101 Day Writing Challenge
Day Three:
Write about your favourite ship
Elementalshipping:
Down the Road
To be honest, no one was entirely sure just how it had started. Nya's certain it had involved long debates and weeks, even months, of thinking it over. Kai, however, thinks it had all just clicked together at the same time. Cole and Lloyd argued that nothing was ever that simple, and that while there wasn't months of debate, there certainly wasn't any clicking together. Jay suspects that it had always been like this, but no one had really realized. Zane was quick to point out that, if this were true, then Lloyd would have been in on it while he was still a child.
Eventually, they decided to consult Sensei Wu, since he had been an onlooker from the beginning. He'd simply laughed, sipping at his steaming cup of tea, and stated that they were all right, yet all wrong.
This is how it happened.
At the back of the Destiny's Bounty, there is a spare room. It's small and unused more often than not, filled with a few old boxes that they'd been meaning to throw out.
Originally, Jay started using it as a hidy-hole, stashing sweets and certain video games beneath a loose floorboard. Then Zane started using it as a quiet place to read and meditate, and Kai would snatch Jay's DS and go there to play it. Shortly after Lloyd started living with them, Cole discovered that the room was perfect for eating things that he wasn't supposed to. Nya started going to the room to work on her Samurai gear, as either Kai or Jay had a tendency to barge into her room at random times, usually over idiotic things.
None of them had any idea that the others were also using the room, besides of course Wu, who found amusement in it. It wasn't until they discovered that Lloyd was the Green Ninja that the young boy himself started using the room, usually sitting against the wall. He brought no comic books or video games, but rather a single, faded, worn picture that he'd found beneath his uncle's bed. A picture of Wu, the mother he had never met and his father, standing between them, the only thing evil about him being the unnatural redness of his eyes.
The room was a place one went so as not to be disturbed. The room was a place of privacy, of thoughts and hidy-holes and little secrets. The room was a place one went to be alone.
The room was a place where tears would fall and masks would be shed.
It took a baffling amount of time for them to realise that they were not the only ones that used the room at the back of the Destiny's Bounty. Had it not been for Wu deciding to make a large pile of blankets and pillows in the rooms centre, just to see what would happen, he doubted that they would have ever found out.
Lloyd had been crying. He was still incredibly young, and the stress and grief of having to fight his father had led to nightmares. This one had been terribly bad, and so he had decided to go to the little room at the back of the Bounty so as to not wake the others, who slept right next door.
Kai's blanket had been one of the ones that Wu had thrown into the room earlier that day, and he had been grumbling under his breath as he was forced to sleep with the only other available blanket: an irritably scratchy yellow one that had slowly started to give him a rash.
Finally, he'd given up and thrown the blanket over a snoring Cole's head, and went in search, once again, for his favourite red one. Had it not been for this, he would not have found Lloyd in the spare room, sitting at the edge of a large pile of blankets and pillows.
Worry immediately gnawed at the fire ninja's chest, and he stepped forward, the floor boards quietly creaking beneath his feet. He sat next to the young boy, placing a comforting hand on his back. "Lloyd? You okay?"
Lloyd jumped, startled at his sudden appearance, his head snapping up from where it had been buried in his arms. His face burned red and he turned away from the older boy, hastily whipping at his tears. "K-Kai... w-what are..." he cleared his throat, "What are you doing up?"
"What are you doing up?" Kai asked. Lloyd shook his head, still not turning to face him.
"Nothing, just, uh... just had a bad dream. It's fine, though."
Kai's frown deepened. He opened his mouth to ask what the dream had been about, but never got the chance, for the door opened with a loud creak.
"There you two are." whispered Zane, slipping into the room, a rather groggy looking Cole and Jay closing the door behind them, "We'd thought something was wrong." His eyes found Lloyd, and he blinked, then his brow furrowed in a frown near identical to Kai's, "Are you alright, Lloyd?"
Lloyd's face went red again, as Cole and Jay sobered up enough to take notice of the youngest members state.
"He says he had a nightmare," Kai stated, causing Lloyd's face to go redder and he hastily shook his head.
"I-It's fine, though, y-you can all go back to bed-"
"We could." Zane said. He sat down on Lloyd's other side, leaning back against the pillows and blankets, "Or you can tell us what your nightmare was about."
"Uh, no, it's- it's okay, really. It was just a really stupid dream-"
Jay collapsed on top of the pile, fidgeting so that he faced the other three, "Too late, I'm already comfy."
An amused grin tugging at his lips, Cole jumped into the pile as well, burying himself underneath so that only his head and shoulders were visible. "Me too."
"We all get nightmares, Lloyd," said Kai, stretching out onto the pile, "Having exciting lives like ours, nightmares are quite common."
"And we find that talking about them helps." Zane cut in, "You can tell us anything."
Lloyd looked around at them, a small smile tugging at his lips. His eyes shone oddly in the moonlight seeping through the window.
"Okay."
That night, they fell asleep in a tangle of limbs and blankets. The next morning, they didn't speak of the previous nights events, but how curious it was that all five of them were in rather good moods, even those who were not exactly morning people.
Time went on, and the room was used more and more. But instead of using it alone, it became a normality to find at least two people inside. Not planning anything or crying or even talking. Just sitting there, doing their own thing, enjoying each others company.
Jay moved his secret stash to a hole he'd found behind a painting. Kai began doing his gaming in the bathroom or Lloyd's room. Cole left his illegal snacking to when the room was unoccupied, or in the bathroom. Nya no longer had to hide her Samurai X gear. Whenever he had a nightmare, Lloyd would go wake up one of the Ninja, who would in turn wake up the others and they'd all go to the spare room and spend the night there. Eventually, even Nya would join in on these little sleep overs.
There was an unspoken rule that if more than two of them were absent, although this in itself was rare, there would be no sleeping in the spare room. Instead, those still there would cuddle up in each others beds, and there would be excitement bubbling in their chests when the ones that had left returned, even if they'd only been gone a day.
After Lloyd got older and he was moved into the Ninja's room, the nightmares returned with an intensity that hadn't been there before. He'd wake up with a scream on his lips, his heart pounding against his chest, his breaths ragged gasps of terror.
This, of course, would wake up everyone else on the ship. The first few times it had happened, Nya had come barging in with a samurai sword and Jay often found himself falling off the top bunk.
At the time, Lloyd had believed that there would be no more sleeping in the spare room, now that he was somewhere around the Ninja's own age (they were still trying to figure out how old he was exactly). But, much to his delight, this thought was quick to be proven wrong as they all climbed into the blankets and pillows in the spare room.
As time went on, Lloyd seemed to wake up screaming almost every night. Eventually, when it was time to go to bed, they all just went to the spare room instead of going to their own beds. While Lloyd would still have nightmares, they'd be quick to pull him close, and, eventually, he'd sleep peacefully.
Wu watched this all with an amused eye. Oh, the wonders of being in love and mistaking it as friendship.
Good thing they had their Sensei to give them a little push in the right direction.
It started out small. Wu would send them on patrols and 'training missions' to a few certain locations. Zane and Kai would find themselves on the Ferris wheel for a 'better view' at the theme park. Jay and Cole would be sent to a fancy restaurant to spy on a couple that mysteriously doesn't show up. Lloyd and Nya would go into a movie to keep an eye on practice target, who would then get a phone call and have to leave immediately for a 'family emergency.'
Then Wu started putting them in three. On Monday, Lloyd, Kai and Jay would go to the aquarium to check for Serpentine that weren't even there. On Tuesday, Cole, Nya and Zane would be sent to another restaurant because an 'anonymous person' had dropped a hint about the chef being in with a street gang. After a short break, Kai, Cole and Zane would go to a couple session to find out whether or not the teacher had Serpentine ties on Thursday. Then on the weekend, all six of them would find themselves having a picnic in the park.
If there was one thing Wu had any right to be proud of, it would be his ability to slowly bring all six of his students together in a polyamory relationship.
He deserved a Sensei of the Year Award.
After the Overlord's defeat and the evil was sucked from Garmadon's very being, things began to settle down. At Wu's insistence, the Ninja became teachers, although this did not stop them from sleeping in the same beds.
It was well known that all six of them were in a relationship. The funny thing, the hilarious thing, was that none of them knew it.
So when they all went to New Ninjago City on a field trip and Nya decided to try the Perfect Match Maker, many of the girls were wondering just which Ninja would show up. Most of them expected it to be Jay since he and Nya were the only ones that were actually aware of their relationship, while a few others predicted that they'd all show-up.
When Cole showed up, there were a few surprised looks, but no dramatic gasps. However, there were a few half exasperated, half amused looks shared among the girls when Nya told them never to speak of this.
Cole was not liking this 'PIXAL.'
He hated the way she'd scanned Zane and asked about his inner workings. He hated the way Zane seemed to be unable to look away from her. And from the glares Jay, Kai and Nya were giving her, it was safe to say they felt the same.
So who could blame him, really, when he practically dragged his nindroid- their nindroid- into the elevator? He didn't really care where it was taking them. Anywhere was fine, as long as she wasn't there.
The sun beamed down on them. It had been quite a while since Kai had been in a Ninja suit, and the change was very welcome from the usual shirt and tie he'd been wearing for the past year.
The most welcome change, the thing that he had missed the most, was that Lloyd was back.
They were all together again.
A robot showed up at the Academy. Someone called PIXAL. The others seemed to know her, from where Lloyd did not know, and Kai, Cole, Jay and Nya seemed to have taken a liking to glaring at her.
Then the Nindroids showed up. Black, red-eyed, wielding blades and genius technology. So unlike their Zane. It was hard to believe they were the exact same design, just with an altered coding.
Zane was down.
Lloyd's vision went red.
There was too many of them. They had to move. Split up again. Jay didn't want to split up.
Zane regained consciousness just as they barred the door. He seemed quite content to stay in Lloyd's arms, who appeared to have no problem whatsoever with carrying him.
The Nindroids banged against the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kai give Lloyd a quick peck on the lips, before taking Zane off him. Their faces burned red.
Garmadon took his son's hand and led him away.
He wasn't letting go.
Why wasn't he letting go?
They were screaming. They screamed their throats raw. They were dragged into the sewers. Zane closed his one eye. For them.
For them.
Anger. Bitter anger. Sadness. A mix of both.
The statue stood tall.
They did not return to the spare room.
Lloyd wanted things to go back to the way they were. He wanted Jay to quit his stupid show and make up with Cole. He wanted Cole to make up with Jay. He wanted Nya to get her head on straight and just date both of them. He wanted Kai to stop blaming himself and taking it out on poor idiots who thought they'd be able to take him in a wrestling match.
He wanted Zane to come back.
Lloyd wanted everyone to just come home.
His hands shook. Disbelief curled in his chest. A flicker of hope burned in his heart. If someone were to ask, he'd tell them there was something in his eye.
Their Zane was alive.
He woke in a room. It was dark. Quite cold, too. His wrists were shackled to the walls.
He couldn't remember his name. The dragon haunted him. From his nightmares.
He was scared. He wanted something- no, someone.
If only he knew who.
"I was upset about losing Nya," Jay said, "But... I was upset about losing you too."
Kai didn't hear what Cole said in response, for he'd lowered his voice. Then they started to attack each other again- only, this time, it was rather obvious they were faking.
Over on his throne, Chen groaned in boredom, then pressed another button on his chair. In the arena, the floor began to fall apart. Lloyd's hand grabbed his own, squeezing it. Kai squeezed back.
Cole pressed his lips to Jay's. Then shoved the Jade Blade into his hand.
Chen cheered and giggled with excitement. Garmadon shouted something, but even Kai couldn't hear him from the sound of the other contestant's shouting in shock.
"Master of Earth loses!" Chen exclaimed. Jay shouted, reaching for Cole, but it was too late.
Cole fell through the floor with a scream.
The Jade Blade clattered to the ground.
His memory came back slowly. The girl- PIXAL, a droid like him- called him Zane.
His body felt odd. He had trouble moving his arms and legs, almost like a newborn. He stumbled into PIXAL's cell. She was scraped.
But they are compatible.
They are one.
Electricity shot through his body.
He collapsed.
Cole was holding his hand in a white-knuckled grip. His entire front was covered in white flour and he was speaking so fast that he was hardly breathing. Zane's face hurt from his own smile. He was too relieved, to happy, to care.
"We're going to get out of here." he said, slightly breathless, "We're going to get you out of here, and we're going to go home."
"I'd like that." said Zane.
The guard shouted something. Cole glanced over his shoulder.
"I have to go. I'll come back for you, just hang in there."
Their hands slipped away from each other. Zane watched them go until they were out of sight.
"ZANE!"
He jumped, only to be abruptly tackled to the ground as five human bodies slammed into him. There was laughter, mixed with the wetness of relieved tears, and then lips- multiple lips, different lips- were being pressed against his own.
As the day wore on, as the other Elemental Masters celebrated their victory with loud music and dancing, they did not leave each other's sides.
The day turned to night, and they all settled down inside the main hall. Wu and Garmadon had taken it upon themselves to gather as many pillows and blankets as they could and pile them together at the back of the hall.
That night, for the first time in far too long, they slept peacefully side by side.
Panic settled in Jay's chest. It had been a trap, his dragon wouldn't form, they were separated and he couldn't breathe.
He had to get back, back to Nya and Kai and Cole and Lloyd and Zane, back to his family, back to his boys and girl.
The panic drove logic from his mind. He tried to form his dragon again. Failed.
He couldn't breathe.
So he laughed.
Hold the line.
His feet slipped and slid in the mud.
Hole the line.
They pushed against him, in a mess of sweat and blood. It was hard to tell who was who, what was what, all he knew was that he had to push against anything purple and scaly.
Hole the line.
A blast of green light sent False Anacondrai flying into the walls with screams of terror. A figure, surrounded with green power, flew through the air, smashing and destroying in a pure fit of rage.
Hold the line.
"What's gotten into Lloyd?!" his Zane yelled into his ear. He shook his head, unable to answer, sweat beading his forehead and the back of his neck. Mud caked his shoes and calfs as the False Anacondrai pushed on stubbornly. Sand was in his eyes.
Hold the line.
They were pushing through. He saw Jay get knocked to the ground.
Hold the line.
Shouting. Screaming. A beam of blue and light shot into the sky. A scream, louder than the others, a familiar scream that caused his head to snap in the direction of the Destiny's Bounty.
Hold the line.
The False Anacondrai were sucked into the air, up, up, towards the cloud of blue and white that had appeared in the sky. Screaming. Flaying. Crying for help. Some of them were already dead.
Hold the line.
They were in their pile. Their old pile, the one in the spare room. Lloyd in the middle. Crying.
They held him all night.
Things died down. Wu announced that he had decided to finally retire. Open a tea shop. They, of course, agreed to help him set it up.
They didn't really approve of the uniforms, though.
Terror gripped him. The wind rushed through his hair. This was not his Lloyd.
"I'll look after you from now on."
Lloyd struggled. Fought. Kicked. Punched. Scratched and bit. No use.
He grew weaker with every moment.
Lloyd and Nya were not with them. But it would be okay. Because they weren't alone.
If only Lloyd and Nya weren't alone.
Zane's language database was damaged. Kai apologised by kissing him.
He seemed at least a little happier after that.
The temple loomed over them. Cole did not like the looks of it.
But it wasn't like ghosts were real.
Lloyd's dead body hung from the ceiling. Then Kai's. Then Cole's. Jay's. Nya's. They hung by hooks through their throats. Zane couldn't look away. He realised he was crying.
They had to drag him into the other room.
Zane was curled up in Cole's lap. Trembling. Jay wondered how he could have even thought up such a brutal scene.
Kai whispered reassurance to their nindroid. Told him they were still here. That they were alright.
Perhaps it was only Jay, but he felt like they were being watched.
The clock dinged. The rope grew taunt. Then limp.
Jay didn't realise why until it was too late.
Cole sat on the bed. See through. Green.
Nya held him close. Did her best, anyway. Kissed his forehead.
She wasn't sure he'd felt it.
"What if I fall?!" Cole shouted.
"Then we'll catch you!" Kai shouted back, "We'll jump off this mountain and we'll catch you!"
"You're more than our brother, Cole!" yelled Jay, "You've always been more than our brother! Zane's different, but we still love him! And the same applies for you- for all of us!"
Cole took a shaky breath. Close his eyes. "Okay."
He jumped.
Fell.
Then flew.
They fell down the mountain in a boat. Morro and his ghosts were just ahead of them.
The boat fell apart.
They used this to their advantage.
"Take the sword," Lloyd gasped, "Take the sword, Kai!"
"Lloyd?" he felt the sword being yanked from his numb hand. The deck was closer to this head than it had been before. Arms wrapped around him. "Come on, Lloyd! Fight him!"
He was pushed to the back of his own mind.
Morro took control.
He was himself again. He tried to stand. His legs shook and he fell. Morro grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Held him up. The blade pressed against his throat.
The Realm Crystal flew towards them. Morro caught it. Screamed in pain. It fell, down, down into the water bellow. Lloyd swayed.
Then fell after it.
Water. In his mouth, in his ears. He tried to stay afloat. He could see Cole and Kai running after him. Shouting about how they couldn't go in the water. The current dragged him under.
Kai leapt in.
He was dragged onto land. Soaking. Coughing. Someone held him up.
"I-I'm sorry." he coughed, shaking. Trembling. "I-I'm sorry."
He was shushed. Lips pressed against his face. All over. More than one pair.
Lloyd sunk into their warmth.
Misako wouldn't let her son out of her sight. Neither would the Ninja. His strength came back slowly. He wasn't allowed out of bed.
He kept saying sorry.
They shushed him every time.
Ghosts were everywhere. The tentacles grabbed his limbs in a deadly grip. Lifted him up, up, up.
He heard them scream.
Then he went through.
Portal after portal after portal. Realm after realm after realm.
The chase wore on. Unrelentless.
Don't stop running. His lungs burned.
Stop and it's over.
"Lloyd? What are you doing here?"
His legs shook. Hands trembled. He realised, at the back of his mind, that his face was streaked with tears.
Lloyd fell to his knees. Wrapped his arms around his father.
He cried into his shoulder.
The Preeminent stepped into the water. Screams of dying ghosts.
They were running out of fuel. The boat's occupants shouted and screamed and ran around the deck.
Nya stood in the middle of the chaos.
She began to glow. Spread her arms.
A wave rose at her command.
Photo shoots. Filming. The flash of cameras.
It was nice, at first. To be recognised for their saving of the world.
It got annoying after a while, though.
"Nya, take my hand!" Jay said. She turned away. Glared at the ground.
She didn't take his hand.
Clouse twitched on the ground. Gasping. Agony flared across his body. The Djinn watched in amusement.
He wished it all away.
Wu was the first to go. Then Misako.
They weren't sure what to do. Who to turn to. They'd always been there.
They went to Stiix.
Lloyd did not want to split up. Jay was right. Bad things always happened when they were split up.
But they had little choice.
The plan was in motion. Everything was falling into place.
Then Kai was gone.
Jay's heart pounded. He'd made a mistake. The letter fluttered to the ground.
He began to run.
Lies. Lies. They were thick on his tongue. Like mould peanut butter.
Zane went bellow deck. He begged for him not to.
He didn't come back up.
Wishes. Wishes. Wish it all away.
It only it was truly that simple.
He was on his hands and knees. A chain on his ankle. Scrubbing. Scrubbing.
He deserved this.
The eyepatch was blue. His favourite colour.
It was all coming true.
He hopped that meant everyone was going to be okay.
Cole was there. Relief shone in his eyes. He pressed his ghostly lips to Jay's.
Jay held him close.
Lloyd and Cole were gone. Sucked into the damn sword.
They were falling. Falling. He wondered why she didn't just form her own dragon. Why she fell with him.
Their hands interlocked.
Water and lightning mixed.
The lighthouse was covered in cobwebs after all these years of abandonment. The little tea server, Gizmo if Jay's memory was correct, was still in working order.
So was something else. He thought it was actually Zane for a moment.
Despite his disappointment, he found that he quite liked Echo.
They prepared for the attack. Echo kept falling apart.
Jay made a mental note to fix him up once this was all over.
Nya's lips pressed against his. Then she pushed him through.
He gasped. Screamed.
He fell.
Jay could see her. Through the window. She looked so beautiful in that dress, but then again she looked beautiful in everything.
Then he couldn't get to the window. The pirates were everywhere.
But he got the sword.
"Someone has to strike me down."
They all raised their hand. He glared at them and handed the sword to Echo.
"Do it when I say go."
"Wait!" Skylor cut in, "What are we supposed to do if you don't come back?"
Jay blinked, then nodded, "Right. If I don't come back, go-"
"Go?"
"No!"
The sword cut through his flesh. Then he was sucked inside.
It was almost like swimming. With giant, green crystals everywhere. Jay was getting drowsy.
He couldn't let himself close his eyes.
He grabbed them, one by one. Shook them awake. Brushed away the crystals that had formed on their skin and clothes. Kissed them to try and wake them up more. To wake himself up more as well.
Clause grabbed his foot.
He kicked him in the face.
There was a lot of cheering after they returned to the real world. Arms wrapped around him. Lips pressed against lips.
There was only one of them missing.
They were turned into gold statues. Jay's heart pounded. He feared it couldn't be undone.
Flintlocke fired. A green splatter on Nadakhan chest. He fell down.
Nya reached for him. Horror gripped Jay's chest.
A green splatter covered the front of her dress.
They were huddled around her. Clutching her close. Crying. Jay pressed his forehead to hers. Behind him. Nadakhan struggled to stay afloat. Raised his sword.
"I wish you had taken my hand," Jay whispered, "And no one had ever found that teapot in the first palce."
The Djiin gasped. His sword clattered on the ground.
"Your wish..."
Jay opened his one eye.
"...Is yours to keep."
Memories flashed across his minds eye. Nya raised her head. Locked eyes with Jay. They all came down from the billboard.
With the whole world watching, six pairs of lips connected at once.
Word Count (No AN's): 4659
Writing romance isn't really my strong suit, so I hope this is at least descent.
