I should to note that the Ninja do not suddenly understand every word Eva says, but simply know enough words in a sentence to figure it out. Okay, enjoy!
Chapter Three: Kenzo
Ninjago City sat sleeping as the cold of night chilled the air. The event with Eva from a few days ago is still visible due to the burnt patches in the park grass. In an unassuming small building near the edge of the large City, the lights inside spilled out into the night through the very few windows raised high off the ground. Inside the building, a group of about twenty men was gathered near the center of the one-room building. The main large light hung in the center, illuminating the center of the group. An older man eyed the others. "We're almost ready," he said, his voice echoing slightly in the quiet building, " We just need a few more things and then we can begin. You two sure you can get electronics?"
"Totally," a younger man smiled, "Without a doubt or Ninja to stop us." His partner chuckled.
"Good," the older man nodded," Everyone be in your places at the time."
As the group dispersed, above them in the rafters, the Ninja listened in on every word. Waiting for the group of men to be gone, Lloyd signaled for the others to quietly descend. "Let's see what they've got hiding in here," Lloyds whispered to the others, "Cole, Zane, keep a lookout, okay?"
Spreading out, the Ninja searched the building; hoping for a sign to what this group was up to. The Ninja had been silently watching them for a few weeks now, but they've been particularly hushed about their overall plan. "Huh, most of these crates are empty," Jay stared puzzlingly at the empty boxes in front of him, "What's the point of using this abandoned building to talk if they're not gonna put their stuff here?"
"Kinda smart if you think about it," Lloyd noted, "If they get caught here then their stuff will still be safe."
Nya groaned, "There's gotta be something though!"
Walking through the large stacks of crates, Kai kept an eye out for anything that would stand out. "What's this?" he spotted a piece of paper sticking out from under a crate. He pulled it out and read it.
"What does it say?" Zane asked.
"It's...a shipping form," Kai said as he read, "These crates came from a place called….Lu...Che?"
"Lu Che is a port town on the Eastern side of Ninjago," Zane stated, "They're main source of income there is fishing and mining in the nearby caves."
"Caves? Maybe that's where those guys got those Venstone that spooked Eva?" Cole thought, "I mean, we don't have proof that all Venstone comes from Shintaro."
"We'll rest up for tonight and head out there tomorrow," Lloyd told the group.
oOo
The Bounty pulled into the side entrance and slowly landed. Greeting them was Eva, a now familiar sight to them. She always waited for them to return and happily greeted them when they did. "Me da? She questioned. Any luck?
"We got a location," Zane answered while scratching her chin, "We're gonna go there tomorrow." Over the course of the few weeks, since she's been here, the Ninja have learned a fair amount of words of Eva's language. "Kk hj ew?" Can I join?
"Sorry," Kai shook his head, "It's looking like a stealth mission. With your size, they'll spot you fast."
"Me ti hb stlea...," Eva groaned. I can be stealthy…
Lloyd eyed Eva, still wary of her. He wasn't sure that her slight physical appearance to The Overlord was just his imagination or not. After all, it was only that one time that she kinda looked like him. "Maybe I was seeing things," Lloyd said quietly to himself.
With a snort, Eva turned and walked over to the cell that has become her bed. Nothing like the incident in Ninjago City has happened since, so the Ninja came to feel like it was fine to leave the bars down at night. Eva really wouldn't fly away anyways. "Geed de na," Eva said to her friends. Good night.
Later that night, the Ninja were all fast asleep. Except in the Green Ninja's room. Lloyd tossed left and right, an upset look on his face. His consciousness was in the middle of being awake and falling asleep.
Lloyd found himself standing on clouds, an endless sea of white and blue in all directions. "Lloyd," a familiar voice caught his attention. He turned around, it was Eva. Her tail was wrapped around her front paws and she held her wings out in front, blocking any view of her stomach and legs. Eva looked at him with a smile. "What are you hiding?" Lloyd asked.
Eva slowly pulled back her wings. "W...What?" Lloyd was confused. Nestled between her tail and back leg was…..a baby? The baby opened its green, glowing eyes. It took one look at Lloyd and began to loudly giggle and smile. Its arms stretched out; as if it was asking Lloyd to pick it up. Lloyd stood puzzled. "Is that...me?" he asked himself," No, no. I didn't have green eyes until a few years ago….Though, maybe I had them when I was a baby?" Lloyd looked to Eva, who was smiling deeply at him. "Who is this?" he asked, pointing to the baby.
"Kenzo," Eva said sweetly.
"Ken...zo?" Lloyd tried to think, but he was sure that word was not on the scroll. "What does that mean?"
Eva glanced at the baby then back at Lloyd. "Eh st uhy," she said.
" 'It is why'? ", Lloyd repeated, "T-That makes no sense!"
Suddenly, Eva and the unknown baby faded into the darkening clouds. Thunder boomed as lightning streaked across the dark sky. Just as quickly as Eva faded away, a four-headed shadow leaped from the clouds, and at Green Ninja recoiled as it went black.
"A….ow…" Lloyd opened his eyes. He was back in his room. He had tossed and turned so much that he fell out of bed. Pushing himself up and rubbing his head, Lloyd glanced around his room. He spotted the photo of him and his father; his most prized possession, on the wall. Next to it was a more recent photo; of him and the team- plus Eva at the back. Lloyd exited his room, intending to figure out the meaning of what took place in his dream.
Down in the underground HQ, Eva stepped as silently as she could; hoping to not wake her friends. She turned her head in surprise when she heard the elevator. "Lord!" she smiled, seeing the Green Ninja exit. Eva walked over and greeted him with a nuzzle. "Hey," Lloyd chuckled.
"Ls th e jfk a?" Eva asked. Why no sleep?
"Uh, the only word that I understood was 'sleep'," Lloyd walked further into the HQ, with Eva following. "I had a...weird dream you see," Lloyd turned to her, "You were in it. And there was this...baby...When I asked who it was you said 'Kenzo'".
Eva sat and tilted her head, "Kenzo?"
Lloyd gave a slight sigh, "I guess that means you don't know what that means. Great."
"Eit na me sa?" Is it a name?
"Name?" Lloyd was shocked that he didn't think of that, "If so, it's a name I've never heard of before." Lloyd turned away and looked around the room, the large screens showed different angles of the outside while different electronics beeped. The image of the four-headed shadow popped back in his head. "You're our ally, right?" he asked Eva without turning back to her.
Eva tilted her head, "Wky ska te d?" Why would I not be?
"Just tell the truth!" Lloyd suddenly shouted, startling Eva. He turned back around, looking her right in the eyes "You're not here to make sure The Overlord returns a second time?!"
Eva's ears folded back and she stepped back a bit, feeling hurt by the sudden accusation. "It sa hwr Firstborn ase?" If that is true then why would Firstborn give me to you and your friends?
"I...I dunno," Lloyd broke his glare, "There was this four-headed dragon-looking shadow in my dream too. I-It showed up when you faded away! You have to be connected somehow!"
"Sde wwere Positive?" Eva's ears perked up, "Wsjs ehje as re?" Four-headed dragon? Why do I feel like I should know that?
Eva studied Lloyd's distressed face. "Ase threwre ahfere?" she asked. Do you feel like you failed?
"Failed?" that was the only word Lloyd picked up, "I-In what? Defeating The Overlord?" The two looked at each other; the silence hanging heavily between them. "I didn't fail!" Lloyd shouted angrily, "It's not my fault he came back! O-Or that...Zane sacrificed himself to defeat him for good!" Tears fell as Lloyd's face started to turn red. "It's not my fault," Lloyd repeated like a child caught doing something bad, "I….". His quick anger was then washed away by sadness. "Every bad thing that's happened to Ninjago is my fault." Lloyd fell to his knees, crying. "The Devourer, Harumi, Morro," Lloyd listed off, "Even Chen wouldn't have been able to do his thing if Zane never sacrificed himself…"
Eva lowered her head, purring. She nuzzled the Green Ninja comfortingly. "I don't deserve to be the Green Ninja," Lloyd cried, pushing Eva away. Eva watched Lloyd as he sat crying, hoping to come up with something to cheer him up. She wanted to talk to him, tell him that not all those things were his fault. But she knew that Lloyd wouldn't understand most of what she would say. Eva looked to the hanger doors, which were closed. Maybe some fresh air would help? "Ne da to js?" she asked. Do you wanna go flying?
Lloyd pulled himself from his sorrow and looked up at her. "I...guess so," Lloyd stood walked over to the panel, and hit the buttons to unlock and open the hangar doors. Eva walked over and bent down to let Lloyd climb on. Sitting between her shoulder blades he held onto the first small spike that ran down her back for support. Eva then turned and lightly jogged over to the open doors. She stopped, a cool breeze blew in her face. It felt nice. Lloyd glanced down at the floor, which was slightly lit up by the faint glow given off my Eva's body. "Don't go too far, okay?" he asked Eva, who nodded in agreement.
With a leap, Eva jumped into the air. Spreading out her wings, she folded in her legs then flapped hard to gain altitude. Once they were high enough, Eva leveled herself and soared off Westward. Lloyd only started at the back of Eva's neck, not being totally invested in the nighttime flight. He wasn't so sure on how this was supposed to cheer him up. Eva slightly tilted her body right head North now. "Ne ohj sas thes, Lord?" Eva asked. Do you like snow, Lord?
"Uh...It's okay I guess," Lloyd didn't bother correcting his name, "Why ask?"
"Rehtej asf hesj asdas. Asd flefw da?" I have heard of it but never seen any. What's it like?
"Uh, well it's cold," Lloyd glanced lazily around the cool desert they were in. "It's really just water."
"Water? Hsa hteewe," Eva made extra effort to sound interested. Because of how she sees, Eva has never been able to see snow. "Ma thgfere da Mothea?" she asked. Snow is usually up North correct?
"North or South," Looyd signed, losing interest in the conversation, "There're poles at both ends of this planet and they're both pretty cold."
"Eh…" Eva did not understand what he meant by "poles". She went to speak again but noticed that Lloyd's mind was now elsewhere. She sighed at the lack of success she was getting. Not wanting to give up, Eva flew faster. They were now getting further and further away from the Monastery.
A few hours later, far North, Eva had now flown. A snow-covered forest below them, there was nobody else for miles. A cold breeze blew, pulling Lloyd back from his thoughts. "What? Eva! I said to not go far from the Monastery!" Lloyd shouted, yet Eva ignored him. She couldn't remember where or by whom, but someone once told her about a light that can appear in the sky over cold areas. She knew that she herself would not be able to see it properly but Lloyd would. "Meda!" There!
Above them shined a rainbow of colorful lights. They danced in the night sky for an audience of two. But Lloyd looked away, "It's just an Aurora Borealis. So what?". Eva stared up at the Aurora, to her it was just energy. Suddenly, she took off higher and higher into the air. "W-Whoa!" Lloyd held on tight, "Eva what are you doing?" Before long they were now inside the Aurora Borealis. Lloyd could feel the thin air and hoped that whatever Eva was doing, it wouldn't last long. The light glow of Eva's body started brightening and the Borealis, seemingly reacting to it, began to glow brighter too.
Lloyd stared in awe of the colors around him. He had to admit, it was beautiful. The Green Ninja reached out to touch the light rays, which bent around his hand. The intense guilt he was feeling earlier was starting to fade, but it was still there. Lloyd frowned, "I really am not suited to be Green Ninja," he signed, "I know the Golden Weapons recognized me as it but…" Eva grunted, obviously disagreeing despite not understanding the full context of "Green Ninja". She looked back at him and gave a smile. The Green Ninja could see his odd reflection on her large eyes. It was the same as before, but there was more of the second color. He couldn't tell what it was due to the angle and lighting, but he could see a difference. Eva turned around and started flying back to the Monastery. A thought then came to Lloyd, "Can you sense my dad?"
Eva glanced back at Lloyd then returned to looking forward. She then turned back to him, "Kemda," she answered, "pkt wat ehsjp toe owhe weheo hew siso." Kinda, but not enough to know where he is.
Lloyd sat back with a sigh," Okay. That's fine."
The flight back was silent. Lloyd glanced at the scenery below them as he tried to figure out what had happened. The snow sparkled from Eva's glow; which had dimmed back to normal. And it was then, through the quickly passing shadows, Lloyd spotted something sticking out of the snow. "Wait! Eva go back land, "Lloyd asked her, "I thought I saw something."
Turning around, Eva slowly landed at the edge of the forest. She let out a yelp in alarm, surprised by the coldness of the snow. Eva dug her paws into the slightly deep blanket, the feeling intriguing her and momentarily stealing her attention. "Huh," what is this thing?" Lloyd pick up a frozen metal item.
Eva returned her attention to Lloyd. "Sa te no Lightning," she noted the faint electricity running through it with her special vision. I see faint Lighting in it.
"It does look like it goes to something," Lloyd turned over the object, examining as much detail as the frost would let him see, "It might be nothing."
"Wiat," Eva stepped closer and sniffed the metal object, "Ke asd tha gje okw eer ds Venstone e Ninjago City." It smells like one of the men that had the Venstone in Ninjago City."
"Then we better take it back, " Lloyd held onto the object as he climbed back onto Eva, "But...why is it way out here?"