Chapter 1: An Unexpected Detour
~Kai~
It was bright.
Oh so very bright.
That was the first thing Kai noticed as he bolted out of the volcano without looking back, carrying an unconscious Lloyd on his shoulders. The blonde boy's head lolled on his shoulder, occasionally bumping into Kai's neck or getting hair in his face. But he did not stop.
Rumbling was felt under his feet. It started as a short tremor, and then erupted into more of a distant roar. Kai still didn't turn around. The scorching mountain was fading behind him, into a hopefully distant memory. But the fire ninja knew that the pain would never truly go away. It would always linger in his soul and make itself at home.
The volcano exploded behind him, shooting fiery columns of magma into the bright blue sky. The once peaceful and quiet forest and temple turned into a sight to behold, as lava ran down the mountain towards the unsuspecting grass.
The past few minutes came rushing back as he just kept sprinting, no matter how much his lungs screamed for oxygen, or how much perspiration ran down his cheeks. So many events happened in such a short amount of time. It didn't seem real. It wouldn't click.
Kai panted as the memories overwhelmed him once more, blinking back tears at his mistake.
I'm sorry Lloyd.
0o0o0
"Kai!"
The fire ninja was groping his hands at the coveted fang blade, as it glowed a brilliant red in the intense heat of the volcano. Lloyd's voice echoed through his mind, plucking the strings of his subconscious, as if reminding him there was someone to consider as well.
"Kai! Help me!"
The blade sunk lower on its precarious perch, and the rock Kai's knees were resting on jerked suddenly to the right. He cringed and shot out a hand to steady him, pushing against the rock to get his own perch back in balance.
His hand continued to reach forward, slowly and steadily, keeping his amber colored eyes locked on the blade, as if it would vanish right in front of him. His gloves rested on his knees, for he disregarded them earlier because of the heat and their ripped fabric.
The blade was just out of his grasp, just a brush of a finger away. Fate seemed to be taunting him, goading the ninja into a deal he wouldn't approve.
Lloyd's cries finally caused Kai to turn his head to look at the youth. The young Garmadon's hood was off, his face streaked with soot. There was a small cut on his chin, but his eyes were red and puffy from crying. The child was down-right terrified.
His small island was well into the middle of the lava pool, so there was so means of escape for him. Even if there was, he was too frightened to be able to leave his little perch.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group was staring down at the two of them, watching in pure, utter horror. Lloyd's father was trying to console him by shouting that it'll be okay, and to calm down, but his efforts were less than helpful.
Kai noticed that the serpentine long since left the scene. None of their wretched kind shed even a scale of evidence that they were once present.
The crumbling of the ceiling seemed to be a signal for the rest of the team to flee the scene. Lord Garmadon was shouting protests and rather inappropriate language at Jay and Zane as they grabbed his arms and shooed him away. The last thing they heard was the father shouting his son's name, before a large boulder blocked their means of re-entry.
Lloyd was crying himself hoarse, shouting for his father like he was a lifeline, which, in a way, was for Lloyd. A sharp tug of sadness was felt in Kai as he continued to reach for the coveted blade. The intense heat made his head spin, and his ninja uniform felt hot and sticky, almost suffocating. The younger of the two was panting, looking absolutely exhausted. He kept shaking his head as if to clear it, while his blonde bangs were soaked with sweat.
Lloyd's island shrunk dramatically, as the lava showed no sign of ceasing to rise. It was at that moment that Kai's fingers curled around the handle of the fang blade. A feeling of pride swelled through his fatigued body…
…before he screamed in agony and dropped the blade. The blade was boiling hot, and the burns were already showing on Kai's right hand. He let out another wail and clutched his wrist, bringing his wounded hand close to his abdomen.
A feeling of sudden frustration overwhelmed him. Here he was, crying like a baby when he could be doing something productive. He mentally scolded himself.
Suddenly, Kai wondered where the blade went. His spirits fell dramatically as he caught sight of it sinking slowly into the fire. Then, he clenched his teeth and turned away, supposing that it just wasn't meant to be.
He focused his attention on Lloyd, who looked ready to pass out from heat exhaustion. He looked up at the fire ninja and cried weakly for help one last time. He no longer looked like the bratty little kid who pranked and boasted his skills. He was now a petrified and scarred child who just wanted to go home, and to have a shoulder to cry on.
Kai narrowed his eyes. Lloyd was going home. And that was a fact.
The fire ninja worked up the energy and will to perform Spinjitzu to get to Lloyd's island. Upon arrival, he pulled the young boy close to his chest protectively, and Lloyd didn't protest.
A large spray of fire surrounded the pair. Kai held Lloyd tightly to shield him from the sparks, but Kai himself was not spared. The sparks settled on Kai's face, leaving a lingering burning sensation on his cheeks.
After the wall went away, Kai plucked up Lloyd and invoked Spinjitzu once more to get away from the island and onto the rock floor. The two of them landed rather ungracefully, and Lloyd simply wasn't strong enough to stand. He was gasping for breath and shaking horribly.
The older strode over and helped him to his feet, then scanned the chamber. A small flash of light caught his eye. On the opposite side of the cavern was a small crack in the wall. Outside of it was the warm sight of daylight.
Kai pointed to the crack and motioned for Lloyd to follow. The feeling of freedom was too great for Kai to worry about the boy. He just wanted to leave, curl up in bed, and take a week-long nap. After reapplying hair gel, or course.
A scream ripped through his eardrums. He turned to see Lloyd on the ground, clutching his knee.
A knee that was bleeding, and out of place.
Kai cursed and ran back over. Based on how it looked, Lloyd must've tripped or simply gave way to exhaustion and fell over, and his knee popped out of its socket due to the jagged terrain. There was a large scrape on his kneecap, which was making his pant leg soaked with blood.
The young blonde was hyperventilating, refusing to tear his eyes away from his wound. It suddenly occurred to Kai that Lloyd wasn't used to seeing blood at all, let alone his own, or this much of it.
His feelings were proven correct when Lloyd's brilliant green eyes rolled in the back of his head, and fell unconscious.
Kai sighed and lifted Lloyd on his back, grunting at how surprisingly heavy he was. Being mindful of his burned hand, he maneuvered back towards the crack. It was long, yet not very wide, but there was definitely daylight leaking out.
After gently leaning Lloyd against the wall, Kai pulled out his fire sword and set it ablaze. The familiar feeling of power coursed through his veins, and the weariness left his aching body gladly.
A torrent of fire shot out of the sword, and the crack turned into a large hole. Rumbling was heard above his head, and Kai grabbed Lloyd, hoisted him on his back, and bolted out of the exit.
0o0o0
Unfortunately for the two of them, their hastily made exit was in the complete opposite direction that the Bounty was in. But Kai didn't really care at that point. He was a bit more focused on not being turned into a flaming shish-ka-bob by the eruption. Thankfully, that didn't happen.
Eventually, Kai stopped running by a particularly large pine tree, dropping Lloyd on the ground and panting heavily. The world spun violently and he gasped for breath. Lloyd still lay motionless on the bumpy grass.
After regaining his bearings, Kai looked around. He was deep in the forest, no doubt, and the volcano was far behind him. There was nothing ahead and nothing behind but pine trees and grass.
Kai cursed vehemently, clenching his fists tightly, until he winced and let go due to his burn.
Shame flooded his mind. That was his own element back there! He should've controlled it better, and if he was more careful then he and Lloyd wouldn't have gotten hurt.
He yelled and punched the nearest tree in frustration, ignoring the fresh cuts that blossomed on his knuckles. This was all his fault. Not Lloyd's, no matter what the kid thought of himself.
Kai sighed and turned to the unconscious blonde. He dreaded when he woke up, because that would mean that Kai would have to dress that wound. If there was one thing Kai knew about himself, is that he wasn't a doctor.
The sky above him was beginning to set, and was brilliant shades or orange, pink and violet. The one thing that bothered the spikey-ninja was that the Bounty wasn't against it.
The need for sleep outweighed all else, so Kai forced himself to lie on the ground. It wasn't very comfortable, and Kai didn't think he would sleep much, but the second his head hit the ground he was out like a light.
A.N: YES OH MY GLOB YES FINALLY THIS IS UP! MY GLOB!
Ahem, well…I am very proud of this story so far. Eager to how my mind forms the chapters. Chapter 2 is in progress. Next story update will be Silence is Golden.
That's it. TO MY HOMEWORK! *jumps*
