"Watch your brother, I'm going out to the market," It was a simple enough request given by their father, but Garmadon still questioned silently how he could leave a seven and a five year old at home.

He knew better to say this out loud, because while the man was kind it was known he had a bit of a testy temper, "Yes Father," sighed the brunet and watched as the man left.

Then Wu walked in and rubbed his eyes, "Where'd Papa go?" The slamming shut of the sliding door had somehow woken the blond up. He went to sit by his older brother, and looked at the drawings he was making curiously.

Feeling uneasy as his private hobby was being invaded upon, he hid them from view, "To the market, so I'm in charge."

Wu made a saddened face; their father usually let him tag along… actually every time. It grew silent as he went back into his unusual mute behavior a little odd for a child; who usually loved to talk about anything. Garmadon wondered if this was why their caretaker seemed to spoil the little blond as long as the older was alive.

Shaking the feeling of guilt for envy towards the smaller, he smiled like usual, "How about we play a game?"

"What kind of game?" His little brother looked excited, "Oh, can it be hide-and-seek?"

Knowing that the smaller would end up giving away where he was after not being found in a few minutes, the other agreed anyways. It wouldn't be too long until their father was back anyways…

~~

For the next few years, Garmadon found himself becoming the one who put walls up around him as Wu came out of his little shell. It was if the boy had broken them, and the older male had gotten them in the end. Being favored over his own brother would be wonderful, but he never knew it would be so difficult…

~~

"I'm sorry I got you in trouble," mumbled Wu apologetically, about a week before the Great Devourer attacked, but even though it bit Garmadon it probably wasn't as terrible as getting yelled at by his father.

The brunet glanced over slightly as his brother sat down next to him on the low porch slowly, "Just don't touch his prized glasses anymore," the ten year old scolded lightly, and sighed gently, digging his toes into the sand that surrounded the porch for whatever reason. After they sat there quietly, the older stared fully at the oddly quiet younger, "So… what's your problem? I don't care, you're only eight anyways, and he couldn't really get through to you."

Blinking, the blond shook his head, "He should've yelled at me though! It's not fair…"

"Hey, you're getting a sweet deal," grinned Garmadon, but then stared off across the yard over to where he felt something was somehow calling him.

Wu thought for a moment, unsure how to continue the conversation with the opposing male, then thought of… "I want to be like you someday," he said proudly.

"Why not father," shooting down the possibility of his brother ever wanting to be like him, especially after getting bitten a bit later on.

The boy bit his lower lip in indecision, "Uh, well…" then laughing as it came back to him, "Because unlike father, you have a hard time getting mad and have patience… and are really nice to me even though you're jealous."

Garmadon raised an eyebrow and shook his slightly overgrown bowl-cut on instinct, "Really, that's so sw- Hm… Jealous? Me?" 'So maybe you're a mind reader, kid,' he thought amused.

"Yeah, but I get it…" Wu smiled reassuringly, "Attention is nice, but I'd rather you get some too."

"I do…" tried the brunet, thinking to how most of it was, indeed, negative, but attention nonetheless.

Before the younger could chide his brother with more words, their father popped his head out the door curiously, "Oh, there you are, I'm thinking I should start allowing Lloyd basic ninja training also."

Wu hopped up excitedly as a sheathed katana was held out to him, then the other was tossed lightly to smack the deck next to Garmadon. "Thank you," the older son tried respectfully, earning a nod, while Wu earned a hair ruffle. 'That's because he's younger… Right?' Biting his lower lip, the brunet got up and moved in the training area. Then he noticed how the man seemed to forget all about the glass incident as he eagerly showed Wu some stances to learn… 'Probably from about bursting a lung at me…'

The blond scurried over to where the young Garmadon was, and let out the katana that was tied to his waist, nearly having it slice at the older brother because of poor technique. Not noticing this, the eight year old giggled, "This is cool!" Praising the sword was a bit odd, but the older ignored it easily.

As he watched their father, sitting down in a chair and sharpening a golden weapon in his grasp with a seemingly simple rock, Garmadon slowly took his time to slide of the katana around his waist. Then he stepped slowly forward, starting to put the dull weapon in motions he had learned from both parental and mind. From where he stood, his father seemed right there in front of him, but he was halfway across the yard in actuality. "Wu," began the slightly twisted character.

Said boy stared at him after moving in back and forth in the grass and waving the katana while laughing sweetly, "Yes?"

"Rethink about wanting to be like me," even as he was saying this was he grinning, hoping his father would look at and feel bad for turning him into… this.

~~

Perhaps the Great Devourer was some excusing idea, and while physically altering his appearance slowly throughout the years… that it was all it did. Maybe the evil he figured was injected into his innocent bloodstream was made up. That after destroying the beast for doing this to him, it did nothing for that reason. Nothing could be fixed, not physically; with the winding snake markings up his body and in rows on his facial features and not mentally; the labyrinth he made it into after being nothing more than some joke to his father… never truly allowing anyone to help him out, even his little brother who swore he knew the way out with his actions.