The Yin pond holds freshwater, the Yang pond holds saltwater. The Wishing Well is an equal mix of the two, a representation of balance. If the balance is tipped, the ponds will pollute.”

 

“So, If the bad guys keep doing bad things, the ponds get bad?”

 

“Almost like that, Lloyd. You see, if there’s too much bad, the Yang pond, which represents goodness, will pollute. However, the same could be said if there were too much good, the Yin pond, which represents badness, will pollute. There must be a perfect balance of good and evil in Ninjago in order for the ponds to remain healthy.”

 

“That… makes sense I guess.” Nya exclaimed. 

 

“Too much good? That’s a thing?” Lloyd looked confused. 

 

“Yes, too much of anything could lead to something bad. Say, you had too much candy, that would make you sick, since candy is unhealthy. However, too much water could also be bad, and cause you to be over hydrated, even though it’s good for you.”

 

Lloyd nodded at your explanation. 

 

Nya closed the cabinet as Lloyd continued with his questions. “Huh, so it’s like a grey area?” 

 

“Correct. Life is not as black and white as it seems Lloyd.”

 

“As interesting as this is, I believe a tour is in order. Right Lloyd?” Nya spoke up. 

 

Now energised, Lloyd stood up from where he flopped on the floor while hearing you talk. “Right. You should see the video game room!” 

 

You tilted your head curiously. “You have a room dedicated to video games? Interesting.”

 

“Yeah! It’s so much fun beating everyone’s records in Fist2Face!” Lloyd smirked smugly. 

 

“I see…” You hummed, rather clueless since you’ve never even touched a controller before, but it was nice seeing everyone have their own hobbies and likes. 

 

“Have you ever played video games?” He asked as he began pulling you by the arm. You shook your head and he gasped. “We have to fix this!”

 

“Tour first, then you can play.” Nya reminded adamantly. Lloyd nodded, a bit miffed, but he let Nya show you around the Bounty. 

 

It was bigger than the ships you’ve seen, which wasn’t many considering how you lived nowhere near any coasts. There were multiple bedrooms, one for the boys, one for Sensei Wu, one for her and a guest room. The kitchen and dining areas weren’t that big, but the bridge from the earlier mission debrief was right next to it. The deck was spacious, and it had many trapdoors that Nya revealed held training stuff like dummies and a mini obstacle course, and the very front of the ship was completely open. 

 

“Okay, tour done! Now can we play?” Lloyd asked impatiently, and Nya nodded with an exasperated sigh. 

 

“Yes, you can go play now.”

 

Lloyd cheered and dragged you to the video game room with a smirk. “I’m gonna kick your butt!” 

 

“Seeing as how I’ve never played video games before, I believe you will.” You said, amused. 

 

Lloyd stopped and gasped as he looked at you. “You’ve never played any video games!? I thought you just meant Fist2Face!”

 

“I’ve never picked up a controller in my life. The village doesn’t exactly have the best electricity and internet.” 

 

“I’m gonna teach you Fist2Face so hard you’ll be able to beat the ninja!” Lloyd declared. 

 

“I’m excited to see how this goes, then.” You were, you really were excited. 

 

In the beginning, climbing up to the Monastery had you wanting to be anywhere but there, but now, being on the Destiny's Bounty, feeling welcomed by these people you’ve never met before, it felt… nice. 

 

“Hold this.” Lloyd instructed, handing you a controller. The video game room was dark, with the only light being from the windows and whatever light the tv gives off. 

 

You squint to see the controller better. “Okay? Now what?”

 

“See this ‘t’ looking button, these help you move. There’s up, down, left and right. Left and right helps you go left and right, while down is for crouching, and up is to jump.”

 

You nod as Lloyd explains the mechanics of the game, and you try your best to understand. ‘A’ is to punch, ‘B’ is to kick. The other buttons don’t do anything. ‘Select’ pauses the match. 

 

Lloyd started you off with the tutorial. “I still don’t know why you picked to play as Josie Jawbreaker, she’s the worst character in the game.”

 

You shrugged at Lloyd’s comment. “I just think she looks cool.”

 

“But she’s so… pink!”

 

“Lloyd… I’m ‘so pink’.” You deadpanned and watched in slight amusement as Lloyd flushed red in embarrassment. “Besides, this is the first time I’m playing this game, and you said she’s easy to understand for fighting, so she was the best choice.”

 

Lloyd thought before nodding. “You picked up fast though, wonder what you’re gonna do against me as Superstar Skullbasher.”

 

You chuckle. “I’ll try my hardest, o’ wise Fist2Face master.”

☯︎

“Is… he okay?” You whispered to Nya, who shook her head, just as concerned for her brother. 

 

“No. No he’s not.”

 

You cringed as Kai took the fork, stabbed a piece of food, and brought it to his face, proceeding to smother his cheek with it, completely missing his mouth. 

 

Yikes. 

 

“So then, just as we were gonna bite it, this huge mechanical robot—!”

 

“Samurai. It was Samurai.” Zane interrupted who you now know is Jay, making said ninja huff. 

 

“A Sama-what?” Lloyd repeated, confused. 

 

“Samurai.” Wu said. “Highest level of warrior class. They would protect nobility and serve with honour on the battlefield.” 

 

Lloyd nodded with stars in his eyes. 

 

“He was a hundred feet high, with weapons coming out of every part of him.” Kai ranted before whispering to the black ninja named Cole. “Look at Sensei’s beard. It’s moving like snakes.” 

 

Nya sighed, equal parts worried and annoyed at her brother. “When is this Venomari spit supposed to wear off? It’s starting to get annoying.”

 

Cole shook his head. “Okay, don’t let this mysterious Samurai cloud what’s really important. All the Serpentine are out, and if Pythor can unite them, the legend states that some ‘Great Devourer’ is gonna consume the land and—.”

 

“‘Great Devourer’?” Nya repeated. 

 

“This is not good at all… ” You mutter under your breath. At this point, if Pythor really does succeed, this could spell the end of Ninjago as you know it. 

 

“Whatever it is, it’s a can of worms I don’t wanna see open.” Cole said. 

 

“Ugh, it’s all my fault.” Lloyd said as he looked at his plate sadly. “If I hadn’t opened the first hatch, none of this would have happened.” Again, you pat Lloyd’s head for comfort. 

 

“We cannot change the past, but we can affect the future. At least we have the Sacred Flute in our possession, so—.”

 

“Yeah, ahem. About that…” Jay spoke up, a nervous smile on his face. 

 

“Please don’t say it was taken…” You muttered. 

 

Jay didn’t say it, but Zane certainly did. “Pythor sort of stole it.” 

 

“The last Sacred Flute gone?” Wu gasped. He looked down and sighed before looking each of his students in the eyes. “You four are Ninjago’s last hope.”

 

An alarm begins blaring, startling you. Nya stood up. “Cold vision must’ve caught something. That means the Serpentine are near.”

 

Nya rushed out of the dining room, followed by the ninja, Cole dragging Kai behind them, Lloyd, and you and Sensei Wu. 

 

Before you even made it to the bridge, you could hear Nya’s shocked scream. “THE MONASTERY!”

 

Rushing over, you gasped. As the Destiny’s Bounty went to Ninjago, you caught a glance at the Monastery. 

 

It was burning. 

 

“My high scores!” Jay yelled out in despair. Cole looked horrified, Zane just looked sad, Kai was too out of it to react, and Lloyd looked like he was about to cry. 

 

You thought back to how Wu called you out to not put the teapot away, instead having you gather more cups. 

 

“Sensei Wu… why did we need all those tea cups?” You asked again, hoping your guess was correct. “Did you… know this would happen?”

 

Wu nodded. “Yes, which is why I was so adamant with you all to make sure your most important belongings were on this ship.”

 

“Oooo, pretty waves.” Kai reached out, only to be hit in the head by Cole, who looked so done being Kai’s babysitter.

 

“Ow! What the heck!?” He growled. Seems like that finally knocked some sense into him.

 

“How many are there?” Jay asked as Nya looked at the converging dots on the map. 

 

“Looks like all of them.” She said. 

 

“Pythor must be trying to unite them!” Zane exclaimed worriedly. 

 

“Go, we mustn’t let the fib tribes unite.” Wu ordered. 

 

“Ninja, go!” The ninja all yelled out, running out of the bridge with Kai lagging behind. 

 

You watch in awe as they all perform Spinjitzu. You’ve only seen it once before, the village elder used to do it before his back got bad. 

 

You watched as Zane lamented about his pink gi, and Kai fell over, probably still disoriented from the Venomari venom. Jay wasted no time in picking him up and jumping straight off the Bounty.

 

Your heart jumped into your throat and you ran to the edge of the Bounty, watching as they fell, only for a flash of light to replace them with strange vehicles of matching colours to the ninja. “... Huh.” You said intelligently.

 

“They’ll be fine, they’re thick skulled… in more ways than one.” Nya said with a smirk before retreating back to the bridge, maybe to check on Wu. That left you with Lloyd.

 

“Lloyd, is everything okay?” You ask, and he wrung his hands together.

 

“Can you… maybe… Help me with Zane’s laundry? As funny as him being pink is, it’s starting to get weird.”

 

You nod. “Sure, I know how to get stains out, so hopefully we can use the same process.” Lloyd brightened and you began walking to the ninja’s rooms with a new mission of your own.

☯︎

“You know, whether it was in a lesson book or not, we used the destructive power of rumours to our advantage.” Cole explained. Something must have happened during the mission to make them realise this.

 

Kai slumped down at the table, feeling disappointed. “And now the Serpentine are further away than ever from getting their act together.”

 

“You know, I don’t think we would’ve gotten out of there if it hadn’t been for Zane.” Jay said positively, while Zane smiled over at Lloyd.

 

“Don’t thank me. Thank Lloyd. If it hadn’t been for his “laundry skills,” we all would’ve been found.” Everyone laughed and Lloyd entered the room with you, holding Zane’s gi, now back to it’s pristine white and free from any stains.

 

“Well, it took us twenty loads, but your suit’s no longer pink. And to show that I’m sorry, Cole, I got you a can of nuts.” Lloyd handed out the peace offering to Cole, who looked at it with suspicion.

 

“Uh, haha, yeah. Don’t think I don’t see what this is. When I open this, a bunch of snakes are gonna pop out, right? Yeah, no thank you.” He laughs like he has Lloyd beat and goes to open the fridge, only to have snakes pop out.

 

He shrieked as they flew out, one hitting him in the face, and everyone began laughing. Cole glared at Lloyd before eventually finding amusement and began laughing too.

 

You had just gotten here, and you already felt like things would turn up for the better.

 

Spoiler alert, it’s going to get sooo much worse.

 

☯︎

Chapter 3: ✿~The Snake King

☯︎

Considering how you’ve now been taken in by this ragtag team of ninjas, Wu ultimately decided that because of your mission to help keep Ninjago in balance, you come along for the ride to defeat the Serpentine. Now, the once dusty and empty guest room is now your abode within the Destiny’s Bounty.

 

“Good morning, Nya.” You greeted nervously, she smiled back at you, wearing a red outfit with golden phoenix designs on them.

 

“Good morning. Ready for your first full day on the Bounty?” She asked, and you nodded. You passed by the deck, where all the ninja were training, plus Wu and Lloyd with them you followed her into the bridge, where there was a quick beeping from the map, indicating Serpentine activity.

 

“Already?? But it’s so early…” You said, and Nya shrugged.

 

“Guess the serpentine doesn't wait for anyone.” The raven haired girl sighed in annoyance.

 

She sounded the alarm, alerting the ninja to the activity

 

“Sorry to break up the moment, boys, but a small faction of our slithering friends are stirring up trouble at Mega Monster Amusement Park.” Nya said as they all entered the bridge.

 

Hearing this, Lloyd perked up. “Amusement park? Can I go? Can I go with you, please? Let me make things up. I can help.” He pleaded, bouncing in place.

 

Wu shook his head apologetically. “I'm sorry, nephew. You will stay here, where it's safe.”

 

The young boy huffed, kicking his leg. “Oh, ninja get all the fun.”

 

“What do you say, guys? Time to try out the new merchandise?” Jay proposed with a smirk. You took notice of how their uniforms were different from the one you’ve seen them in before. They were still colour coded, however they all now had armour on their hoods and shoulders. While Kai’s and Zane’s were gold, Jay and Cole’s were silver.

 

Cole nodded in agreement. “All right. This new stuff feels like it'll really protect us.”

 

“Yet, provides more mobility.” Zane said with a smile, stretching a bit.

 

“You wanna strut your stuff on the catwalk, or get down to that amusement park so we can go on some rides?” Jay pulled his hood up, ready for action. It seems he’s more focused on the fun rather than fighting the Serpentine. You sigh, a bit annoyed.

 

Kai smirked. “I love a good old fashioned roller coaster, but nothing beats this.” They all run out of the bridge and jump off the Bounty and use their vehicles to land.

“Hmm… they seem quite confident despite what happened yesterday.” You pointed out. Wu nodded in agreement.

 

“Indeed, the new uniforms appear to have heightened their ego’s… maybe what's to happen will bring them down a peg.” The ninja Master explained.

 

“What’s to happen?” You repeated quietly, and he didn’t elaborate further, simply walking off to the bridge.

 

“Man, why do ninja have all the fun?” Lloyd pouted as he leaned on the bannister with you, huffing.

 

“We can have our own fun, Lloyd. We can go hang out with Nya, I’m sure she’ll have something fun to do–.” Nya, who was behind you originally, was gone. “Huh… never mind then, looks like it’s just you, me, and Fist2Face.” You challenged, and Lloyd smiled evilly.

 

“You’re on!”

 

“No Fist2Face.” Wu interjected, making you jump in surprise. 

 

Lloyd groaned. “What? What are we supposed to do then?” 

 

Wu held up a hand peacefully to calm him down. “What’s to come has passed. We can go to the amusement park if you so wish.”

 

Lloyd gasped excitedly and cheered as you raised a brow questioningly. “Really? What happened?”

 

“That is not important now. The bounty is anchored and parked close enough to the ground, let us just enjoy the park now.”

 

After having carefully gotten off the Bounty, you, Wu and Lloyd all entered the amusement park. You took in your surroundings with fascination, having never seen such a lively place before, it was honestly quite overwhelming in your opinion. 

 

You looked ahead to the ninja, who were being ignored by civilians in favour of them all running around, a group of Serpentine were tied up in front of them. 

 

“Yeah, you just missed all the action. He just flew in, took care of business, and then flew off. It was pretty cool.” You heard Nya say as she walked past them, holding some pink food in her hands.

 

When did she… get down here?

 

“I don't wanna be a ninja. I wanna be a Samurai.” A little boy cheered excitedly as he ran off to go play at the park. 

 

Some men walked past the ninja, praising the Samurai. “The Samurai is my new hero.”

 

“I knew the Samurai could kick the ninja's butts.”

 

“Ugh, who is this guy?” Kai growled. 

 

Cole shrugged, obviously miffed at either the lack of a fight, or the civilians blatantly ignoring and lowkey insulting them. “Whoever he is, he's stealing our thunder.”

 

“And we just got these cool new ninja suits. Argh! I'm gonna say it: I hate Samurai.” Jay talked in frustration. 

 

Wu handed you and Lloyd your own food, the same one you eyed in Nya’s hand before approaching the boys. “Do I hear a hint of jealousy? Maybe this can be a lesson for you.”

 

Your eyes widened when you ate the food. It was super sweet, and felt like a cloud. Lloyd laughed at your wide eyed reaction. 

 

“Oh! Not another lesson. Hey, how'd you get here so quick?” The ninja in blue whined. 

 

“The lesson is iron sharpens iron.”

 

Zane tilted his head, confused. “I do not follow, Sensei.”

 

“Healthy competition can help you reach your True Potential faster. Do not be jealous of this Samurai, let it inspire you. Oh, Ferris wheel!” He immediately got distracted, running towards an attraction and almost knocking a child over.

 

The boys then began talking to each other about what Sensei Wu said, something about a ‘competition’ and ‘Green Ninja’, but you weren’t paying them any attention. Instead, your attention was drawn to the stands of people playing games. 

 

“You wanna play some games? They got some awesome prizes!” Lloyd cheered. 

 

“I’ve seen these before. My village would always hold an annual festival and we’d all play games with the kids. I was a natural at the ball toss one. Where you throw a ball into a cup.”

 

“Ooh, those ones are always the hardest!”

 

“I believe I can take it.” You exclaim, intending to prove that the confidence you have in yourself was not misplaced. 

☯︎

You returned to the Bounty with many prizes, so much so that you and Lloyd had to carry them all home. 

 

Lloyd had claimed his stake on the giant green teddy bear you won, as well as a long white dragon plush, while you had taken some smaller plushies for collection, a lion, a bunny, an octopus, and a peach shaped pillow. 

 

“I say you did very well, game master.” Lloyd said in a funny, faux posh accent, making you giggle. 

 

“Why thank you, master of Fist2Face.” You replied in your own, just as poorly mimicked accent. 

 

“You two look like you had fun.” Nya exclaimed as you entered the dining area. As she and Sensei Wu ate lunch, the guys were all arguing over something. 

 

“What’s got them so riled up?” You wondered, grabbing some plate and sitting down, handing one to Lloyd, who wasted no time in collecting as much food as possible. 

 

“Something about the Samurai? I’m not sure, I sorta stopped paying attention when they said Jay crossdressed.”

 

You snickered at the random info, the idea of Jay in a wig and dress was actually kind of funny, he didn’t seem like the kind of guy to go that far just to catch some Samurai. 

 

“And when Kai tried, the Samurai just grabbed him!” Jay exclaimed. “It was like he weighed nothing!”

 

“This Samurai sounds really strong. Maybe you guys just aren’t keeping up.” Lloyd taunted, making all the boys look over at the youngest with annoyed stares. 

 

“Oh yeah? And what did you do all day, huh?” Jay asked snarkily.

 

Lloyd grabbed your wrist and spoke haughtily, recounting how you won so many carnival games, they had to kick you out of the park for the day.

 

Which… wasn’t really true. You did win any game you touched, but you left of your own volition when it was lunch time. But, you digress, Lloyd’s story was much more interesting. 

 

“ Really? Maybe the master of games can catch the Samurai.” Cole grumbled, returning his attention to his food. 

 

“Oh I could never. The best you’re getting out of me is if I manage to bonk the Samurai with a ball.” You said, amused yet exasperated. “Besides, I have no tension with the Samurai like you guys do. I think they’re kind of cool.”

 

“Oh great, you too…” Kai growled in annoyance. 

 

“Now, now everyone. Let’s calm down and enjoy our lunch. Nya and I worked very hard on it.” Wu interrupted calmly, raising a hand to keep Kai and the rest (but mostly Kai) from getting angered further. 

 

Lunch went by quickly, with a tense silence that made everyone more than happy to leave as soon as they were done. 

 

The only ones left were you and Wu, who purposefully had you stay back for a cup of tea, and Kai and Lloyd. 

 

The clock off on the wall ticked away, and the silence with the added annoying sound was enough for Lloyd. “Can I go out again? I wanna play more games…” 

 

“Lloyd, didn’t you already win a bunch of prizes at the amusement park?” Wu asked back. 

 

Lloyd nodded sheepishly. “Well… yeah, but I’ve been cooped up in the Monastery and here and I can’t take it! Can we please go out again?”

 

The Sensei stroked his beard in thought. “Well, I have some things to talk about with the young Blossom here, but I do believe it’s Kai’s turn to watch over you.”

 

Heading his name, the fire master perked up. “Really? Do I have to?” He groaned, but his complaints fell on deaf ears as his teacher merely looked at him until he agreed. “Ugh, fine. We can go out, short stack.”

 

“Yes!” Lloyd cheered, hands in the air. 

 

“Lloyd, you’re still holding your fork, be careful.” You chastised. The young boy merely gobbled up the rest of his food, put his dishes in the sink and ran off with his plushies to go put them away. 

 

“Kai, make sure to keep a close eye on him. If the Serpentine truly are in Ninjago city, I want you to protect him.” Wu emphasised, and Kai nodded absently, finishing the rest of his food before walking out to go find Lloyd, dirty dishes left to rot on the table. 

 

Sensei Wu sighed. “I apologise, they normally aren’t so…” he moved his hand, trying to find the right word. 

 

“Irritable?”

 

“Egotistical, but that works as well.” Wu moved to stand, only for you to stand up faster. 

 

“I can put the dishes in the sink, Sensei.” You offered. 

 

“Thank you, young Blossom. I appreciate the help.”

 

“Of course. You all let me stay here to ensure my mission is complete, and I am very grateful. So I’ll help when I can.”

 

“And I am grateful for you. You came such a long way to help us keep the balance of Ninjago.”

 

The room was silent again, the running water of the sink felt like it was the loudest thing you have ever heard. 

 

“I have an… odd question to ask.” Wu stated. “Does the name ‘Honoka’ ring any bells to you?”

 

You paused your washing, computing the question in your brain before nodding. “Yeah, she’s the Goddess of Balance, worshipped by the people of the Sakura Ring. She was the one who founded and cultivated our village. Why do you ask?”

 

Wu hummed to himself. “Simply curious. I haven’t heard much from Crimson since he became an elder, and while I would love to catch up, there’s simply too much going on.”

 

“Well, if you’d like, I can share some history with you?”

 

Wu nodded, and with the dishes all finished, you sat with him and spoke about your village stories.

 

☯︎

The next day, everyone was gathered together on the bounty, and yet again, the ninjas were complaining about the Samurai.

 

“Trying to find out the Samurai's identity is more of a nuisance than the snakes. Any luck with you?” Cole asked the others, who all groaned and shook their heads.

 

“The guy's elusive. He's like a ghost. One moment he's there, the next he's gone.” Jay stated.

 

Zane sighed. “I am starting to believe we might never catch him.”

 

“I think it's safe to say, none of us are closer to proving we're the Green Ninja.” Kai lamented.

 

You followed Wu into the room worriedly. Lloyd hadn’t returned with Kai last night, and you had brought up your worries to Wu, who agreed that something was wrong. “Looks like iron is sharpening iron. I feel you are getting closer to your True Potential.”

 

Wu grasps Cole’s arm and squeezes it, making the ninja wince. “Ow!”

 

“Where is my nephew? I thought you were looking after him.” The ninja sensei glanced over at Kai, and you stared at him, making the red ninja fret.

 

“I thought Cole was gonna pick him up.” He said.

 

Cole huffed. “I went to the arcade, but he wasn't there. Jay was—”

 

Jay shook his head. “Don't bring me into this. I babysat yesterday.”

 

“Sensei, we have not seen him.” Zane admitted, making you let out a shaky sigh. Something bad definitely must have happened.

 

Wu stood straight. “We must find the boy.”

 

“Oh, I hope nothing bad happened to him…” You muttered worriedly, and Wu nodded in agreement, watching as the ninja all ran off to go find Lloyd.

☯︎

“He was all mysterious. Never said a word. Then handed me the Golden Weapons and poof, he was gone.” Kai explained as he and the others brushed their teeth.

 

Cole looked at him in disbelief. “Poof? He just poofed?”

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute, Kai. If the Samurai had his hands on the most powerful weapons in the whole wide world, why would he just give them back to you?” Jay asked.

 

“Um, I don't know. Maybe she—I mean, he's not so bad after all. All I do know is that we owe him our lives. Maybe he has made us all a little better.”

 

“I sense this means the bet is off.” Zane exclaimed, and Wu walked inside with you close behind. 

 

Since the ninja had returned without Lloyd, you were worried beyond belief. He was like, what, ten? And was captured by a bunch of villainous snakes that have already tipped the balance of Ninjago? Things were just getting worse and worse.

 

“More importantly, my nephew has found his way into the den of all snakes. I fear there may be no way of rescuing him now.” Sensei Wu stated sadly.

 

“Sensei, there's always a way.” Kai exclaimed with determination.

 

Cole nodded along. “And don't worry. We'll find it.”

 

With a smile, Wu turned and left the bathroom, leaving you with the ninja.

 

“I’m sure you guys tried your best.” You offered up helpfully, and while Jay seemed to still be salty about the whole Samurai X kicking their butts thing, the other three smiled. 

 

“Samurai X is very strong, I wonder how the Serpentine even managed to catch him.” The white ninja wondered aloud as he put his stuff away. Kai looked off to the side with a strange expression before walking off, bidding everyone goodnight.

 

“It’s getting pretty late, let’s head to bed. We’ll get Lloyd back tomorrow.” Cole said, and the remaining 3 ninja all left the bathroom, leaving you alone inside.

 

Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.

☯︎

Chapter 4: ✿~Tick Tock

Summary:

Wu leaves the Destiny's Bounty to find aid against the Serpentine. The team goes to see if they can find the Fangblades, and while Zane is unlocking his true potential, you're busy being Nya's friendly therapist.

☯︎

You watch with bated breath as Zane sat under the water. You had given up on holding your own breath a while ago. You had no clue how he did it, but the ice ninja broke his old breath-holding record, going from 8 minutes to a whole…

 

“Ten minutes!” Kai exclaimed, holding the stop watch. “He just broke his own record. The guy's inhuman!” You could faintly make out Zane on the ocean floor. He pets a fish before resurfacing. 

 

“Amazing!”

 

“We're not worthy.”

 

“I broke the record?” Zane asked and everyone nodded violently.

 

“You destroyed it!”

 

“It was amazing! I’ve never seen anyone do such a thing before.” You exclaim in awe. 

 

“Okay, okay. Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking? We've been training for so long, I don't think we can get any better. Just think about all we've accomplished.” Jay exclaimed, and you think back to all their previous training sessions you have been told about.

 

From, Kai running across several hot coals, to Jay spinning on a metal rod on one hand during a Lightning storm and finally Cole attempting to lift a barbell only to add on more weights before lifting it, and later also letting Nya sit on one end and Jay sit on the other each with their own dumbbell and Jay also holding a chicken platter for some reason.

 

“The question should be raised. Perhaps we have reached our full potential?” Zane wondered. “Well, every morning I do five hundred push-ups.” 

 

Kai smirked. “Five hundred? Ha, try a thousand.”

 

“Hahaha, I do a thousand and one.” Jay said with a laugh.

 

“What is this, amateur hour? Sounds like my warm-up. Sensei, what does True Potential look like if—.” The black ninja cut himself off as they walked into Wu’s room, where they saw their Master putting away a katana, a solemn aura around him.

 

“Our apologies, Sensei. We've interrupted you.” The ice master spoke up first, bowing respectfully, with the others following suit.

 

You looked at Wu worriedly. “Is everything alright? Did we interrupt you?”

 

Wu sighs sadly. “I'm sorry if I've been distant lately. My mind has been elsewhere since Lloyd has gone missing. What can I help you with?”

 

“Sensei, what if we've done enough training? What if we've reached our True Potential? What if we're ready?” Cole asked.

 

“Hm. You might have reached peak physical condition, but you've yet to reach your inner potential. In each and every one of us, there are obstacles that hold us back. Only when you conquer that fear will your heart be free. Only then will you reach your True Potential. Only then will we have a fighting chance to stop the Serpentine from releasing the Great Devourer.” Wu replied sagely.

 

You thought to yourself. So it isn’t a physical potential, but more spiritual? Considering how they all had control over elements, I suppose that makes sense.

 

“So there’s a mental slash spiritual obstacle that’s holding them back?” You asked, and Wu nodded.

 

“Precisely.”

 

Zane stepped forward. “There's more to the Great Devourer than you've led on, isn't there, Sensei?” 

 

“I too have obstacles within my own heart. There's a story I've never told you.” Wu closed his eyes, as if reminiscing. “Long ago, when I was a young boy, Garmadon and I were more than brothers. We were the best of friends.” 

 

“Wait a minute.” Jay spoke up, making you all look at him, with his master sporting an annoyed expression on his face. “Now, I know you two were brothers, but really? The King of Cruelty, the Doer of Destruction, the Captain of Chaos, and you two were friends?”

 

Instead of answering, Wu put his hand up to silence the lightning master. “Please, no interruptions. You see, he did not always have a wicked heart. One day, I lost this very katana.” Wu held out the katana he was putting away. It was old, with a dull blade and scratches all along it, and the ribbon tied over the handle was fraying and a muted colour, signifying its age. Despite all this, there was no rust, meaning Wu still took care of it and the memories it held. 

 

“Knowing our father would be mad, my brother told me to go retrieve it. But I refused. He told me not to put off what can be done today and went to get it himself. When my father found him, he was very ill, for he was bitten by a legendary snake that would grow forever as long as it consumes. A great evil had found its way into my brother's heart, for the snake's venom could turn the purest of things wicked.”

 

Leave it. Leave me alone. I don't need you. I hate you.

 

You wince, feeling bad for Wu. This clearly affected him negatively, and seeing the look on his face, does he perhaps blame himself for this?

 

“The snake is the same one the Serpentine want to reawaken today.”

 

Aah! It hurts! It's all Wu's fault!

 

“It is the snake that took my brother away from me.” Wu finished the story, head hung low as he still held the katana.

 

Kai bravely spoke up first. “So the Great Devourer turned your brother into the Dark Lord?”

 

The ninja sensei turned his back to put the katana away. “It was all my fault. You four have finished your training. You must now focus on stopping Pythor from collecting the Fangblades. But never lose focus on the obstacles that lie within each of your hearts that holds you back from true greatness. Unlock your True Potential.”

 

“But how are we supposed to do that, Sensei?” Zane asked as Wu began walking away.

 

“It is up to each of you to discover. Now I must go on a personal journey of my own.”

 

Jay huffed. “Where are you going?”

 

“To a place you cannot follow.”

 

“If you're going for Lloyd, the City of Ouroboros is filled with hundreds of Serpentine. You'll never do it alone.” Cole said worriedly.

 

“I am going to find someone who can be of aid. The Serpentine have united and grown stronger and we will need all the help we can get.” Wu said with a tone of finality as he left his room, leaving the ninja alone.

 

You, however, decided to follow him. “Wu, are you sure you’ll be okay? I understand you’re wise and powerful, but–”

 

You cut yourself off when Wu held up his hand again, effectively shutting you up. “I am very sure. The one I am searching for will definitely be of help to us, besides…” Wu smirked up at you. “Butts are for sitting, and that is one thing I will not do, not while the Serpentine have the upper hand.”

 

As Wu walked away, you stood there, silently watching him turn the corner in the hallway, leading to the deck.

 

Did he… really just say that?

☯︎

Half an hour ago, Nya had parked the Destiny’s Bounty to drop Wu off. So while he was getting the help he was talking about, you, Nya and the ninja were all hanging up missing posters of the Fangblades in Jamanakai Village.

 

“Oh, this is silly.” Zane muttered as he looked at the flyers, seemingly irritated at what they were doing. 

 

You weren’t as irritated as he was, but mostly confused. Why were you all hanging up missing flyers for these? Who would even know where they were, let alone what they were?

 

“You have any better ideas?” Cole replied snarkily as he hung one up on a lamp post.

 

Jay perked up, like a lightbulb went off in his head. “Hey, maybe Sensei is gonna go get the Samurai for help.” He said, sounding worried, like Wu was replacing them with Samurai X.

 

You sigh, slightly irritated at hearing this. You were starting to get annoyed about the ninja, mostly Jay, bringing up Samurai X literally any chance they got, and then complaining about how he steals their thunder.

 

“The Samurai? I'm sure she's—I mean, he's busy looking for the Fangblades as well.” Kai stuttered, making everyone look at him weird.

 

“Uh, is everything all right?” The black ninja backed away from his flyer, looking at Kai, who looked nervous under his mask.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Why wouldn't it be?” Said red ninja replied, nodding his head.

 

“One hundred percent. We're not hiding anything.” His sister added on, making your eyes narrow.

 

Does Kai know something about Samurai X? Does Nya know it too?

 

Is Nya also Samurai–.

 

You yelped when a loose flyer smacked you in the face, making everyone look at you worriedly.

 

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Nya asked worriedly as you took the fly off your face, crumpling it slightly with a frown.

 

“I’m fine, just surprised is all.” You reply, shoving the now balled up flyer into a pocket inside your robe. You felt bad when Nya took her hand off your arm. Your reply came out more aggressive than you meant it to.

 

“He's littering all over the place.” You looked up, seeing a man yelling at Zane, and the others apologising as Zane just looked distantly upwards. You followed his line of sight to see a falcon circling above the group.

 

“We'll pick it up. So sorry.” True to his words, Cole picked up the flyers, and the man sneered as he walked back into his shop.

 

“Zane, what's the deal?” Jay asked, however Zane needn’t answer as he simply held out his arm, letting the falcon perch onto him. Jay smiled. “Ah! It's the Falcon! Oh, my gosh! Every time we follow it, it leads us to good fortune.”

 

“Head back to the Bounty and wait till you hear from us.” Kai said as he turned to you and Nya.

 

Nya was alert as her brother and the rest ran off, following the bird. “But where are you going?”

 

“We're gonna follow the bird. Who knows, it could lead us to the first Fangblade.” The fire master yelled back as they all ran until they were out of sight.

 

Nya groaned, facepalming. “Those boys…” She muttered under her breath, irritated.

 

You however, felt bad for dropping this bombshell on her, but you needed your question answered before it nagged you to death. “Nya, are you Samurai X?”

 

You jump as Nya choked on air, shocked at your sudden question. “Woah! Are you okay?” You ask worriedly as you steady her upright.

 

“I’m fine… uh, what makes you think that?” She laughed nervously, looking from side to side, as if checking to see if someone was listening.

 

“First off, Kai messed up and said ‘she’ instead of ‘he’, and second, you said you had no secrets, even though Cole wasn’t even talking to you, so that means either you knew something about Samurai X, or you are Samurai X. And seeing how you’re acting, I assume…?”

 

You trailed off, hoping Nya would confirm she was Samurai X. An awkward silence followed as you stared expectantly at Nya, and Nya looked at anything that wasn’t you.

 

After a few minutes of Nya battling her own mind, she sighed, wringing her hands nervously. “I am Samurai X…”

 

You nodded, smiling slightly. “Alright.” She looked back up at you, confused at your calm reaction.

 

“You… you’re not gonna freak out?” She asked in a disbelieving tone.

 

You shook your head. “Nope, if anything, I wanna ask if you’re okay?”

 

“Me? I am, why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“Cause Jay and the others keep complaining about you, to your face ?”

 

There was another beat of silence, but this time, it was less awkward and more sombre. “Well… the other’s opinions I didn’t really care about, I could just roll it off my shoulders like water, but whenever Kai complained…”

 

“It hit you where it hurt the most, huh?”

 

“Spot on.” Nya sighed as she sat down on the sidewalk, holding the giant pile of flyers close to her so they wouldn’t fly away. You sat next to her. “Kai’s always seemed to hurt the most since, you know, he’s my brother and I always value his opinion. I’m kinda glad I ended up telling him. This entire ninja thing is just a boys club, and I want to help others too, but since I’m a girl with no powers, I have no chance. That’s why I created Samurai X. I get to help others, and I get to show off my mechanical prowess.”

 

You smile and nod along as Nya explains everything to you. From how she built the mech using spare parts after fixing the Bounty, as well as whatever scraps she could scrounge up whenever they landed.

 

“That’s really cool Nya! I may not know all this tech-y jargon, but you’re really smart if you can build a whole mech yourself.”

 

“Thanks.” Nya’s smile was wide and happy, a faint flush on her cheeks due to your compliments, it wasn’t until she looked up that she realised how late it was. 

 

“Shoot! What do you mean it’s been almost two hours! We need to head back to the Bounty!” Alarmed, Nya stood up. She grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you up too, making you yelp.

 

You just… let her drag you back to the Bounty. She was way stronger than you initially thought, and you had to give credit where credit was due.

 

Nya was awesome.

☯︎

Back at the Bounty, you and Nya sat at the table in the bridge, drinking tea as she carefully watched the holographic map that indicated where all of the Fangblade locations were.

 

“There are four Fangblades hidden all over the place. While it’s ideal that we find all of them, if we just get one and keep it hidden away, there’s no way the Serpentine can summon the Great Devourer.” Nya explained.

 

“The one in the bottom left corner is closest. However, there appears to be one within Ninjago City. Who knows what kind of chaos they could conjure up over there.” You said.

 

“Yeah, the closest is Mega Monster Amusement Park, that place you got all those stuffed animals for you and Lloyd.” You looked back down into your teacup at the mention of the youngest member of the group, held captive by the monsters he freed, and the ones you all intend on stopping. Seeing your dejected look, Nya put a hand on yours. “Hey, we’ll get him back soon. I’m sure we will.”

 

You smile slightly, feeling reassured by Nya’s confidence.

 

Just as you were about to talk about the Fangblades, however, the boys all barged into the bridge excitedly, still Lloyd-less, and no Sensei Wu in sight.

 

“Guys! You wouldn’t believe what happened, it was crazy–!” Jay yelled out, only to abruptly stop and stare at Nya’s hand over yours.

 

Kai pushed Jay to the side, leaning on the table. “Zane unlocked his true potential!”

 

You both looked at Zane, surprised. The ice ninja nodded. “Indeed, I unlocked it earlier after I discovered my past and overcame my fear of being different from everyone else.”

 

“That’s amazing Zane! I’m glad you remember.” You say, getting up to give him a quick hug, which he gladly returned. You shuddered, he was still so cold, it clung to him.

 

He normally isn’t that cold.

 

“If you don’t mind me asking, Zane, how did you find out? I thought you couldn’t remember.” Nya also got back up, a few cups of tea in hand.

 

“It was crazy!” Cole exclaimed, accepting the tea Nya was giving out. “Apparently, Zane’s falcon was a robot this whole time!”

 

“Really? Interesting… I have never seen something that advanced before. It looked so lifelike.” You said. Then again, you had only seen this falcon once , so you didn’t have much to say on it.

 

“Indeed, and after my discovery, it was a wonder how I didn’t realise it was a robot.” Zane looked nervous as he handed his cup of tea over to Jay, effectively snapping the lightning master out of his daze, seeing as how he was still staring at the table.

 

“And your discovery was…?” Nya trailed off, prompting Zane to respond.

 

“I am a robot as well.”

 

You spat out your tea.

 

“You’re… a robot?” She repeated, equally as shocked, and Zane nodded. “...Must have been quite a shock.”

 

“It was, however, after flipping my memory switch, I remembered everything. My father, well, my creator, my life before joining the team, and why I was made. It made me realise that I do not need to be like others for me to be likeable to myself.” Zane exclaimed with a bittersweet smile. “I was built to protect those who could not protect themselves, and while the others are very capable, I still felt my programming kick in.”

 

You sipped your tea to try and swallow the lump in your throat. This was so sweet, you were so close to tears.

 

“Not only that, but we still have Lloyd to rescue and the Serpentine to defeat, all while Sensei Wu is gone gathering his aid. Right now, it’s just all of us together.” You feel a surge of confidence run through you, seeing Zane so determined to protect others.

 

“You unlocked your true potential by overcoming your fears. A mental and spiritual block that keeps you from unleashing your full power. By remembering everything after flipping your memory switch, you removed that block. And at the right time, the other three will follow suit.” You explain, putting a comforting hand on Zane’s shoulder.

 

Kai groaned. “Great, now it’s just a game of waiting?” The hotheaded ninja sat down, looking grumpy and impatient.

 

“Yeah. Just watch it, you’ll be like, the last to unlock yours.” Nya ignored her brother’s offended scoff and returned back to the map. “I’m just teasing you. Besides, we have more important things to worry about.”

 

“Like wha’?” You step away from the ninja to join Nya at the map, avoiding Cole as he spoke with a mouthful of tea that splattered everywhere. Jay groaned in disgust, wiping his face.

 

“Gross, drink it before you talk!”

 

“A plan of action. We’re trying to predict the order of where the Serpentine will go next, and seeing as how close they are to a specific spot and that they’ve already been here before, we have an idea on where they’d be next.” You say.

 

Zane tilted his head at the map. “And that’s where?”

 

Nya smirked. “Mega Monster Amusement Park.”

 

“Again.” You tagged on after, making Nya chuckle.

 

“Yeah, considering the time right now, they may strike tomorrow, so make sure to be ready for it.”

 

The ninja all nodded at her before filing out of the bridge, with you shooing them to get some good night’s rest. After they left and the coast was most definitely clear, you turned back to Nya. “I think you may have jinxed Kai.”

 

“How so?”

 

“You teased him by saying he might unlock his true potential last. You may have just sealed that for him.”

 

Hearing you say this, Nya hummed in thought. Her brows furrowed, but after a little bit, she didn’t seem all that bothered. “Eh, he’s all hung up about that ‘Green Ninja’ prophecy, so maybe getting his last would teach him a lesson.”

 

“I’m sorry, I keep hearing you all mention this ‘Green Ninja’ prophecy, but no one ever explained it exactly. What does it mean?”

 

The Samurai simply shrugs. “No idea. It wasn’t really explained to me either, and besides, I don’t really care about it . I’m Samurai X, after all.”

 

There was some silence afterwards, the only noise coming from the control panel as Nya closed the map and made sure the ship was anchored properly.

 

Feeling awkward, you chugged the rest of your tea and left the cup at the table, silently promising to clean it up in the morning. You say a quiet good night to Nya before retreating to your room.

 

You felt so tired. Not even physically, just mentally. Lloyd was missing, the guys are all caught up with unlocking their true potentials and the ‘Green Ninja’ and complaining about Samurai X, and Nya’s own little impromptu therapy session with you as the therapist.

 

You flopped down onto your bed, not even caring about changing into your pyjamas, with your face buried in the peach pillow plush you won with Lloyd the last time you were at Mega Monster Amusement Park.

 

Tiredly, you moved so your head laid on your actual pillow, and the peach pillow was held in a vice-like grip in your arms.

 

Lloyd…

 

You held the pillow impossibly tighter, worry eating away at you.

 

Please, when they find you, please be safe.

☯︎

Chapter 5: ✿~Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Summary:

You're stuck watching as Jay fumbled around Nya, all the while trying not to reveal his... scaly problem. Nya and Jay have a rough first date, the lightning master unlocks his true potential, Nya reveals she's Samurai X, and you feel guilty as you keep remembering how you just watched Pythor slither away with the first blade, not stopping him.

☯︎

The next day marked the official beginning of finding and obtaining the Fangblades, all in an effort to not only keep the Serpentine from their goals, but also to finally save Lloyd. Nya takes the covers off of a skeleton. You shuddered, feeling very uncomfortable with the carcass of a Serpentine right next to you.

 

“Some villagers unearthed the remains of this Fangpyre a few miles away. It predates the Golden Age, and must be hundreds of years old. Although the venom in the fangs of the Fangpyre genetically mutated human cells into reptilian, I've learned there could be a way to stop the effects without having to create an antivenom.” Nya explained. 

 

Across from the skeleton, sitting at the table Zane is taking notes on what Nya is saying while Kai looks bored out of his mind. Cole is drawing a picture of him fighting while Jay, sporting a new hairstyle, stares at Nya with an infatuated expression on his face. You stare at him with a look of slight disgust. That perfume or cologne or whatever he was wearing was way too strong.  

 

“If one is able to wildly raise their heart rate, hypothetically it could reverse the venom's effects. Resulting in...diminished, uh, excuse me, is someone wearing perfume? I'm severely allergic to perfume.” Nya sputtered, her face flushed pink. 

 

Jay let out a nervous chuckle as he whispered to Kai. “Heh. You told me it was men's cologne.”

 

“Meh, I get them mixed up.” Everyone laughs at Kai’s response, except for Nya, Jay, and you. 

 

Zane turns his humour switch off, and you wish you had something like that, but just to get Kai to shut up. You look at said fire master with a raised eyebrow and a glare, and he raised his hands as a sign of peace. 

 

Cole hummed, looking at the map as a fit began blinking. “Ah, looks like class is over. Time to start stomping some Serpentine before they find any Fangblades.” Kai and Zane nod. 

 

“Sounds like a plan.”

 

“I'm excited to join.” 

 

The three ninja walked out of the bridge, with Jay watching them to make sure they were all gone. 

 

Aside from you in the room, it was just Jay and Nya, and seeing how fancied up he was, with his hair combed and gelled, and again with his strong perfume, you wanted nothing to do with whatever conversation was going to happen between the two. 

 

So instead, you decided to turn your attention back to the map, watching as the dot over Mega Monster Amusement Park blinked in and out of existence. 

 

“Uh, hey uh, Nya, I'm sorry. The reason I was—you know—I went to Kai because—look. What I'm trying to say is—.”

 

“I know. It's just a cruel joke. I should be fine. Please, go fight snakes.”

 

Yes Jay, listen to Nya. You need to fight the snakes! The balance Jay. The BALANCE!!

 

“No, no, no, no. I was trying to impress you. Before Sensei left, he said our heart was the key to unlocking our True Potential.” Jay explained, making you groan internally. 

 

And you said last night that it was about overcoming the mental and spiritual block your fears have over your powers. Does no one read between the lines here??

 

“Impress me? But I look so…”

 

“Fantastic.” You cringe, hearing Jay’s dreamy voice. “Look, maybe, if you'll let me, I can take you to some big fancy restaurant. You don't have to, if you don't want to…”

 

“You mean like a date?” Nya asked, sounding both surprised and excited. 

 

“Um, yeah?”

 

“Sure! I'd love to. But I have to go now before the perfume toxins enter my bloodstream and I go into shock. See you tonight.” Nay leaves the room, and you turn, hoping that Jay as hell to do you could put the cloth back over the dead fucking Serpentine . 

 

But no. Jay had a little triumphant dance after his success, and…

 

“Yes! Ow! Aah! Man.” You watch in horror as his hand barely nicked the fang of what once was a living Fangpyre Serpentine. 

 

“Jay…” You call him, and he looks up at you while cradling his hand, looking annoyed, probably because you were still here and he didn’t get the alone time with Nya that he actually wanted. 

 

“What?” He asked with a glare. 

 

You ignored his snippy tone and walked up to him, grabbing his injured hand and holding it up. “ Please tell me you didn’t hit your hand on the gang of the Fangpyre Serpentine skeleton ? You know, the skeleton of the snakes that can turn people into Serpentine. 

 

The blue ninja looked at his hand, seeing the slight scar on his hand. It was bleeding a little bit, but it quickly scabbed over, and upon closer inspection, it looked almost pale green in colour instead, almost matching his skin tone. 

 

He blanched. “…uh oh.” 

 

You drop his hand and place the cloth back over the skeleton. And as he ran out of the bridge to hopefully find a way to fix or hide the scar before things get worse, you frustratedly drop your head onto the table and scream. 

☯︎

Hello, brother. What took you so long? 

 

Why have you come to this place of darkness?

 

A place as wicked as me? 

 

You came here only to possess the Weapons of Spinjitzu?

 

Yes, brother, and I refuse to allow you or your petty ninja to stop me!  

 

I didn't come to stop you. I came to warn you. To tell you—your son's in danger!

 

Lloyd? 

 

You gasp, sitting up straight. Your meditation sessions have never brought you… whatever that was before. 

 

It sounded like Sensei Wu, with another man that had a deep, rumbling voice, like it commanded evil itself. Wu called him brother, that must be Lord Garmadon’s voice then. 

 

Their voices were so close, it was almost like you were there next to the two brothers as they spoke, Wu with reason, and Garmadon with fists. 

 

Your son’s in danger!

 

Lloyd?

 

Lloyd is in danger. Garmadon called Lloyd his son… and who else to get aid to save your nephew other than the boy's actual father, who is evil . 

 

You hoped Wu knew what he was doing. The balance was already being tipped due to the Serpentine attempting to release the Great Devourer, Garmadon could very well spell worse for your ponds. 

 

You sigh tiredly, rubbing a hand over your face. You were beginning to get annoyed with yourself and sounding like a broken record. This and that can tip the balance, hopefully it gets better! You thought, mocking your own voice. 

 

Groaning, you look out the window to see that you all finally arrived at Mega Monster Amusement Park. You stared and stared as two colourful dots began emerging from the ground, one was purple and the other was a teal-blue colour. 

 

You stand up, quickly putting out the incense sticks Wu had lent you and leaving the meditation room. You ran above deck, and managed to find Zane, Cole and Kai. “Guys!” 

 

Your frazzled call had them concerned as they turned away from their training. “What is it? Is something wrong?” Zane asked, putting a hand on your shoulder to ground you, much like how you did for him last night. 

 

You took a deep breath, holding onto his arm. “I saw from the window. The Serpentine reached the amusement park! One was blue and the other was purple.” The trio all bristled in alarm. 

 

“Sounds like Skales and Pythor.” Kai growled. 

 

Cole nodded. “Yeah, let’s go get ready, we have to tell Jay and Nya too!”

 

You all ran off to the bridge to where the monitor is, hoping you could all get a closer look to see if it really was the two most dangerous Serpentine generals. 

 

“Whoa, where are you going, Mr. Fancy?” Cole asked teasingly. You saw Jay, who looked absolutely worried out of his wits. You would have assumed it was just because of his upcoming date, but the gloves on his hands made your stomach drop. 

 

Oh no…

 

“Didn't you hear? I'm taking Nya to a nice restaurant. A really nice restaurant.” He bragged, masking his feelings with confidence. 

 

Kai looked less than amused. “You might wanna change your plans. Blossom over here just spotted some Serpentine activity over at Mega Monster Amusement Park.” Kai continued rushing to the bridge. You watch him curiously. 

 

Why did he say Blossom so… sassily? It didn’t have any bite to it like his normal nicknames do. Then again, Blossom is your title. 

 

You shook yourself out of your thoughts and ran after them to get onto the bridge. Sure enough, the monitor displayed two Serpentine, the same colour you saw through the window. 

 

“Hey, that's Pythor.” The blue ninja pointed out, and you followed his finger to see which one was which. 

 

So this is the Pythor they talk all about? You thought as you glared at the purple Serpentine. With his colouration, red eyes and prominent neck that had him towering above everyone else, including Skales, he must be of the Anacondrai species. 

 

The most dangerous of the bunch. 

 

“Pythor would not be there for fun. He must be here for Fangblade that’s buried underneath the park.” Zane exclaimed. 

 

“We can't let them get it! Oh, but my date…” Jay muttered sadly. 

 

“Jay, if they get all four of them, Pythor can unleash the Great Devourer. Get your priorities straight, man.” Kai snapped, hitting his fellow ninja upside the head before storming off to the deck. 

 

“Let’s roll out.” You said, following the ninja. While Zane, Cole and Kai all got themselves ready on the deck, you saw Jay run off to the bedrooms. 

 

With an over dramatic sigh, you followed after him. 

 

Jay rounded the corner to Nya’s room, while you stood behind the corner, simply eavesdropping. Not normally something you would do, but then again, he was skipping out on a high priority mission to go on a date, all while transforming into a Serpentine. 

 

“Uh, Nya, you there?” You heard him call out, there were a few knocks, then a click and a creak, followed by Jay’s yelp as the door was slammed shut. 

 

“Don't come in! I'm getting ready.” Nya’s shout echoed throughout the hall and you cringed. Someone should give Jay some lessons in respecting women. 

 

“Well, um—I just wanna talk to you about our date. You know, I'm hearing really bad reviews for the restaurant and I just… You know, I think we should cancel.”

 

There was a small moment of silence before you heard the click and creak of the door again. “Oh, you're cancelling?” Nya sounded disappointed.

 

“No, no. I just wanted to know if you would rather go to the Mega Monster Amusement Park instead.”

 

Biggest facepalm of your life. You wanted to turn the corner and stomp on over to Jay and yell about how the Serpentine were more important. Funnily enough, if you were to do that, you were confident that Nya would agree with you.

 

“Really? That would be perfect!” You felt the sting as your hands hit your face. “But aren't you overdressed?”

 

“Well, yeah. Of course, I need to change—” The sound of a metallic crash made Jay pause, and you took your face out of your hands. “What was that?” The blue ninja asked the exact question on your mind.

 

It better not have been her Samurai X stuff…

 

“Nothing! You know what? I'll dress up too. Looks fun.” The ravenette padded back into her room, not even bothering to close the door. 

 

Thankfully, Jay didn’t attempt to go in her room, simply hanging out at the door frame. “Hey, I was thinking, you know, we'd take my Storm Glider there.” He offered.

 

“Sounds like fun.” Nya returned to the door, and there was a moment of silence before she just giggled. “I'm in your hands.”

 

You hear the two begin making their way closer to you, and you quickly dashed back to the deck before you could be caught.

☯︎

Why am I doing this? Why am I doing this to myself? This is THEIR date, I shouldn’t be here… 

 

You watched in silent horror as Jay yapped on and on to Nya, who was constantly shifting her attention between looking at her blinking bracelet and half-listening to whatever story Jay was talking about, all the while you sat in a booth across the restaurant, with your head in your hands.

 

Jay, if you're trying to woo her, you’re doing a terrible job…

 

“Yeah, even when I was young, it was clear I was born and bred for adventure. I was the first one to get my knot badge in Little Scouts. I was always trying daring foods. I once built these wings from scrap metal and other—uh, you okay? You seem kind of distant.”

 

“Uh, yeah. It's just that the portions are so big. And to think we split our dish.” Nya replied, brows pinched in worry. You were inclined to agree as you looked at the only thing you picked off the menu, a ‘small’ bowl of chips that was roughly the size of a basketball.

 

No wonder it’s called MEGA Monster Amusement Park.

 

“Heh. So that Samurai. Oh, man. I hate him, don't you? He's such a showboat, you know? If you ask me, he's nothing without his big, clunky exo-suit.”

 

You slammed your head into the table hearing Jay indirectly insult Nya, a scream of frustration at the tip of your tongue. You ignored the confused and worried looks of the surrounding patrons, opting to tangle your fingers into your hair and tug at it, trying to calm down.

 

“Oh.” You heard the red clad girl reply dejectedly, and you wanted nothing more than to just smack Jay upside the head. 

 

“Yeah. Nothing can compare to two good old fashioned feet and fists, don't you think?” The lightning master boasted, and Nya nodded half-heartedly. 

 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

“You know, sssomebody once told me…” You looked back up, peeking through your fingers to watch what happened next, and you saw Jay gasp and look at a spoon. 

 

You raised a brow at the strange scene, only for you to take a sharp breath at seeing him hesitantly poke at two sharp protrusions in his mouth. 

 

Oh my goddess, he has fangs…

 

“You okay?” You put your hands over your mouth, watching the suspenseful drama unfold before you, with every park guest completely oblivious to the situation at hand. 

 

“Excusse me. I have to use the resstroom.” You watch Jay run off to the restroom, leaving Nya on her own. She watched Jay run off with concern, only to immediately become distracted by her bracelet, which was still blinking a bright red, now with a light beeping sound. 

 

She looked between her bracelet and the bathroom, where Jay was, conflicted. 

 

Come on Nya… do something, please… You pleaded internally, practically wishing she would take charge and finally see what’s wrong with Jay, since she’s the only one who has an idea of how to possibly cure his predicament. 

 

You watch as her sadness was replaced with resolve, and she tapped the blinking gem on her bracelet before running out of the restaurant. “Sorry, Jay. Duty calls.” 

 

Slamming your head back into the table, you groan, garnering more confused looks from guests. 

 

“Um, excuse me, are you okay?” You look up to see a concerned employee. 

 

“Yes, I’m sorry for my inconvenience.” You apologised simply, handing the poor employee some spare money you had before leaving. “Keep the change.”

☯︎

The Amusement Park was in complete disarray. There were guests running out of one of the rides, screaming in fear, and you sighed. It was the ‘scary’ ride of the park that Lloyd complained wasn’t actually that scary. You could only assume that Pythor and Skales finally struck to get the Fangblade. 

 

You ran over to the ride, hearing that it’s still moving, meaning that guests must still be on the ride. There was a freezing chill that blew out from the inside, and a wild laugh. 

 

You ran over to the poor, probably underpaid teenager that was running the ride, looking completely bored out of her mind as she flipped through a magazine. 

 

“Excuse me, I think something is wrong with the ride.” You say, albeit quietly, hoping not to scare her. However, the girl just flipped to the next page of her magazine, blowing her bubble gum as she totally ignored your presence. 

 

“Excuse me!” You yelled out again. The girl held her magazine higher so her face was hidden, popping the gum loudly. 

 

You groaned in frustration and looked over the control pad of the ride. 

 

You had… no idea what any of these buttons did. A crackle caught your attention, some footage from a camera inside the ride, and you gasped at the sight. Pythor was holding up a pointed blade, which was clearly meant to be the Fangblade, and Kai and Cole were completely frozen in ice, with Zane having been kicked— er, tail whipped against a wall. 

 

Seeing the guests with terror-stricken expressions have you a sudden surge of confidence. Completely ignoring all the buttons, you followed the cable of the control panel to a socket and yanked it out, causing the entire ride to shut down. The ride slowed to a stop, the music stopped, the animatronics stopped and the lights went fully out, forcing the backup lights to come on, illuminating everything brightly. 

 

“What in the name of the first master is your problem? ” The ride worker asked, looking at you with a glare. She put her magazine down and stood up to storm over to you, looking ready to throw some punches. 

 

You glared back at her with your hands on your hips, ready to start yelling at her for ignoring her job and the danger the riders were all in, when yells of fright from the escaped rider whizzed past you. 

 

The girl looked at the crowd wide eyed, then she screamed herself when Pythor emerged from the ride, slithering as quick as he could. 

 

As soon as the blade reached the light of the outside world, Samurai X, Nya, landed in front of him and took the blade for herself before making her hasty escape. 

 

“Stop him!” Pythor yelled, and you took this chance to run out of the park yourself. 

 

“Thruster malfunction.” The Samurai X suit said robotically, and she tries to run away but the snakes tackle her before she got too far. 

 

“Finally, the mystery man is revealed.” You gasped as Pythor smirked and took off her helmet. The snakes all gasped when they saw that Samurai X wasn’t the strong man they probably assumed, but the girl who allied with the ninja. “Or should I have said mystery girl? Who's gonna save you now, hmm?”

 

His fangs glinted menacingly as he smirked, and you looked at the scene, scared out of your mind. Zane was probably still recovering in the ride, with Kai and Cole as human popsicles, and you haven’t seen Jay anywhere since he ran into the bathroom. 

 

You looked at the exit, in clear view, with the perfect chance to escape since the snakes were occupied with Nya. 

 

But Nya was in trouble. 

 

“Do no harm, but take no shit.” Those were the words of your eldest brother, which had your mother gasping and scolding him as you giggled and repeated ‘shit’ until your other brothers got you distracted. 

 

While it was a silly thing at the time, something your brother had done to prank you and your parents, it eventually grew into your moral code. Do not harm others, but do not take anyone’s shit. 

 

You looked around, seeing a monster themed wiffle ball bat, the best defence you could get. You grabbed it, ignoring the despaired noise of the cashier fearfully telling you to pay as you left your hiding spot.

 

“Hey!” You grabbed the attention of the snakes, and your heart beat erratically as Pythor looked straight at you, his deep red eyes piercing into yours. “No one messes with my friend, you hear me?”

 

“No! It’s too dangerous to fight them!” You heard Nya cry out as one of the snakes plucked her out of her mech. 

 

You, however, weren’t deterred, brandishing your bat and lightly tapping it in your opposite hand, hoping it would intimidate at least one of these snakes. 

 

A hissing whimper, promptly followed by a smacking noise made you smirk. 

 

Pythor looked at you with interest. “You’re new here, hm?” He asked, voice low as he lazily pointed the blade at you. “Ssseeing as that’ss the case, I’ll ssspare you and let you leave here sssomewhat unssscathed.” 

 

“Not without my friend!” You pointed the bat at him, eyes full of determination and adrenaline running through your body. 

 

With an annoyed scoff, Pythor waved his hand, allowing the snakes backing him up to attack you. 

 

You dodged the Serpentine followers with ease, not once using the bat. Instead, you opted to just either tire them out or intimidate them like you did with that one snake. 

 

“Hey!”  You gasped as Jay finally arrived on the scene, looking much greener than you last saw him. This momentarily distracted the snakes you were fighting, all of them laughing at the small tail that had started growing.

 

“Oh, what happened? Snake bite your tongue?” The Anacondrai taunted, making them all laugh harder.

 

“Jay! Help!” Nya cried from the rollercoaster, tied up so she couldn’t escape.

 

“Later, alligator. Let's go, boys.” Pythor said, making his escape from the park with the first Fangblade in hand. One of the Serpentine turned on the rollercoaster, and without thinking twice, Jay hopped on.

 

You, however, were hoping to stop the ride before they got to the middle, where a huge chunk of the track was taken out. You immediately got up to the control panel, ignoring the Serpentine retreating.

 

Again, with the buttons you didn’t know what they did, and lots of blinking lights. You looked for the cable to follow it to its source, but the cable was plugged into the ground.

 

You can’t unplug this one like the last one.

 

You looked over the buttons, sweating nervously. There was a green button, and green normally means go. There’s a big red button, and while red means stop, it could also make something go terribly wrong. There was a lever labelled speed, with fast at the top and slow ate the bottom, and it wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard you pulled.

 

You were out of luck here, completely useless in this scenario.

 

The day felt impossibly brighter, and you looked up in confusion. You gasped, seeing Jay fly up into the sky, his body a bright white and blue. Electricity danced off his body, and the brightness of his power made him appear almost invisible to the naked eye.

 

It was amazing.

 

Jay had reached his true potential! Finally! It wasn’t about unmasking Samurai X to finally achieve it, but overcoming the insecurities that held him back from unleashing his full power!

 

The lightning master manages to stop the rollercoaster before the cart could fly off the rails, and he safely releases Nya from the ropes and flies her down to safety. 

 

“Nya! Are you okay?” You asked. Nya saw your frazzled look and smiled and nodded.

 

“I’m okay now. Jay saved me!” Said ninja’s power dissipated, returning him to his regular form, with no trace of Serpentine marks left on him.

 

“I’m glad you two are okay now, we need to find the others though, last I saw them they were human popsicles.” You say lightly, making Nya chuckle.

 

“And last I saw them, they were chasing some Serpentine out the entrance, so let’s head on out.”Jay said before he and Nya walked off, hand in hand. You followed behind slowly, watching the two fall into a comfortable silence.

 

You, on the other hand, had guilt eating at you from the inside out. Sure, you didn’t know Jay was going to reach his full potential and stop the rollercoaster with his bare hands, but even then, you had a chance to get the Fangblade from Pythor and prevent the Serpentine from getting one step closer to their goal. 

 

You stopped at the entrance, seeing Kai run up to Nya, relieved that she was okay. Cole and Zane approached them silently, both looking at Nya intently, their eyes taking in every detail of her Samurai armour.

 

“You really had me fooled. I never guessed you were the Samurai.” Zane said after they explained all that went down while they were stuck in the spooky ride.

 

“I wished I had a sister like you.” Cole said with a slight pout.

 

Kai rolled his eyes and turned to the other two. “Technically, I was the first to discover her secret, and didn't we agree whoever we thought was the best would naturally be the Green Ninja? Huh? The Green Ninja! The destined ninja to defeat Lord Garmadon, huh?” The fire ninja looked around for confirmation, but the other ninja weren’t as inclined to agree, seeing how Nya looked at them.

 

“Why would we say that?” Jay replied nervously, shrinking down at Nya’s gaze.

 

Cole nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I'm drawing a blank.”

 

“Nope. That conversation is not in my database.” Zane said with a shrug.

 

“You know what I learned today?” The lightning ninja garnered everyone’s attention, and Nya looked at him curiously.

 

“What's that?”

 

“No matter what kind of secret you have, whether you're a snake or a samurai, it's important to be yourself.” He puffed out his chest in pride, but the moment popped like a bubble when Cole spoke up, looking at Jay with a disgruntled expression.

 

“Yeah, that's cute, but you wanna know what I learned? The Serpentine now have the first Fangblade.” The earth master growled.

 

You hang your head low, one hand holding your wrist tightly to keep yourself grounded with reality. The guilt of not getting the Fangblade when you could still gnawed at your gut.

 

“But we are getting stronger. One day, we will all reach our True Potential and Pythor will be stopped.” Zane exclaimed, with hopes that he could lighten the mood.

 

Jay nodded at his nindroid friend. “And we figured out all this without Sensei. Pretty good for four ninja.” Nya lightly punched his shoulder, making him chuckle. “And a Samurai.”

 

“I wonder what Sensei is doing now.” Kai hummed, and you finally stepped forward.

 

“Probably still occupied with gathering his aid. I’m sure he’ll make a swift return when he gets them. For now, we need to return to the Bounty and rest.” You stated before walking off. It took all of your willpower to keep calm and not break down into guilty apologies.

 

You could hear them all following you close behind, Jay bragging about his true potential, Cole and Zane laughing at Kai, who was complaining about how Jay got his before him, only to be stopped by Nya when she playfully pulled his hood over his eyes.

 

You took a deep breath. While you felt terrible, and you were worried about how much worse this could make the balance of Ninjago, it was only one of four the Serpentine obtained, while having all the blades was a preferred outcome, you only needed to get your hands on one to stop them.

☯︎

You couldn’t sleep.

 

Your anxiety about the entire Serpentine situation wouldn’t let you sleep peacefully, only being able to close your eyes for a few minutes before your heartbeat spiked up, and you were left wide awake again.

 

So to preserve energy for the next day, you meditated. You sat on the floor, legs crossed over each other as you lit your leftover incense from the early morning, the light, citrus-y scent filled the room slowly, the smoke moving in different directions whenever the breeze from the window came through.

 

You hoped that this worked like it did in the morning.

 

Closing your eyes, you let the scent of citrus waft over you, and your mind blanked, letting whatever come over you happen.

 

We're here. The Mountain of Madness.

 

The only way back to Ninjago is up there?

 

The worst is yet to come. 

 

It’s like they’re right there, like you’re with them. Garmadon is nothing but confident in going to save his son, even if Wu is apprehensive of the mountain they supposedly will end up climbing.

 

“Hey.” You gasped, snapping out of your meditative trance. Your legs jerked out of instinct, and since you were unable to uncross them, that means you just–.

 

“Oh, are you okay?” The voice said from over you. You fell onto your back with a thud, and you opened your eyes to see Zane hovering over you.

 

“I’m alright. You just startled me, that's all.”

 

“My apologies then, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Zane sat down and helped you back into your sitting position as well. “I came to check up on you, since you weren’t asleep.”

 

“How did you know?” You asked curiously.

 

“You have heavier footfalls than all of us, Nya included. Probably because you’re not a ninja, but that is not the point. Why are you still awake, shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

 

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” You retorted back sassily.

 

“I am a nindroid, I suppose I don’t really need to sleep all that much.”

 

He didn’t pick up on your slight jab, and you sighed. “I… can’t really sleep. I keep thinking about how Pythor now has Lloyd and the first Fangblade, I feel bad…”

 

“I see. I, too, am worried about what will happen now. But it’s just the first one, and they only need all four. So long as we have only one, it will prevent them from summoning the Great Devourer.” Zane exclaimed, and you nodded.

 

You know that already, but still… “I had a chance. A chance to run in while he was distracted with taunting Jay to take the blade, but I didn’t… I was too worried about what would happen to Nya on that roller coaster.”

 

“I see… if it helps any, I don't blame you.” Hearing this, you looked at Zane, confused.

 

“You… don’t?”

 

“No. According to my database, with the research I’ve done on your hometown and its customs, you’re all rather pacifistic people who stay out of the affairs outside of your village.” The nindroid explained, pulling up a small holographic screen on his arm. It was glitched and fuzzy, indicative of its age, but you could still see the notes he made on your home. “It’s no surprise that you didn’t fight back against the Serpentine, least of all get into a fight with Pythor.” 

 

You nodded along with him. You felt… slightly better about all of this, not feeling as guilty as before, but still being a bit upset about pretty much everything so far. You breathed deep, suppressing a yawn as you leaned against Zane’s shoulder. “Thanks Zane, for comforting me.”

 

“Of course. You are my friend, and I’d hate to see you upset about things out of your control.” The ice master replied, but it was too late, as you were already conked out on his shoulder, finally sleeping peacefully.

☯︎

Chapter 6: ✿~The Royal Blacksmiths

Summary:

Cole returns home so the ninja can get the Fangblade, they end up in a talent show. You try and get Kai blackmail for Nya and end up getting a funny video of Cole. And Zane puts his foot down.

☯︎

You awoke the next day feeling strangely refreshed. You were no longer in Wu’s meditation room, but instead in your own bed. You rubbed the sleep out of your eye and sat up. 

 

Zane must have taken me to bed. I’ll have to thank him later.

 

You changed into some cleaner clothes and headed off to the bridge. It was later than when you would normally wake up, so everyone else is probably already awake and making plans for their next move against the Serpentine. 

 

Silently, you entered the room. Nya had a hologram of a Fangblade pulled up and everyone was staring at it as she spoke. Instead of butting in to see what you missed, you just stood off to the side awkwardly.

 

“They got the first one, but there are three more, and we just need one to stop Pythor. They have a map, and we don't, so the question remains: how are we gonna find them first?” Nya exclaimed

 

“I still can't get over the fact that you were the mysterious Samurai. Is anyone else blown away like I am?” You sighed at Jay’s awed voice. 

 

Everyone was equally as tired of Jay’s shenanigans, with Kai rolling his eyes. “We're over that. Can we move on?”

 

“Someone's a little hot under the collar.” The lightning ninja retorted, sending his red teammate a glare. 

 

“It appears his impatience is because he has not found inner peace and unlocked his full potential like you and I have, Jay.” Zane exclaimed, making Kai flare up again. 

 

“Great observation, Mr. Roboto, but Cole hasn't found it either.” You grimaced at Kai’s agitation. So maybe you were right that Nya jinxed her brother…

 

“I got it!” Your head whipped to where Cole was standing, who looked like a lightbulb had just gone off in his head.

 

“You've unlocked it? Oh, why am I the only one!?” The fire master despaired.

 

Cole shook his head. “No, I figured out where I recognized the Fangblade from. I have a picture of it.” He goes out of the bridge, presumably to get the picture.

 

Kai, on the other hand, chuckled nervously as everyone looked at him with deadpan expressions. “Oh, haha, is that it? Heh. Good.”

 

“Have patience Kai.” You finally spoke up, startling everyone, not having noticed you at all. “The time will eventually come when you are in a perilous situation and must overcome your obstacle.”

 

The fire master grumbled, saying something along the lines of wanting it to ‘come quicker’. 

 

“I got it!” Cole exclaimed as he ran back into the bridge, holding a thick photo album. He opens the album and flicks through a few pages before finding the one he wanted. He turns it around to show you all, and it shows them the Blade Cup from his photo album.

 

“That's it!” Jay exclaimed.

 

“Back where I grew up, there's this pretty big competition where every year the winner gets the Blade Cup. My dad's won it multiple times.” The black ninja exclaimed.

 

“You never told us your dad was an accomplished athlete. What sport?” Zane asked curiously, and the question took Cole off guard.

 

“Oh, h-he's a, uh...a blacksmith.” The earth master responded, looking away nervously.

 

“Nothing wrong with that. My father was a blacksmith, too. But I've never heard of a competition—”

 

Cole cut Kai off hastily to explain bashfully, “That's because he's not a "blacksmith" blacksmith. He's a...Royal Blacksmith.” He turns a page of his album to show them a picture of his dad. Everyone snickers at the sight.

 

You step closer to get a better look, and you see it’s a slightly faded picture of an older man in a suit, holding a trophy in his hands with a proud smile on his face. The gold of the trophy was a stark contrast from the silvery white of the Fangblade on top of it. You look between the photo and back to Cole, who looked less than pleased about sharing this information with you all.

 

“That's your dad?” Jay asked, holding back a laugh.

 

“But how did the Fangblade become a trophy?” Kai added, looking at the trophy with interest.

 

“Well, supposedly, the Blade Cup was made by this guy who collected priceless artifacts. His name was something like, uh, Dutch...no, Clutch. Clutch Powers! Anyway, it gets passed on to each year's winner.” The black ninja explained.

 

You sneered when you heard that familiar professor's name. Clutch Powers. You’ve actually heard of Clutch Powers before, a few years ago when he snuck into your village and to the Temple of the Goddess Honoka, attempting to steal her ancient Ruby Charm, which was said to be imbued with the power to let the village prosper in peace.

 

He was arrested and banned from entering your village ever again.

 

“Who has it now?” Zane asked.

 

Cole shrugged, closing up his album. “I don't know. I haven't talked to my father in years.”

 

“Well then, we'll call him up.”

 

“You can't!” He yelled, looking appalled that Kai even suggested that he call his father. “He thinks I'm in Ninjago City training at the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps. But when I couldn't sing or dance, well I...I ran away. When he sees I can't dance, he'll know I've been lying in all the letters I've been sending him.” Cole muttered.

 

Zane was puzzled. “He doesn't know you're a ninja?”

 

“What? You gonna crack some joke that my old man wears a tutu?” Cole snarked back.

 

Kai shook his head. “No, but if we're going to have any chance at getting that Fangblade before they do, we better get our own act in tune.”

 

“Then it’s settled. Nya, set course for Cole’s home.” You exclaim, making said ninja sputter in shock.

 

“What!?”

 

“We’re going to get that Fangblade, no matter what it takes.” You were determined, and your sudden burst of confidence had everyone agreeing, even Cole.

 

Nya took the reins with Cole to set the autopilot up for where Cole’s father lived, while Jay, and Kai all went out to pull up the anchor. You, however, retreated back to your room to wait the ride out, obliviously unaware of the worried look Zane was sporting as he watched you leave.

☯︎

About an hour has passed since you were moping in your room when you felt the anchor of the Bounty drop onto the ground with a loud thud. The whoops and hollers of the ninja soon followed, fading away as they got to the ground. 

 

Then silence followed yet again, so loud it made your ears ring. The complete silence in your cabin was different from the silence of when the Bounty was moving, no humming the engine or a particularly loud flap of the sails. 

 

There was nothing. 

 

Sighing, you stood up and exited your cabin, hoping to get some fresh air on the deck. You were met with a cool breeze, and a view of a cosy town. It wasn’t as bustling as Jamanakai, but it was certainly bigger. 

 

“Look who decided to leave their cave.” You jumped as Nya seemed to just appear beside you from nowhere, her lips turned into a smirk. 

 

You chuckle. “Yeah… I kinda needed some alone time for a bit.” Sighing, you scratch the back of your head. 

 

Her smirk faded and she leaned over the railing with you. “You okay? You look sad.”

 

“I talked about it with Zane last night, but… I need to know what you think.” You took her silence as a sign to continue. “I feel bad for not getting the Fangblade from Python yesterday.”

 

“What? Why?” The red clad girl stood straight, looking at you with confusion and worry. “You did so good yesterday for your first time facing them.”

 

“It’s not about how I fought them, it’s more about how I didn’t take the blade when I had the chance. The snakes were distracted by Jay before the roller coaster went off, and I had every chance to grab the blade, but I didn’t, I let them start the roller coaster and run away.” You tried explaining. 

 

Nya thought for a bit before asking again. “Do you feel bad for not getting the blade, or feel bad because you chose to save me and Jay over the blade?”

 

You stood silent. “I… don’t regret trying to save you and Jay, but… if I had known that Jay was going to unlock his true potential…”

 

“There’s no way you could’ve known that.” Nya’s voice was firm as she grabbed your shoulders to have you face her. “You can’t blame yourself for this. Especially since it was your first time facing the Serpentine like that.” 

 

You look at her, seeing nothing but comfort in her eyes, looking at you with her brows furrowed. She was serious about this.

 

“So… it’s not my fault?”

 

“Of course not! If anything, everything happening right now is all Pythor’s fault! He’s the one pulling all the strings on this.” The samurai exclaimed with full confidence. 

 

While Zane’s comfort was all about making you feel better through soft words and reassurances, Nya’s was much more firm and harsh, helping you feel better while throwing the biting words over at the Serpentine. 

 

It was contrasting, yet refreshing. You could feel the girl flinch in surprise as you hugged her. “Thanks Nya.” You mutter into her shoulder, and you feel her hug back, resting her head on top of yours. You hadn’t realised how tall she was until now.

 

“Of course, anything for my new best friend.” She said, making you smile. 

 

“Another thing actually.” You pull away from the hug, and Nya looks at you curiously.

 

“What’s up?” She asked, back to looking worried. 

 

“I’ve been meditating in Sensei Wu’s meditation room. He let me do that before he left and I’ve been having these… visions, kind of.” You begin carefully. 

 

Nya nods slowly, taking in the information. “I’ve only started getting these after using the incense he lent me, and… the visions are less of pictures and it’s really just talking, of Sensei Wu and the aid he went to get.”

 

The girl in red nodded again, looking invested, like she was on the edge of her seat in suspense. “Yeah? Who is it?” 

 

“It’s Lord Garmadon.” 

 

Nya froze entirely, a vacant smile on her face and look in her eyes. “It’s who now?”

 

“Lord Garmadon. Somehow, Sensei Wu managed to get into the Realm of Madness to get him out and help us save Lloyd. And Lord Garmadon is not happy about his son being in danger.” You explain, and Nya was stiff and silent. “It makes sense too. Who else to save your nephew than his overprotective, villainous father who’d stop at nothing until he’s safe.” 

 

A look of realisation dawned on her face. “That… makes sense actually. Do you know when he’ll get back?”

 

You shook your head. “No. Last I heard was that they had to climb a mountain, but that mountain was the only way out, so I assume he’ll be back soon. Sensei Wu was worried about climbing it, but Lord Garmadon wouldn’t take no for an answer, and is determined to get Lloyd back.” 

 

She nodded slowly as you spoke, absorbing the information. “Yeah, that checks. Guess evil overlords also care for their kids.”

 

You agree with her. From what you heard, with how determined Lord Garmadon sounded, and the hint of a protective tone in his voice, he did seem to genuinely care for Lloyd, despite his villainous self. 

 

“But enough of that now, I wonder how the guys are doing… maybe we should check out that talent show thing?” You ask mischievously. 

 

Nya laughed. “I wish! You can have fun with that, but I need to make some repairs to the Bounty. And the mech. But take a video! I definitely want to see it later!”

 

“But I don’t have a…!” You began to speak, but Nya rushed off to her repairs. “…video thing.” 

 

Now it was just you on the deck. With a sigh, you heaved the ladders down to climb off the Bounty. How the ninja did this almost every day, even when they used their weapons vehicles, you had no idea. 

 

You held onto the ladder with a vice grip, praying to every god and goddess you can think of that you wouldn’t fall to the ground in a puddle of pink and white clothes. 

 

With shaky legs and a few minutes somewhat airborne, you finally made contact with the beautiful, hard ground and vertigo hit you hard. The sway of the airship was replaced with solid nothingness, nothing that kept you in motion. Your body instinctively swayed to mimic it, and you had to force yourself to stop as you walked into town. 

 

It was nice and peaceful, just on the outskirts of Ninjago City. Close enough for you to see the skyscrapers and hear the traffic, but far enough that it didn’t suffocate the homes of those who lived here. 

 

You walk around town, seeing posters of the upcoming Talent Show literally everywhere. This town must take it as seriously as Cole’s father does. Was it just a thing the town was into, or did they take pride in Cole’s dads group? 

 

You began walking down a street, long and seemingly endless, even though Ninjago City was right there. You had so many thoughts going through your head that you almost bumped into a duo of Serpentine, looking at the posters with interest. 

 

“Hey, get a load of that!” A Hypnobrai said, pointing at the poster that was attached to a light post.

 

“Oh, look. A ssssinging competition. I like ssssinging.” The Constrictai companion added, sounding strangely giddy. 

 

The Hypnobrai, however, groaned and rolled his eyes. “No, you idiot! The trophy! It's the Fangblade.”

 

Your heart stopped. Oh no…

 

“Wait, that's what Pythor'ssss looking for!” The Constrictai said. 

 

“We have to tell the others.” The Hypnobrai takes the poster and the two run off. You hid behind a conveniently placed boulder so they wouldn’t see you. 

 

I have to tell the guys!

☯︎

Anxiously, you rang the doorbell to a house, hoping the townspeople didn’t joke around with you and send you to the wrong address. 

 

“Welcome~!”

 

After asking around town, you managed to actually find Cole’s dads house, and you hoped the guys were all still here. 

 

The music that faintly played from inside abruptly stopped, and there was some noise and shuffling that got closer and closer until eventually, the door was opened. 

 

Standing there was Cole’s father, who looked the same as he did in the photo Cole showed, but with the addition of a walking cane. 

 

“Hello there! Who might you be?” He asked in a showman-like voice. 

 

“I’m one of Cole’s friends, sir. I hope I’m not interrupting anything, I have to tell him something really important about the Talent Show.” You explain. 

 

Hearing this, the man stepped aside and ushered you in. “Come in, come in! None of that sir stuff now, call me Lou. We were just getting him and his quartet prepared for the Talent Show.”

 

So that’s their plan? Win the Fangblade?

 

“Oh good, they’re still here. I have terrible news.” Deciding to play along for now, you fretted, concerning Lou. 

 

“Oh?”

 

“There’s a rival group from the school, they’re planning on sabotaging the boys at the show to get the Blade Cup!” 

 

Lou gasped, like the idea of this personally offended him and his entire bloodline, which wouldn’t be too far off if he actually knew the danger his son was constantly getting into. “Despicable! How dare they besmirch the Blade Cup with these plans of trickery! I’ll take you to them, follow me.”

 

Dramatically, Lou turned around to take you to the boys, but as luck would have it, his theatrics caused his injury to flare up. “Ah! Not again…” 

 

“Are you okay sir?” You asked worriedly. 

 

He waved a hand dismissively. “I’m fine, just my injury not letting this old man have any fun. You go on ahead. Down the hall, second door on the right.” 

 

“Thank you.” You bowed politely before scurrying off in his directions. 

 

Down the hall… second door… one, two!

 

“Guys there’s trouble!” You slam the door open and yell frantically, making the ninja quartet all jump and scream. 

 

“What the heck!?” Kai was the first to recover, hand on his chest and hunched over as he looked at you. “What was that for?”

 

“So sorry, but this is super important!” You shut the door. “It’s the Serpentine. They know that the Fangblade is on the Blade Cup. They’re gonna try for the Talent Show to get it! If you’re really trying to win this thing, they might sabotage you.”

 

“We’re not actually gonna participate in the show.” Now it was Cole’s turn, the black ninja being somewhat snarky with his response. 

 

Zane looked at his fellow ninja in confusion. “We’re not? I thought that was the plan?” 

 

“Not anymore apparently.” Jay groaned as he got up, you scared him so bad he froze and fell onto the ground like a goat. “Cole just wants to get in, steal the cup, and get out.”

 

“What? But surely people would notice it’s missing. Besides, stealing is a crime Cole.”

 

“I don’t care. I just need to get that cup, and then all this trouble will be done, and I can go back to my action packed ninja lifestyle.”

 

“Yeah, uh, I'm starting to see why Cole is so closed off. It's cause twinkle-toes here couldn't deliver the goods. Is that why you ran away?” The blue ninja teasingly asked, a smug smirk taking up half his face.

 

Said ninja rolled his eyes in irritation, ignoring Jay. “Oh, I could deliver the goods—look. I'll deal with my father, but let's stick with the plan. All we have to do is keep this charade long enough until we can get our hands on the trophy.”

 

“I don't know. I'm starting to think we can win this thing.” Jay said as he stood up, but a grunt from Cole shut him up real quick. “Okay, okay. We'll stick to the plan.”

 

You sigh. This isn't bound to go well, you can feel it…

☯︎

You had no clue how the boys managed to pull this all off.

 

For some reason, the day you landed in the village for the Talent Show was the day of the Talent Show, and how Lou managed to whip them all into performing shape by the evening was honestly admirable, even though Cole looked less than enthused about it all.

 

Lou had politely shooed you out of the studio so that there would be ‘no distractions’ for the guys, which you didn’t really get, but you supposed it made sense seeing how Cole would sometimes look over at you like he was seeking approval. You didn’t know what for, you had no performing background at all.

 

You had spent the rest of the afternoon meditating to see if you could get any updates on how Sensei Wu and Lord Garmadon were faring on the mountain, hoping to predict when they would return to the Bounty together.

 

The vortex back to Ninjago is just over that buff. Please, you first.

 

Though we live in two different worlds, I still see good in your heart, brother.

 

The battle between our worlds is inevitable. You put too much trust in me.  

 

But I came for your help to save your son! Did you lead me here to destroy me?!

 

See you on the other side. I'm back, Ninjago!

 

The booming, villainous laughter scared you out of your meditation, and yet again you fell to the floor.

 

They’re coming!

 

“NyaaaaAAAAA!!!” You scream, running from the meditation room and to her room. You knocked on the door and didn’t stop, even when she opened the door, easily holding your fist away from her face.

 

“What is it? What’s wrong?” She asks, pulling you into her room.

 

“They’re coming.”

 

“Who? Who’s coming?”

 

“Wu and Garmadon. I think they managed to get out of wherever they were and are on their way back.”

 

“That’s great!” Nya exclaimed. “Well, it’s great Sensei Wu is coming back, Lord Garmadon is, uhh…”

 

“Yeah, same sentiment here. Just… maybe be on the lookout? I know he’s gonna try and come help, but the balance is already so bad because of the Serpentine, I don’t even wanna know what will happen now that Lord Garmadon is involved.”

 

“That’s fair. I’ll keep a couple of eyes out for him, so don’t worry.” She said with a wink.

 

Confused, you look at her worriedly. “A… couple of eyes? What do you mean by that?”

 

“The entire Bounty is tricked out with security cameras, all leading back to this surveillance right here.” The samurai proudly pulled back her partition, and you expected there to be clothes, but you were sorely mistaken.

 

Behind the partition was a giant computer decked out with multiple screens, each one displaying a different view of the Bounty, from the bridge, to the deck, to the hallways, and even–

 

“Is that camera in my room?” You ask in alarm, making Nya laugh awkwardly and turn that specific screen off.

 

“Y-yeah, but to be fair, I have cameras in the guys’ room too, and even the meditation room. All except for Wu’s personal room.” The red girl added frantically.

 

“That’s… not at all concerning.”

 

“Exactly!” You jumped as Nya ent to the computer and began demonstrating how the cameras worked.

 

Some were stationary while others moved side to side. The only exception was the one in the bridge, which could move in any direction. 

 

“These will be sure to keep Garmadon in check.” Nya said confidently. “Anyway, didn’t you say you were gonna watch the guys at the Talent Show and get a video for me?”

 

You gasped, looking at the time. “Oh, right! But I still don’t have anything to record it with.”

 

“Then take this.” You yelped as Nya tossed you a recorder. “All you need to do is take the lid off, turn it on with the small circle button, point it at the guys and hit the big square button to record. Once it’s done, press the square to stop recording, all that fun stuff.”

 

You nod as you absorb her instructions into your mind. “Okay, I got it. I’ll be back with the guys later.”

 

“Sounds good! I’m gonna have so much blackmail material.” You heard her chuckle menacingly as you left her room.

 

To the Ninjago City Talent Show you go!

☯︎

At the concert hall, where the Talent Show was taking place, you sat front and centre. You were behind the two judges, but there was a gap that allowed you to see perfectly.

 

“I can't help it if I offend anyone. My only job will be to tell the truth.”

 

Curiously, you look over to see the third judge finally take his seat at the judges table. It was too long for two, so there had to be a third, right?

 

Or, maybe there was a third, but sitting at the table, directly in front of you , was Pythor.

 

You were horrified seeing him yet again, and so close after he got the first Fangblade, but the judges weren deterred. “You don't look anything like your photo.” The middle judge said.

 

Pythor chuckled. “Ah, sadly, but, the camera adds a few pounds. I'm just happy to have the opportunity to judge this prestigious competition.”

 

“Wait a minute. I'm still here! He swallowed me! He's not a judge!” Your eyes grew impossibly bigger, staring at his stomach which… moved. And spoke.

 

Did he… eat the other judge?

 

“Quiet! ...Or else I won't let you out.” The Anacondrai hissed, making you shudder fearfully.

 

That answers that…

 

“My apologies.”

 

The terrifying moment was thankfully cut short as the speakers played fanfare, and the Blade Cup was brought out for showing.

 

“The Fangblade!” Pythor’s excited exclamation made your heart shove itself up your throat, and you bristled, as if awaiting his attack, like a mouse against a snake…

 

“Uh, yeah. You mean the Blade Cup.” The middle judge corrected snidely, and Pythor just ignored him. 

 

“Yes, yes. Whatever.”

 

After the cup was finished being showcased, the first few acts came up first. There was a solo singer first who sang a short tune that everyone enjoyed, followed by some other miscellaneous acts like a man who juggled up to 9 balls, and a dancing duo who got low marks marks from the human judged, but the man dropped the woman, making Pythor laugh and give them a higher mark out of his own amusement for the woman’s humiliation. 

 

You smirked in satisfaction as the woman bravely approached the Serpentine and slapped him in the face. 

 

The small chuckle it got out of you had Pythor glaring at you from the corner of his eye. You met his eye contact for a brave two seconds before turning away to see the next act. 

 

It was more Serpentine…

 

“My poison lies over the ocean, my poison lies over the sea. My poison lies over the ocean, so bring back my poison to me!”

 

You groaned inwardly as you heard their singing. You liked to think you knew music, having heard practically everyone singing and playing instruments during annual celebrations and ritualistic offerings to the deities, especially how your older brothers would always harmonise together, whether it was for fun or to comfort you from a nightmare. 

 

And while you were more of a dancer than a singer, this gave you secondhand embarrassment. They were off-key, off-beat, off-everything. They stumbled around as they ‘danced’, tripping over each other or just themselves. 

 

It was horrendous . 

 

You covered your face to spare your eyes further, sliding down in your seat, cringing at the act as the other Serpentine in the crowd, and some strange skeletal monsters cheered. To your relief, everyone else booed them, including you, who also shot a thumbs down at them. 

 

The act was over quickly as they were all booed off stage. You deadpan as Pythor gives it a 10. The judges give it a 6 which was… rather merciful in your opinion, but Pythor intimidates them to flip their score cards to a 9.

 

“And last but not least, The Royal Blacksmi—Uh, hold on.” Confused, the announcer put a hand to his ear. He nodded a few times before returning to his showman smile, stylishly combing his hair. “Uh, this just in, there's been a switch. Taking the stage next is Spin Harmony!”

 

There was no one who came out. There was an awkward moment of silence before the announcer cleared his throat and called again. “Last call for Spin Harmony!”

 

Yet again, no one came up to the stage, and you worried that if these were the ninjas that they just chickened out and really went through with their ‘steal the cup’ plan. 

 

“Well, it looks like the last act is no longer performing. Haha, that means I can give this to the winners—!”

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, Spin Harmony!” You laughed in amusement as the announcer shamelessly cut off Pythor, and your smile widened as you saw the guys in full ninja gear run into the stage. 

 

The song they chose played over the speakers, a very catchy rock song, and the crowd cheered, you included. 

 

Seeing the ninja, Pythor snarls and orders the Serpentine to attack them.

 

Jump up, kick back, whip around and spin. And then we jump back, do it again. Ninja, go! Ninja, go! Come on, come on, and do the Weekend Whip! 

 

The crowd all sang along, you included, as you clapped one hand against your thigh to the beat, the other shakily holding the camera and recording them. 

 

I’m not sure if Nya can use this as blackmail, but I’m sure she’ll love it nonetheless. You thought with a smile. 

 

Ninja, go! Ninja, go!

 

The fight was beginning to get heated as they all fought with ease, synchronised in their attacks which could easily be played off as well practiced dance fighting. A trio of Serpentine all ran in, zeroing in on Cole. The earth elemental took a running start, and suddenly, it felt like everything was in slow motion.

 

He jumped up, jumping onto the first Serpentine to kick them down, followed by flipping to headbutt the head of the second one, then back upright again to kick the last one down, finishing the fearsome attack by landing on his feet with a growl. Your jaw dropped.  

 

“The Triple Tiger Sashay.” You could faintly hear Zane gasp out, and the crowd went wild with cheers. 

 

“Oh, he did it! The Triple Tiger Sashay! He's danced the impossible!” The announcer ran onstage excitedly, holding one of Cole’s hands up in victory. 

 

Thoroughly impressed, the judges give them a 10 but Pythor gives a 0. 

 

The Audience booed at him and somehow, some way, the judge inside the Anacondrai’s stomach managed to get his arm out and wrote a 1 on his scorecard, turning it into a 10. The crowd cheers again, and you would have joined in too if you weren’t totally disgusted by what just happened. 

 

“What? Wait. I didn't write that!” Pythor hissed as he threw his card down. 

 

The announcer jumped. “It's a perfect score! Spin Harmony wins the Blade Cup!”

 

“Oh, this is a travesty of epic proportions! I demand for there to be a recount!” Everyone ignored Pythor’s complaints and you got out of your chair, running up to the stage. 

 

Cole seemed to be searching the audience, but he probably didn’t find what he was looking for, making him groan.

 

“You guys were amazing up there!” You exclaim. “You were all so in sync.”

 

“You came? I thought you were upset?” Kai asked as you grabbed onto Cole’s outstretched arms, allowing him to hoist you up on stage. 

 

“Thank you, I've never felt more alive.” Zane remarked as you all made your way off stage. 

 

Jay was still cheering and celebrating, making everyone chuckle fondly. “Hahaha! We did it!” 

 

“No, Cole did it. Because of you, Ninjago will sleep safely tonight.” Kai stated. 

 

The black ninja shifted the cup in his arms, looking at his reflection in it solemnly. “Thanks, but go on and celebrate without me. Winning this doesn't feel the same without my dad being able to—“

 

“Cole!”

 

Looking up from the trophy, Cole’s eyes widened. “Dad?”

 

“I saw it all, son. I saw it all.” The older man said softly, and Cole rushed into his fathers embrace, the two getting emotional, if the slight shaking of Cole’s shoulders and Lou’s glassy eyes were anything to go by. 

 

“You saw me dance?” Cole managed to ask, sounding choked up as he did. 

 

His dad smiled. “More importantly, I saw you fight. Those Serpentine were up to no good, trying to steal the show, and I saw you stand up for what is right.” Lou sighed, looking down regretfully. “I was wrong. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard to follow in my footsteps. Everyone is born with a special talent inside that's just been waiting to get out. And you were born to be a Ninja.”

 

“You're not mad?!” The master of earth yelped out. 

 

“How can I be? My son's a hero!”

 

“Eh, sorry to interrupt your little family reunion, but did you know…” Everyone turned their attention to the newcomer, seeing a familiar monster slither over. “It's me, Pythor.”

 

Cole rolled his eyes, standing in front of his dad protectively. “You couldn't fool us, Pythor!”

 

“I didn't want to miss our big show stopper.” Pythor pulled off his fake beard that no one fell for. 

 

You perked up at hearing a scratching noise and you looked up. There were two Constrictai above pushing a crate. It seemed odd, but when they hit the stage lights and they fell, your eyes landed on where they would end up at and gasped. “Lou, look out!”

 

“Dad!” Without thinking twice, Cole jumped in to save him. 

 

“Cole!” You all yelled out in shock and fear as the purple snake laughed maniacally, slithering away with the Blade Cup. 

 

“You! Get back here with that!” You cried, running after Pythor, only for a cold hand to stop you in your tracks. 

 

Breaking free was useless as the hand just gripped tighter. You look back with a huff, and Zane is the one holding you back. He had a knowing, almost pitying look on his face, but he shook his head. 

 

“They took the Fangblade.” The blue ninja said despairingly. 

 

“Cole!” Kai gasped. 

 

They all approached the pile of lights worriedly. The pile was unmoving, but strangely enough, Cole’s scythe began glowing from where it laid in a case. 

 

Zane smiled. “He found his True Potential.”

 

There was a grunt from beneath the lights, and Cole shakily emerged while lifting up the debris with his newfound powers.

 

Lou coughed. “Wha-what? How did we survive that? Son?” He looked up to see Cole using his power. 

 

Unlike Jay glowing and becoming almost invisible with his ability, Cole was glowing and surrounded by a sheerness that gave off the illusion of metal and stone. 

 

“Cole's found his True Potential. His relationship with his father must have been holding him back.” Zane exclaimed, looking over at you, the apparent true potential master. 

 

“Indeed. He overcame his mental block when his father respected his choices, which helped diminish his fear of disappointing others.” You stated. 

 

“He's indestructible!” Jay awed. 

 

Unlike you and the other two however, the fire elemental groaned. “Ugh, great. So now I really am the only one who hasn't figured out my special power!” 

 

You elbowed him in his side, making him yelp and glare at you. “You’ll get yours when the time is right.” You said, sending a mild glare back at him. 

 

With the debris now off and away, Cole returned to his normal state, winded from exertion. “Is everyone alright? What just happened?”

 

“We're all okay, son.” Lou exclaimed, slowly getting up. Cole held out his hand and his father took it gratefully. 

 

You chuckled in amusement as Lou yelped, Cole having picked him up with ease, hugging his old man so hard that Lou’s feet didn’t even touch the ground anymore. 

 

“I think we all need to wind down. That was intense.” You exclaim. With nods and words of agreement, Lou took you all back to his home.

☯︎

You thanked Lou as he handed you a cup of green tea, freshly steeped and it smelled lovely. You gently blew on it before taking a sip, and hummed as the taste hit your tongue. It was just as nice as it smelled. 

 

“Oh, man.” Kai chuckled as they relayed the story of Cole getting his true potential to said ninja, who listened attentively. 

 

“That was really cool.”

 

“You found your True Potential.” Jay and Zane both spoke at the same time, making you chuckle at their excitement. 

 

However, Jay’s excitement was brief, as only a second later the lightning master sighed dejectedly. “I guess the scorecard now reads Pythor-two Fangblades, ninja-zero.” 

 

You look at your reflection in the teacup with a quiet sigh. 

 

Seeing your sad look, Cole sighed. “Yeah, but all we need is one, and there are still two left to find.” He said, trying to calm you down. 

 

“Who knows? Maybe when I unlock my True Potential, I'll turn into the destined Green Ninja.” The fire ninja taunted smugly. 

 

Was he really still on about that? Is that all he cares about? Your grip on the cup tightened, annoyed that Kai seems to care less about keeping Ninjago safe and balanced or rescuing Lloyd, and instead is more focused on the Green Ninja Prophecy. You took a deep breath and you had to remind yourself of your moral code and that no, you can’t hurt Kai over this. 

 

Cole laughed at that. “Yeah, dream on.”

 

“Ha, okay.” Jay also laughed, but seemed more annoyed than amused. 

 

“The only thing you're destined for is a more inflated ego.” The black ninja bonked his red teammate on the head, making him yelp. 

 

“It may not be the trophy, but it sure will look good on my wall.” Lou said proudly as he hung up a picture of the ninja's victory at the Talent Show, framed and perfectly clear behind the glass. 

 

The guys all cheered. “All right!”

 

“Excellent.”

 

“Awesome.”

 

“Nice.”

 

You all got up to take a look at it. “As far as I'm concerned, you're all my family now.” Lou stated, sentimental. He pulled Cole into his left side, and Zane into his right, Jay and Kai stood by the earth elemental, while the ice elemental pulled you into the hug too. 

 

It was abrupt. You had only known them for maybe a week and a few days, and they already considered you part of their found family. You smiled and let the moment happen, trying not to tear up. 

 

It took a while, but eventually you all had to break away from the hug and set course back to the bounty. And as soon as you were back, you beelined to Nya’s room with the video camera in hand. 

 

“Did you get it?” She asked mischievously, and you nod with a sheepish smile. 

 

“Yeah, but I don’t know if it’s the blackmail you were hoping for.” 

 

Nya would be the judge of that as she attached the camera to the computers to display the video. She watched with a surprised face at how amazingly the four masters worked together, but let out an abrupt cackle at Cole’s growl after he successfully executed the Triple Tiger Sashay. 

 

“Did he really just—? Rawr.” She mimicked his growl and wheezed harder. “This isn’t the Kai blackmail I was waiting for but this is hilarious! I owe you one.” The red girl wiped a tear from her eyes. 

 

“It’s no problem. It was much cooler in person, but the growl was pretty funny.” You admitted. 

 

After a few more laughs, you bid Nya goodnight and retreated to bed. 

 

“You feel bad again.” You screamed as soon as you entered your room, almost falling to the ground if Zane hadn’t caught you. 

 

“Zane… don’t scare me like that! This is the second time.” You scolded as he helped you upright. 

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you again.” The Nindroid apologised. “But I couldn’t help but notice how you feel bad again, since Pythor now has the second Fangblade.” 

 

“I’m that obvious, huh? Why did you stop me back there anyway?” You asked, probably sounding a bit more accusatory than you meant to. 

 

Zane didn’t flinch at your tone, he just placed a hand on your shoulder. “You’re quite easy to read, despite the many mysteries you have. As for why I stopped you, I knew you would have done something drastic to get that blade to make up for what happened to the first one. I didn’t want you to get yourself hurt.” 

 

“‘Drastic’? Do I need to remind you that my entire village swears off of harming other living creatures?”

 

“I know that very well. Even then, engaging Pythor as a pacifist is dangerous, and quite literally asking to be injured or worse.” The robotic ninja exclaimed. 

 

You scoffed, hating the fact that you knew Zane was right. “I… know, but—.”

 

“No buts, I’m putting my foot down.” Taking the phrase literally, Zane stomped one of his feet onto the floor with such force you were worried the floorboards would break. “You will not engage Pythor anymore. Understood?”

 

You felt like you were being scolded by your mother again. The comparison made your face flush and you muttered out a quiet “…fine.”

 

Zane smiled. “Good, now, head to sleep. I’m sure you must be tired.” The Nindroid went to leave, but you turned to him.

 

“Wait, Zane.” You called out, making him pause and hum questioningly. “I wanted to thank you for carrying me to bed last night.” 

 

Instead of the expected polite “you’re welcome”, Zane looked confused. “I… don’t take you to bed? I thought it was you who took me to bed after I accidentally went to sleep on you.” 

 

“Huh? Then… if you didn’t take me to bed, then who did?”

 

Zane shrugged and you both just bid each other good night and decided to forget about it. 

 

Unaware to you, however, a specific girl in the Bounty watched yours and Zane’s interaction with conflicted feelings.

☯︎

Notes:

the laptop has returned
YIPPEEE :D

the formatting has been corrected now, currently working on the next chapter :3

Chapter 7: ✿~The Green Ninja

Summary:

Kai is still under the impression he is the prophesised Green Ninja, but something changes that. Pythor has Lloyd trapped in a volcano threatening to erupt any minute, and the Elemental Master of Fire has to make a choice.

☯︎

The ninja have gathered on the Destiny's Bounty's deck, prepared for training. You sat off to the side in a dark room to observe them as they honed their elemental powers in a proper training session with their newly unlocked true potential. 

 

You decided it was a good idea to watch them, seeing as how they were the ones to help you in keeping the Serpentine from creating a disaster that could befall upon Ninjago one thousand times worse than the Great Devourer. 

 

“Earth!” Cole yelled out as he attacked first. His earth control was much more refined than it was in the beginning, now able to control less than a giant rock or boulder. The ability to also now control the speed and direction of even the tiniest speck of dirt was impressive. 

 

“Lightning!” Jay shocks the opponent, his lightning seemingly out of control, but is incredibly precise. It was less wild than it was. Before he unlocked his potential, it ran free, jagged in every spot and a possible hazard to allies close by to him. And while it was still jagged, it stayed in one proper direction, along with the many other shocks he let out at the exact same time. 

 

“Ice!” And Zane seemed to have the best progress this far, having unlocked his true potential first. His ice was as controlled as it was deadly, with sharp spikes shooting up like icicles growing in reverse. You shuddered as the chill enhanced, his ice having become more and more cold as the days passed by. 

 

The sound of a crash and things clattering to the floor startled you, and the lights promptly turned on. You saw the fake Serpentine dummy on the floor in pieces, and three colour coded ninjas standing innocently to the side as if they hadn’t killed a dummy. 

 

“Good training.” Nya praised, causing Jay to melt sheepishly. “Your powers are getting stronger. But where's Kai?”

 

You looked back to the trio, and indeed, Nya’s hotheaded brother was nowhere to be found. 

 

He’s bright red! How did I not notice he left? Guess they really are decent ninjas…

 

Confused, you all decided to go searching for him. He wasn’t on the deck training, nor was he on the bridge looking at any Serpentine hints or even in his room. 

 

Eventually, he was found in Sensei Wu’s room. You could hear his frustrating call upon his element from behind the door, and when the door opened, everyone laughed. 

 

You moved your head to see, and what you saw made you feel more angry than you ever felt at these guys. 

 

He really is still obsessed with being the Green Ninja. This guy!

 

“Very nice. Perhaps if you tried the phrase "Fire dork," maybe it might work.” The earth ninja taunted playfully. 

 

Kai tore the mask off his face in panic. “How long have you all been watching?”

 

“Only a bit.” You replied curtly, letting your annoyed tone free. Kai shrunk under your gaze. 

 

“The Green Ninja suit. That's awesome!” Jay said excitedly. 

 

“Well, I was looking for some kind of clue from Sensei and then I found this.” The red ninja nervously explained. 

 

You decided right then and there you didn’t like Kai in green. It just felt wrong…

 

Zane stepped forward. “But you know only he who is foretold to face Lord Garmadon is destined to be the Green Ninja, and only he should wear the Green Ninja outfit. So Sensei would most likely be very—.”

 

“I know, I know. But I thought if I just tried it on, it might help me see my True Potential. It's not fair that you guys have unlocked your cool powers and I still haven't. Besides, Sensei's gone and we don't know when he's coming back —.”

 

“Hello? I'm home.”

 

Speak of the master and he shall appear. That was impeccable timing, you’ll have to compliment Wu about that later. 

 

“Sensei!” They all yell out and run out the room, except for Kai, who scrambles to change back into his red gi, practically ripping the green top off.

 

You decided to leave him in his privacy and reunite with Sensei Wu. While you knew he would be back, you didn’t know if he was uninjured or not. 

 

You step onto the deck, and Sensei Wu is standing before his three other ninja students and samurai, all of whom were smiling and greeting him. 

 

“Ah. It's so good to be home.” The sensei says, stroking his beard fondly. 

 

“So glad you're back.” Zane replied back with a smile. 

 

Cole stepped forward with a chuckle. “Did you bring us anything?”

 

On the other hand, Jay flapped his hands excitedly as he rambled. “Oh, Sensei, have you missed a lot. Zane's a Nindroid, Nya's the mysterious Samurai, Cole's a dancer—!”

 

Wu did a double take, looking at his excitable blue ninja flabbergasted. “Zane is a...what?”

 

Said Nindroid smiled nervously. “You've been gone for a while. We'll catch you up later. But you should know, all of us except for Kai have discovered our True Potential.”

 

The elder nodded in approval. “Have you now? Where is Kai?”

 

“Right here.” The red ninja, now finally back in his rightful colours, ran onto the deck, panting heavily. “So glad you're back safe.” 

 

“Wu, I assume you’ve found who you were looking for?” You asked with a knowing smile. Wi’s eyebrows raised, but he nodded, stepping to the side ever so slightly to reveal the Dark Lord behind him. 

 

“Aah! Sensei, behind you!” Kai yelled out before attacking Garmadon, while Zane dived to guard Wu. It all felt like it was in slow motion. 

 

“Sensei!” You would have laughed at the situation if you weren’t already annoyed by Kai’s insistence he was the prophesied green ninja. Zane’s panicked face and voice as he went to protect Wu, only for said master to look at the situation with an expression that spoke so many volumes of ‘I’m so done with these people’. 

 

“Ugh! He's got four arms.” Kai grunted as Garmadon held him back, one arm holding the red ninja up and away from reach, the fire elemental’s arms too short for his flailing fists to reach the Dark Lord. 

 

It was like holding a cat by the scruff, and the comparison finally got a snicker out of you. 

 

“So we meet again.” Garmadon spoke in a low voice, taunting and mischievous with a smug smirk on his face, showing off his sharp teeth. 

 

You finally got a good look at Lloyd’s father, having only heard him and never seen what he looked like. He was ridiculously tall, with an inhumanly long torso to accommodate his double set of arms. He had onyx armour on, accompanied with a matching samurai helmet that had a bone on its front for decoration. 

 

Presumably not any of his bones. 

 

His red eyes narrowed at Kai, the crows feet wrinkled as his smirk also grew. 

 

Why are you looking at him so much? 

 

“He must've followed you, Sensei!” Kai’s fire flickered in his hands, and that’s when Sensei Wi finally stepped in. 

 

“Kai, stop! He is the reason I left. For so long as Pythor has Lloyd, he will be our guest.” Wu explained. 

 

“We have to live with this guy?!” The earth elemental yelled out in shock, looking at Wu like he also grew another set of arms. 

 

The white ninja was equally as shocked. “But Sensei, he has four arms!”

 

“Uh, must I remind you ever since he turned evil, he's been trying to get our Golden Weapons?” The lightning ninja also added on. 

 

“ENOUGH!” You yelped at Wu’s angered shout, almost falling over if Nya hadn’t held onto your arm, equally as startled. The ninja all fell silent, and Kai simply dangled in Garmadon’s hold, looking disgruntled, but he and the others obediently lowered their heads. 

 

“Yes, Sensei.”

 

“This isn't about the weapons. It's about my son.” The new dark roommate growled as he placed Kai back down on his feet and walked over to his younger brother. 

 

“From here on out, you will obey me and you will respect my brother.” Wu instructed sternly, and everyone nodded this time. 

 

“Yes, Sensei.” They all said, except for you. Instead, you had a question on your mind. 

 

“Now to the bridge. We must put our attention to more pressing matters.” The ninja and samurai all filter out onto the bridge, but you, however, stay at the back with Wu and Garmadon. 

 

“Sensei Wu, may I ask a question?” You whispered. Wu looked at you curiously, and the slight turn of Garmadon’s head also indicated you caught his attention. 

 

“I was meditating a lot while you were away, with the incense you gifted me. Does that incense do anything in particular? I know you have visions, so I was curious.” You ask. 

 

Garmadon turned away with a huff and frown, clearly uninterested, but Wu stroked his beard whimsically. 

 

“Does it do something? Or did it do something to help you?” He responded cryptically. 

 

You blinked. “I— uh…” You trailed off as you thought of the next thing to say. Garmadon chuckled at your lost expression, which made you scoff. “Well, I certainly could never hear conversations from another realm before.” 

 

The Dark Lord raised a brow, his lips upturned in amusement at your snarky remark. Wu was unaffected, merely humming in acknowledgment with a knowing look in his eyes. 

 

Now on the bridge, Wu looked each of his students in the eyes before speaking. “So, where are we at with the four Fangblades?”

 

The rigid and unnerved ninja all slumped over with defeated sighs. “Oh, Pythor's managed to take the first two, but there's still two left.” Jay exclaimed helpfully. 

 

“And we only need one in order to prevent him from unleashing the Great Devourer.” Cole added on, yet again seeing your upset expression. You wondered if he also knew that you felt guilty feeling like you just let Pythor get away with the first blade. 

 

“Any luck finding their whereabouts?” The sensei then turned to Zane. 

 

The white ninja shook his head. “No, but the Falcon is programmed to alert us if he sees any suspicious activity.”

 

Wu’s eyebrows raised questioningly, but he didn’t about the falcon, instead turning his attention to Kai and Nya. “Good. If we find the Fangblade, we find Lloyd. Kai and Nya, prepare the deck and double check the anchor. We need to be ready when we first get word of activity.”

 

“Yes, Sensei.” The two replied respectfully. 

 

“And young blossom.” He turned to you. “We have much to discuss about the things that happened while I was gone.” You nod curtly. 

 

With that, everyone was dismissed for the night. Wu kept you and Garmadon in the bridge as the others retired to their rooms and the siblings both went to the deck.  

 

“I have my eye on you.” Kai threatened Garmadon with a glare to intimidate him, only to grunt as he hits his head on the frame. You shake your head in disapproval, Garmadon chuckles as Wu sighs. Nya grabs him and tries to drag him away, but he gets his wrist out of her hand and he points with two fingers to his eyes and jabs them at Garmadon to show that he's watching him. 

 

You smiled seeing Nya’s hand reach out again to grab him by his hood and yank him out, now leaving you and the two brothers. 

 

After a moment of awkward silence, Wu cleared his throat and turned to you. “Now, did Jay say the Falcon was...programmed?”

 

You nodded. The next hour was spent catching Sensei Wu up to speed on what he missed, all while sitting at the table on the bridge. From the pride he held when three of his four students found their true potential, to the shock that was Nya being the Samurai and Zane being a robot, or Nindroid as Jay had coined the term. 

 

“I see… I leave for a week and all the excitement begins to happen. And Lloyd is still with Pythor?” You could see the Dark Lord bristle at the mention of his son being held captive by the Anacondrai, and you nodded. 

 

“Yes. I don’t know about the boys, but I haven’t seen Lloyd at all since he was taken.” You look down sadly, guilt yet again eating away at you. 

 

Garmadon was disgruntled at your uncertainty, and Wu’s brows creased with worry as he nodded slowly. “I see. And about that incense?”

 

“What about it?” You asked back. You asked your question about it and got a somewhat cryptic answer that you need to decipher. 

 

“Did it help you?” Wu elaborated further and you tilted your head. 

 

It helped you concentrate and keep calm during meditation unless someone loudly startled you out of it. “I guess…”

 

“So the visions, how were they?” 

 

You blinked at the sudden question. “Oh, I uh, thought you meant if it helped me relax, um…” as you fumbled for a response, the two brothers laughed, Wu was more amused while Garmadon was more cruel like he was making fun of you. 

 

“Well uh, I don’t have visions per se, I just… heard things? Like, I knew you were coming back cause every time I meditated, I could hear you two in the Realm of Madness and… yeah.” You explained nervously. 

 

“If that were the case, can you not just hear my son?” Garmadon barked out with a venomous tone. 

 

You looked at Wu, completely lost. The younger brother patted the elders shoulder before explaining to you the method behind Wu’s meditation madness. 

 

“The incense I gave you was supposed to give you visions of the people you think of at the time before you fall into meditation. It appears to have an interesting effect on you to make you just hear their conversations…” Wu speculated. 

 

“The people I last thought of?” You tilted your head. 

 

That made sense actually. When you first meditated, it was just after Sensei Wu had left the Bounty to go retrieve Garmadon from the Realm of Madness, and every time after that, you meditated with the intent to clear your head and hear those conversations between the two again. 

 

“Yes. If you haven’t used up all of that incense, I believe you can hear Lloyd to see if he is alright.” Garmadon seemed less agitated hearing his brother say that, and you nod. 

 

“Some incense was wasted because I kicked it when I got startled once, but I should have some left.” You explain. 

 

Wu seemed a bit miffed at you possibly kicking and damaging his incense burner, but he nodded. “Good. I believe you should try meditating in your room this time. You still have Lloyd’s plushies from the amusement park, so those might be able to help.” 

 

You nodded in determination, and Wu dismissed you for the evening. You speed walked to the meditation room to grab a spare incense burner before rushing back to your room. 

 

You set the incense burner down on the floor and grab your blanket to use as a mat to be comfortable. You grabbed the incense and Lloyd’s plushies before sitting down. You set the long white dragon down and made it into a small circle to put the incense burner in, and you placed the big green teddy bear in your lap. 

 

I hope this works…

☯︎

It did work. It really did! Sure, you ended up falling asleep sitting up, but you could hear Lloyd!

 

Sure it wasn’t fun, you almost broke yourself out of meditation to cry after hearing his faint whines and sniffles as he tried not to cry in front of Pythor, but you know he’s at least alive!

 

You get ready for your day, getting changed out of your pyjamas and into your traditional robes. You passed by the bathroom on the way to the kitchen to make some tea, seeing the boys all awkwardly stare at Garmadon sharpening his teeth with a dagger. 

 

You decided to ignore it and continue on to the kitchen to make some tea for yourself and Wu, deciding on having some regular black tea for breakfast. 

 

Slowly but surely, the others began filing into the dining area. Zane was first, immediately going to set up food to make for breakfast, followed by Nya, who helped set the table. Sensei Wu then came and you both enjoyed the tea you made in silence, then the rest of the ninja came in and were promptly served breakfast by their brother in white. 

 

Garmadon then joined with a plate full of some… interesting black substance on top. You looked at the plate with a mix of disgust and mild concern as the Dark Lord began eating it. 

 

“What's he eating?” Cole whispered. 

 

Kai snarled. “Condensed evil. Supposed to be low in fat.”

 

You watch with a cringe as a grub flies off Garmadon’s plate and towards Kai, who brushes it away with his fork in disgust. 

 

So far the roommate situation has… not been good. 

 

On your almost daily visit to Nya’s room, she complained about how her little movie date with Jay was interrupted when during a sad scene of a man leaving his love, Garmadon burst out into maniacal laughter. 

 

Later in the day, a storm hit, and Kai was left in the bridge, trying to manoeuvre the uncontrollable ship. 

 

“Where's Garmadon?” Zane asked. 

 

Kai sighed in annoyance. “Sunbathing.”

 

You watched in concern as lightning struck the deck, almost hitting Garmadon directly. 

 

Eventually the storm had passed and night time was upon Ninjago. While you were glad you weren’t rooming with the guys, you passed by the open door to see Garmadon using electricity powers to disturb them all. The others simply rolled over to ignore him, but Jay’s little pout almost got you to laugh. You closed the door before retreating to Sensei Wu’s room. 

 

You knocked on the door. “Sensei Wu? I need to speak with you.” There was a hum from behind the door, so you gently opened it, seeing Wu sitting on the floor with two cups of tea, one in front of him, and one behind his teapot.

 

Of course he knew I was coming.

 

You walked in and gently shut the door before sitting in front of him, holding the lukewarm teacup in your hands. “Were you waiting long?”

 

The ninja master shook his head with a soft chuckle. “No, if anything, you’re right on time.”

 

You smiled in relief and took a sip from the cup. Despite its slightly cold temperature, it was delicious. “Did anything happen?” Sensei Wu asked before taking a sip from his own cup, not wanting to waste any time. 

 

“I heard him. Lloyd’s at least alive, but I don’t know if he has any injuries. He’s… crying.” You explain sadly, holding the cup closer. 

 

Wu looked especially worried, but he stayed silent. It was a bit awkward as the two of you just sat there in his room, no more words exchanged for what felt like forever, when in reality it was probably only about 5 minutes. 

 

“I sense we are closer to him than we believe.” Wu spoke cryptically. Just as you were about to ask what he meant, the ninja sensei ushered you up and out of the room for you to go to bed.

 

Weird… what did he mean by that…

☯︎

The next day, Garmadon continued to mess with the ninja. They all sat in front of the tv as Jay was fixing up a quirk in the Bounty’s engine, watching as Garmadon played their video games with two controllers at once.

 

“He's not even playing the game right. He's just shooting and destroying things.” Kai complained with a deep frown on his face, unhappy about Garmadon just chilling in their home playing video games.

 

Zane turned to his fiery teammate. “I've noticed when he isn't so focused on trying to turn Ninjago into his own image, he's actually quite fascinating.” He said like he was inspecting some creature and not the literal Lord of Darkness.

 

The earth elemental shrugged. “Sure, the four arms are freakish, but all in all, he doesn't seem that bad of a guy.”

 

“He might be pulling the wool over all your eyes, but not mine. He's up to something. And I'm gonna be ready for it.” Kai storms off in a huff and you decide to quietly follow him to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid.

 

Sure, you weren’t exactly too fond of this new change either, but the strange protective sibling feeling you have for Lloyd took priority over your suspicions of said boy’s evil father temporarily living in the Bounty with everyone to aid in saving him from Pythor.

 

“Garmadon, get ready to get Kai'd! Fire! Wham, bam, sorry to beat you, man!” You facepalmed as you heard Kai kicking and punching the air, and you hoped he wouldn’t go as far to set the wooden boat on fire. 

 

“This way. Come, come.” You heard Wu’s voice faintly, and you peered around the corner to find Kai spying on him through a window that leads to Nya’s room. “I have come to understand that the mysterious Samurai is no longer a mystery.”

 

“Oh yeah, you heard about that. I guess I picked up a thing or two.” Nya’s voice was slightly louder, sounding nervous.

 

“It was foolish of me to think that a girl could not be the destined Green Ninja.” The sensei said, causing Kai to gasp.

 

“Nya's the Green Ninja?”

 

“When the four weapons are laid out before the destined one, the weapons will react, revealing the identity of the Green Ninja.”

 

“But, Sensei…”

 

“Approach the weapons.” Wu implored Nya, but she sounded unsure about it.

 

“What are you doing out here?” You jumped hearing Garmadon’s voice and you whipped your head around, but he wasn’t behind you. Instead, he was behind Kai, and he seemed greatly annoyed.

 

You zoned out their oncoming argument, Kai fell over, they taunted each other, they square up to start fighting, and before you decide that you should just zone back in and stop them, Nya and Wu hold them back.

 

With a sigh, you head back into the Bounty, passing by Jay who rambled out something to you, but all you caught was “falcon” and “bridge”, so you head there. 

 

“Zane, is everything alright? I passed by Jay and all I heard was something about your falcon.” You ask, and the Nindroid nods, his eyes not leaving the screen.

 

“Yes, my falcon has found where the Serpentine have gone to next. Let’s wait for the rest to show up so we can all make a plan.

 

You nod in agreement, and it didn’t take long for everyone else to arrive inside. Nya immediately recognizes the location. “Looks like Pythor is at the Temple of Fire.” She exclaimed.

 

“That means the Fangblade is there.” Kai said.

 

“And Lloyd.” Garmadon added with a glare, making the red ninja scowl in return.

 

“That's the same Fire Temple where Kai and Lord Garmadon first faced off.” Jay gasped, and you had to stand there and process what he said for a second.

 

Kai and Garmadon have… already fought each other? So that’s why they’ve been so antagonistic towards each other.

 

“If my memory serves me correctly, I'd say one of us cheated back when we last fought.” The fire ninja growled.

 

“And I remember someone needing their Sensei to save them.” The Dark Lord taunted back with a sharp smirk.

 

Cole bravely stepped between the two. “Guys! For the sake of the Fangblade and Lloyd, can we please just get along?”

 

“Since the last time we've been there, it looks like the volcano has grown unstable. The place is a powder keg just waiting to blow up. This will be a highly combustible environment.” Nya stated, and you felt your worry rise up again.

 

An unstable volcano that is bound to erupt at any moment, and Lloyd is there? Alone ? Who knows what the Serpentine would do to him in there…

 

The lightning master groaned. “Oh, great. Just what I like. Fighting armed and deadly snakes in a highly combustible environment about to blow up!”

 

“We will do what we must.” Sensei Wu said with a determined look.

 

“Yes, Sensei. But where are our weapons?” Zane asked curiously. Kai looked over to where Zane was, who wasn’t being blocked by Garmadon anymore.

 

Actually, Garmadon was nowhere to be found.

 

“And why is Lord Garmadon not here?” Kai storms out of the bridge, ignoring Wu calling out to him. You run after him again, with everyone else following after you.

 

He slides down the stair railing to the lower deck and enters a room, and you speed around the corner and into the door just as you heard yelling and a crash.”Kai, cut this out–!” You yelped as Kai rudely cut you off by slamming the door in your face, bonking you in the nose.

 

“Are you okay?” Zane asked worriedly as you stumbled away from the door, holding your nose. It wasn’t bleeding, nor did it feel broken, which was good. You nodded and his shoulders relaxed, relieved.

 

“Kai? You in here?” Nya yells out, frowning deeper as Kai locks the door. “What are you doing?”

 

The door slammed out a bit, and Kai replied with, “Discovering my True Potential!”

 

“Unh! The door won't budge!” Jay huffed as he tried and failed to open the door. 

 

“Kai thinks he'll unlock his power if he stands up to Lord Garmadon.” Nya exclaimed in exasperation, rolling her eyes. 

 

“Why would he think that?!” Zane yelled out. You were also kind of surprised. 

 

If he had fought Garmadon before, would he not have already overcome his fear? There’s something else blocking his True Potential. 

 

The fiery sister makes the cuckoo gesture as she responds. “'Cause he thinks he's the Green Ninja!”

 

“Well, if we don't open this door soon, I think he's gonna be mincemeat! Stand back!” The earth elemental stepped forward, pushing everyone else back before activating his True Potential. With a shout, he breaks the door down, but Kai had already defeated Garmadon.

 

“I defeated him. I did it! Are my eyes glowing? Did I unlock my powers? Is this my True Potential? Argh! Why isn't it working?” The red ninja grumbled in frustration, making you facepalm tiredly. 

 

“Because you cannot defeat someone who allowed himself to be defeated.” Wu said in a scolding tone as he walked up to Kai.

 

“I wasn't going to hurt you, boy. I was only fetching your weapons.” Garmadon explained, but the red ninja scowled at the Dark Lord and pointed an accusing finger at him.

 

“But you were trying to steal them!”

 

“I asked him to get them. Perhaps it is best you do not reach your True Potential, or else someone could get hurt.” The sensei said stoically as he turned away from Kai, making him huff in frustration.

 

“Way to go, hero.” Cole said sarcastically as he jabbed Kai in the ribs.

 

Nya helped Garmadon up gently. “Oh. Poor thing. Let me help you.”

 

“Yes. Poor thing.” He said that… way too sinisterly for your liking. His deep voice makes you cringe. From the corner of your eye you see Kai clenching his fists angrily. The ship suddenly stops, making every stumble.

 

“Sounds like we've finally reached our destination.” The earth elemental exclaimed, and everyone followed his lead to disembark the ship and observe the surrounding area.

 

“The Fire Temple.” The black ninja muttered, staring up at the active volcano that for sure had the Serpentine and Lloyd inside. You let out a shaky, anxiety ridden breath at that.

 

“The volcano seems to be on the verge of eruption, guys.” Nya said, her voice coming through the speaker of Zane’s falcon. “All recent indicators tell me that this place is becoming increasingly fragile. Even the smallest rupture can make the whole thing go off.” 

 

Your shaking caught the attention of Garmadon, who put a reluctant, awkward hand on your head to pat it. It was less patting and more just him tapping your head like a button, but it helped ground you nonetheless. 

 

Garmadon is weird… he loves Lloyd dearly, and clearly anyone who cares for his son is in his good graces, but he’s still evil due to the venom in his veins. You couldn’t tell if he was genuinely trying to comfort you or if there was an ulterior motive here, but you just let it happen.

 

“Then we must not use our weapons.” Wu deduced, and everyone listened and put their weapons away, except for Kai. You look at Kai with the most annoyed expression you could muster.

 

“Kai, put your weapon away.” Your voice was shaky and clearly you weren’t up for arguing. Thankfully the red ninja actually listened to you and sheaths his sword, all while rolling his eyes. 

 

“Yeah, yeah. No Fire Sword. But only because I wouldn't want anything to prevent us from getting that Fangblade.” The hothead exclaimed.

 

“Or my son.” Garmadon added on, and you nodded.

 

“While the Fangblades are also important, there’s also only one after this. Our main priority should be Lloyd right now.” You explain, and just as Kai was about to retort, probably with his own biting remark that would have definitely made you lose it with your anxiety at an all time high, Wu interrupted before he could say anything.

 

“There. The Serpentine must be inside the inner core. From here on out, we travel by shadows.” The sensei exclaimed and you nodded, stepping away.

 

“I leave you all to it, stay safe.” The falcon moved from Zane’s arm to yours, also nodded to wish them all luck.

 

The group all ran off, hiding behind pillars and concealing themselves in the darkness to make a stealthy entry, all while you stayed back, praying to any Ninjagan god and goddess you can think of that they would come back safely, hopefully with Lloyd and the Fangblade in tow. 

 

“This could either go really well, or really poorly.” Nya’s voice from the falcon made you jump in surprise.

 

“This is so weird.” You mutter, and her laughter resounded through the static, which made you laugh too. “It’s so surreal to hear your voice from the falcon.”

 

“Yeah, I bet. Head back to the Bounty, I’m sure Lloyd would want a familiar face and some familiar plushies when he gets back.” You nod at Nya and held your arm up so the falcon could fly off, course set for the Bounty with you trailing behind it.

☯︎

 

Your heart was not raised to deal with such high stress situations! You shook in complete panic, hands over your chest as the Bounty raised higher and higher into the sky and the volcano erupted and crumbled further and further into the ground.

 

“LLOYD!! LLOYD!!!!” Wu held Garmadon back to keep him from jumping overboard, and Nya cried out for her brother, since he and Lloyd were still in the volcano.

 

It seems that every prayer you whispered to any god you could think of was futile. Disaster still struck, lava still burst from the earth, and it was the end. All you could do now was clutch both of Lloyd’s plushies and cry.

 

You could barely hear what was happening around you as Nya clutched onto your arm, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. But you could still see, and something was coming. A ball of fire that shot out of the volcano. You braced for impact, but nothing came, instead the ball of fire gently lands on the deck of the Bounty and diminishes, and you’ve never been so happy to see any of these ninja before in your entire life. 

 

“It's Kai! He's found his True Potential!” Jay cheered, and the flames completely fly away as Kai landed on his own two feet. The fire master removes his mask and gives a look of understanding to Wuand you before his power completely disappears and he passes out. 

 

“Kai! Lloyd!” You yell out, and the young boy was more than happy to run up to you and cling to your leg like a koala. While you were happy that Lloyd was safe thanks to Kai, you were also worried about said red ninja, who you thankfully managed to catch him by the back of his gi just before he landed face first onto the wooden deck.

 

“Guys, a little help?” You grunted, and Cole was more than happy to sling Kai over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. 

 

You return to the bridge to properly reunite Lloyd with Garmadon, all while you pry him off your leg and give him his teddy bear and stuffed dragon, which he’s more than happy to be holding onto. 

 

You could practically feel Garmadon staring holes into the back of your head as you led Lloyd to the deck, hand gently resting around the young boy’s shoulders. You could see Lloyd constantly looking back at Garmadon curiously.

 

It felt like forever, but it was really only a few minutes for them to get to the bridge and re-introduce Lloyd to his father, who wasted no time in hugging each other warmly.

 

“Dad? Is it really you?” Lloyd asked, voice hoarse and shaky from the volcano experience. You couldn’t blame him either, he must have been terrified.

 

Garmadon however, was nothing but comforting to his son. “It is, son.”

 

Disoriented, Lloyd asked, “Dad? Why do you have four arms?”

 

Cole sighed in relief. “He's gonna be okay.” Everyone cheers, and you sighed with a small smile, sitting down on the table to give your shaking legs a break. 

 

“Thank you, Kai.” Garmadon said, sounding genuinely thankful, which clearly shocked Kai.

 

“But how did you survive? How did you discover the key to unlocking your powers?” Zane asked curiously, snapping the fiery ninja out of his stupor.

 

“I knew when I had to make a choice. I wanted the Fangblade so badly, to prove I was good enough to become the Green Ninja.” Kai admitted, looking down. “But then I figured it out. All of my training to become the best ninja wasn't in preparation to become the Green Ninja. It was... to protect him.” He looks at Lloyd, and it takes a minute, but everyone follows Kai’s line of sight, and the two dots connect in everyone’s minds.

 

You inwardly gasped, hand covering your mouth in shock and mild horror. Lloyd, small and young, ten year old Lloyd… Is prophesied to defeat, possibly even kill his own father for the sake of Ninjago.

 

“What? What is everybody looking at me for?” Lloyd asked, confused.

 

“That means…” Nya mutters, and she, Kai and Cole bring the weapons in front of Lloyd, and they react by levitating and emitting green lightning, confirming Kai’s statement.

 

Wu gasped. “Lloyd is the Green Ninja. I had thought it would be one of you, but it was him the whole time. It all makes sense. Not only have you four been chosen to protect the Golden Weapons, but also to protect the Chosen One.”

 

The weapons all clatter to the floor, and the ninja waste no time in picking them back up and putting them back on their gi’s. You look between a confused Lloyd and a heartbroken Garmadon, and you felt like you were going to cry again.

 

“That means…” A look of realisation dawned on the dark Lord’s face, and Wu nodded solemnly.

 

“The battle lines have been drawn, brother. Sadly, our family has only become more divided. Brother versus brother, and now, son versus father.” Sadness washes over the room as everyone looks at the father-son duo with pitying looks.

 

Garmadon looked down at Lloyd, looking like he was already destroyed, while Lloyd was obliviously confused, but also looked at his dad worriedly. His bright red eyes had specks of green in them, and for a kid who was raised in a school full of bad boys and even badder teachers, he looked so innocent just standing there, not fully aware of the responsibility placed on him.

 

You skillfully wiped your tears away to keep anyone from seeing you cry.

 

“Hehe, this is heavy and all, but whatever happened to the Fangblade!?” Jay interrupted the moment, which while it was unexpected, it changed the mood of the room to be less awkward and sad.

 

Everyone looked over to Kai, you included, and while you had Lloyd as your top priority from the start of this mission, the downcast look Kai had was all the answer you needed.

 

“You don’t have it, do you?” You ask, and the fire ninja shook his head.

 

“No, it was stuck in a rock and wouldn’t budge. My main worry was getting us out of there, so I left it.” He explained.

 

Pythor now has three of the four Fangblades, one blade away from being able to summon the Great Devourer and ruining Ninjago forever. Despite that, you nodded, it was much better to have an alive Kai and Lloyd with no blade rather than a dead Kai and Lloyd still with no blade.

 

“I’m glad you two are okay then.” You say, surprising Kai.

 

He probably thought you would get mad at him for not getting both Lloyd and the blade, but clearly you were just relieved they were okay.

 

With a small nod, you hand Lloyd his plushies back and bid everyone good night.

 

Please let me sleep and not worry about Ninjago possibly being devoured into smithereens…

☯︎

Chapter 8: ✿~All of Nothing

Summary:

You're bait, you're supports, you're a stressed out babysitter.

☯︎

You were the bait.

 

You swore to the gods and goddesses that watched over Ninjago with the keenest of eyes that you would kick Jay in the legs.

 

You were in Ninjago City, the unwilling bait of the ninja being chased by a Venomari Serpentine. You were ‘caught’ snooping around Serpentine territory and the Venomari cad spotted you, now leading to a dashing chase through alleyways and dark, empty streets of nighttime Ninjago City.

 

You were honestly surprised that the snake hadn’t told any of the generals, instead just opting to run you through the ringer like a headless chicken trying not to be eaten.

 

Those boys better help me soon or so help me goddess… You growled as you made a sharp turn left into another alleyway, almost psyching out the snake. You huffed, almost about to lose your breath when you finally spotted the meeting area, catching the slightest glimpse of the offending blue ninja who oh, so generously volunteered you to be the sacrifice to the Serpentine.

 

With a second wind, you sped up, eyes shut tight as you hoped you could make it to safety…

 

“Going somewhere?” You heard Cole’s taunting as something was slammed to the floor, the clanging of weapons and the Venomari’s panicked sounds made you finally stop running. You held a hand against a nearby garbage can, uncaring of the disgusting grime as you caught your breath while the ninja interrogated the snake.

 

They could actually be rather intimidating if they wanted to be. Cole was muscular and stoic enough to be intimidating no matter what, and Zane’s coldness on the job starkly contrasted the warmth he gave off towards you and his family. Kai was naturally pissy, his personality perfectly mirroring the rage and unexpectedness of his elemental power, quite literally a spitfire. And while Jay was the shortest and most cheerful of them all, his weapon required the most control and patience with two handles bound together with lightning, which could be very dangerous with one wrong move.

 

Your analysis sent a fearful shiver down your spine, and you were glad you were on their side. You don’t even want to think what would happen if you barged into their lives without Wu backing you up.

 

The balance of Ninjago is falling apart at the seams, please help me! You would have sounded crazy…

 

“Thought you could joyride through town and not be noticed, eh? Where's the last Fangblade?” Jay asked, stray sparks of lightning flickered over his tensed shoulders, and for a brief, traitorous moment, you considered him kind of cool.

 

“I don't know what you're talking about.” The snake spat back with an offended glare, his four eyes burned with hatred.

 

The red ninja growled at his response, his golden sword glinting dangerously under the little light the moon provided in the alleyway, “You know what it is. The fourth Fangblade. When Pythor finds them all, he plans to unleash the Great Devourer.”

 

A look of realisation dawned on the Venomari snake and he cackled. “Oh, that Fangblade. Haha, you're too late. Pythor's already there now. He's probably already digging it up. If I were you, I'd start preparing for the worst, because when the Great Devourer is awakened, there will be nothing it won't consume!”

 

“Won't that mean it'll consume you too?” Zane asked, setting his arms down slightly. His confused sounding and innocent seeming question made the snake take a moment to absorb this knowledge before freaking out.

 

“Ah! Please, you have to stop him. That snake is crazy. I don't wanna unleash the Great Devourer. I'm a snake, not food!” You facepalmed at the snake because there was no way he was being serious about just realising this.

 

“I’m not sure if this helps, but if Pythor releases the Great Devourer, then Ninjago will collapse upon itself and die. Every living and non-living in this world, reduced to nothingness.” You say, both serious and lamenting, and you had to keep the smirk from appearing on your face as the Venomari panicked even more.

 

“Is it really too late to stop Pythor from getting the last Fangblade?” Kai asked with an irritated sigh.

 

The snake nodded. “You're days behind him. There's gotta be something else you can do!” Seeing the snake plead like this as Pythor essentially brought to fruition his plans of destruction, all under the guise of getting revenge on humans… you felt bad. You probably shouldn’t, considering all the things the Serpentine had done to you and the others thus far, but what other snakes were helping with this plan, unaware they were possibly releasing their own demises into the world…

☯︎

Back on the Bounty, you and the ninja have reported everything you learned to the rest of the team and are locating the location of the last Fangblade. About how Pythor was at least days ahead of us in terms of retrieving the blade.

 

Nya sighed as she tapped away at the holographic map’s panel. “The Venomari's right. By the time we cast sail clear across the other side of Ninjago, Pythor will have already beat us to the last Fangblade.” She frowned

 

“Oh, come on, guys. This is the last one. We gotta get it. We gotta think of something.” Jay said desperately as he and the others all racked their brains for an idea.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Huh?” Kai looked down, hearing Lloyd before feeling the tug the young boy did on the sleeve of his gi.

 

“All we have to do is just get one Fangblade to stop him. What if we take back the other three? Pythor wouldn't risk having them all on him. He's probably hidden them somewhere while he goes for the fourth.” The blonde said, and everyone’s eyes widened.

 

“It's so simple.” Cole muttered, and you could practically see the cogs turning in his head as he formulated a plan of sneak attack.

 

“Huh, why didn't I think of that?” Kai hummed.

 

Jay shook his head. “It can't be that easy.”

 

“Easy? My algorithms suggest taking the other three would be far more dangerous. Pythor would undoubtedly have them protected by his top generals.” Zane exclaimed.

 

This only made the red ninja smirk. “Ha, finally. I don't have to hold back.”

 

“Even if you could steal the other three, you don't even know where they are.” Garmadon pointed out.

 

Wu nodded in agreement. “He's right. For the past few weeks, there have been almost no Serpentine sightings. How are they moving around? It's like they're ghosts.” He had a distant look in his eyes as he stroked his beard.

 

The samurai’s eyes widened and she turned back to the screen. “Or snakes. Bridge, give me a sonar sweep of Ninjago.” The computer shows no activity from the Serpentine at all.

 

“See, nothing. It's just like Sensei said.” Kai said with an unimpressed look.

 

“But what if they aren't travelling above ground? They're snakes, right? Snakes burrow. Bridge, now give me a sonar sweep of Ninjago but twenty feet below surface.” The computer shows them the tunnels the Serpentine took.

 

Your eyes widened. “Of course! They’ve used burrowing and sewer systems underground for themselves!”

 

Kai nodded. “All the tombs have been interconnected.”

 

“To make one massive underground fortress.” The earth elemental glared at the screen.

 

“And all this time, right under our noses.” Jay huffed.

 

“Or rather, feet.” You smiled at Zane’s correction.

 

While the idea of Pythor obtaining the final Fangblade terrified you, the other idea of stealing the three he had back relieved you somewhat. 

 

Kind of…

 

For the most part, at least.

 

Kai points to the main base on the map. “There, that's the most protected area. The Fangblades must be held there.”

 

“Then what are we waiting for? Nya, set the course.”

 

“Already on it. We'll be there by sunup.” Nya punched in the needed coordinates at Wu’s command, allowing the Bounty’s autopilot to take control.

 

Meanwhile, you decided to sleep your fatigue off until you arrived at the location, too tired from running to even be coherent enough to pay attention to what happened after the Bounty turned in the right direction.

☯︎

You awoke the next day to an eerily quiet hallway, which either meant the guys were still asleep, or were already awake. You got your answer after you reluctantly got out of bed, walking to their room to see the beds empty.

 

You heard thuds and scuffing noises from the deck, and made your way outside, blinking tiredly as the sun hit you directly in the eyes, making you grumble. 

 

“There is no room for error. The Serpentine have shown that they have great powers, and to combat them, you must turn their greatest strengths into their greatest weaknesses.” You heard Wu speak, your bleary eyes clearing up the more you blinked. “Kai, how will you defeat the Hypnobrai?”

 

“Their hypnotizing powers are useless if their opponent can fight without relying on his eyes.” The red blob cleared to reveal Kai wearing a blindfold.

 

The ninja master nodded in approval. “Good, Jay, the Fangpyre is fast and his bite, sharp.”

 

“But if he can't bite through your skin,” He taps the armour on his arm for emphasis, “he can't turn you into one of them.”

 

“Yes. Cole, the Constrictai are strong.” A net is thrown at Cole, trapping him. “And they will not let go.”

 

“But instead of fighting back, one must try to loosen up. And a little soft shoe doesn't hurt.” The earth ninja easily wiggled his way out of the net, almost like he just melted into a puddle on the ground.

 

“Zane, the venom of the Venomari can make you see things. Cloud your perception.”

 

“Then I will use my new Falcon Vision.” You blinked and rubbed your eyes, apparently having not just hallucinated Zane’s eyes glowing a bright, icy blue colour.

 

“Very good. I have trained you well. You are all ready.” Wu exclaimed serenely.

 

“What about you, Sensei? Will you fight? We need all the help we can get.” Kai asked, only for Wu to shake his head.

 

“My concern is that my old bones cannot keep up, but I will be there in spirit.” 

 

That was understandable. For as knowledgeable Wu was, he certainly didn’t seem up for putting his all into a fight like this. You were about to turn back around and head back for bed before they could spot you and offer you up as bait again when the screech of the intercom made your ears bleed. 

 

“We're arriving at the Mountain of a Million Steps. You all might want to see this.” Nya exclaimed over the scratchy speaker, and the others

 

“Look at all those piles of dirt.” The blue ninja all but whistled at the sight.

 

There were dozens of mounds of dirt, all having been made by a burrowing Serpentine, leaving just as many holes in the ground as there were piles of dirt.

 

Kai hummed thoughtfully. “Wonder what those snakes are up to.”

 

“Wait for me.” Lloyd called out, only to be stopped by Wu. 

 

“This is not your fight. The Green Ninja is too important for a future destiny. You shall stay with me.” Wu exclaimed, then turning to you and nodding to you as well, indication that he also wanted you to stay behind with him. 

 

If anyone picked up on the sigh of relief from you, no one mentioned it. Thank goodness you weren’t going to be bait again. 

 

Nya arrives, decked out in her mech suit. “Well, they’re gonna have to look after themselves, because we made room for you.” She pointed to a spot on her shoulder, a seat there just for Wu to sit in. 

 

“Well, you said you were concerned that you couldn't keep up, so Jay and Nya rejiggered the design so you could come along. Well, what do you think?” Kai explained. 

 

Wu hummed. “I think...shotgun! Haha!” You felt yourself grow a little exasperated at Wu’s excitement to be in action. Willing to leave you and Lloyd somewhat defenceless against anything that could possibly attack while the ninja were gone. 

 

Yeah, leave the ten-year old child and the pacifist alone, great idea guys. You thought to yourself sarcastically. 

 

Garmadon then spoke up, placing a hand on Lloyd's head gently, while one rested on your back between your shoulder blades. You shuddered at the strange feeling. His hands were freezing cold, but his actions were warm and fatherly. “I will stay back with Lloyd. I don't enjoy saying this but...good luck.”

 

You watch as the ninja all climbed down the rope from the ship, with Nya and Wu flying down, ready to face the snakes head on. 

 

The slight pressure on your back was gone, and Garmadon ruffled Lloyd’s hair, making the kiss sputter indignantly. 

 

The dark lord muttered something to himself before walking back into the Bounty. Leaving you and Lloyd on the deck. You could see Lloyd deflate sadly, looking upset that it was you and him, no way to help with the snakes. 

 

You put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. We can have our own fun here. How about some Fist2Face, hm?” 

 

Lloyd hadn’t played video games in quite some time, the ninja declared him too busy training to do anything fun. He was too old to play with other kids, but too young to go on missions. The perfect age to train him to become the legendary green ninja. 

 

You felt your heart sink a bit, but a soft smile tugged at your lips as he nodded, and you both went to your room.

☯︎

Fist2Face had gotten boring quickly, and with nothing to do, you and Lloyd wandered around the bounty, looking for something that wasn’t training to do. 

 

And find something you did. 

 

The lights to the bridge of the ship were on, and curiously, you and Lloyd looked at each other. The others turn the lights off to keep the computer from overheating. They couldn’t have been turned back on since you and Lloyd were occupied with your game. 

 

But Garmadon. 

 

You gasp in realisation and you and Lloyd both walk in on Garmadon typing away at the computer. 

 

“ Transferring files. ” 

 

Lloyd gasps. “You're… stealing?!” Garmadon startled and turned around, eyes wide that his son caught and called him out. “Dad, my friends are risking their lives to save Ninjago, and you go behind their backs to gain an advantage?!”

 

Garmadon sighed. “I'm sorry, but I can't help it. Ever since the Devourer bit me, evil runs through my blood.”

 

“You left me for so long. Where did you go?” Lloyd’s voice became quiet as he was on the verge of tears, and Garmadon looked absolutely heartbroken. 

 

“Son, there are places in this world void of any good. Dark places.” 

 

“Is that where Sensei found you?”

 

“You know how I've always wanted those Golden Weapons, well, this place allowed me the power to possess them.” Garmadon explained. 

 

“But why didn't you take me with you?” Lloyd’s voice was small, 

 

“Every boy has a choice to grow up to be whoever they want to be. But I never had that choice. Because I was bitten, evil runs through my veins. But you still have a choice. You don't need to be like me, Lloyd. Your uncle has a plan for you, and even though it may be to stop me one day, we have to follow our own destiny. And after I help the ninja stop Pythor, I'll need to leave again.” The Dark Lord explained with such conviction, and you couldn’t help but feel bad for Garmadon, who wants nothing more than to keep his son safe from evil.

 

And by proxy, keep his son safe from him as well…

 

“Then why don't you just leave now!?” You jumped at Lloyd’s angered outburst, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to placate him, but it didn’t work, as he continued shouting at his dad.

 

“All right, Operation Stealth was a total bust. We're gonna need reinforcements. Anyone there?” Nya’s voice came from the computer. You and Garmadon both reached for it at the same time, but Lloyd stopped his dad’s hand.”

“We don't want your help, and we don't need you here. Maybe it would've been better if you hadn't come at all.” Lloyd growled, and you gasped.

 

Garmadon looked genuinely hurt, an odd expression on the Lord of Evil's face. “If...if that's the way you feel.” He left the room with his head hung low, and Lloyd pushed a shell-shocked you out of his way so he could stand before the computer.

 

“I'm trying to help, Nya. Just hold on.” Lloyd pressed a few more buttons on the computer before changing into his ninja gi.

 

“The Green Ninja is here to save the day.” He exclaimed proudly.

 

“Lloyd? Lord Garmadon? Is anyone there?” Nya sked again on the computer, but before Lloyd could grab it, you snatched the phone and held him back with one hand, his arms flailing and too short to reach you.

 

“It's me, Nya. I'm here with Lloyd, but Lord Garmadon left. How are you guys holding on?” There was static on the other end, and concerned, you spoke up again. “Nya? Hello?”

 

“We're fine, but we're a little held up at the moment. Our weapons have been taken, and we're locked in cages.” Nya responded, but that didn’t calm your nerves in the slightest. 

 

“And Pythor's returned with the fourth Fangblade.” Cole added, making your heart feel like it’s stopped as fear gripped you. 

 

“Guys!” Lloyd called out, having escaped your arm, keeping him back and snatching the phone from your slack hand. 

 

“Lloyd, where did your father go?” Zane asked, confused. 

 

Lloyd sniffled “I-I told him to leave. He was trying to steal secrets.”

 

“Oh, big surprise there. I told you about that guy, but you guys wouldn't listen.” Kai’s sarcasm was loud over the phone, even as they started quietening down as Lloyd took over talking to them.

 

“My dad's going back to where he came from. But don't worry, I'll save you.” Lloyd declared, and there was a distressed Wu and resigned Cole on the other end, unintelligible to you, but Lloyd didn’t listen to what either had to say.

 

Wu: You're not ready, Lloyd. Your destiny is too great to risk.

 

“Ugh, I'll get you out of there in a jiff.” Lloyd runs to the weapons cabinet and tries to take a weapon, only for them all to fall on him. “Ouch.”

 

“Lloyd! Are you okay?” You snapped out of your stupor as soon as the weapons all clattered to the ground. Lloyd only grunted and nodded before getting up and running away again, this time to go save the others.

 

“Lloyd, it’s too dangerous! You can’t!” You yelled out to him, chasing him into the hallway. He made it to the deck before you, and before you could catch him, he shuts the door in your face.

 

Directly in your face.

 

Like, it fully smacked your face, in your face.

 

“Ow! Lloyd! Get back here!” You yelled, ultimately being ignored. You cradled your face in your hands, feeling around your injured nose. It wasn’t broken, thank goodness, but it was bleeding and it would certainly cause a bruise later on.

☯︎

As soon as the ninja all returned to the Bounty, you had immediately pulled Lloyd into the biggest hug you could muster before immediately sending him to his bedroom for a major time out. 

 

“Don’t be so hard on the kid, he helped save us. I even got my ultimate power in the end.” Kai said confidently, patting your shoulder.

 

You narrowed your eyes at him, making him shrink back a bit as you turned to him, hands on your hips. “Yeah, and he almost got killed!” You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “And speaking of almost getting killed, don’t think you guys are all off the hook either! Save Lloyd’s life or not after, you all could have very well died. I don’t know what I would have done if that happened…” With your arms crossed over your chest, you shrunk in on yourself, hugging yourself tight.

 

Kai sighed and put an arm on your shoulder. “...I get where you’re coming from, but being a ninja is dangerous business, it’s kind of expected this would happen. With me, not with Lloyd almost getting killed, he’s way too young.”

 

You didn’t respond, but your tense shouldered lowered at his touch, and Kai smiled a bit at that. “Let’s get some rest, today was crazy, and tomorrow’s going to be even crazier.”

☯︎

 

 

Notes:

IM SORRY THIS TOOK LITERALLY AGES I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO FINISH IT
but the main motivation was a comment from AESIRRR, i had no idea my fic tasted that good, i'm honored :3

Notes:

✿~baby, forever's sounding pretty good with you