Chapter 6

"Starting right now I'll be strong

I'll play my fight song"

Fight Song, Rachel Platten

Lloyd decided to start by asking Chen to perform some basic flips and gymnastic moves associated with cheerleading in order to properly see what the other teen was capable off and decide what to teach him first. Chen didn't disappoint, he had been quick to come out of his small astonishment regarding the Ninja's wardrobe choices and had smoothly performed front flips, backflips, cartwheels and jumps without nearly breaking a sweat, the moves clearly memorized after being performed various times. Once he was finished, he had turned to look at Lloyd with an expectant look on his face.

"I'll admit I'm impressed" Lloyd said with a smile, "You already have an advantage for the lessons, those moves aren't easy to master at first"

"Speaking from experience?" Chen asked with a small smirk. The blond rolled his eyes, but his smile didn't waver.

"Maybe" he answered before focusing on his next words, "Now, when it comes to fighting, one should never be keen on making trouble on purpose. Any type of martial art or fighting style is taught with the intention on knowing how to pick your own fights" Lloyd started to explain to Chen, who was now listening to his every word with interest.

"Now, like I said before, you have the advantage on agility-" and in a flash, Lloyd had closed the distance between them and was now holding Chen's right wrist by the brunet's back. The only thing the cheerleader had managed to say had been a small gasp of surprise. "-But you lack the reflexes" Lloyd finished as he let Chen go, who backed away almost immediately as he rubbed his wrist with a small glare and a curious look on his eyes. The Green Ninja gave him an apologetic smile.

"How did you figure that out from the moves I made?" Chen asked.

"Your moves were coordinated" Lloyd informed him as he started to walk around the dojo, "Smooth? Yes. Perfectly executed? Also yes. But it was because you had them memorized from a routine. Your lack of reflex is showed in that, you're too focused on the routine that you ignore any possible danger. When you finished, you looked at me, expecting a praise in your ability that you didn't react when I subdued you" he turned to stare at Chen, who had lowered his gaze into the ground, his lips on a thin line. Lloyd felt somewhat bad for the criticism he had just dropped on him.

"But" he started to say, feeling much better when Chen's eyes looked at him with some surprise, "We can improve that"

"How? Don't tell this is the part in which you start throwing things at me" Chen said with some slight panic. Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… no" he slowly replied, frowning slightly when the other teen visibly relaxed, "I was actually going to suggest something else" he added. "What I'm going to teach you today, is how to forget about routine. Forget being mechanical. When someone is attacking you, is vital to pay attention to your surroundings and your attacker" Lloyd started to explain.

"Like how you and your friends took out the thugs in the alley?" Chen inquired, head tiled to the side. Lloyd nodded, managing to avoid pointing out that he looked like a cat.

"Exactly, although, without the ninja moves" he said with a small chuckle as he remembered the brunet's only restriction in regards to their agreement. "So, first, let's start with open space attacks…"

Five minutes later, Lloyd had to give credit to Chen. The cheerleader was a fast learner. He repeated all of the moves Lloyd showed him with little problem, the Master simply correcting the positioning of his elbows or feet every once in a while. Sometimes, just to see if he was paying enough attention to his surroundings, Lloyd would a punch or a kick out of nowhere, and Chen managed to doge them all quite successfully.

"Hitting the neck is a good way to give yourself time to escape" Lloyd was explaining ten minutes later, "It's a great stunning technique" he said as he demonstrated the move. But just as he did, Chen grabbed his wrist, twisting slightly and sending both of them into the ground.

"I didn't plan that right" Chen muttered as he let the blond's wrist go. Despite the surprise attack, Lloyd couldn't help but laugh at Chen's confusion.

"That's because your foot was on the way. Next time, I suggest using it to make my fall easier by hooking my knee" he said. Chen frowned.

"I surprise attacked you and you're giving me advise on how to do it better?" his tone was all exasperated. Sitting up, Lloyd gave him a small shrug.

"My dad and my uncle always agreed that you can learn from a mistake and guide people through their own mistakes" he reveled as he smirked down to Chen, who gave out a little "Oh". Lloyd offered his hand as he got up.

"Come on, let's go again"

Chen attempted a few more times to surprise Lloyd with an attack, each failing and ending with Lloyd offering a better advice on how to execute the movement. He managed to take down Lloyd after he got momentarily distracted as he blocked a punch, and the brunet successfully hooked his foot on his knee and before Lloyd knew it, he was face down on the floor with his left arm being secured by Chen.

"Hey, I did it!" the brunet exclaimed with some shock in his tone, "I actually did-UF!"

And now Lloyd, having taken advantage that Chen's hold had gone soft in his excitement, had twisted himself free and tackled the other young man into the ground, sitting on top of him and holding both hands down.

Chen gaped at him. Lloyd couldn't help but smirk.

"You were saying?" he asked with an innocent voice. Chen glared.

"You cheated"

"Did not"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Yes you did, Garmadork" Chen bit back before smirking, "Unless you wanted an excuse to straddle me…?" Lloyd rolled his eyes at the implication, but decided to humor the cheerleader.

"And then what, have a full on make-out session?" he replied with a matching smirk as he ignored the sudden hotness on his cheeks.

"What would the public say?" Chen exclaimed rather dramatically as he raised his head from the ground.

"The Green Ninja found kissing a citizen! Are they lovers or just friends who are really close with each other?" Lloyd adapted the voice of a reporter who was having a field day with the news as Chen exploded with laughter, the blond soon joining him as he got off from the position.

"Okay, I think that's- that's enough for today" Lloyd declared after slightly calming down. Chen, despite still giggling over the ordeal, nodded in agreement. Both of them got up and got hold of their respective possessions, a sudden awkward silence taking over the dojo.

"Um… same time tomorrow?" Lloyd asked in an effort to break it.

Chen smiled, "Same time tomorrow. And this time, I will manage to beat you"

Lloyd crossed his arms over his chest.

"Is that a challenge?" he inquired with an amused smile. Chen blinked, probably not expecting the comment, but he didn't look like he was backing off either.

"Maybe" he admitted with flushed cheeks before walking towards the exit, "See you tomorrow, Lloyd!"

The blond smiled.

"See you tomorrow"

Chen the Cheerleader

-I just realized something

What?

-We never finished 20 Q/A

-We still got 10 each

-…so you wanna continue now or…?

-Nah, it's best face to face

"Man, I've never seen you so glued to your phone before"

Kai's voice broke Lloyd's gaze from the screen. They were currently taking a break from their morning training, both of them a little sore from the other night, in which they had gone on patrol and managed to stop three robberies in the lower districts.

"I think you're exaggerating" Lloyd replied as he stiffed a small yawn. Kai simply stared at him with a deadpan look.

"Lloyd, you've been glued to it since you and Chen Jr stared talking weeks ago" Kai said.

"It's only been a week, Kai" Lloyd corrected, "And he likes to text a lot"

But Kai was shaking his head.

"Nu-huh, don't give that excuse, Skylor mentioned the same thing about him on our last date!"

-Apparently

-Skylor and Kai gossip about us

-When they announced that they were now together

-I did not see this one coming

-THANK FSM

-YOU TOO HAVE BEEN SUFFERING THIS

-We're not escaping this

-Are we

-Not unless we move to an unrecorded island in the sea

-… I happen to know one

Two weeks in, they finally resumed Twenty Questions... more or less. It had been brought up in the middle of a break between the lessons.

"Cats or dogs?" Chen had kicked off with a small smile after a stray feline had somehow made its way into the dojo and Lloyd had ushered it out gently with some snacks and water.

"As you can see, cats. But dogs are cool too, same with dragons" Lloyd admitted.

"Wait… dragons? I know elemental masters can conjure up those, I've seen Skylor do it, but you're talking like you had a dragon as a pet" Chen said dumbfounded.

"Because technically speaking, I did" Lloyd reveled. "It was called the Ultra-Dragon, gigantic, with four heads. That dragon was the evolved form of the four original elemental dragons. He only responded to me, my dad and my uncle"

"What happened to him?" Chen inquired with curiosity, his head tiled slightly to the side.

(Damn it, Lloyd was growing quite fond of that look)

"He went back to its original realm. I haven't seen it since then" Lloyd said, looking over the window, "How about you? Any pets?"

"No, my mom was allergic to cats and dogs and father… wasn't an animal lover" Chen shook his head. "After Skylor took over the restaurant, money became a bit of an issue, so we didn't dwell on it"

"I see…" Lloyd trailed off, "Hey, I never asked, you said you were saving for college, what do you want to major on?" he asked. To his surprise, Chen looked away, suddenly becoming quite interested in playing his fingers. One of his nervous habits, as Lloyd had come to learn.

"You're going to laugh" he said.

"I promise I'm not" Lloyd assured. Chen stayed silent for bit longer, eyeing Lloyd for a moment before giving in.

"Art Studies" he reveled with some hesitation.

"Why would I laugh at that?" Lloyd asked, incredulous, "There's no reason to laugh at that!"

"You…really think so? You don't think it's dumb and it will make me end on the streets?" Chen asked softly, eyes shining. The blond nodded.

"Yeah! I mean, I suck at art, but even I know to appreciate it. And dumb? Are you kidding me? I've seen people pour their souls into the canvas, and out comes a master piece!" he exclaimed, throwing his hand into the air for emphasis. A thought hit him.

"And I just realized, we just wasted a question each on that" he mused. Chen chuckled.

"After those answers, I don't mind" he said. "Thanks… Garmadork" he uttered a bit shyly.

They would have continued, but just then an explosion was heard on the distance, followed by an alert on his phone. They both parted ways in a hurry, but not before Lloyd begged Chen to show him his art the next day.

The cheerleader happily complied.

Chen the Cheerleader

-THESE ARE GREAT

-HOW DID YOU MAKE THOSE?

-I combined gold with some crimson paint

-And some paper and glue

-You like it?

-IT LOOKS LIKE REAL FIRE

-IT'S AWESOME

-Which reminds me

-Cole's dad has contacts

-With some of the best art colleges

-What are you saying?

-Maybe he could get you a scholarship

-I'm honored

-But I want to do this

-On my own?

-Understandable

Three weeks in, and they decided to start meeting each other outside of the dojo.

"Are we becoming friends?" Lloyd asked as played with the straw from his bobba tea. They were currently seated underneath a tree on the park, the first days of August making themselves known with more potent sun rays and the laugh of children made a nice background noise.

"I think so" Chen answered before taking a sip from his own bobba tea. "We text each other a lot… and are hanging out. Friends do that"

"True"

It wasn't the only thing they did. They also noticed stuff from each other: Lloyd was quick to learn that Chen was left handed, the blue and white jacket that he always wore outside the Noodle House belonged to Ninjago High's cheer team and it hold sentimental value to him too. He hated talking about Master Chen, but loved talking about his sister. His mom was a sensitive topic. Had a weakness for sour candy-

"The after taste leaves you wanting more" he had explained.

-And had attempted to read Fritz Donnegan's comic books, but it had been difficult for him to follow the narrative. On the other hand, Chen had retaliated by pointing out that Lloyd was prone to blush at almost everything (and the very traitor had started taking advantage of it. Not that it bothered Lloyd). He also noticed that Lloyd always wore long sleeves, even in the middle of summer-

"The heat and the cold don't really bother me" the blond had admitted, "Perks of being the Green Ninja"

-The brunet had also noticed the said ninja's own candy weakness for any type of the sugar sweets, but the sweeter the better. That Lloyd really liked the chicken noodle soup at the Noodle House because it remained him of his dad's cooking, and that when he was uncomfortable he would play with his sleeves.

In the practices, they started exchanging candy.

When Lloyd and Kai crashed at the Noodle House, Chen already was preparing the chicken noodle soup.

And when they hanged out, Lloyd always took out a copy of the Fritz Donnegan's comics and read it out loud for Chen to follow the narrative.

Yeah.

They were becoming friends.

"You have an incoming call, Master Lloyd" Pixal's voice announced in the Green Ninja's ear as he narrowly avoided getting impaled by a sword. Ronin had finally reveled what was stolen from his shop, an ancient map to Hiroshi's Labyrinth. He, Lloyd and Kai had been tracking it since, and it had lead them straight to a trap in the high grounds of Ninjago City, the ghost thief still unknown and slipping away. It didn't help that the men attacking them refused to give a name.

"Tell Mother I'm a bit busy!" Lloyd said as he kicked the man who had attempted to stab him into the other room.

"The call is actually from Chen" Pixal calmly replied.

"WHAT?!" was all Lloyd managed to yell before suddenly getting tackled into another room full of valuables by five men. Pixal seemed to take that as an approval to answer the call.

"Hey, Garmadork" Chen started the conversation at the same time Ronin yelled "DON'T LET THEM BREAK ANY OF THOSE! I COULD USE THEM FOR MY SHOP!"

"Was that… Ronin?" Chen's voice asked confused while Lloyd managed to salvage a crystal statue from hitting the ground and dodging another sword and a… chicken leg?

"Yeah!" Lloyd replied breathlessly as he knocked out two of the men with his powers, "We're kinda-"

PANG! There went another guy after attempting to hit Lloyd with one of the statues, which now lay shattered in the ground.

"-busy right now" he added while in the other room Kai was heard screaming, followed by the sound of raging fire. "Can I call you later?"

"And you lose a question"

"Are you serious right now?!" Lloyd incredulously asked, the man that was about to make a move at him stopping mid-attack and briefly lowering a silver plate.

"Well, I know it's not a usual weapon, Green Ninja, but-"

"Not you!" Lloyd snapped. The man shrugged and charged any ways.

"I'm gonna ignore that question, but to answer the previous one, nope. I'm bored" Chen replied. Lloyd could almost hear his smile.

"You're unbelievable" the blond muttered as he unfolded his swords. But nevertheless, he couldn't keep the grin of his face.

"You like me that way"

"True"

CLANG! The man was now unconscious on the floor.

"Anyway, I was organizing my drawings, and I found this really neat one of a dragon that I made when I was little, do you think I should re-do it?" Chen inquired at the same time another guy charged towards Lloyd.

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea" the Green Ninja said as he dodged an attack and kicked back.

"Come on man, I need something more than that!" Chen's voice implored.

"Well, what did you want me to suggest? A naked portrait?" Lloyd asked with a dead-pan while he and his attacker continued to throw in kicks and punches.

"Hmm…. Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

FSM, Lloyd could see the eyebrow wiggle. Before he could give Chen a piece of his mind, Kai yelled from the other room:

"LLOYD, COULD WE FOCUS ON THE FIGHT AND NOT FLIRTING WITH CHEN JR?!"

"I'M NOT FLIRTING WITH CHEN!" Lloyd yelled back as he punched the guy he was fighting unconscious as Chen laughed over the com.

"I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose" Chen muttered as Lloyd once again had defeated him and had him pinned on the ground. They had been doing this for five weeks now, and Chen had been improving every time. His only problem was that no matter how he tried, he couldn't just keep Lloyd down.

"I assure you, I'm not" Lloyd said as he got off the teen and they both got up, "You need to put more pressure on the limps you're holding, that's why I keep winning"

Chen sighed.

"If you say so…" he trailed off. Lloyd took a good look on him. Today, Chen had been quite silent, no text messages before they met at the dojo, no sassy comebacks or any form of the Chen Lloyd had come to know.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. Chen kept silent as he crossed his legs, shoulders slumped. Lloyd sat next to him, tentatively putting his hand on the brunet's shoulder, "Chen, you know you can talk to me, right?"

A sad hazel met a concerned green.

"I found out why those thugs attacked me a few weeks ago" he said, lowering his gaze to the ground. Lloyd found his grip on the shoulder tightening, but Chen continued talking, "They came after me because I was… one of those guys" he whispered, his voice shaking slightly. Lloyd frowned.

"One of those guys?" he repeated with confusion. Chen looked at him, his whole figure suddenly vulnerable.

"They targeted me because I'm gay, Lloyd" he said. Lloyd felt his mouth open in a small "Oh"

Well, it wasn't shocking. Not really. It didn't bother him the slightest.

But Chen wasn't done talking.

"Turns out they do that. Target people who don't follow the hetero agenda, bi, gay, ace, trans, demi, the list goes on. I don't know how they knew, but they knew and that- that-" Chen seemed to be shocking on his own words.

"It scares you" Lloyd finished for him. Chen numbly nodded. He then suddenly sat up straighter, looking at Lloyd like a dear caught in the headlights.

"Oh my- I didn't mean to tell you that- I- shit" he stammered. Lloyd smiled faintly.

"Relax, like I'm going to tell someone"

"You don't mind?" Chen said, the vulnerability visible once again. He sounded like a child waiting for a scolding.

"Why should I mind?" Lloyd asked with disbelief, "You're still Chen, cheerleader, master of the noodles and paint, sassy man and my friend with a terrible timing at making calls" he added with a smile and silently cursed his sudden flushed cheeks.

Chen smiled at him. Not a smirk or a small, faint one, but a bright and true one. Something in Lloyd's chest leaped.

"Thank you" he said with a hoarse tone as Lloyd wrapped his arm around his body in comfort.

"Besides, if they come for you again, you're qualified to take them out" the blond assured with a sly smile, which caused the brunet to bark a laugh.

"You think I'm ready to do that? I still can't beat you" he muttered with a small smirk.

"Well then, if you can't, I'll beat them. They won't stand against a ninja" Lloyd boasted while Chen rolled his eyes.

"Someone's feeling cocky" he pointed out.

"Your influence" Lloyd replied.

"I don't know if I should be proud or horrified" Chen said with a headshake while Lloyd simply laughed, letting go of his friend and laying down on the ground, the cheerleader soon following him. A comfortable silence settled between them, the only noise being Dareth in the other room laughing to the TV.

"Hey, your friends are coming back today, aren't they?" Chen questioned, turning his head slightly to face Lloyd, who smiled fondly.

"Yeah, and they're also leaving again" he confirmed, "I missed them" he then admitted with a whisper. He could feel Chen's full attention on him, but Lloyd continued to stare at the ceiling. "I miss my family"

"You're all that close, huh?" Chen softly said.

"If we weren't, I don't think Ninjago would even be standing" Lloyd said with a chuckle, "But, yeah. It's hard not to, we all got a role, Zane and Cole are the mom and dad, Jay is the sibling that makes sure everyone's alright, Kai is the hot-tempered brother, Nya is the sister that would punch your bullies unconscious, uncle Wu… was the wise one, along with my own dad" he allowed himself a smile.

"And… your mom?" Chen inquired. Lloyd shifted a bit uncomfortably. Lately, talking about Misako was hard. Both he and Kai agreed that she was throwing herself into her work to find Wu, but Kai had tried to ease Lloyd's mind about it, telling him that if she left, she was definitely going to tell him. Lloyd tried believing him.

"She's the researcher" he finally said, "Always looking for an answer… and leaving everything to follow a clue" he added a bit bitterly, the lights on the dojo suddenly flickering a bit with his mood. Chen gasped in surprise, getting up and observing the lights go back between faint green and their normal yellow.

"Did you- did you just do that?" he questioned, looking back at Lloyd in shock, who felt his cheeks go red in embarrassment.

"Maybe" he admitted, "Sorry, it happens sometimes"

But Chen didn't looked bothered, in fact he seemed to be curious at Lloyd's small accidental display of power. He also looked like he wanted to ask, but before he could, the blond's phone started to vibrate with an incoming call, interrupting.

"I guess you have to go" Chen said. Lloyd nodded.

"Talk to you later?" he asked.

"You better, or else I'll feel abandoned" Chen said playfully, earning a laugh from the ninja.

"LLOYD!"

Said teen nearly got tackled to the ground by his friends with the hug they assaulted him with, but Lloyd didn't mind at all. He let himself enjoy the moment.

"Hi guys" he said as he let go, taking a good look on the team. Despite only staying for a few hours in the city to report back and go off again with provisions and new destinations, Nya and Jay looked a little dusty, while Cole and Zane seemed to have rolled down a mountain. Aside from that, they all looked fine, but Lloyd detected a rejected vibe on them. He sighed.

"You didn't find anything, did you?" he guessed as he took a seat on one of the stools in the Destiny's Bounty.

"No" Nya confirmed, disappointment evident in her voice.

"The temples were void of answers too" Zane added.

"Well… damn it" Kai mumbled.

"But it wasn't all in vain!" Jay jumped in, "We got informed to look in monk temples!"

"Monk temples?" Cole asked with some slight disbelief, "There like hundreds of those in the outskirts!"

"Well, we better start looking!" Jay shot back.

"We also heard that some people are trying to get control over some villages in the west" Nya added, ignoring Cole and Jay's new bickering of monk temples.

"Yeah, well, seems like there's a lot of out of control stuff lately" Kai said, "Last month, the day you guys left? Lloyd and I received a call from Ronin. The guy got possessed by a ghost and then said ghost stole a map from him, leading to Hiroshi's Labyrinth"

Now he got the others attention.

"A ghost?" Zane repeated at the same time Cole touched his green scar with some concern.

"We tried tracking it down. Last week we got a lead, but it was a trap and the guys who attacked us refused to say a word" Lloyd continued, "We tried asking around, but either no one knows anything or can't remember a thing. Our phantom is quite good at erasing his tracks"

"We think it might have already be on its merry way to the Labyrinth" Kai revealed. "But we can't be sure either"

"Well, this ghost must know about the Realm Crystal is guarded there, right? Why else would he or she be so desperate to steel a map to the Labyrinth?" Nya said, "As much as I trust Cyrus Borg tech, I say we go check it out, just in case"

"Zane and I can go" Cole quipped in, "I'm immune to possessions now, thanks to the ghostly experience I had, and Zane is equipped with enough ice to back one off, since, well, it's still water"

"Good point" Lloyd admitted, "Then Nya and Jay will start with the monk temples, and-"

"Actually, Lloyd, I thought about going to stop a few of the raising tyrants in the villages, it's getting concerning" Nya cut him off softly. Lloyd felt like protesting, but even he knew she was right.

"Alright then, Cole and Zane will go to the Labyrinth to check on the crystal and the general safe it's contained in while Jay and Nya bring some control over the villages and then-"

"We return just in time for your nineteenth birthday" Zane finished for him with a smile.

"Speaking of which, aside from the ghost, what have we missed? Did you guys cleared out the thing with Skylor's brother?" Jay asked with eagerness as the rest gave equal looks of curiosity.

"Oh, we cleared it alright" Kai smirked down at Lloyd before he addressed the others, "Chen Jr is cool, plus, our Master here has become quite close with him" he added, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Seriously?" Lloyd deadpanned. The Red Ninja raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm just telling the truth here, Skylor says the same thing" he said with a slight chuckle, "She likes that you're teaching Chen Jr self-defense and otherwise hang out with him"

"Huh" Cole looked amused, "Sooo, from flirting with him upon your first meeting, to suddenly becoming friends? Should we expect a relationship when we come back?" he jokingly asked.

"We're just friends" Lloyd murmured, crossing his arms and staring at the setting sun while ignoring the blush on his cheeks.

"Famous last wooooords" Jay sing-songed as he made it to the Green Ninja's side. Lloyd retailed by giving him a nudge to the stomach, which only earned a laugh from the Blue Ninja.

"Can't we talk about something else before you guys leave?" Lloyd begged. Thankfully, Nya took pity of him and she was quick to usher everyone inside the ship, claims of time being wasted and that the provisions were not going to pack themselves.

And for the next four hours, everything fell into an old routine. Cole, Jay, Zane and Nya got changed into new and cleaner gi's after their food and water were packed; all of them got seated together in front of the TV, watching a sappy action movie Lloyd didn't even remember them owning. The small peace felt right, but even so… for a reason he couldn't explain… he missed Chen's presence as ridiculous one-liners and innuendos were made in the film. He could almost see his friend making suggestive comments at him.

Then it was over.

They said their goodbyes and their promises.

And it was Kai, Lloyd and Misako once again in the Destiny Bounty.

Speaking of Misako…. Lloyd came to a halt, just barely hearing Kai talking about going to patrol. He just realized he hadn't heard of her since yesterday, today being too busy training and getting ready to meet Chen that…. he didn't even see her. A pang of guilt surge hit Lloyd, yeah, mother and son had their fights and he was sometimes a bit salty with her, but Misako was still fa-

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" Kai's voice broke Lloyd out of his thoughts.

"Um…patrolling, right?" Lloyd probed. His friend frowned a bit as he adjusted his gi belt. Lloyd didn't even realized he had changed.

"Aaaand to visit Skylor for a moment" Kai finished, "One thing that I love about her is that she insists on giving me free take-out" he said with a love sick grin. Lloyd nodded absentmindedly, his gaze breaking off to stare at Misako's door. There was a strange feeling in his gut…

"Alright" the blond said, barely looking at Kai, "You go do that, I'll go check on my mother; she hasn't come out all day" he added a bit worried as the knot in his stomach grew. He barely even took notice of his friend leaving as he made his way to Misako's door.

All alone in the Bounty, his steps somehow sounded empty the closer he got to his mother's bedroom, his anxiety growing. Something was wrong, he could feel it as he knocked on the door.

"Mother? Are you alright? I haven't seen you all day" Lloyd said.

No response.

"Mother?" he tried knocking again, this time focusing his hearing on the inside of the room.

Was it him, or the sound was hollow?

The knot in his stomach, the sudden anxiety had blearing an alarm on his head. With trembling hands, Lloyd opened the door to Misako's room, hoping, praying in his grandfather's name that he would be meet with a messy bedroom filled with more boxes that stored a thousand maps and ancient text in a primitive language and waiting for the smell of old parchments and books to welcome him. But all that greeted Lloyd was an unnatural clean room covered with sheets, everything that looked old or breakable put away. A tell-tale adventure backpack gone from the racket it had been hanging on the past months.

"Mom?" Lloyd still whispered, managing to sound like a lost child, almost expecting Misako to appear beside him and pull him into a hug.

But he knew better.

She had left.

AN: *cracks nuckles* Oh, I had fun with this one. I hope you guys enjoyed the time-skips! First time trying that.

Anyway, please leave a review if you enjoyed! They are best writing boosters out there!