It takes two
Chapter 20
Divided we fall
HAPPY 20TH CHAPTER! I can't believe this story has twenty chapters now. I know I said this last chapter, but I just have to say it again. Thank you all so much! But a special thanks to PrincePacman47 and Marysue9087 for being just great, kind people and amazing authors who have amazing stories! Go check out MarySue's 'Forgotten Family' and 'Changed fates!' And don't forget PrincePacmans 'Ninjago texts' and 'The next tournament of elements!'
PrincePacman47: I tried to give everyone the spotlight in the last chapter, because everyone had their own stuff going on, so i'm glad that you've seemed to pin it all down. Lloyd is definitely not one to ever stop believing in people, no matter what. So that'll be a fun little trait to play around with :) The ninja are definitely not going to let Lloyd do anything on his own anymore, and are going to try and stick by him. But now's the time to start questioning if the path they're on is the right one...
Garmadon can feel his daughters surrender, relinquishing all control over to him. But he can also feel what she can't. He can feel his daughters rage, her heartbreak, her need for revenge. Her feelings are so strong that it's almost like their Garmadons own.
He forces more energy into the mental barrier between his mind and his daughters. Her emotions towards Lloyd are a weakness. Something to be exploited and used against her. People say Garmadon doesn't love his children, but he is not the man he was back then. He's something new, something better, something stronger.
Garmadon loves his daughter, but she needs to get her priorities straight, figure out whose team she's on. And until then...well, she can stay locked up in her own mind. But the dark lord is also not an idiot. And he knows his powers right now come from his daughter. Liv is powerful, more powerful than she'll ever understand. And Garmadon needs to unlock her true potential.
And the only way to do that is to make sure Lloyd is dead. Then he'll have unlocked his true potential, along with his daughters, and they'll be unstoppable! He just needs his daughter to let herself go, pull down the curtains she has over her powers and really use them.
But, once again, Garmadon is not stupid. And he knows the only thing holding Liv back is her crushing guilt and sorrow over Lloyd, and if she sees him alive… That will ruin his hold on her. The wall of a small village comes into view, and Garmadon smirks, no better way to show who's in charge than rubbing salt in open wounds.
The village sends one man, in nothing but rags and a cheap helmet with a flimsy sword. Some of the Sons of Garmadon laugh at the pathetic sight, but Liv just turns on her side in the void, hands pressed tightly over her ears and eyes screwed shut.
"Your village is surrounded." Harumi says, gesturing towards the line of gangsters circling the village. "Kneel before your new emperor!"
Garmadon steps out from behind the crowd, blood red eyes staring menacingly at the shaking villager. He's brave, Garmadon will give him that, but he's too brave for his own good. "We will never kneel." Says the villager, shaking like a cat in a thunderstorm. "Our people have already taken up arms, we will fight if need be."
This makes Garmadon growl, he places his hands on his hips. "Taken up arms?" He says, mockingly. The villager takes a step back. Harumi slithers around to Garmadons side, her white hair flowing in the wind as she moves.
"They know not of your power, my emperor." She whispers into his ear, voiced filled with sweet, poisonous honey. "Show them. Show all of them...how to kneel…"
Garmadons fists blaze, violet flashes dancing around him as he summons his true potential. Stones rise from the ground, slowly at first, then faster and faster as they come together, binding to form Three massive stone giants. Garmadon doesn't even break a sweat.
The bikers laugh and cheer, and the villagers shake harder. Dropping his sword in the dirt. The other citizens, safe inside the walls of the village, cower as they stare up at the three giants. Harumi forces a smirk from her lips.
"Please, forgive us." The villager pleads, bowing down in front of Garmadon, "Emperor Garmadon."
When the ninja all but ran into Mystakés tea shop, the elderly woman took one look at the pale, limp blond teen in Kai's arms, and immediately cleared a table. "I saw what happened on the news." Is all Mystaké says before she disappeared behind her beaded curtain.
Jay places a damp rag over the green ninja's forehead. Lloyd's eyes are screwed shut, sweat collecting on his furrowed brows. "He's - I can't...too much - help her-" He mutters, taking in shallow, choppy breaths.
The ninja look on in silence, all they can do is wait for Mystaké to finish the healing tea. But Kai still feels like there's more he can be doing than sitting here while his little brother lies on a table in the middle of a tea shop dying!
No one needs to ask what Lloyd means when he says "Help her." Because they don't need to. It's all Lloyd's been talking about since he woke up. And despite his rage towards Liv for what she did - what she's allowed to happen, he still feels bad for her, because it genuinely looked like she wasn't in control. And Kai's gotten pretty good at telling when someones not really themselves, courtesy of Morro possessing his brother for weeks.
No one had the heart to chew Lloyd out or lecture him about what he did in Kryptarium. The rushing in without a plan, ignoring his family's warnings, and being an overall bleeding heart for the wrong people.
But Kai isn't really mad at Lloyd. After all, if it was Nya, he would've done the same thing. In fact, Kai did do the same thing. When he first became a ninja, when Nya was kidnapped by Lord Garmadon and his skeleton army, he rushed in without a plan. Alone. Desperate to save his sister. So Kai understands Lloyds pain right now, he really does. But what hurts more is that after everything, after everything they've been through as a team, as best friends, as a family, Kai thought that Lloyd would trust them when they said that they would find another way.
Alas, trust was always something Lloyd struggled with. And his trust issues have probably just doubled in size with Harumi alone.
Mystaké finally emerges from her backroom, one light blue tea cup in her bony hands. "Please help her." Lloyd says again. Jay wipes his sweating forehead again, and Nya takes Lloyds hand in hers. Remembering her promise to him on the bounty.
"You're gonna be okay. And we're gonna make sure she's okay, too. I promise."
This is a promise Nya will not break. This is something that will not be tampered with. All Lloyds ever wanted was his family, and that's been constantly ripped away from him. Nya will not let his sister be ripped away from him. She's going to bring her back, and Lloyd's going to be there to see it. He's going to be able to talk to her without the walls, hug her without fear, she's going to be there for him and he's going to be there for her.
It's the least Nya can do for him.
"It's ready." Mystaké says.
"Is it - going to make him better?" Cole asks, fidgeting with his gloved fingers.
Mystakés eyes drift back towards the half-conscious blond on her table, then back into the swirling cup of tea. "It will heal his wounds...but." Mystaké finally says, her eyes grim as she looks at the ninja.
"There's always a 'but.'" Kai sighs, propping his head up in his hands. He's willing to do anything for Lloyd, but they have to stop jumping into situations like this with no plan. That's what got him and his family into this whole mess in the first place.
"It comes with a price." Mystaké hisses, her tone low.
Zane, ever the one for sacrifices, replies confidently. "Whatever it is, we will pay it." He says, his expression nothing short of pure, unbridled determination.
"I will take no coin for this." The elder says. She's helped the family of the First Master for so long, healing Lloyd is nothing. And besides, how could she? These crazy teenagers that have the weight of the world on their shoulders, the world and so much more. Each other, their pride, the whole city...maybe even the whole country is depending on them… Mystaké is glad to help such noble people.
But, the price for this might be too high.
"I speak of a price for you and your friend." Mystaké says. "Each of you must lay a hand upon him. The tea will focus your elemental powers to save him, but it may use up all the power you have left…"
Jay shakes his head. "Are you saying that to save him-" He gestures to Lloyd on the table "-we could lose our elemental power?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not." It's a huge maybe, and they all know it. Kai takes a breath, trying to think this through. Lloyd wouldn't even hesitate if it were anyone of the guys, or Nya, or Liv. He would jump right in, rational thinking be damned.
And Kai knows he would do it, too. So he has to stop himself from placing a hand on Lloyd, he has to really think about what Lloyd would want. Lloyd wouldn't want them to lose their powers for him, he would without hesitation, make the sacrifice. He would tell them that the city, his sister, them, that they were more important than him. That he brought this on himself, and now he has to live with the consequences
And that's what's killing Kai. He knows exactly what Lloyd would do...and he doesn't want to do it.
Lloyd tries to sit up, a pain racked shudder escapes him, and that seals the deal for the rest of the team. "Do it." Nya says, confidently.
Keep their powers, have an actual chance at stopping the Sons of Garmadon, but lose a brother? Lose Lloyd?
The city or Lloyd?
Lloyd or the city?
It's killing him, but it's what Lloyd would do. Lloyd would do it to save his brothers, save his sisters. Now Kai has to respect that choice.
Kai chooses the city.
"Wait!" He says, drawing the attention to him. "You don't just jump into decisions like this. I mean-" Kai starts, his friends look at him in surprise. They weren't expecting Kai of all people to second guess this.
"You're just worried about yourself!" Cole accuses, crossing his arms.
"Maybe I am." Kai states. "Rushing into things like this is how we lose. Lloyd learned that the hard way...we all saw how powerful Liv - I mean, Garmadon is. Without our elemental powers...what chance do we have?"
Silence follows, and no one says anything. So Kai continues. "What would Lloyd do? He wouldn't want us to sacrifice our powers for him, we all know he wouldn't. And that's just who Lloyd is, and we can't keep trying to change that." Kai says with a sigh. "Lloyd would want us to save Liv. To use our powers to save her. And the city."
No one says anything. Kai can see the indecision in their faces, no one wants to let Lloyd die. But no one can think of an alternative, either. Sensei would know what to do, Kai thinks. Even in his current state, he'd give them something. But no, they left him with Misako.
"There is an alternative solution." Mystaké says after a while. Hope lights like a fire in the expressions of the ninja. But Kai tries to snuff it.
Hoping is what got Lloyd where he is now, and Kai will not let his hard earned wisdom go to waste. Lloyd is their temporary-master-in-training, and it's about time they start listening to him.
"Tell us, please." Nya says, her eyes desperately skirting over Lloyd's shaking form.
"Lloyd's sister, Liv, used her limited green energy to help Lloyd, did she not?" Mystaké says, placing the tea cup on the table.
The ninja nod, they'd heard Lloyd talking to himself during the fight in Krypterium, saw his green energy glow and grow stronger. They just hadn't known it was Liv who was helping him. If there was any doubt who's side Liv was on now, it was crushed.
"Liv's energy is still in him. Different from Lloyd's, but still the same. I can brew something that will focus solely on Liv's energy, but Liv herself would have to help wake him up." Mystaké finishes, already stepping behind her beaded curtain.
"How can Liv wake him up if she's not here?" Jay says, looking towards the shop window as if his best friend would come running through.
"How did you think Lloyd woke up the first time." The elderly shop owner says with a mischievous grin. Leaving the ninja to wonder how, exactly, she knew that.
Once again, Mystaké comes out of the back room, pushes aside the beaded curtains, and tells the ninja that the tea is ready. And this time, there is no but. Jay and Nya lift Lloyd's head so he can drink the tea. Mystake pours a small sip, and then the lightning and water elementals slowly ease Lloyd's head back down.
The effect of the tea is immediate.
Lloyd groans, seizing up a bit. His eyes flash a brilliant green before fading to violet, then they go dull scarlet, and Lloyd falls back under as fast as he'd woken up. Kai places a hand on Lloyd's shoulder, shaking him a bit.
"Isn't he supposed to wake up?" Cole asks, worry lacing his voice.
"He will wake up when his sister deems it so. Now, we must wait." Mystaké answers, disappearing behind her curtain.
He can hear everything. But can say nothing
Lloyd wakes up under the stars again, the same girl that he recognizes now as his sister. "Hey." He says, walking towards her.
"Hey." Liv says, lying in the sand. "The stars are beautiful tonight."
Lloyd briefly wonders why she's still here, but he can't bring himself to mind. At least she is. "Yeah, it is." He says instead, sitting down next to her.
"I would tell you to wake up, but I can't do that."
"What do you mean?" Lloyd looks at Liv quizzically. "You woke me up last time, what's so different now?"
"What's different now." Liv says, propping herself up on her palms. "Is that i'm not really her. I'm not really Liv. I'm what you want to see, what you want to hear."
Lloyd stands up, turning away from the blond girl in front of him. He's lost his mind. "If you're not her, then who are you?"
"Your grandfather."
Lloyd stops pacing, looking at the girl in front of him with wide eyes. Now he knows he's lost his mind. "My - what?"
"Your grandfather." Liv...or his grandfather says, bluntly. "And I can't help you this time, and neither can your sister."
Lloyd looks at his grandfather at the mention of Liv. "What do you mean?" He asks. Lloyd feels like he's getting answers to questions he never asked, and no answers for the ones he did.
"She can't help you anymore because she doesn't believe you are alive. She thinks that you are dead, and that it was her fault." Lloyd's grandfather sighs, lying back down on the sand. Lloyd sits next to him, albeit hesitantly, this is the first spinjitzu master after all.
"She...thinks she killed me?" Lloyd says after a bit.
"Yes. That is why it is me you see, and not her." The first master explains, somberly. "I'm here to wake you up, but I can only guide you to the path. You must choose to walk it."
"I want to walk it." Lloyd says without hesitation. He wants to go back, he can hear everything that his friends are saying, and he needs to go back. He needs to make sure that they're all okay, and he needs to show Liv that he's alive.
The first master doesn't question him, only stands. Lloyd follows him towards Kryptarium prison. Lloyd tense as he gets closer, memories of the battle flashing in his mind. His grandfather shoots him a kind, but grim smile as he stops just in front of the prison wall.
"The path you have chosen to walk is one of sorrow, and suffering. Things will happen that you will not be able to stop, but I will give you the choice to change them." The FSM pauses, studying Lloyds reaction."
"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, do you wish to see the path you are about to walk?"
The green ninja takes a breath, looking at the prison wall. "I want to see the path."
The First Master nods, waving a hand over the stone. The world twists and turns around him, the sand beneath his feet replaced with hard stone. The stars were replaced with a cloudy sky. And now he's not in the middle of nowhere in front of a prison wall, but in the middle of the city, the roar of a dragon pierces the silence, as Lloyd sits on the roof of Borg Tower, a body clutched to his chest.
The first master looks at the blond boy before the world around Lloyd switches to get a close view of the scene unfolding on the tower. A blond girl is in Lloyds arms, brilliant green eyes flicker from green to red, green to red. The image shifts again, closer. And Lloyd can make out her face, all the flecks of red in her green eyes and the violet sparks fizzling around her.
Liv is in his arms.
And Liv is dying.
The Lloyd that he sees is crying, a hand cupped around his dying sister's hand. "Not your fault." Lloyd hears her say. "Never your fault, you hear me?"
Lloyd himself is crying now, reaching out to touch what isn't really there. "I don't want you to leave, not again." The Lloyd from his vision says. Liv holds the hand on her cheek, coughing. "I don't want to say goodbye."
"It's - it's not a goodbye, little brother." Liv says. "It's...just a...see you later." Liv says,shuddering again. "See you later, littler brother. See you later, Lloyd."
The green ninja that Lloyd sees is screaming once the hand in his falls away, once those jade green eyes close and don't open back up, when his sister exhales, but the inhale never follows. The world shifts for a final time, and Lloyd is back under the stars.
He stumbles, falling into the sand with a strangled gasp. "What you saw is your path. It is her path. It is the future." The First Master says, grimly.
"No." Lloyd says, shaking. "No no no! She can't!" He screams.
"I have shown you the path so you can walk it, and if you can, prevent it." His grandfather says, placing a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "Preventing destiny is a feat no one has accomplished, but it is not impossible."
Lloyd stands, wiping his eyes with determination. "I'll make it possible. I will not let her die."
Lloyd wakes up with a gasp, his eyes shooting open. "Liv!" He shouts, tears still in his eyes.
Nya and Mystaké come running from the back room of the tea shop. "Lloyd!" Nya says, coming over to him. She places a hand on his back, helping him sit up. "What is it?"
Lloyd looks away, squeezing his eyes shut. "I had a dream. Of - Of Liv, and me." His voice breaks as Lloyd starts to sob. Nya pulls him into a tight embrace. "She died, Nya. I saw her die."
"Liv is not dead, Lloyd." Nya says, confidently. "I promised you that she'd be okay, I'm going to keep that promise."
A rumble shakes the tea shop. Glasses falling to the ground and dust falling from the ceiling. "You have to leave." Mystaké says, worriedly.
"Wha - What's going on?" Lloyd says, slowly easing himself off the table. Nya pushes him back, careful of his injuries.
"Garmadon, he's doing something big. The guys are already checking it out, but Lloyd." Nya says, taking his hand. "The cities in panic, something big, very big, is happening."
"Do you still have your powers?" Mystaké asks, but she looks like she already knows the answer. Nya looks at Lloyd expectantly.
Lloyd tries to summon a ball of green energy to his hands, but he's met with a crushing emptiness. He can't feel anything, like he's been shoved underwater. The usual influence his power has on him is muffled, gone.
He tries again, grunting with strain. His eyes flash a dull green, but nothing more. And with a few blinks, the emerald in his irises is gone. Replaced with their natural red. "I can't." He says. "Why can't i-?"
"That's okay, you're alive, and that's all you need to know." Nya says, helping Lloyd to his feet. The blond lies back down, closing his eyes.
"Without my powers...I can't - I can't defeat my father. I can't save - save Liv." Lloyd says in between shallow gasps. Mystaké looks at him with sad eyes, and Nya tries to pull him back up without hurting him.
"No, don't say that Lloyd." Nya chokes, her eyes watering. Thunder shakes the building, and they all look towards the door. "Do you have any strength left?"
Lloyd sighs softly before slowly moving to stand. He nods, and Nya helps him off the table. His ankle buckles, but she's there to catch him. Mystaké walks them to the door, cold rain soaks their clothes, but they pay it no mind.
Nya and Lloyd walk down the quiet, abandoned streets. The water ninja slips one hand under Lloyd, and the other goes to her trident. She scans the street for SoGs as she helps Lloyd limp down the road.
"Wait!" Mystaké calls after them, running out into the rain with a bundle of green cloth in her hands. "Take this with you." She says, handing Lloyd the green bunch of cloth. She whispers something in his ear, and Lloyd smiles softly.
"You may not have power, but that was never what made you powerful. It was knowing what to do, and when to do it." Mystaké says, confident eyes boring into Lloyds dull red ones. Nya smiles, leading Lloyd back down the street to get Misako.
"Go, Ninja! The end is not the end, but only a new beginning!" Mystaké calls after them before running back inside her tea shop. The lights of the shop go off, the door locked, and the curtains closed.
The stone colossus rumbles down the streets. Crushing cars and knocking over lamp posts. The ninja stumble into an alley, their gis soaked. "Of all the big things we've fought." Jay gasps, hands on his knees. "This is the biggest!" He says, flailing his arms. The panic in his eyes is unsettling. Him and Nya should be in their element! With all the rain and lightning, they could easily take down the colossus with a well placed blast of crackling, deadly lightning.
"We need the bounty!" Cole says. The others nod, already turning towards Mystakés shop where they landed it. A part of Cole wonders if Lloyd's woken up, but they don't have the time to run in and see.
The Samurai X mech pops up behind them, making the ninja jump. "Go! I'll keep it busy!" She orders, flying towards the colossus.
The ninja sprint from the alley towards the tea shop, running between the colossuses' giant stone legs and splashing in puddles of rain. Garmadon and Harumi watch from atop a building. Harumi smirks at the destruction. Garmadon turns his head, grunting.
"What is it?" Harumi asks, eyeing the dark lord.
"My brother." Garmadon hisses, turning to walk back inside the building. "He's near."
Misako and young Wu sit in front of the circular window, watching the rain in destruction beyond the glass. The strike of lightning and the roar of thunder shakes the building. Little Wu reaches a small hand up to Misako, and the archeologist takes it, giving the small hand a squeeze.
"My brother is coming." Wu says, his big eyes locked with Misakos.
"How do you know?" Misako asks, kneeling down next to the small child.
"I know." Is all he says, but Misako doesn't mind. She scopes up the small boy, walking towards the door. The door's weak hinges creak, but Misako ignores it, clutching Wu to her chest and looking down the hall.
The child shrieks, and Misakos eyes flick to the left. Her daughter's bright scarlet eyes stare back at her. The black and purple of her gi making the blond teen look like a menacing shadow. "What has happened to you?" Misako whispers, Wu buries his head into her shoulder, and Misako backs away.
Garmadon responds with a blast of stolen power. The flame of dark energy shoots towards Misako, and the elderly woman turns her back, shielding Wu. A sliver blur rushes past Misako, grabbing the archaeologist and moving her out of the line of fire. Misako looks up, smiling at Nya. The water ninja glares at the teen across the hall.
Lloyd slides up behind them, his expression determined as he faces down Liv. The corrupted teen falters, a bit of Liv peaking through the cracks. "Lloyd!" Shouts Wu. The green ninja smiles, and Nya shoves Wu into his hands, turning back to Liv.
Liv's eyes shoot open at the name, she stumbles to look through her stolen eyes, gasping at the sight of her brother. Tears roll down Livs face, she can still see the bruises, but Lloyds alive, and that's enough for her.
She throws herself at the barrier holding her back, but, expecting this, Garmadon pushes more energy into the shield. Her knuckles are bloody and her shoulder aches, but Liv keeps throwing herself at the blockade.
Garmadon stumbles, and Lloyd steps forward, he knows Livs fighting, he can feel it. "Go, Lloyd!" Nya yells at him, pushing him towards the exit. "Get Wu outta here! We'll hold him back."
"But, I-" Lloyd starts
"Please, Lloyd! Don't worry, just go!" Nya says again.
The green ninja huffs, but he turns and limps down the hall as fast as he can. Misako and Nya turn back towards Garmadon, who was leaning and muttering to himself against the wall. "You sure you're up for this?" Nya says to Misako, her eyes never leaving Liv.
"My husband has taken over my daughter, my brother in law is now a toddler, and there's a stone giant terrifying the city. I'm up for anything." Misako says,getting into a fighting position. Nya smiles, huffing a laugh as the two charge.
"This way." Lloyd says, pushing open the door to the rooftop. Little Wu waddles after him. From the roof, Lloyd can finally see the colossus. And it is huge, smashing buildings in it's way and knocking over power lines with ease. The blond stumbles back, turning to go the other way when a white haired girl jumps down in front of him.
"Running will do you no good." Harumi says, a hand on her hip.
"Is this what you want? To destroy the city, create more victims?" Lloyd says, gesturing around at the city. Something flickers in Harumi's eyes, but it's gone too fast for Lloyd to tell what it was. The quiet one masks it with a sneer.
"Just think how many more will be made like you." Lloyd continues, he can feel little Wu's small hands digging into his leg, and Lloyd shields the child, a hand already reaching for him if he needs to make a run for it.
"This isn't what you want. And Liv wouldn't want this, either." Lloyd says. He can pinpoint the emotion in Harumi's eyes now. Regret. Longing. But once again, it's masked.
"Oh Lloyd, how could you possibly know what I want, or what she wants?" Harumi sneers, a hand reaching behind her back. "Besides, this is just the beginning." She says, pulling out the mask of hatred.
Panic floods Lloyd. He hasn't seen what that mask does to someone, and he doesn't want to know. Grabbing Wu, the green ninja holds the child close to his chest as he sprints in the other direction. He's vaguely aware that he's heading towards the colossus, but he'll take his chances with a stone giant than Harumi.
The edge of the rooftop comes faster than Lloyd had thought, and he stifles a cry as he leaps from it on to the next. His ankle explodes with sharp needles of pain that snake up his leg, but he ignores it and keeps running. He's also ignoring the crushing pain he gets when he breathes and the gaping whole where his powers should be.
Lloyd can hear Harumi's yell from behind him as she puts on the Oni mask, he runs faster towards the latter at the end of the roof, and he wastes no time climbing up. It's a little harder one handed, but he manages. When he gets to the top of the ladder, Lloyd's faced with a choice.
There's another ladder that leads downward towards another building, but that leads towards an alley, and if Harumi corners him, it's over. And the other option is a thick pole that leads to the roof of another building. He stomps his ankle on the ground, testing it. It doesn't immediately buckle, but the needles of pain are still there. Lloyd runs towards the pole and hopes he still has somewhat good balance.
He wobbles a bit with the weight of little Wu, but rights himself immediately and continues down the pole. He runs down the roof and jumps atop an air conditioning unit, and down another roof when Harumi leaps in front of him.
She's covered head to toe in stone, with eerie purple cracks peeking through the pale grey rock. On instinct, he throws an arm out in front of him, trying to summon green to his hands. He's met with that same empty hole. He tries again, and Harumi just laughs.
"Where are your powers, Lloyd? As your city falls?!" She mocks, stepping closer towards him. Lloyd brings a hand to Wu, holding the child tighter. He stops at the edge of the building. They're two bulky, big iron rods in front of him, with other smaller poles running in a zig-zag pattern in between them. The pole is about five feet below him.
Young Wu clings to Lloyd's neck, little hands clutching his gi. Lloyd holds him closely, turning back to see Harumi running towards him. He closes his eyes, leaping down to the pole. His ankle chooses now to buckle. Lloyd stops, taking a sharp breath. He gingerly tests his foot again before he continues to run.
He gets to the top of the pole and grabs hold of a metal railed balcony, hauls himself over on top, stops briefly to catch his breath, and then he's running again. Lloyd runs to the end of the building, ready to jump again, but there's no more buildings below him. Nothing but the road, he's way too high to jump without becoming a pancake, and forming his elemental dragon is out of the question like his powers. He was worried about Harumi backing him into a corner. Turns out he backed in himself.
"The Sons of Garmadon could always use one more." Harumi says from behind him, her voice deep and distorted by the mask and it's dark power. "Join us."
Lloyd looks back down towards the ground, closing his eyes in defeat. Harumi grows ever closer, and little Wu clutches Lloyds gi. "Yeah…" Lloyd breathes, Looking at Harumi. "That never works." And with that, Lloyd throws himself off the building. He can hear Harumi's surprised yelp over the rush of air before he collides with the metal top of a skytram. He rolls at the last second, sitting down on the sky tram to catch his breath and relax his aching body.
Harumi rips off the mask of hatred, glaring daggers at Lloyd's receding silhouette. "The imbecile!" She says through gritted teeth. "He could've killed himself! He-"
Harumi stops mid-word. Why does she care if Lloyd kills himself or not? Because then you can't! Deep down, Harumi knows that's not the right answer, so she stocks away instead, slipping the Oni mask back on as she chases down the sky tram.
"I have Wu!" Lloyd says into his comlink, his grasp tightens on the child as the sky tram makes a sharp turn. "Can anyone hear me? Where is everyone?"
Lloyd looks around, adjusting his grip on Wu. He can see Killow, Ultra Violet, and a dozen more bikers following him, and he knows that Harumi will find him soon. Lloyd sighs, the thought of her, her name, it all hurts far more than any knife.
The flashes of Livs death remind Lloyd of his mission. The only thing Lloyd shares with Harumi now is Liv, and right now, Lloyd's not so sure about that. So Him and the Quiet One share nothing, Lloyd tells himself. Maybe one day he'll believe it.
Lloyd's radio crackles to life in his ear, then-
"We hear you loud and clear!" Kai says, as the bounty flies into view. If this was a movie, Lloyd is positive that heroic music would start playing. Kai's megawatt smile is visible even from the deck of the bounty a couple feat away. The fire ninja waves at him, as Zane stirs the ship a bit closer towards the sky tram. Little Wu laughs brightly, and Lloyd beams at his brothers.
"Jump!" Cole yells. Lloyd looks to the ground far below them, then to the bounty that's too far away.
"It's too far!" Lloyd shouts back.
"Get us closer!" Jay tells Zane, and the bounty turns, narrowly avoiding running into a building.
"She's as close as I can get her!" Zane says, pulling up to fly over a highway before coming back down to Lloyd.
There are a few more bikers below them now, and Lloyd gulps. Unbeknownst to him, Harumi sprints after her men, leaping over buildings with the enhancement of the Oni mask. She can see the Destiny's Bounty now, hovering close to a sky tram, and Harumi runs faster.
"Careful!" Kai warns Zane as they dodge another building.
"Are you actually doubting my ability to closely approximate the true value of our surroundings?" Zane snaps, his brows furrowed in concentration. "I'm a nindroid."
The few seconds the ninja were distracted were all Harumi needed to leap onto the sky tram. Lloyd gasps, slowly stepping back as Harumi advances. Out of the corner of his eyes, Lloyd can hear Cole ask if it's Liv or Harumi, and Jay smacking him (On the shoulder, FSM forbid you smack the jacked earth ninja with super strength on the face), while hissing at him that that's "clearly Harumi!" Kai's expression darkens, and he readies himself to jump over to help Lloyd if need be.
"Give me the child! Your sister wants her uncle back!" Harumi growls, pointing a finger in what Lloyd guesses is his corrupted sister's direction.
"Lloyd, jump!" Kai yells, desperation in his amber eyes. "You can make it!"
Lloyd takes a breath, gauging the distance between him and Harumi, then him and the bounty, and decides it's worth the risk. He takes a step, then jumps. Harumi grabs his leg,and Lloyds expression dissolves into panic and pain. He lets go of Wu with a shout of, "Catch him!" Before Harumi throws him down onto the sky tram. Lloyd grunts, rubbing his back.
"What - No!" Cole yells as he pushes past Kai and Jay, launching himself over the bounty's rails to grab Wu. Jay leans over the reals to grab Coles feet, and Kai leans to grab Jay's. Cole uses his momentum to flip back onto the bounty.
Zane breathes a sigh of relief, turning back ahead of him just in time to gasp in panic. He swiftly stirs the bounty away from the highrise they almost crashed into. They make a sharp half circle around and away from the highrise, but also away from Lloyd.
"We have to go back." Kai states, leaning over the rails to try and spot the sky tram Lloyd's on.
"I'll circle around." Zame says, turning the bounty around and back towards Lloyd.
"You shouldn't have done that." Harumi seethes, turning on Lloyd. The green ninja forces himself to stand, meeting Harumi with a determined glare.
Harumi lunges towards him, her stone fist aimed for Lloyd's face, he turns, grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her. The quiet one rams her elbow into Lloyd's ribs, and he stumbles back, coughing.
Harumi swings her fist at him again and again, faster and faster. Lloyd ducks and dodges everyone sloppily. His eyes close as Harumi clips his shoulder, pain flaring like a firework.
Zane can see the Sky tram ahead of them now, two silhouettes dancing a deadly dance. His worry spikes for Lloyd, and he speeds up a bit. Making a turn to follow the sky tram when-
A giant, stone hand reaches up and snags the stern of the destiny's bounty. The ship shakes as another hand reaches for the bow. Vibrant, violet eyes stare back at Zanes blue panicked ones. Zane quickly reaches to reverse the thrusters, but the colousesses grip is as strong as the stone that created it.
The colossus adjusts it's grip on the flying ship, stone hands slowly crushing the bounty to pieces. Bits of the bounty fall away into an alley below as Zane tries to get away from the giants literally crushing grip.
"No!" Lloyd yells, thrashing against Harumi's hold on his neck, his hand reaching for the bounty. Or for powers that won't listen.
"This is the end, Lloyd." Harumi says, switching her grip to hold Lloyd over the side of the sky tram. "Watch to see how you lose it all!"
The bounty shudders, the violet eyes of the colossus never Leaving the four ninja panicking in the bridge. "Hands off, you big oaf!" Jay yells, gripping the control panel with white knuckles. "We just had a repair!"
"What'd we do?!" Kai shouts, arms wrapped around a table.
" I dunno!" Cole yells back. Wu's little hands tighten around his neck, and Cole closes his eyes.
"I can't break free from it's hold!" Zane says, looking back at his brother.
The mast splinters, sending small pieces of wood everywhere as the sails fall to the ground. A thruster falls into an alley along with the rest of their crumbling ship, and little Wu thrashes in Cole's arms.
"We have to go!" He says.
"What do you think we're trying to do?" Cole retorts, tightening his hold on Wu as the bounty shudders and more pieces fall away.
Young Wu smacks Coles bulky, sleeveless arms. Gesturing wildly. "We have to go!"
Jay stops screaming enough to process what little Wu's saying. And he swears that an actual light bulb and little ding go off in his head as he turns to face Cole. "To...go." Jay whispers, before his expression lights up, a hand reaching for his pocket.
"'For your time of need...tea to go!" He gasps, remembering what Mystaké told them before they left the tea shop. "I think this is why she gave us this!" He yells, pulling out the crumpled tea bag the elderly woman gave him.
"Well? What are you waiting for?! It's not like we're about to be crushed to death or anything!" Kai says, looking at Jay expectantly.
Steamrolling over the comment, Jay steps forwards, opening the paper bag. A pale, yellow light explodes from the bag, along with dozens of golden yellow tea leaves floating from the bag. The ninja stare in awe as the flowers circle around them, glowing like golden stars.
The crackling of the bow is drowned out by the tinkling of bells filling the bridge. The leaves look like glistening flowers swirl around the ninja, shimmering brighter and brighter. They flow from the bag endlessly, circling around the ninja like wind.
"Go!" Says little Wu.
"Go where?" Cole asks the child, smiling a bit despite their predicament.
"I feel funny…" Jay says, wobbling a bit.
"What's happening?!" Kai yells, clutching the rails of the bounty as the swirling of golden leaves glows brighter and brighter, the world shifts, and the hard, splintering wood is replaced with soft sand.
There's a blinding flash of pale golden light, causing the four ninja to shield their eyes. And then the light is gone, and the paper bag falls to the floor along with the golden tea leaves. The bridge of the destiny's bounty is empty, no ninja aboard as the ship is crushed to bits.
Lloyd jerks away as the colossus stone hands smash the bounty in it's palms, chunks of his home crashing to the ground. "NO!" Lloyd screams, his voice breaking as a hand shoots out towards the bounty that's no longer there. The colossus wipes its hands together, dismissing the leftover evidence of wood. The knife in Lloyd's heart just twists deeper at the sight.
Lloyd's hand lowers in defeat, his bottom lip quivering and his dull, scarlet eyes welling with hot tears. "This - This is what I wanted." Harumi says, voice dripping with triumph. "To see your fathers return, and for you to lose everything!" She says as she drags him back onto the sky tram and drops him onto the cold metal. Lloyd wishes she would've just dropped him off the sky tram.
The green ninja sits defeated and broken on the sky tram, fat tears rolling down his cheeks in waves. Smoak rises from buildings and homes, and sirens echo throughout the city. Reminding Lloyd of the world that's still here, the world that wasn't just crushed.
Is this how Liv felt? Lloyd wonders. Is this how she felt when she thought I was dead?
"How does it feel to see the end?" Worse than death. "How does it feel to watch as your loved ones fall just beyond your grasp?" Like he's screaming in a crowded room and no one even looks up. Harumi leans in close to Lloyd's ear and says, "That's how I feel. That's how I felt when you murdered my parents, green ninja."
Lloyd hates this crushing sorrow, he feels like he's drowning. Air is all around him, but he just can't reach it. His home a few blocks away, and yet it's just too far. He can't do this. Without them. He can't do this without his home. He can't do this without the support of Cole. He can't do this without the joy of Jay. He can't do this without the kind heartedness of Zane. He can't do this without the wisdom of Wu. He can't do this without the protection of Kai.
He just can't.
And Harumi knows this.
Which is why he must prove her wrong.
Wiping tears from his broken eyes, Lloyd turns his head slightly so he can see Harumi from the corner of his eye. "No." Lloyd whispers, determination rolling off of him in waves. "I won't let it do to me what it did to you." He stands, facing the white haired demon. "This isn't the end, Harumi. This is just a beginning. Without my powers, without my sister, without my sensei, without my friends - brothers...I'm gonna fight you, I'm gonna fight on!" He goes into a fighting stance.
"Because a ninja...never quits."
Harumi smirks, she'll give him a seven for the little speech. Really touched her heart. "Well then." She pulls a silver dagger from her pocket, the blade gleaming in the moonlight. "Goodbye, Lloyd."
Lloyd doesn't even acknowledge the dagger, his gaze pure, unbridled determination. "Before I go, just answer me this. You said the greatest villain is the one who got away…" Harumi tilts her head, remembering what she'd told Lloyd when they were on the bounty discussing the quiet one and the threat her gang poses. She's not that heartless not to grant a dead man his dying wish.
"Then what am I."
Harumi's eyes widen, but she's too late. She swings her dagger, but Lloyd ducks it, throwing himself over the edge of the sky tram, a small boat floats down the canal, and Lloyd dives for it, pulling a small, green and black parachute with the symbol of a man with a long beard and a sedge hat. Wu. Harumi realizes it's Wu on the back of the parachute. She has the urge to kick something, because he got that from her. She can almost hear Lloyds words as he stumbles onto the small boat. How's that for karma?
Across the city, Garmadon watches the chaos from the top of Borg tower. A triumphant smirk on his lips. He can feel her fighting for control, but he's too strong. Her attempts at escape are worthless. Not now when Garmadon's on top of the world.
"Ninjago...is finally...mine!"
BOOM! How's that for a 20th chapter?! I feel very proud of how this turned out (And that this is 20 pages long). Over the course of the next few chapters, we might get less ninja in the first realm and more of our two ninja in the city because the events in the first realm are more or less the same. But if you think I should do more ninja in the first realm or more ninja in the city. Let me know in reviews. I hope you all liked this chapter, and Just thanks again for the support!
Next time: Having such strong emotional attachments to certain people is how Lloyd gets hurt. And a lot of people are hurting him now. The resistance is weak, and Garmadon is strong, but right now, Lloyd needs to heal his wounds before he soaks them in salt by telling Nya the terrible news.
GreenGirl~