Random crazy update because I am still awake at 2:00AM and it's technically Thursday so it's the Thursday update! :D
I am not even going to lie to you guys. I cried when I was writing this chapter. I was a bawling baby and actually had to stop halfway through and come back to it later.
Hopefully you don't cry, but if you do I hope they're happy tears or something like that. Please enjoy this chapter. :)
Chapter Twenty-One: Renewed Strength
A light wind blew softly across Ninjago Park, causing the few autumn leaves that clung to their branches to fall. Kai watched as they twirled around each other, locked in an invisible dance. Two leaves drifted away from their companions and gently glided over to the bench that the ninja resided on. One was a bright orange color, the waxy luster of the cuticle reflecting the fading sunlight. The other was a deep red, almost crimson hue.
They both landed on the seat beside Kai and he sighed. With a shaking hand he grabbed the red leaf and watched as it seemingly crumbled in his grip. It was fitting, the darker colored piece of dead vegetation reflected how the red ninja felt: extremely fragile. Kai felt a stronger gust whip through the park.
The yellowing grass rippled like the ocean and the orange leaf lost its hold on the wooden bench. It trembled terribly before being pushed away. With wide, light brown eyes, the red ninja reached for it, his fingers closing around nothing but the chilled air. Nature was such a tease.
Kai slumped down further into the bench, jamming his hands into the pockets of his red sweatshirt. He was exuberant that Laurie was physically okay. The physician that had seen her seemed pleasantly surprised. There had been no major, permanent damage to any of her internal organs. Despite this, her abdominal muscles had been ripped and torn terribly. They would heal in time, but a scar would always remain.
He had seen Laurie before he had left the apartment. She was wrapped in gauze and bandages all around her mid-section, wearing tank tops and other loose fitting shirts to try and alleviate pressure placed on the wound. That had been the only major injury. Once all of the dried blood was cleaned off, they had all seen that Laurie was adorned with small, superficial scratches; nothing serious at all.
Of course, in Kai's mind the orange ninja's abdominal wound was not even the most serious injury that she had walked away with. No, it was her tattered memory.
Why him? Why was he the only one that Laurie did not remember? They had each taken turns, striking up conversations with the girl and slipping in information about Kai. This would immediately throw her off track. The incident back in Ouroboros? Laurie recalled using the Fangpyre Staff to save Lloyd and almost suffocating. How was she saved from an almost inevitable death? She could not remember, only that she obviously had survived.
Kai let out another breath. It was almost as if he had been completely erased and that was absolutely frustrating. Of course the guys had tried to put a positive spin on the situation. Both Jay and Cole were saying that this was a good thing, an opportunity to restart the relationship without any problems. He and Laurie had not met on good terms after all.
It was not too long ago, but Kai remembered perfectly. Everything about the girl had infuriated him. She was a spy, a traitor, yet she was so sweet and absolutely determined to set things right after she had messed them up. Kai's thoughts drifted back to the night he and Laurie had shared in the desert, right before Skales had found them. Laurie had never gotten to hear those words. How sorry he had been for the way he had initially treated her and that he could sometimes be a jerk, jumping to conclusions much too quickly. Now he could tell them to her, but she would not understand.
Zane seemed to side with Kai and Lloyd on the issue. Of course, the nindroid was just concerned about Laurie's memories in general and not how they affected Kai. Lloyd was extremely upset that the blue and black ninja would even suggest that this was for the better. He had argued that no matter what this was his sister and something was obviously wrong with her. Kai felt the same way, only he had been more distant and far away since that day in the Sea of Sands.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?"
Those words, strung together in the same sentence, haunted Kai. It had only been about two weeks since that awful day, but it might as well have been forever. The darkness he had been dwelling in was nothing compared to this shattered world he lived in now. Occasionally he wondered if it would have been bad if he had never awoken from his comatose state. Then he would have never had to experience this heartbreak, this loneliness.
"Hey" came a small voice, interrupting Kai's thoughts.
Slightly angered by the fact that someone had followed him here, the red ninja gave a sigh. The guys knew that he just wanted to be alone right now, have time to just think and be alone. Kai turned his upper body around, resting his right arm on the back of the bench. His eyes locked with the last person he expected to see.
Laurie stood awkwardly in the dying grass, leaning on a set of crutches. This helped her move around easier when she needed to. Of course, she should not have been out of the apartment in the first place. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked slowly, her eyes moving to look at the ground instead of the red ninja.
"No, go ahead" Kai replied, almost breathless. He slid across the polished wood to the end, making more room for the girl. Laurie hobbled over before slowly lowering herself down to sit on the bench. She leaned the crutches against the back of the bench and placed her hands in her lap.
Kai just stared at her for a second. She must have been absolutely freezing. Thin, black sweatpants adorned her from the waist down, paired with warm brown boots. Above that however, she only wore an orange tank top. He could see the bandages visible through the material, condensed and bulky. Bright red hair poured down over her shoulders like a waterfall. Without thinking, the red ninja removed his sweatshirt and placed it around the front of Laurie, draping the arms behind her back to keep it steady.
"Thanks" Laurie said softly, gripping the material of the sweatshirt from underneath. It was warm and made her realize how cold she had been. Winter was quickly approaching after all. "You come out here a lot" she continued, her ice blue eyes meeting Kai's light brown ones for a second. Then she looked away quickly, blushing slightly.
The red ninja noticed that Laurie had a difficult time ever keeping eye contact with him. It was quite tiresome because she had never done that before. Well, when she still remembered. "Yeah" he replied, leaning back against the metal armrest. "I like to come here and just think sometimes. It's getting colder out and there aren't as many people out here this time of year. Plus I don't always have to see…" He trailed off before completing his sentence. Kai noticed that Laurie looked slightly hurt.
"You were going to say that you don't always have to see me, weren't you?" she asked with a sniff, her eyes glistening with a layer of fresh tears. "I know it's hard for you to be around me. The guys keep telling me that we used to be a couple, but I just don't remember that." Laurie looked up, awkwardly staring Kai straight in the eyes. "I've tried to leave, believe me. You don't want me here and I can feel that, but the others won't let me leave."
This was truly awful. As much as it pained Kai to know that the girl he loved remembered nothing of him, it made him feel even worse to know that she had tried to leave for his sake. "Laurie, please don't cry" he breathed, lightly touching the girl on the shoulder. "I've been selfish and I can be a real jerk sometimes. Don't ever think that I want you to leave because I don't. I would feel even worse if you weren't here with me. Even if you don't remember me, remember us, I still do. I still love you."
Suddenly, Laurie leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Kai's neck. The red sweatshirt fell off of her and into Kai's lap. He half expected her to begin sobbing, something he could not deal with at this moment in time. If she completely lost it then so would he. This did not happen though, instead he felt her heartbeat next to his and it drudged up every memory he seemed to have of her. Kai placed his arms around the girl's waist, being careful not to disrupt any of her bandages.
"It makes sense that I would have fallen for someone like you" the girl said, her voice muffled by Kai's shoulder.
He let the silence continue on a little longer, just enjoying this moment right now. Of course, he was curious as to what Laurie meant by her statement. "What do you mean by that?" he inquired, breaking the embrace to look at the girl's face. It was streaked with tears. So she had been crying.
"You're just so darn cute" Laurie half cried, half chuckled. She used the back of her right hand to wipe away the liquid from her eyes. Kai picked up the sweatshirt from his lap and used one of the sleeves to help her with this process. Laurie looked at his eyes for a second and then averted her gaze once more, blushing. If she had truly been the partner to this mystery guy, than why did she feel all nervous inside whenever he looked at her? It was almost like having your crush around twenty-four seven.
Kai stood up and grabbed the crutches from their resting place. He offered them to the orange ninja. "We should probably be heading back to the apartment now" he stated, throwing the sweatshirt back over Laurie's shoulders. She stood shakily and he helped her get her footing before she set up the crutches.
"Thanks, again" the girl smiled slightly, beginning her hobble across the grass.
A light wind blew softly across Ninjago Park, ruffling the brunet hair of a certain red ninja. He smiled, following the girl he loved slowly across the dying vegetation. A bright orange leaf could not stop moving and it plastered against Kai's dark red long sleeved shirt. He picked it up with a shaking hand and was relieved when it did not crumble. Maybe some things in life were not as fragile as they initially appeared to be. Sometimes strength could be found in the most unlikely of places.
Today Kai had found strength in the very thing that had shattered his world.
I don't think I can even re-read this without crying. XD
So kind of like Shifting Winds, this is the official end of this story. Of course we're going to need a mysterious epilogue that introduces a mysterious character that will play a major role in my final book. So though this is the end it is not the end so please came back and read my epilogue when I upload it, okay? :D
So I have a new poll on my profile that you can check out if you want to. Just getting some opinions on something. But I propose a question to you readers? Would you find it interesting if I posted some of the chapters from this fic as they were originally created? The story line was much different when I began writing this over the summer and I kept the original document so I could see how much everything had changed. Would any of you be interested in some never before seen bonus content? XD
Thanks for reading and everything! What was your favorite part of this story? :3