Authors Notes: If you haven't read Unready Guardian please read that before this one :D

Zareth belongs to Grumpy-Zane

'Zareths inner thoughts between Zane and Dareth are written like this'


Unruly Company

Chapter 8

Home again

Snow crunched under white boots. It had snowed the night before leaving Ninjago City under a blanket of white. Bright Christmas lights hung off light poles, music could be heard, and lots of bright colors in the windows to catch passers by. Zareth walked by his collar popped to keep to keep the wind away. His hands were stuffed into his pockets.

Moments ago he had been at Laffy's Boba in hand leaning against the bar. His head lightly bobbing to the music. Thats when a waitress walked over to him with a piece of paper. Within was Danny's handwriting. Dareth had been dating her for a few months now. Zareth had split apart so they were able to finally go out for that coffee, and apparently she loved the way Dareth made her laugh.

Dareth, it had come to my attention that I may not be as safe as we had thought. It started off slow. With people looking at me over news papers, or bumping into me taking my wallet. I just thought it was a coincodence. But now...I've noticed it getting worse. Last week someone ran into my car on purpose. When I tried to get out they held me there inside. I thought they were going to kill me, but left as soon as the police arrived, then I found a note on my apartment door. I tried to get some sleep that night, but I spotted someone staring at me through the window. I had to run. I didn't know where else to go. I'm sorry, but I wanted to tell someone what was going on. Just in case something happens to me. I wanted you to know I love you Dareth. Please take care. Eternally yours, Danny.

Zareth sighed, the cloud that escaped his lips seemed to catch his attention. He opened the door to his apartment building. He had been out trying to find her, without any luck. She hid herself pretty well. He swirled the toothpick around in his mouth and stopped dead in his tracks. Leaning against the wall next to his apartment door was what Zareth could have swarn was a frightened deer.

"Babe?" He called. She looked up and pulled the hood of her jacket back down. Her smile that broke across her face was that of happiness, but showed by fear, and tiredness. Zareth ran forward and noticed that Danny did too. The fear and doubt that Zareth felt earilier washed away when they hugged. The hug only lasted a few seconds before Danny pulled back and looked up at him.

"You got stuck again." Danny giggled. Zareth took the toothpick from his mouth and chuckled.

"What...aren't you happy to see me?" He cracked a smile at her. Danny giggled and swatted his shoulder.

"Oh of course I am. You're my hero remember." Danny giggled and watched Zareth unlock the apartment door for her. Zareth stepped aside and held out his hand for her.

"Come on in babe." He took her hand and kissed it. Danny blushed as always. The place was as usual either incredibly clean, or really really dirty. It was like Dareth didn't have a medium. Today at least it was clean.

"You have a key...why didn't you just go in?" Zareth asked putting a kettle on the stove and turned it on. He leaned against the counter to see Dannys smile disappear.

"I saw a black car in my drive way when I went home after school on Thursday...I wasn't able to grab the key...much less anything else. That and my wallet had been stolen so I've been living off whatever I had in the classroom. I keep snacks there." Danny felt a hand on her arm. She looked up into those bright gentle blue eyes. Thursday had been three days ago.

"When was the last time you ate?" He asked. Danny shook her head.

"Yesterday afternoon." She said she looked up at Zareth giving him the crooked smile she gave Dareth when she was unsure of what he was going to think.

"Come on babe lets make something to eat huh?" He rooted around in his fridge and pulled out some stuff.

"You don't have to Zareth...I could do that." Zareth turned just in time to see Danny put her hand on the side of the door frame. Her other hand was on her forehead. "Babe?"

"Its alright, just a little dizzy." She said

'She's not been consuming the right amount of nutrition.' Zane offered. Dareth let out a moan.

'She's been running around half cocked trying to keep away from this fellas and shes only been eating chips, or candy, or whatever in her class. She needs a proper meal.' Dareth said.

Zareth helped her over to the table and sat her down. He tipped her chin up to look at him.

"Stay." He slammed his hand down on the table and fitted his toothpick back in his mouth. She had never seen such a stirn look on Zareth before. Her shoulders slumped and she looked away from him.

"I'm sorry…" She said. Zareth turned around and put some rice in the cooker before beginning to cut the veggies. The meat was in the Wok.

"Zareth?" He turned his head a little, but kept cutting.

"Yeah babe?"

"Does it hurt? Fusing?" Zareth stopped cutting the veggies and sighed.

"Everytime." Zareth offered and stired the meat.

"Then why do it?" Danny asked pulling her legs up onto the sides to of the chair.

"Normally its on accident, somethings happens that just result in it. This time...was our first time doing this...by choice." He said pouring the veggies into the wok.

"Really? Just wanting to have fun?" Danny asked. Zareth turned around and smiled at her.

"You." He smiled and winked.

"Me?"

"You were in trouble...Dareth asked Zane for help." He laughed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I guess I'm officially a person now." Dannys smile disappeared.

"Oh Zareth you are a person." She got up and hugged him from behind. Zareth put his hands on hers. She was so small she couldn't even put her arms all the way around him. Her fingers just barely grazed one another. Their was a gentle click sound from the rice cooker.

"Rice is done." Danny said and Zareth turned and pointed back to the table. Danny stuck her tongue out at him. He chuckled and shook his head.

Soon enough steaming piles of food were put in front of Danny. She wasn't to sure where to start. She suspected it was Zane cooking. Dareth and Zane had met with her together twice so she could meet them both to see just what Zareth was made of. She liked his kind nature. He was very soft spoken and loved to cook.

"Oh come on babe its all for you. Dig in." He said handing her a bowl of rice.

"Aren't you?" Danny asked. Zareth forgot she didn't like to eat unless everyone was. She was a kind woman and liked to share what she had.

"Well of course but your my guest sweetheart. Guests eat first." He said giving her that sly smile. Danny giggled and started to eat. Zareth watched for a moment and started to eat too. In the end Danny had eaten three full plates of food before sitting back and looked over the now empty plates and bowls.

"I'm such a pig." But she said it with a smile.

"Well you did go a few days without eating good babe. If I were you I would be on the ground twitching." Zareth said and stood up. He wasn't fast enough though. Danny was already picking up the bowls and plates and heading toward the sink. A practice of theirs. If one cooked the other cleaned. It was an even swap. Zareth just sat back down and propped his arm up on the table and watched her wash the dishes.

"Say...babe?" She turned around and looked at him. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked up at her with his lazy eyes. "Did you ever catch a glimps of the guys that were after you?" He saw Danny blush for a moment before thinking about the answer.

"It was kind of weird. They all looked...the same. But with minor differences. One has a four under thier eye...but not the roman numeral its like the one you find on a clock." She said rubbing her temples and shook her head. She sighed and turned back to the dishes.

"The one that hit you in the car?"

"Yeah that was number 4." She took a deep breath and nodded her head. "He just kept staring at me. He never looked away till he could hear the sirens. Then after that he left on foot down an alleyway." Zareth could hear fear in her words. It confused Zareth though. That guy could have taken her, or killed her. Why did he just stare at her? It confused him so much. Danny pulled the cork in the sink and dried her hands off.

" Well your safe with me." Zareth stood up and motioned for her to go into the next room. He stuffed the toothpick into his mouth again. Danny walked over to the closet and pulled a blanket down. This wouldn't be her first time staying the night in the apartment. Sometimes she and Dareth would marathon old B movies and she'd end up sleeping over.

Zareth watched her for a moment. He stopped when his vision swam. He leaned against the wall for a moment.

'Dareth whats going on?' Zane asked.

'I don't know.'

Danny heard Zareth groan. She stopped making her bed and walked over to the cyborg and put her hand on his forehead. She gasped and touched his cheeks.

"Zareth...you can get sick?" Danny asked walking him into his room.

"I….well I guess babe, never been sick before. But hey with a nurse like you I'd should be back up to 100% soon." He said and lay down on the bed. Danny walked over to the bathroom and pulled down some medication for the fever. She walked back over to him and handed him the pills. She helped him drink the water before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You know I was wondering why your attitude was different. Its got to be the fever."

'Sick?' Zane asked rather confused at the soreness, and stuffiness in his head.

'Were we mean?' Dareth was worried that he had been to pushy with Danny.

"I've never seen you snap like you did at me. I thought I had did something wrong." She said. Zareth shook her head.

"Wrong...no. I'm mad at them for pushing you out of your home. Tomorrow...we'll go to your place and get some things." Zareth said giving her a smile.

"Alright, but only if your well. I don't want you out in that cold unless you are." Danny said pulling the blankets up and kissed the top of his head. Danny stood up and stopped when Zareth grabbed her hand. She turned and looked at him. He looked as it he were pleading for something. He let go of her hand after a moment and turned over. Danny watched him for a moment before walking out of the room to get some sleep on the couch.