So... there are questions xD I apparently revealed quite a bit about the ending of this story, so, let me clear this up:
The end of Destiny's Heart. Is it sad? Should be. But it's kinda like S8 of Ninjago, in which S9 is a continuation of.
THERE WILL BE A BOOK 2. AND A BOOK 3.
They won't be as long as this one (in fact MUCH shorter) but DH is not the end. Fate's Design (aka Book 2) is the true ending of Destiny's Heart, with a 4 year time gap in between. Now, this does reveal quite a lot, but I'm saying it now: The main plot will be about Lloyd trying to get Claire back. No villains, unless you count criminal involvement.
Now... does Claire die? Of course not! I'm not morbid, and I refuse to kill off any heroes. Claire does not "die". However, "Claire" does die. Yes I am Wu, filled with many riddles and no real answers.
You're welcome xD
Something strange with this chapter was just FILLER xD I didn't even try to focus on the main plot with this, so, finding something to happen while things kept moving along proved to be difficult. So, there's a lot of parts in this. Minor time skips. Just know it jumps around a lot.
Anyways, ON with the story:
Chapter 38
Claire's POV
I look again, studying every inch of my eyes that it becomes nearly impossible to miss the newer tint around the edges. Admittedly, it's rather creepy, seeing my eyes have changed in a short amount of time, but I keep my cool, deciding not to draw any attention to it at the moment. I probably wouldn't have spotted it if I didn't look twice. No doubt everyone will miss it.
Still. I don't want anyone to know. I'll have to cover it somehow... Later.
Instead of putting too much thought into it, I run a hand through my hair, pulling it out of its short messy ponytail. My ginger hair then falls around the edges of my shoulder blades, just long enough for my liking, wildly creating curls of knots and tangles.
Without even taking off my gi, I slip into the shower, watching the water slowly start to soak every part of my exposed skin, hair, and clothes. The fabric begins to stick to me as I stand here, with trails of brown and red flowing to the floor of the tub, rinsing away a part of the mess. As for my hair, I continue running my fingers through it, feeling it soften from the soap with each second, before rinsing that too.
The blood, mud, and soap then mix together, swirling around the drain like a never-ending work of art. It's mesmerizing...
Nya knocks, drawing me away from my daze. "Claire? You good in there?"
I stop the flow of water, stepping out of the tub with water pooling around my feet. The entire length of my body is now soaked, while the events of last night- whatever they really were- are washed away.
"Go ahead without me... I thought I'd freshen up first."
"Okay, well, don't complain when there's nothing to eat!"
I allow myself a grin. "I won't!"
"You say that now, but you're going to be in a mood all day!" Nya giggles, drowning out the noise of her fading footsteps.
I take the opportunity to look at my reflection again, then the clothes she gave me, then my reflection.
Sighing, I pick up a comb in one hand, while holding a hairdryer in the other. I've seen Nya use this. She makes it look easy. But, I've never been one for multitasking.
The rush of air from this tiny machine makes me jump, as the heat caresses my skin without warning. I aim it away from my face instead, holding it so the air is centered on the top of my head.
Not sure that's the way to hold it
It takes a few tries, but, eventually I figure out the trick to using a hairdryer is to tilt my head and dry the hair that falls over my shoulder, while brushing it to make it stay in place.
For my first time using it, I'd say that my hair drying experience was not bad.
By the time I've had enough of this crazy contraption, only the tips of my hair are really all that wet. I continue to brush my locks out completely, refreshed as my hair returns to its normal silky state.
And getting rid of my gi has never felt so good. I discard it on the floor, slipping into the clothing Nya had grabbed me: an assortment consisting of dark skinny jeans and a yellow long-sleeved top, with the shoulders cut out of the fabric. The material is lacy with a clear floral pattern, flowing off my shoulders instead of hugging my figure. Nya really does have an elegant taste.
At least satisfied with my appearance, I wander away from the bathroom, filled with a peace that I haven't felt in a long time. Despite the shock that my eyes gave me and the fact that Lloyd is wandering around looking like an idiot, life feels almost... normal.
Finally, the smell of breakfast- thankfully not burnt- drives me to the dining room.
Before, I get to the room, voices ring throughout the air, making my heart jump for joy once again. Everyone's here for another meal, and not a thing has changed.
Or so I thought.
Upon my entrance in the room, a chorus of cheers sounds, in my name, resulting in laughter. I stand in the doorway, shocked at the sudden calls of appreciation.
"What?" I ask, grinning a bit.
Jay stands from where he sits, raising a glass of orange juice, as if to propose a toast. Which he does. Typical Jay Walker stuff.
"To Claire for sucking it up and scoring us a victory!" He declares, jokingly.
Everyone laughs, myself included, and shouts my name again, gulping down their drinks, before continuing with what they were doing before.
Seeing my family so happy again has me unable to control my smile. With my spirits raised, I begin to look around, wondering where I can squeeze in. We're a bit packed today, as Seliel and Skylor have joined us in our "celebratory meal", making seating kind of wild.
Taking me by another surprise, Lloyd stands, his green eyes lighting up. He walks over, causing me to expect an embrace, but am left speechless as he instead leans in to kiss both sides of my face.
When he pulls away, holding me by my shoulders, I become flushed.
"Um... good morning, Lloyd."
"You said-"
"Your name, yeah, I know." I finish for him, waving a hand and shooing him back to where he was. "And while your attention is quite flattering, for both our sakes, let's finish this later."
Lloyd does as I say, joyfully offering a seat next to him. As graciously as I can, I mutter a 'thanks', trying to ignore the playful wiggling eyebrows of Jay, who's currently trying to fill Cole and Zane in on the action they missed while they were captured.
There are a few residents at the table, however, that find his heroic tale quite exaggerated. When I sit, three pairs of eyes are looking in my direction.
Zander has a small grin on his face, most likely trying to see my reaction to all of this. I give him a thumbs up, trying to reassure him I'm okay after all. He nods in return.
Nya and Skylor, however, seem like they have much different matters on their minds.
"So," My red-haired friend starts, eyeing Lloyd who looks absolutely smitten, "Nya tells me that in the time I was gone you two have... strayed apart?"
I turn to Nya, who shrugs.
"Um, yeah." I confirm, looking at the floor a bit. "We both kind of messed up and-"
"Lloyd lied to everyone." Nya interrupts me, flatly. "And we all got kind of mad at him for it. It really justifies the whole decision to break up. I would do the same if it were-"
"I really disagree." I continue, shaking my head as if that could hide my blush.
"Aw, sweetie," Skylor says, placing a comforting hand on mine, "You okay? I'm sure that was a tough decision for you to make. You and him were close."
"Like a fairytale," Nya adds, mirroring Sky's pitiful expression.
"It wasn't my decision," I mutter, defeatedly picking up a fork and poking at my food. Zane must have helped Kai out in the end. There's some food on here that looks salvaged.
"Hm?"
"N-Nothing. It's... nothing. Nya's right. Totally justified."
I don't have to be looking directly at them to know that they're exchanging dubious glances.
"So... what's up with him again?" Nya questions, gesturing to Lloyd who still hasn't let his gaze leave my sight. And, as if on cue, his hand travels to meet mine.
"It was a... plant. That made him in love with me."
Their eyes widen in shock.
"Yeah. Kinda crazy... we'll get him fixed though..." I clear my throat, unlatching my hand from Lloyd's for the moment. "Speaking of which, if you wouldn't mind, I really need to get working on finding an antidote."
"You sure?" Sky asks, concern overtaking her features. "You just got here... Surely you could use a break from all that's been happening. I'm sure research could wait..."
Honestly, the thought is almost too appealing. I haven't had a proper moment to relax since last night. And a meal? I haven't actually eaten for a while. Now, I'm clean, I'm with my family, and I could spend a nice (ish) meal with them. Maybe we could even do something afterwards... just all of us. Happy again.
But... when does Lloyd get a break? When does he really get to have a thought of his own?
Not until I fix this. And I have to. It's been long enough already.
I stand up from my seat.
"I'm sure. You guys have fun without me... Seliel and I just might go back to Nom to find that book I was reading earlier." At her name being mentioned, Seliel curiously turns around to face me "After all, she does practically own the largest library in Ninjago."
"Oh please," She scoffs, teasingly, "flattery does nothing to sway the opinion of the mighty Phantom Ninja."
"And your petty words cannot compare to the grander ones of the ever-amazing Silver Ninja."
"Touche." She giggles, walking past me and down the hall. I immediately assume she's off to gather her things. In which I should do so too.
"I'll catch ya guys later, kay?" And, adding in a whisper, "Make sure Lloyd doesn't follow..."
"Oh you will," Nya says, pointing at me accusingly and nodding her head at my second statement. "Only if you don't come home bleeding this time."
"That was one time!" I laugh, already walking away from the activity in the dining room. I aim to go back to my room, only to collect a bag to carry some food, water, paper, and weapons. But then something comes to mind...
The last time I was in Nom, Cole was looking at something. Something apparently too important that he had to stay behind in order to complete instead of coming with me to help Lloyd.
But what was it that was so important?
My curiosity gets the best of me... and instead of taking a left to get to my room, I take a right.
The boys' door is open- no surprise- but I still knock, just to make sure no one is here. Once I get no reply, and am sure I won't get caught snooping around some things Lloyd had stored away, I nudge the door open, wincing with the creak that results.
Then, wordlessly, I slip through. Anxiety kinda haunts me as a I take a step further into the room, and I take another glance just to make sure that I'm truly alone.
I'm just trying to find something. There's nothing wrong with me being in here.
Still, the thought that someone might see me worries me. I hurry over to Lloyd's bunk and search through his trunk of things. Recently, the boys became a lot more organized, storing their things away in designated drawers by each bed. And, with the addition to Zander to the room, it really helps to make room.
Luckily, I paid attention to which trunk was whose.
Like I thought, Lloyd's is somewhat empty, consisting of only a handful of books, extra gi, small weapons, and scrolls. A lot of scrolls than are probably necessary. I don't hesitate to grab a handful of them and scatter them around, trying to find the ones needed. It takes a while, but there's no mistaking Cole's handwriting.
I have what I came for. So, I keep that close, trying to cover up the mess I made in his drawer.
Yet, I stop.
A little peek wouldn't hurt... right?
I haven't actually seen any of Lloyd's things. I didn't even know he owned this much. And, the mass of papers piques my interest. This could be the only chance that I could get to see some of his carefully hidden possessions.
I shrug. Because after all, what he doesn't know won't hurt him.
I set Cole's notes down on Lloyd's bed for the moment, and grab a different scroll, feeling a rush of adrenaline at the thought of doing something like this. He would kill me if he knew. That only makes it better.
At first, what I find is fairly unremarkable. Just a few of his own notes, probably from lessons with Wu. Stuff about tea, dragons, relics, the sort. Nothing too interesting when taking in the fact that I'm basically attempting to get the scoop on Lloyd.
But, I don't exactly get my hopes up.
Soon enough, some photographs appear among the mass of papers, grabbing my attention. Checking once again that I'm alone, I begin to transition through a handful of them.
The first is a group photo. Smiling at me are Jay, Cole, Zane, Kai, Wu, Nya, and a younger Lloyd.
The next is somewhat similar, only taken amidst a couple of ruined buildings. In this Lloyd's older, presumably after the tomorrow's tea incident. And, there are a few more people. One, I recognize as Misako... the other is of a man I haven't met.
The next one explains it. Lloyd and the older man next to each other, smiling. He looks so different than he does now. Eyes are less green, hair is a bit shorter. He looks a little more innocent too...
But now I know who this is.
Lord Garmadon. His father. Who is now deceased.
I gently discard that photograph from my hands, placing it back in the trunk to keep it safe.
And I should have left it at that. I shouldn't have looked at the next photo.
It's of me and Lloyd... at Crystal Falls... the exact picture I had thrown away a month ago!
But how did he get it... and why...
I bite my lip, feeling guilty over the fact that I've already seen too much. And just thinking about that picture makes my stomach churn. Yet, at the same time, I'm so absorbed in looking at it. I had almost forgotten what that moment had meant to me. What it felt like.
Did he feel the same?
This is none of my business. I shouldn't have seen any of this. Just forget about it...
"Claire?"
I yelp at the sound of the voice, shoving the phots back in the trunk and grabbing the scrolls I came for to hide them behind my back.
Turning around, I'm met with Lloyd's concerned face.
"L-Loyd! It's not what you think! I was just..." His expression falters, becoming almost shocked. "I mean, I was looking for... um..."
"You said my name..." He sighs, dreamily.
Oh.
I breathe a sigh of relief, forgetting that this isn't exactly Lloyd. I'm safe... at least I hope.
"You followed me, I see..." I start, shaking my head. It just occurred to me that I'd have to find an excuse to leave him here. He'd never let me travel alone. And alone meaning without him. Even though I'm perfectly capable of flying a dragon to a tiny town a couple of miles away.
"I didn't see you next to me... and then I started to freak out because you weren't there," Lloyd walks over, surprising me by grabbing my waist and lifting me up. I shriek at the sudden elevation and when he starts to twirl before bringing me down and throwing me on his bed. I don't know what his goal was, but, it has me in a laughing fit sooner than I would ever care to admit. "Buuut... you're okay now." He smiles, crashing onto the mattress next to me. "And I couldn't be happier..."
I start to giggle as he inches closer, beginning to crawl on top of me and leaning in to kiss me. But my hands playfully push his face away, only prompting him to try harder, and resulting in me laughing harder.
"Lloyd!" I squeal when his hands begin to caress my sides, moving inwards towards my torso. His touch is light, slowly easing into something teasing as he begins to tickle me. "Sto-op it!" I laugh harder, trying to jerk away from his hold. But he remains on top of me, grinning wildly with every pointless effort I try to make in keeping him away. And, like he planned, my hands move away from his face, instead trying to swat his arms away from my lower body. Which only gives him the perfect opportunity to lock lips with mine.
Immediately, his fingers stop taunting me as they trail from my stomach to my waist, firmly grasping me in order to flip our positions; with his back on the bed and my chest against his. Even after we switch, his hands remain, with his thumbs massaging my hips in soothing circular motions. I grip his hair as he does so, pushing my mouth harder against his and holding it there.
But he has different plans. His lips, like his fingers, seem to have a rhythm; they part, then close, then part again. I draw a breath between kisses, sensing he'll come back again. He does. And thank goodness, because I haven't been kissed like this before... and I only need more. He does it again... and again... and again... and at this point, I can only feel my bones turning to mush.
The few times I've kissed Lloyd were short and sweet moments that only gave me the smallest glint of pleasure. But this is something else. This, with all the air around us, and no one else to see... it's different.
I dig my hands further into his messy blonde hair, shocked at having been kissed like this, and being overcome with the urge to stay like this all day...
No, no, no, no, no, no, I'm so stupid... what am I doing?
"What's wrong?" He mumbles, pulling away as my hands transition from twirling his hair to pushing his own hands away from my hips.
"I, um... I have to go..." I stammer, blushing profusely and tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear.
Lloyd doesn't seem offended that I broke contact. He only tilts his head curiously.
"Where are we going?" He questions, propping himself up by the elbows.
"Uhhhm... nowhere! It's nowhere!" I lie, scrambling off the bed and picking up the scrolls that had rolled off the bed. "In fact, it's nothing important, so you can just stay here!"
"What?!" He cries, springing up from his position, like he did at Borg Tower when I said he'd be sleeping in a separate room than me. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
"It'll only be for a bit," I assure him, walking towards the door with a goal to escape this whole scene. I kissed him! I kissed my ex and he doesn't even know it! Heck, I wouldn't even call that a kiss! I don't know what that was but he certainly wouldn't approve of it! This is soooo wrong!
I'm getting waaayyy too ahead of myself here. If Lloyd had a choice to do that, then heck yeah I might have gone along with it... but he DIDN'T! Oh, First Spinjitzu Master HELP ME.
"B-But-" He falls on his knees, desperately hugging my legs to stop me from moving forward.
"Lloyd!" I groan, trying to kick him away. "Get off of me!"
"I don't know what I'd do without you! Don't leave me, Claire! Puuhhleeeeeaaasse!"
Oh dear...
Aura! You're here!
Unfortunately, yes...
Any way you can help me out here?
Unfortunately, not...
You say unfortunately a lot.
Unfortunately.
I scowl, looking down at him being a baby.
"Fine!" I snap.
"Really?" He asks hopefully, removing his arms from around my legs. Unfortunately for me, the sudden weight being removed causes me to fall backwards due to an imbalance. I land on my wrist, hissing in sudden pain. "C-Claire!" He yelps, rushing to help me up. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?!"
"What?" I shake my head, looking at my sore wrist.
Lloyd does that for me, grabbing my arm and examining every part of it.
"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, I think it's broken!"
"It is not!" I yell, pulling my arm away and rubbing at where he grabbed it. "I think I just landed on it the wrong way. No biggie."
Lloyd doesn't listen. Instead he starts to hyperventilate.
"I-I-I don't know what to do!" He claims, running frustrated and worried hands through his hair. I start to stand up form where I sit on the floor, but, he sees me and pushes me back down. "No, no, no... you stay here! I'll be back, okay?!"
"Okay?"
"Don't freak out!"
With that, he leans in, kisses my cheek, and rushes down the hall. Probably to find Zane or some medicine. Probably both. And some bandages.
I see my chance here and hoist myself off the ground, picking up the papers, and running in the opposite direction to get to my room.
When I get there, Seliel is standing patiently by my door.
"Hey!" She greets me, gesturing to a bag around her shoulders. "I'm ready to go if you're-"
I don't wait for her to finish. Instead, I open the door, shove her inside, follow after her, and slam it shut, locking it.
"In light of my morning being crazy enough already, let's just agree from this point on, it's friendly conversations only! He's only going to be distracted for a few minutes. Let me get my stuff and let's hightail it out of here, sister!"
Seliel starts to giggle uncontrollably.
"SHE'S GOOONNNEEEE!" A voice rang throughout the entire ship. Everyone who had gathered in the bridge (Jay, Kai, Nya, and Cole) looked to each other with grim expressions.
"Elvira?!" Kai asked, scrambling to check the cameras. Cole looked over the Red Ninja's shoulder, shaking his head in disagreement.
"It looks like she's still there..."
"Oh shoot..." Nya started.
At that moment, Lloyd wandered into the room, panting heavily with tears streaming down his face.
"Claire's been kidnapped! You have to help me!"
"WHAT?!" All the boys said, alarmed at this development, and sharing glances of concern.
"She was not kidnapped!" Nya assured them, and Lloyd, walking over to the Green Ninja in hopes to calm him down. "She and Seliel went back to Nom to look for information. She'll be back around noon."
"She went w-without me?!" The boy cried, dramatically flailing his arms in every direction, as he paced the length of the room. "W-Well we have to go after her!"
"Why?" Jay asked, already relaxing after Lloyd's shocking entrance. (No pun intended)
"Be-Because she could be hurt!" He sternly said, scolding Jay as if it was a crime to question why they wouldn't go. "S-She could be eaten! By a lion! Or a tiger!... or a bear!"
"Oh my..." Nya sighed.
"Easy there, Green Bean," Cole coaxed, placing a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "Claire's a tough cookie. She and Sel will be fine. Right guys?"
"What's up with him?" Kai butted in, flicking Lloyd in the ear.
The blonde growled at this, lunging at Kai in order to let out his anger. Fortunately, Cole stopped him just in time.
"Kaaaiii, we're trying to keep him calm here, not make him go on an even bigger rampage!"
"Well, excuse me for being curious as to why he looks like he wants to murder everything just to get her back!"
"It's a love effect of some plant he got into," Nya explained, pushing Kai away from Lloyd. "Claire's going to try to fix it. Our job is to keep him here and try to stop him from murdering everything."
"And how are we supposed to do that?!"
"Relax..." Jay stated, lounging around on a spinning chair. Everyone-except Lloyd, who was still focused on Kai- turned to the Master of Lightning, watching a mischievous grin overtake his charming smile. "I have the perfect plan."
Jay's plan was far from perfect. In fact, it seemed pretty traumatic for what one would say is 'poor Lloyd'. Yet, everyone involved found it- for the most part- entertaining. Zane had said that the chances of Lloyd remembering this entire event were slim.
While the Green Ninja was being stalled from his trip to catch up to Claire, the original four ninja changed into their old pitch black gi. (The thing with the fabric was that it was quite stretchy, making it fit even well after their training had begun). That certainly gave them a trip down memory lane.
And Lloyd's whining and kicking only added to that.
They had jumped him, of course, pinning him to the ground and working together to shove him in a bag. They had actually managed to convince him they were working for Elvira and Lloyd caught on to the rest.
Currently, they were trying to figure out what room to lock him up in.
"IF YOU DARE TO TOUCH HER, I WILL MURDER YOU! ALL OF YOU! YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THIS!"
"Oh, I'm sure we will," Cole, who was nominated to carry the bag in which Lloyd was clawing at everything he could, chuckled.
"Hey, what about the prison block?" Jay suggested, feeling pretty good that his prank/plan had gone so well.
"Elvira's still in there, isn't she?" Kai argued. "I don't like the idea of keeping him in the same area as her."
"Geez, fine." The Master of Lightning huffed. "Just find a room with no windows and throw him in there."
"WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, YOU ARE ALL DEAD! YOU STUPID... IDIOTS!"
"Man, you'd think he'd know a proper insult by now," Cole commented, hoisting the bag up in order to keep it firmly in his grip. Lloyd gave a muffled yelp.
"Where are you taking me!"
Jay smothered a snort. "To our leader you stupid idiot!"
"H-Hey! You're a stupid idiot! Not ME!"
"Yeah, well, who's in the bag huh!?"
Lloyd thrashed again, yelling in frustration.
"LET ME OUT! I SAID LET ME OUT! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HER! YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME FIRST!"
"In this case, I believe we have already defeated you first." Zane corrected the Green Ninja.
"LET ME OUT!" The boy hollered, obviously panicking. "CLAAAIIIIRREEE! I'LL SAVE YOU!"
"Hey, question!" Jay laughed, raising his hand. "Are we ever going to allow him to live this down?"
"I HATE YOU!"
"Absolutely not." Kai chortled. "He's worshipping the same ground that his ex walks on. You think I want him to forget how ridiculous he sounds?"
"Annnnnd, there goes his reputation." Cole said. He, out of everyone in the group, probably felt the most empathy for the Green Ninja. It wasn't his fault that he had gotten into that plant. The poor kid was going to be humiliated when the reality of this settled with him. And the fact that Claire was in fact his ex girlfriend, probably only made the long term affects worse for Lloyd. Had it been any other girl, this all might have been forgotten easily. But this was Claire. Talk about awkward.
After much discussion, and Lloyd yelling the same things repeatedly, the boy's decided on a room; The hallway closet. It was a good thing he wouldn't remember any of this. Because all of them knew that was a horrid place to put him.
And all of them knew that if the kid wasn't traumatized already, locking him in a closet for however long would certainly take care of that.
So they did just that, tossing the sack in the small space, clicking the lock, and slamming the door without a single second thought.
"Well," Jay concluded, dusting off his hands after their 'mighty task'. "Problem solved."
It wasn't around noon by the time Claire and Seliel got back. It was well after four o' clock when the two girls landed on the decks of the Bounty. Unfortunately, after hours of searching, they had located the scroll Claire had originally been reading... only to find that the antidote was not mentioned. They had searched every end of that library, hoping to find something. Alas, now they were exhausted and were nowhere near to getting Lloyd fixed.
On the bright side, the Silver Ninja was quite relieved to see that the boy in question was not bombarding her as soon as she got back. The thirty minutes without his company proved to be quite relaxing, with its quietness intact...
Until she caught on that it was too quiet.
"Where's Lloyd?" She asked, mildly concerned that at this point he hadn't shown up. She had tracked down Zane in the kitchen, with Cole, Jay, and Kai playing cards on a nearby table. Heaven knows where Skylor and Nya dragged Seliel off to.
"Eh. He's fine, don't worry," Jay commented, seeming completely uninterested in answering Claire's question.
The girl furrowed her brows.
"What did you do to him?"
Even with a hint of sharpness in her voice, all the girl earned was offhanded shrugs.
Annoyed, she waved a hand at them, turning to ask Zane instead.
"Where is he?"
The nindroid cocked his head.
"In a closet near Sensei Wu's room. Why do you ask?"
Claire went pale, dreading having to ask how long Lloyd had been locked in a closet. One in which, from what she had seen... was tiny.
"Uhhhh, when did you do this?!"
"Shortly after you left, I believe. It was the most efficient way to keep him from following you in a manner that you had requested us to prevent. Correct?"
"I-I didn't tell you to lock him in a closet for a-a long time! Hours! I just said to keep him distracted! First Spinjitzu Master, you haven't let him out yet?!"
I should have let him come with me, she thought, regretting the decision to leave him behind after all.
"My apologies, Claire. I didn't know that this would contradict your personal attachment."
"Personal attachment?!" She scoffed, shifting her weight onto her other leg awkwardly. Before blushing, then crossing her arms, then putting them on her hips, then shifting her weight again. "Pft! No! I just- It's a bit SURREAL don't you think?!" She looked around, realizing everyone in the room was now looking at her. "For the love of Spinjitzu, It's really hot in here."
She glared at the other three teens, playing cards.
"Oh... yeah, it is..." Kai murmured.
"Might wanna turn down the heat in there, Zane," Jay added, pretending to wipe sweat off his forehead. "It's getting... uh, steamy."
"See?" Claire said, frantically, waving her arms about. "I'm not the only one!" Then, she turned on her heel, and walked out of the room, leaving everyone with questioning glances.
"What's up with her?" Kai chuckled, breaking the silence.
"Personal attachment. Clairoyd is totally not done, my friend." Jay chuckled, shuffling the deck.
"I'm willing to bet otherwise." Cole argued, placing a plastic bag filled with coins on the table. "Thirty bucks. And, they were totally a Cloyd, fyi."
Jay's eyes went wide.
"Deal! And Cloyd is a stupid name, no offense."
"Cloyd!"
"Clairoyd!"
"Cloyd!"
Kai, however, stared at the spot where Claire had disappeared. And the longer he thought about that strange interaction, bits and bits of information started to make sense. With that knowledge, he smiled, knowing sooner or later things would be heating up.
Cloyd or Clairoyd xD THESE QUESTIONS NEED ANSWERING!
So, I said the challenge was thinking of filler... but I had thought of a lot of filler and I want to use all of it xD However, if I included it all in this chapter, it'd be hecking long, SO, y'all are getting a Fluff Part 2 ^.^ YAAAYYYYYY.
I'm way too tired, so let's just get down to business xD Hehe, I admit that I did forget to give someone a shoutout last time... but that's cuz there's so many of you to keep track of! I'm overwhelmed! So, thanks to ally239 for following a while back. So sorry to leave you out there (If I forget ANY of you guys, please TELL ME so I can FIX IT xD You all deserve my thanks!) ^.^ And more thanks to those who reviewed: legocameragirl, MiraculousFanGirl22, sunny, and EnergyBlastNinjaWriter
legocameragirl: Refer to above xD Yes, there's a second book... and a third. Funzies to last a while ^.^ As for the ending? Idk. It'll seem KINDA sad, I guess. It might tug at your heartstrings a little.
And the different paths Aura mentioned? Umm... I can give you a number? Ummmmmmmm (Looks up the chapter cuz the fricking author doesn't even know what she wrote xD) 13? 13 of those will come true! So... yeah. This fic will be long, fam :D Also, thanks! I love all the support everyone gives to this fic ^.^ You included! Your reviews really leave me smiling, so, thank you!
MiraculousFanGirl22: Nice guess, my friend :D (We already chatted about this xD) Thanks for your feedback!
sunny: Ain't no request I can't handle! Iiissshhh
EB: Easter Bunny's BACK?! I mean, as long as we're revisiting old nicknames, is it fair if you take on the name Eva again? xD I still love that one ^.^
Yeah, her eyes definitely relate to her powers... but, I specifically remember making Aura's eyes silver too ;D It has stuff to do with that whole Awakening thingy.
HA! YOU BETTER BE JELLY! This right here is pure gold when it comes to FLUFF! Step up the game all you want, I got more where this came from!... In book THREE!
Ey, I'm tired xD I'll leave it off here I guess :D Peace out!
~Rain