139
Zerek was truly gone, and Zane couldn't help but feel relieved. They discovered what was left of Zerek as they finally managed to excavate the underground bunker that had been caved in. Zane scanned the villainous android's remains one last time, but no functional part of Aristo Zerek had survived. Considering that his mainframe had been so disconnected from the outside world and was now also destroyed, Zane hoped it meant that the apathetic monster who had done so much damage was gone for good. Of course, the nindroid knew from personal experience that it was possible to back up android makeup, even if the body itself was destroyed. He planned on helping those at the MIRI make sure that Zerek didn't have any backup versions of himself lying around, but in the meantime, he had a different main objective.
Zane scanned the room, and his core whirred with anticipation as he realized he could make out a locked cabinet. It was made of metal and was crunched on one side, but the doors remained firmly closed with a large padlock. The nindroid made short work of the lock, and he managed to yank the less-damaged door open. It had been made of the same metal that lined much of the walls of Estyeer—the one that made it impossible to scan the interior. As the cabinet came open, Zane sagged in relief. Two cubes of pulsing chronosteel winked back at him.
"It's getting dark. Ve vill continue excavation in ze morning. You hear zat, robot man?" A brash voice called from above. Zane hadn't been incredibly impressed with the Metallonian police force—another reason that he had wanted to locate the chronosteel cubes as quickly as possible.
"I understand," he called back, carefully using the rubber gloves he was wearing to put the cubes into another rubber container before ultimately encasing them inside his chest. Perhaps it was a little dishonest, hiding the elemental cubes' existence from the others searching, but he reasoned that the police force didn't even know that they existed. Zane made a logical loophole around his aching integrity as he reasoned through the messy logistics about confessing that the elements of ice and water no longer had living vessels.
"You find your evil tvin, robot?" one of the Metallonian officers asked as Zane was lifted from the collapsed underground chamber. Before Zane could answer, one of the officers sent from Ninjago City cut in.
"Zane is a hero," she snapped, glaring at the Metallonian. "Your evil Metallonian robot has nothing to do with him!"
"All I'm saying is zey have a lot in common..."
"You've got a lot in common viz your mozer-in-law," another Metallonian joked, slapping his bitter coworker on the back. "Doesn't mean you're ze same as Sharon, does it?"
The initial officer grumbled under his breath and stormed off, and Zane watched him go. There had always been mixed feelings about A.I, such as him and P.I.X.A.L. He was beginning to realize that with the news of Zerek, feelings were only going to get more complicated where androids were involved.
"Don't pay attention to him," the second Metallonian officer offered. "Servo's just seen von too many evil robot movies, zats all."
"I understand," Zane tried, though he wasn't sure he did. At least, not completely—but that was the thing about emotion—it was impossible to pin down and understand with logic. Zane couldn't help but glance back at the pit where the shattered remains of another android were still lying on the ground. Zerek had told him how useless emotions were—an argument that Zane had heard from other androids as well. Yes, feelings were confusing, and it made it impossible to truly estimate with perfect accuracy how any person would ever react about any given thing...but in Zane's mind, that proved how necessary emotion was. Without it, the whole world would be identical, run completely by logic, with little to no passion. Even for a robot such as himself, that felt like a bleak place to be part of.
"Did you find that criminal, Zane?" the Ninjagoan officer pressed, bringing him from his thoughts.
"Yes," Zane offered. "And I do not think the likes of Aristo Zerek will be bothering anyone ever again."
Mia's phone continued to buzz, but she ignored it. She felt like a five-year-old, hiding behind the bushes next to the hospital, but she had nowhere else to go. If she went back to the hotel room, her parents would ask her why she was so upset, and she wasn't going to go wandering down the street sobbing for Metallonians to gawk at. She buried her face back into her knees, shivering in the cold. The sun had gone down, and she knew she needed to get ahold of herself and head home, or her parents were going to organize a search party to come search for her. The problem was, every time she calmed down, Colby's accusations circled in her mind and caused her to break down again.
You're the one who always told me what a loser I was...
Mia swung from defensive anger, wondering how Colby could possibly think such horrible things about her, to bitter remorse as she was forced to really think about the way that she had treated him the past few years especially. All her general defenses came to mind, but none of them sounded good enough anymore. Maybe originally, she had done it in an effort to help her brother, but all the comments she had made— especially where the element of water was concerned—haunted her now. Why had she constantly felt the need to point out his flaws? Was she really just some elementary-level bully, or had she really thought she was doing Colby a favor?
"Hello? Are you all right?"
A voice cut into Mia's thoughts, and humiliation shot through her as a familiar nindroid pushed through the bushes. Zane's expression was priceless when he caught sight of her, and Mia wiped at her face miserably. "Mia...are you hurt?"
"I'm fine Uncle Zane," she snapped, though the fact that she basically sobbed the words probably made it hard to believe her.
"My scanners picked up on someone in the bushes, and I thought someone might be in need of overnight lodging," Zane offered apologetically. "What happened? Do you need me to contact your parents?"
"They're trying to contact me plenty themselves," she sniffed, pushing her way out of the bushes. "What are you doing here?"
"I am returning to check on Julien," he admitted. "I have been helping with the excavation at Estyeer."
Mia shuddered. "Is that Zerek creep gone for good?"
"As far as I am able to ascertain," Zane offered with a little smile. "I found his remains in the rubble...as well as these." He glanced around, but there was no one else on this side of the hospital. Mia watched curiously, wiping the last of the tears off her face as Zane opened the hatch in his chest to remove a rubber-wrapped bundle.
"What is that?"
"I am not sure exactly how Zerek managed to do this...but these cubes contain the missing elements," he offered. Mia's eyebrows shot up as she caught sight of the pulsing cubes.
"Really?" she breathed.
"This one is the element of ice," Zane said, gesturing to one with a pale glow. "And this one has the element of water." He carefully pulled out a cube with a bluish pulse, and Mia reached out to grab it. Zane pulled it back with a wince. "Careful," he warned. "I do not think they would have a reaction from physical touch alone...but just in case..."
"Right," Mia realized, though she couldn't keep her eyes off the cube. She had seen her mother use the element of water, of course, but it was crazy to see it manifesting like that. The way it was pulsing, it almost seemed alive.
"I am returning the element of water to your family," Zane said. "I must confess, I do not know whether it can be returned to a person or not from this state...but it is only right that your family retains custody of it, in one way or another."
"I can take it to them," Mia offered, looking up to meet Zane's gaze desperately.
The nindroid hesitated. "It may be dangerous," he said at last.
"I can be careful," she promised, wiping at her face one last time. "You can trust me with it, I swear to you, you can!"
Zane's glowing blue gaze flicked across her features, and Mia felt her eyes welling with tears again.
"Please, Uncle Zane."
"Very well," he conceded, and Mia watched as he carefully wrapped the cubes separately before handing her the water-element bundle. Mia accepted it carefully, staring at it in awe. However, her uncle wasn't finished with their conversation. "Why were you crying, Mia?"
Mia's smiled vanished, and she felt her face flushing with shame. "I...I got in a fight with Colby," she admitted at last.
"About what?"
Mia's gaze was glued to the bundle in her hands. "I haven't exactly treated him very well the last few years," she admitted at last. "I mean, I didn't really mean any of it...but I think he hates me." Her voice broke at the confession, and Zane put a hand on her shoulder.
"What are you going to do about it?"
"There's nothing I can do!" Mia argued, looking up at her uncle. "After everything that's happened over the years...he's never not going to hate me."
"Did you tell him you were wrong? Apologize?"
Mia scoffed wetly, wiping at her nose. "This isn't the second grade. Things don't just magically get better because you say 'sorry.' Apologizing won't change anything."
"I agree that the word 'sorry' alone does rarely fix things, even in the second grade," Zane offered with a little smile. "But an apology could be a good place to start, where mending a relationship is the goal."
Mia stared at the ground. "He won't even listen to me if I tried. There's no way to fix it."
"Well, it may be worth a try," Zane said simply. He glanced over at the hospital, and he sighed. "Do you need any help getting back to your family? If not, I think I will go see how Julien is faring. P.I.X.A.L was going to try and talk him into a surgery that he needs, but I am not sure whether she was able to."
"You can go ahead, Uncle Zane. I'll be fine," Mia promised.
"Very well. Good luck with your brother, Mia," he offered, and then he left. Mia watched him go before looking back to the cube in her hands. She felt another rush of excitement when she thought about what it was she was holding, but there was also a bitter feeling tainting it. Colby's face kept coming to mind, and Zane's words wouldn't leave her thoughts.
After a few minutes, Mia finally shoved the thoughts away as an idea took hold. She swallowed as she tucked the cube under one arm and began walking away from the hospital. It was a stupid idea, one that was probably not going to work...but maybe Zane was right. Maybe it was worth a try. Now the only question was, how late did Metallonian stores close?
There were times Colby's mind nearly made it out of the dark spiral it was trapped in, but then it sank right back down to the bottom like a stone falling down a trench in the ocean. The hospital room was dark—the last visiting hours had long since passed, and no doubt he was supposed to be asleep. But as much as he wanted to just escape in sleep, his body wouldn't let him. Or, rather, his mind wouldn't—pulling apart everything that had happened over and over as he beat himself up mentally. He was relieved in some ways to be out of Estyeer at last, but even being safe from Zerek didn't mean he was safe from his own thoughts. All he could think about was how useless he had been—how he hadn't managed to do anything. He didn't even know how long he had been imprisoned because he had spent so much of it pathetically unconscious.
Tears stung at his already swollen eyes as he thought about Dani, the familiar feelings of guilt and bitter determination battling inside. Knowing that she was safe was a huge relief, considering that he hadn't known what Zerek had done with her after their arrival at Estyeer. However, he couldn't forget the fact that she had only ever been in danger because of him. She had tried to save him, and it had landed her in a terrible situation. Dani deserved better than that—she deserved to be with someone she didn't constantly have to rescue.
Colby heard the door creak open, and he frowned. Was the nurse just trying to be quiet so she didn't wake him up? He closed his eyes, determined to ignore the medical personal until they left and he could sink back into his bitter thoughts. However, the whisper caught him off guard.
"Colbes..."
Colby rolled over in shock, and he couldn't help but stare at where Mia was awkwardly standing in the dim room. "What the heck are you doing?" he hissed. "Visiting hours are over!"
"I know." Mia glanced over at the door before coming over. She was holding a big bag, and Colby shook his head.
"Did you sneak in here, you psycho?"
"Just hear me out, okay? And don't scream or anything. I just need to say something."
Colby narrowed his eyes. He had felt a little bad after his last conversation with his twin sisters, but mainly, he felt validated in telling them off. It wasn't like they had ever cared about his feelings before...why should he care about theirs now? "What's in the bag?" he finally asked.
"It's...a painting."
"What?"
"An abstract painting," Mia said, and Colby could see her hands shaking slightly as she pulled it out. Colby squinted at the canvas in the dim light.
"That's awful," he finally offered.
"It looks just like any other abstract painting," Mia countered, looking down at it.
"Where did you get it? Whoever made it doesn't know the first thing about abstract work," he pointed out bitterly. "It's got no form, no movement...where's the emotion?"
Mia sighed. "I made it, okay?" she finally admitted, looking up to meet his eye.
Colby blinked in surprise. "What?"
"I made the painting...with some discounted art supplies I found at the nearest general store." Mia shoved her bangs out of her face. "And...the truth is, it probably is crap, because I don't know the first thing about abstract art."
Colby immediately shrank back, his gaze becoming suspicious. "This is some kind of trap," he growled.
"It's not a trap," she countered exasperatedly. "It's an apology. See?" she turned the canvas around, and Colby could make out the words on the back.
Apology. -Mia Walker
"I used dark colors that would seem more like 'I'm sorry.'" She pointed out.
"There's some bright pink on there."
"The discount store didn't have a lot of options, okay?" she hissed, tossing the painting off to one side. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. The painting was just a stupid idea, anyway. The point is, I... wanted to say that I'm sorry."
"You really think I want to listen to this right now?" Colby demanded, sinking down into the blankets on the hospital bed.
"Probably not, because you probably hate me, and...I guess I wouldn't blame you if you did." Her eyes were shiny now, and Colby realized that she was on the verge of tears again. "I've said a lot of stuff over the years that I shouldn't have said."
"Doesn't matter. You were right." He turned over in the bed, turning his back to her.
"Since when are teenage girls known for being right about their opinions? I was just being a jerk, Colbes. I can see that now."
"You can be a jerk and still be right."
"Except I wasn't. And I have proof I was wrong...about all of it." Mia was coming closer. "When you went missing, we found the connection between the RIFA and your disappearance. I did some digging with your art teachers about your art, and whether it would be good enough to get you into the school."
"It's not," Colby said darkly. "You don't have to rub it in."
"Actually, your senior teacher couldn't stop gushing about your abstract art, Colbes. He told us that you've won awards with it—that's got to prove that you've got talent."
"Pity awards."
"Oh my gosh, have you met art judges? They don't have a scrap of pity in their thousand-dollar leather soles, Colbes. If you won awards—if you impressed people—then that was you."
"The only reason the RIFA ever contacted me is because Matilda made them, so she could get the element of water," Colby argued, his voice breaking as he kept his back turned.
"Maybe...but do you know what Matilda freaking O'Keefe has hanging over her posh mantlepiece? Huh? A Colby Walker original."
Colby's brow furrowed. "If she did, it was just to cover her tracks."
"Maybe...or maybe she really liked it," Mia snapped. "She sure had a lot to say about how sophisticated your art was—"
"Why would I care at all what Matilda thinks about my art?" Colby demanded, whirling on his sister.
"I don't know—you seemed pretty upset when you thought that she didn't like it."
"None of this whole stupid thing was about my art, Mia—it was all about the element of water. Which I lost!" The tears were coming down his face again, and he didn't care if the doctors or nurses heard him. "I was a total failure—I couldn't do anything but lie there day after day until they finally took it from me...because I never deserved to have it in the first place!"
Mia had started rummaging in the bag that held the painting, and Colby barely noticed the dark bundle she pulled out of it as he yelled at her. When she started unwrapping it, he angrily wiped at his face.
"What the heck is that?" he demanded, angry that she wasn't listening to him.
"It's your element."
Colby froze, and Mia plopped a weird metal cube on the little table next to his bed. He stared at the cube as it pulsed, and Mia sighed as she dropped into a nearby chair.
"Zane found it in Estyeer, with his element, which they also sucked out of him. And if Zane—the vigilante robot ninja extraordinaire—could get his element stolen out of him without being able to stop it, then why does that make you such a loser for having the exact same thing happen? These were villains, Colby. Our parents had their powers taken by villains before...heck, they lost to villains before. Are they losers?"
Colby didn't answer right away. He wanted to be bitter and difficult, but he couldn't stop staring at the blue light dancing from within the metal cube.
"You didn't get targeted and attacked because you're weak—you got targeted and attacked because some psycho robot wanted to get the elements at any cost," Mia pointed out. "You weren't the only one who got hurt, either. Theo's in the hospital, and Amber—are they weak? Huh?" She leaned forward. "I know that I'm the last person that you're going to believe because I've really screwed up any happy, brother-sister relationship we could have had, but you aren't a loser, Colby. You're a victim. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide whether you're going to get back up again, because nobody can make you do that."
"Why did you bring the element here?" he finally asked, looking back at her. "You want to know how it works so you can take it? Go on and have it—you'd probably do better with it, anyway."
"No, you idiot—if I wanted to take it, I would have taken it." Her expression flickered as she looked back at the cube, and he could see the longing in her gaze. "I mean, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want to try...but I was wrong about the element. Even if there was some way I could make it mine, it would never feel right, because it didn't choose me initially. It chose you, Colbes." She tucked her short hair behind one ear. "It's your element, not mine."
"You..." Colby's accusation trailed off. He wasn't even sure what to say, but he wanted to say something. There's no way Mia could mean this, after all the crap she had said and done when the element first manifested in him.
His sister pushed herself to her feet, suddenly looking dead tired. "Like I said, I don't blame you if you hate me. I've been...a sucky older sister."
"You can say that again," he managed at last, and she sighed.
"But I figured that even if you don't believe my apology, you at least deserved one. Because I was wrong." She fidgeted a little. "And I wanted to return your element, and give you that apology painting. You can throw away the painting though, if you want."
"It is pretty awful," Colby muttered.
"Yeah...it is," she agreed. She looked back over to meet his eye. "I also wanted to say that if you stay mad at me, then fine, because I deserve it...but Dani doesn't deserve it. She's never done anything to deserve what you did to her."
Colby bristled, looking away. "She's better off—"
"Better off what? Dating someone else? Being heartbroken? She likes you, block-head—she literally snuck out of her house in Ninjago City to catch a train and come down here to make sure you were okay. She's not doing it out of pity, Colbes—she really likes you. That much has been obvious since you first started going out."
"Then why did you always say—"
"Because I'm an idiot, okay?" Mia snapped. "And...maybe I was jealous that you guys had such a great relationship, when men barely even glance my way." The confession came rushing out, and Colby looked up at his sister in surprise. Her face was beet-red, and she stared at the ground as she continued. "What you and Dani have...that's what the whole world wishes they had, Colbes. And not only is Dani like the perfect person for you, I think that you're really good for her, too. I mean, have you met the girl's family? You're a breath of fresh air compared to them—you can't break her heart and leave her to be smothered in her family's stifling company."
Colby didn't respond, breaking eye contact to stare at the white hospital blanket covering him. Mia huffed.
"You deserve to be happy, okay? And Dani makes you happy...I know she does. So just...think things through before you throw all of that away."
He didn't answer, but he did look back up at the sound of footsteps. Mia turned and glanced at him at the door, her expression still conflicted.
"I know I suck at showing it...but, I do love you, Colbes...and I'm glad you're all right." Her voice broke, and before he even had time to react, Mia had slipped out the door. Colby stared at it for a few minutes. The whole experience had been so out of character that he almost wanted to believe he had imagined the whole thing, but as he glanced over at the table, the pulsing metal cube was still there. Colby swallowed. Part of him wanted to ignore it, or throw it out of the window, but the bigger part of him was full of longing. Waking up to the empty feeling of being without the elemental power had been one of the worst parts of all of this.
Colby reached out and carefully lifted the metal cube. It was cold to the touch, but other than that, it didn't feel that strange. "Are you really the element of water?" he mumbled, watching the blue light shift as it faded in and out. "Are you trapped there forever? Or is there a way for you to come back?" His eyes stung with tears again as he clasped the cube tightly. "I mean, you chose me once, but maybe you won't want to choose me again. Because I failed...and you got taken away. Maybe I don't deserve to have elemental power..." He wiped at his face miserably. "I never asked to be chosen...I never thought in a million years that I would. But then, when I found out you had come to me and not Mia or anyone else...I felt special, I guess. For the first time ever."
He closed his eyes, feeling stupid for talking to a metal cube. But what was he supposed to do? He had already pushed everyone else away.
"I just feel so stupid and useless," he said with a sob. "But if I had the element of water again, I could go back to training with Lloyd. I don't know how elemental power works, or if you are alive, or it just seems like that...but if you can choose where to go, and you choose to somehow come back to me, instead of going to someone else..." His shoulders shook as further sobs wracked his body. "Maybe it would prove I'm not such a loser, after all," he whispered at last.
The cube didn't respond, and Colby curled in on himself as he cried in the bed, clinging to it. After a little while, finally worn out from everything the day had brought, Colby finally fell asleep, still clutching the cube to his chest.
140
Theo woke the next morning to the smell of bacon, and he left the guest bedroom with a frown. Considering that neither of his parents knew how to cook without burning the ingredients to a crisp, he wasn't that surprised to find his grandfather humming to himself in the kitchen. Theo smiled softly.
"Hi, Papa Lou."
Lou looked up and a smile stretched across his face as he left his frying pan to shuffle over. "Theodynn. I was happy to hear that you were out of the hospital." He gave the young man a hug and Theo closed his eyes as he lingered in his grandfather's embrace. After a few minutes, he finally pulled away.
"When did you get back?" he asked.
"Amber and I left early this morning and we honestly just got back," Lou answered before gesturing to the couch. "She's a little tuckered out from our little adventure to Metallonia, it seems."
Theo glanced over and realized his sister was curled up on the couch, sleeping soundly. He smiled a little before glancing back at his grandfather.
"Where are mom and dad?"
"They were gone when I got here," Lou admitted as he returned to his frying pan. "Probably off at some meeting or another."
"What time is it?" Theo asked, and his grandfather chuckled.
"Nearly noon," he admitted as he used a spatula to move the bacon around in the pan. "I'm glad to see that you're getting more sleep. Goodness knows you all need it, after what you've been through." Lou's expression flickered for a moment, and he glanced at his grandson. "How are you doing, Theo?"
Theo frowned, coming into the room and sitting on a stool as he thought about how to answer. "Everything mainly just feels achy," he admitted.
"How are you doing mentally? You've been through quite a lot these last few weeks, if what your father's told me is true."
Theo rubbed his head. "I guess I mainly feel confused. It feels like there's always so much to think about but my mind just goes around in circles. I thought I was finally done making big decisions, but now there are so many new paths that I've never considered." He hesitated. "My parents want me to run the southern province in the Oni Realm."
"Sounds like a big responsibility. Are you feeling up to that?"
"I don't know. Part of me is afraid to do anything that requires any kind of responsibility. I mean...given my track record, I'll probably mess things up."
"Messing up is a part of life," Lou offered with a quirk of his mustache. "I'm not that familiar with the different oni provinces. What's the south like?"
"Honestly? It's kind of a mess right now."
"Then I doubt you could really do much to make it worse," Lou pointed out with a wink as he began transferring bacon to plates. "I'm glad your parents are finally letting you branch out on your own. I've been telling them for years to find a way to do that, but I know it's hard, what with the situation of the realm and all the people targeting you and whatnot."
"Yeah. I was shocked when they proposed it, actually." Theo rubbed his neck. "That's why I'm even more afraid of messing it up. If I ruin this, when it's the first time they've really trusted me to make a difference in the realm, then they'll never trust me again."
"If you do choose to do this, I'd advise you not to go into it with that mindset," Lou offered as he passed Theo a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast. Theo accepted it gratefully as Lou continued. "I would often get myself in that mindset when I was first performing gigs. I told myself that if I messed up, no one else would ever ask me to perform, and my career would be over. It was a lot of pressure to put on myself, and honestly, I think my first few performances struggled more because I was convinced that I wasn't allowed to mess up. Luckily, your grandmother talked some sense into me before it was too late. When I gave myself permission to screw up—and there were times I did—I was able to roll through the mistakes more naturally. Plus, I enjoyed it more." Lou shrugged. "If there's one thing I've learned in my old age, it's that life is too short to force yourself to be perfect. Live your life, celebrate the victories, and learn from the mistakes. Do your best, and roll through the rest."
Theo smiled a little, though his grandfather's words got him thinking about a lot more than just his parents' proposal. "Hey, Grandpa?"
Lou looked up to meet his eye as he chewed on his own meal. Theo swallowed a bite of toast before continuing.
"Remember how I broke up with Haiven, all those months ago?"
"Yes. How are you doing with that? Last I talked with you, you still seemed a little upset."
"I think it was for the best," Theo admitted, though he broke eye contact as he poked at his eggs. "But...recently, there's been this weird development."
"Mmm." Lou's eyes twinkled. "This is about the young woman you brought with you when you transported here before going to Metallonia...isn't it?"
Theo winced a little. "Um. Yeah. Her name's Rook, remember?" He glanced up. "You said my father spoke with you. Did he tell you about her?"
"He didn't really have time to give me many details," Lou offered with a shrug. "But I could tell there was something between the two of you when you spent the night here. Definitely some division...but perhaps an underlying chemistry?"
Theo flushed. "Chemistry? We spent the whole time arguing."
"I could tell she cared about you...and what was more, I could tell you cared about her, even if you did try to stay aloof and prickly." Lou took another bite.
"I guess I felt like maybe I should keep my distance. There was a lot of stuff that happened between the two of us," Theo admitted. "But...now? I don't know. It's like I want to see where things go...but I'm afraid of moving too fast, or having it all backfire, or having my parents find out."
"Why wouldn't you want your parents to know?"
"She made a lot of mistakes. Big mistakes. That's why I had a hard time forgiving her—"
"Have you forgiven her now?"
Theo paused as he thought about his grandfather's question. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't feel like I can just overlook everything she did. It would be hard to just forget and move on..." Theo stared at the rest of his breakfast. "But, does it sound weird to say I'm tired of being mad about it?" He pushed the remaining eggs around with his fork. "After what she did, I wanted to stay mad. I didn't want to care about her anymore. The longer I was around her, though, the harder it was to stay angry. It was like I was constantly battling with myself, trying to force myself not to care, to not let her in. Now, after everything, I just don't want to fight anymore."
"Then don't." Lou smiled kindly. "Forgiveness isn't a weakness, Theodynn."
Theo shrugged miserably. "Even if I do forgive her, my parents won't." He sighed. "I'm just tired of everything being complicated."
"It doesn't have to be..."
"There's basically no way around it, at this point," Theo cut in, setting his plate off to one side.
"Well...I don't know exactly what happened between the two of you...but if your main concern with pursuing her is what your parents will think, you should know that they're probably already on to you." Lou smiled as he put a gentle hand on Theo's shoulder. "You have a habit of wearing your heart on your sleeve, Theodynn. Whether you want to or not."
Theo groaned. "That's what I'm afraid of," he muttered as he stood to put his plate in the sink. "It's only a matter of time before my mom sits me down and forbids me from being around her. Or worse, banishes Rook to some far corner of the realm to keep her away from me."
"I don't know that Keyda would do that," Lou pointed out. "Remember what I told you before? The girl reminds me of your mother—surely Keyda can see the resemblance."
"I highly doubt it, Grandpa." Theo sighed again, but then he came over to give his grandfather one last hug. "Thanks for the food. It's really good to see you."
"It's good to see you as well," Lou said. Theo went to pull away, but his grandfather kept a hold of him to whisper one last thing. "Do what's going to make you happy, Theodynn...and your parents will come around to it." He pulled away at last, studying Theo with a nostalgic smile. "After all, in the end, we parents truly just want to see our children happy."
Keyda came out of the meeting feeling better than she had the last few, but maybe just because the council finally seemed to be off of the attack. They had lowered their haunches at the news that Amber had found a place for the oni to live in Metallonia. Of course, there were still decisions to be made about whether said oni would ever be allowed to move to Ninjago, as citizens of Metallonia technically were allowed to, but those decisions could be made later on.
"Getting the green light to finally take everyone back to our realm was a good sign," Cole pointed out dryly as they left the city hall. "Hopefully it means they aren't planning on imprisoning anyone."
"They probably knew how well that would turn out," his wife said. "I still feel like they aren't taking accountability for everything that went down."
"I'm not sure they ever will," Cole sighed. "But we have a starting point for the Oni we rescued from Estyeer, and the fact that the council dropped its charges against Theo is promising."
"It's asinine that they had charges against him," Keyda sniffed. "The whole probation was asinine. They only did it because they didn't want him learning how to control the element of earth here in Ninjago."
"Well...he did just take down an entire building. Maybe they had a right to be hesitant."
Keyda turned to fix her husband with a withering look. "It's not Theo's fault."
"I know," Cole assured, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I should have tried harder to train with him before that point. I'm hoping he'll let me train him now. It isn't too hard to control an elemental power...you just have to come to an understanding with it."
"I think his elemental power is the least of his problems," Keyda said, folding her arms as her expression darkened.
"You're worried about the proposal we gave him? He may not even want to lead the South."
"It's not what Theo will chose to do that worries me," Keyda corrected. "It's who he chooses to do things with that's the issue."
"Then this is about Rook," Cole said flatly.
"Of course this is about Rook! He risked everything—his life included—to rescue her from Estyeer."
"Are you saying he should have left her to die?"
"I'm saying that she doesn't get to try to kill him one minute and then be the reason he's throwing his life on the line the next," Keyda pointed out hotly. "He seemed so angry at her initially, but now it feels like he's softening." She rubbed her face. "Cole, we've got to figure out what to do about her."
"When we finally do her trial, you mean? What do you want to do, lock her up?"
"No," Keyda said. "We told Theo we wouldn't...but I have half a mind to sentence her to something as far away as possible."
"Keyds..."
"Do you think Wu would let us start a work camp in Dragon Territory? Goodness knows he could use the help."
"Keyda," Cole turned to face her. He was smiling, so he could probably tell she was joking. Except, she was technically only half joking.
"At the very least, we should keep her in the Central Province, right?" Keyda said more seriously.
"Like the hoofer ranches?"
"I was thinking the Fortress Gardens."
"We generally reserve that for the criminals who need the most supervision. The ones who are still housed in the dungeons."
"She's a liar who already manipulated our son once. The more supervision we can put on her, the better." She shrugged unapologetically. "Besides, it may actually make Theo want to come visit us once and a while."
Cole chuckled, pulling her close. "I agree that we can't just let her off the hook...but she did cooperate in taking down the buyer...and if what Amber told us is true..."
"A few good choices doesn't make her a good person, Cole."
"A few bad choices doesn't necessarily make her a bad person, either."
"She's made far more than a few bad choices, Cole. Why are you like this?" Keyda demanded, turning to glare at him. "Always giving people the benefit of the doubt—this is where Theo gets it from, you know."
Cole sighed. "Look, Keyds...it's not that I'm not angry about what she did to Theo, because I am. And if it was up to us, then I would keep them as far apart as possible. The problem is, it isn't up to us—Theo needs to be able to fight his own battle where this is involved."
"But he's going to forgive her," Keyda blurted, her face flushing. "You can tell that as well as I can—he cares about her...and he's going to let her back into his life."
Cole's expression clouded, but he finally shrugged sadly. "Unfortunately, it's up to him if he does."
"But she could hurt him all over again..."
"We can't keep making his decisions for him—we have to trust him to find his own path. And if he does decide to trust her, maybe it will be because she really did change. She wouldn't be the first Oni I knew to change her ways, when a better path became available."
Keyda's expression darkened as she realized what her husband was insinuating. "Don't you dare compare me to that...murderous, lying manipulator."
"I'm not saying you're the same type of person," Cole amended. "You've never been a liar, Keyds. All I'm saying is that you're living proof that people can change their outlook and head down a new path. If Theo does decide to give her one more chance...we can at least try to trust his judgement."
"And if she hurts him again?"
Cole gave her a squeeze around the shoulders. "Then there will be a nice, cozy cell in our dungeons with her name on it." His tone made it hard to know whether he was joking or not, and he continued without explaining further. "Should we pick up something to eat before we go back to my Dad's? Now that things are finally calming down, we should probably get home and start working through the mess we left Jaqah with, with all those prisoners starting their various work assignments."
Keyda frowned, and her husband glanced at her as she stopped walking. "If you want to go get something, go ahead. I think I'm going to make one last stop before heading back to Lou's," she said.
The room was dark, and as Rook tried to move, she realized that the Asahkar healers had restrained her. Panic started rising in her chest as she tried to free her hands and ankles, the constant beeping sound echoing around her like some kind of demonic laughter. The various screens that were lit with a life of their own flashed and blinked, and wind started whipping around her as she panicked.
"Let me go!" she demanded, turning to the doorway as her hands became engulfed in the violet light that she still didn't understand. At first, no one came to her aide...but then a shadowy figure stepped into the light of the room.
"Look at that, Rookie..." Quazier murmured as he studied her. "All these years, trying to find powered slaves. Who would have thought you'd have this inside of you the whole time?"
Rook nearly vomited as the slave trade leader came closer, his jewelry winking in the light. "You can't be here," she hissed, still struggling with the restraints on her wrists. "You're rotting in prison..."
Quazier merely laughed, pulling a dagger from its sheath as he reached her. "Come on, sweetheart...you should know by now that I have lots of helpful connections." The dagger's tip came to rest on Rook's jaw, and she froze as she glared at the heavyset trader. Quazier's eyes glittered greedily as he studied her. "I had half a mind to gut you when I finally caught up with you, but now that I've seen the recent development...I think I'll welcome you back into the family after all."
"You're kidding yourself," Rook whispered as her fists clenched hatefully. "I'm done being your puppet, Quazie."
The pressure on the dagger increased. "You of all people should know how persuasive I can be," he pointed out softly. "You'll be doing jobs for me again...just you wait. It wouldn't have to be anything too overt. I know you've got a nice set up with the Heir of the Realm, after all. We wouldn't want to jeopardize that...not with what you could accomplish, pulling on his strings."
Rook closed her eyes, her entire body shaking with rage. "I'm not pulling his strings. This isn't one of your stupid jobs...this time, it's real."
"Come on, Rook," Quazier tsked. "Nothing you do is real."
Her expression twisted as his words cut deep, and the winds picked up. "Get out!" she demanded. "I'm not working for you ever again. Theodynn isn't the Heir anymore...and even if he was, I won't help you hurt him."
"You already did." The voice was different, and Rook's eyes flew open. Another figure came into the room—one with cold, grey eyes and a long white coat. Fear shot through Rook, causing power to flow out of her hands uncontrollably. The man's gaze flicked over her. "Vat an accomplishment...cracking ze code to oni power. You have been helpful in so many vays."
"You died!" Rook screamed at him. The beeping and the flashing started getting faster and faster. "There's no way you survived the building's collapse..."
"Poor Rookie," Quazier sneered from his place next to her. "Always two steps behind."
Screens crashed off of the walls, and all at once, the room was shaking. Adrenaline shot through the captive oni's body, but neither villain staring at her seemed worried about it. Rook took a deep breath, ready to scream for help, but Quazier grabbed her throat with one hand, tilting his head patronizingly.
"Who do you think is going to come save you?" he asked. "Not the Asahkar healers...you can tell they don't like oni. What will they care, if you disappear?"
"Ze Ruling couple hates you," the Buyer added thoughtfully, unbothered as things continued to fall off shelves and counters, shattering at his feet.
"...Theo..." Rook managed, her call strangled quickly by Quazier's grip.
"He doesn't care about you Rook," the trader laughed. "Do you really think he could forgive you so quickly, after everything you did to him?"
Cracks started exploding up the walls of the room, and Rook's fear reached a climax as she saw them spread across the ceiling.
"Zere is no escape zis time," the Buyer mused, and the ceiling above Rook exploded, rushing toward her face at a terrifying speed.
Rook screamed. All at once, the hand on her throat was gone, as were the restraints. However, the power swirling around her and the terror coursing through her veins was as present as ever.
By the time the pain registered, Rook had almost made it out of the bed, and her stomach heaved at the horrible agony in her middle. She curled up on herself, the winds whipping around her. She was faintly aware of her arm stinging, and all at once, the white-coated Asahkar were milling around her again.
"Not again," she heard one of them saying as the others tried to get her to lie flat.
"We're going to need another I.V..."
"I'm telling you, we need to put her in a bed with restraints."
"Don't you dare!" Rook screamed, struggling against them despite the fact that Theo had told her they were here to help. Despite her weak thrashing, the Asahkar managed to get her to lie back down, and she winced as they grabbed her arm roughly to reinsert all the tubes. She closed her eyes tightly, wanting to fight back but also knowing it wouldn't do a lot of good. The aura winds around her were finally fading as she came to terms with the fact that Quazier's and the Buyer's appearance wasn't real. It was just a dream...calm down. Just a dream.
After a moment, she realized she was getting tired, and she wrenched at the tubes once again. "Don't put me to sleep!" she snapped. "That's why this keeps happening, you hoofer-brained imbeciles. If you put me to sleep it will only make this happen all over again."
"It does seem to happen during sleep," one of the Asahkar idiots mused. "It may be better to let her remain conscious."
"We can't keep doing this," another hissed, as if Rook wasn't even around to hear. "Bad enough we have to treat every demon or snake that slithers in here, but these outbursts..."
"Don't work in a hospital if you don't want to help the sick," another huffed. Rook's head was pounding, and she couldn't really follow the arguments. The swimmy-headedness was fading, and she hoped it meant that they hadn't started doing whatever it was they did when she fell asleep against her will.
A knock sounded at the door as the general chaos died down and the healers finally started to leave. "Don't remove the I.V.s again, or I swear, we'll restrain you," one of them threatened before they headed out the door. Rook watched them go with narrowed eyes. Silence fell again, and she looked around the room. The light coming through the window made her think it was at least mid-day, and she shuddered. Why did they insist on making her sleep so much? Or had she fallen asleep the last time on her own? With nothing to do in this horrible room where she sat so long alone, she nodded off despite her best efforts not to. This wasn't the first time she had woken to power swirling around the room. It would have been interesting if it wasn't fueled by fear or grief from the horrible nightmares.
As the minutes stretched on and the annoying beeping continued, Rook looked down at the tubes in her arm in disdain. She was fairly certain that they were directly linked to the uncanny ability the healers had to knock her out, and she glanced around the room once again. Confident she really was alone, she began tugging at one of them carefully. Having the tubes in her increased her chances of diving right back into the nightmare. If she pulled it out carefully, then maybe it would be like picking a lock...
The sound of a door opening caused Rook's fingers to lurch away from the tubes, and her face flushed, remembering the warning the healers had left her with. "Calm down, you over-eager sniffer-snapping—" she snapped in a defensive rush, looking up to glower at whichever healer had come in and dare them to carry out their threat. However, the words immediately died in her throat as she caught sight of who was actually in the doorway.
Keyda raised an eyebrow as she came into the room, and Rook felt herself shrink back a little. Cursing herself mentally, she tried to pull off a weak smirk.
"For the record...I didn't know it was you," she tried, but the Ruler didn't so much as crack a smile. Rook couldn't help but think of the time that Keyda had caught her sneaking around Theo's room in the middle of the night. It had been clear even then how little the Ruler thought of her—an opinion Rook knew could only have gotten worse.
"How long have you had powers?" Keyda finally asked, her tone sounding aloof. Rook laid back in the pillows, wishing she had been knocked out after all. Or at least would have thought to pretend to be sleeping, so she could have skipped over this meeting entirely.
"Who says I have powers?" Rook muttered bitterly. Keyda's gaze narrowed, and Rook sighed. Stop trying to joke around. She's obviously not amused, idiot. "The Buyer did something to me," she admitted at last. "Now every time I sleep, this happens."
"The doctors didn't mention it, the last time I spoke with them."
"Well...it's mainly been in the last day or so. I guess there are some cons to getting your strength back after getting the life sucked out of you." Rook shuddered hard.
"You say the Buyer did this?" Keyda studied her closely. "How?"
"No idea." Rook closed her eyes. "Had me strapped into this weird chair, with all these wires...needles that went into my head and made me feel all kinds of things." She exhaled shakily before opening her eyes again. "I wouldn't recommend it. I thought he was a fool for trying to try to 'unlock' powers—I kept telling him it was just something people either had or they didn't. Then lo, and behold, the maniac proved me wrong."
The Ruler didn't answer right away, and Rook glanced over to see that Keyda staring at the floor with a distant expression.
"Did you just come to talk about the trouble I'm causing? No doubt the healers have filed a slew of complaints. They keep threatening restraints or vengestone...whatever that is. You should let them know, though, if they restrain me—"
"I didn't come about the powers," Keyda cut in, her orange eyes flicking up to meet Rook's again. "They just filled me in when I got here."
"Then why are you here?"
Keyda didn't answer right away, and Rook couldn't decide whether it would be appropriate to ask the Ruler to come closer. At the moment, Keyda was still lingering a few feet away from the door, as if she wasn't willing to approach. Technically, it was fine with Rook if the Ruler kept her distance, but in order to face her, Rook had to keep her neck at an awkward angle and it was starting to get a crick.
"What are your intentions with Theodynn?" the Ruler asked at last.
Rook finally repositioned and broke eye contact. This topic was going to be bad enough to try to breach without having to deal with a neck-crick. "What are your intentions with asking me?"
"Don't be coy," Keyda warned flatly, finally moving to come closer.
"I wasn't trying to be. I'm honestly wondering why you're asking."
"You've already hurt him once," Keyda snapped, her voice icy. "You lied to him, led him on, and then betrayed him. Now you're weaseling your way back into his life and it's the last thing he needs. He almost died trying to get you out of Estyeer..."
"I didn't ask him to." Rook's voice took on an edge of its own as she stared at the ceiling. "If I could have told him to stay away, I would have."
"I don't want you anywhere near him—"
"Then lock me up! Kill me now, yourself!" Rook snapped, fury making her eyes flash and the small explosion of power making her wince. Her voice lowered as she scowled at the tiles above her. "Why are you wasting both of our time yelling at me?"
"Because it's not up to me!" the Ruler's voice echoed around them, and Rook glanced back over at Keyda as her orange eyes flashed violet. "If Theo wants to be around you, he's going to make it happen, no matter what I do. I've discovered that much about him. But if you're getting close to him just to hurt him again in any way—"
"I owe him my life," Rook said flatly, her own tone cold. "After all the stupid stuff I did, he does seem to finally be warming up to me again...and I'm not about to risk that. I'm not trying to hurt Theo."
"You already did once..."
"I realize that, all right?" Rook shook her head as her expression twisted with shame. "I'm not going to try to say that I didn't screw up before...but if you're looking for bad intentions, you're going to have to check a less-reformed assassin." She could feel her throat tightening, but she sure wasn't about to get emotional in front of the Ruler. The woman had a bad enough opinion of her as it was. "Look...I get that you've probably never gone from trying to kill someone to really caring about them, but I have no intentions of hurting your son. I'm striking out on a new path now, and I don't care who believes me about it...because he does."
She didn't want to look at the Ruler, but she finally risked a glance in Keyda's direction when the other woman wasn't speaking. She found the Ruler's expression to be strangely conflicted, and Keyda finally exhaled slowly.
"Whatever Theo chooses to do, it will be his choice. But just know that second chances are not to be taken lightly. If you hurt him again—"
"I'm not planning on taking it lightly." Rook met Keyda's gaze then, daring her to find anything less than total conviction in her expression. Deep down, she knew she probably looked more crazy than convicted, with dark circles under her eyes and wild, untamed hair. After a moment, the Ruler finally broke eye contact.
"We're postponing your trial again...we'll hold it when we get back to our own realm. The doctors say you'll be here at least another week, but we're all headed home in the next day or so."
"Oh, goodie..." Rook murmured, unable to stop the shiver of fear. Bad enough that she was stuck in this place without anything to do for another day...the thought of another week, with no visits from Theodynn to boot...
"We'll figure out a way to deal with the aura storms. And the nightmares." Keyda glanced up briefly at that before finally turning to leave. "I'm sure Theodynn will be by soon to see you. Just don't do anything stupid. I'm already half-tempted to ship you to Dragon Territory."
Rook blinked, but before she could answer, the Ruler had already slipped from the room.
141
Colby was sick of visitors, and the nurses had been good about telling people that he wasn't feeling up to it. However, the nurse poking her head in hesitated as he told her the same thing. "I don't know if you vant to turn zis visitor avay," she pointed out. "He is an important one."
Colby's interest slightly piqued. The elemental cube was sitting nearby, still pulsing with the elemental power. He had been depressed by the realization that the element hadn't magically transferred back to him overnight and had spent the morning staring at the ceiling. But now that the nurse was claiming that someone important was here to see him, he felt the storm cloud settled over his mood shift a little.
"Who is it?"
She gave him a little smile before pushing the door the rest of the way open. When a man in green entered, Colby sat upright.
"Uncle Lloyd...what are you doing here?"
"It's the least I could do," Lloyd offered with a wince as he came over to take a seat next to Colby's bed. "You know, I've decided that being the green ninja isn't all it's cracked up to be, if I'm never around when my family needs me."
Colby faintly remembered Lloyd talking about some big mission or another that he was going on while Colby was going to spend the week in Metallonia. "How did your trip go?"
Lloyd shrugged sheepishly. "I mean...technically well. It was a turf war between some far off tribes, and we managed to get everything sorted out. Of course, it took longer than it was meant to. Here I was, thinking I'd have to apologize for not being back in time to continue your training, only to find out that my entire family had been involved in some huge episode out in Metallonia." Lloyd's expression became grim as he studied Colby. "I got here as soon as I could, but it seems I was too late to do anything useful. I'm sorry that I wasn't here to help you sooner, Colby."
Colby wasn't sure what to say, so he just stared at his hands.
"How are you doing?" Lloyd continued gently. "Everyone kinda filled me in on what happened...and it sounds like you went through the rough of it."
"He took my powers." It spilled out like a confession, and Colby squeezed his eyes closed as shame flooded through him.
"I heard. Colby—"
"They're in this stupid cube now," Colby said, reaching out to grab the cube in question before turning to face his uncle with tear-filled eyes. "He sucked them out of me and put them in this. Is there any way to get them back?"
Lloyd looked surprised by the revelation, and he frowned at the object in Colby's hand. "Where did you get that?" the green ninja asked at last.
"Mia brought it to me," Colby admitted, running a thumb along the cube's smooth surface. "Uncle Zane gave it to her after he found it, apparently. But I've been holding it a lot since last night and nothing seems to have changed." The tears won out as he turned to his uncle miserably. "What if I can't ever get them back? This was the only thing in my life that made me special, and—"
"Colby." Lloyd's hand came to rest on his shoulder, a kind smile spreading across the ninja's face. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course you're special, with or without the element."
"You're just saying that because I'll never get them back!"
"Who says you'll never get them back?" Lloyd interrupted, reaching out to gently take the cube. Colby let him, and his heart pounded at the ninja's tone.
"You know how to put them back?"
Lloyd glanced up and smiled a little. "Elemental powers have a mind of their own...I've learned that much over the years. They tend to end up where they want to be...they transferred from your mother to you without help, didn't they? Who's to say they won't transfer back to you from here?"
Colby's hope diminished. "But I don't want to just wait and see," he pointed out.
"I know," Lloyd said. "There have been times in my life that my powers were taken from me, you know. It was always a horrible feeling. That robot had no right to do this to you." Lloyd studied the cube closer. "It's strange that he managed to get the power into a little metal cube...unless this is chronosteel—"
"Chronosteel?" Colby's heart fell further. He was well acquainted with chronosteel from the stories his mother and uncle told about traveling through time. "Then it's impossible! The time blades never lost their elements...so the cube wont either!"
"The time blades were sealed with a spell from my father and Master Wu—they did it purposefully to make sure the elements couldn't fall back into the hands of the masters who abused them to begin with. Without that magic seal on the chronosteel, the element should be able to leave it."
Colby thought about that, but then he sighed and fell backward into his pillows. "If I wasn't such a useless elemental master, then I could have kept the powers from being stolen regardless. I must be the fastest elemental failure to ever exist."
"You're no failure," Lloyd corrected firmly.
"I couldn't even fight back! I was useless from the start to the finish. I spent the whole time either unconscious or restrained and—"
"Take it from someone who's spent his fair share of time in cages," Lloyd cut in, his green eyes staring intently at Colby's. "Just because someone does something terrible to you, that doesn't mean it's your fault. Just because someone forces you to be helpless doesn't mean you're worthless. Heck, every single one of us ninja has been trapped, or defeated, or had our powers zapped out of us. Sometimes, all at once. You can't let what someone else does to you define you, Colby." He smiled at last, handing the cube back to him. "It sucks, it really does...but holding an elemental power comes with its own disappointments at times. You have to be willing to take on the unique challenges. Sometimes, the failure and horrors are as much a part of your elemental inheritance as the powers themselves."
Colby frowned as he considered Lloyd's words, taking the cube back to hold it in his hands.
"It's not really fair," Lloyd mused. "But it just comes with the territory, unfortunately." He reached out to ruffle Colby's hair. "I am glad to see that you're in one piece, though. After hearing how extreme this whole evil-science-robot-on-a-rampage thing got, I was shocked to hear that nobody ended up worse than they were. Not saying that you didn't have unspeakable things happen to you...but you survived. That means you're tough, Colby...even if it doesn't feel like it."
Colby sighed heavily, his gaze on the cube. "I can't train with you anymore," he pointed out softly, further disappointment coursing through him.
"Only if you don't want to," Lloyd countered. Colby glanced up, and Lloyd shrugged. "There's plenty of space at the temple, you know...and truth be told, it gets a little lonely sometimes. Having you there for the last little while has been nice. I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you just want to go home and recover from everything that's happened, but there will always be a place for you at the floating temple, if you want it."
A knot of anxiety started to ease. "Really?"
"Of course. We can still do training too, if you wanted. I would like to think I have more wisdom to offer than just elemental training."
"Are you sure you're not just offering because everyone told you how depressed I've been?" Colby asked. Lloyd's smile faded.
"I know you've been through a lot, Colby. But honestly, when you first showed up at the temple and asked if you could stay...well." He ran a hand through his hair. "It was nice to actually have someone who wanted me around."
"You're the green ninja," Colby pointed out. "Surely everybody wants you around."
Lloyd chuckled. "You would think, huh? In all seriousness, it feels like there's less and less for the 'green ninja' to help out with." The blonde man broke eye contact, his expression becoming distant. "In fact, it's starting to feel like people don't really need me much anymore."
Colby wasn't sure he believed him, but Lloyd seemed genuine. Not needing the green ninja? It just sounded crazy...of course Ninjago needed the green ninja. "Maybe there aren't as many super villains running around, but that doesn't mean people don't need you," he said at last.
"Well, apparently there are enough super villains to be targeting my family...and I wasn't even around to do anything about it." Lloyd leaned forward, meeting Colby's eye. "I truly am sorry I wasn't around to help you and the others. People say I'm a hero...but what kind of hero isn't available when the people he cares about the most need him?"
Colby was quiet for a moment. "I think the rescue would have gone better if you were involved," he said at last. "From what I've heard, everyone only made it out by the skin of our teeth. I'm betting you could have defeated Zerek a lot faster."
"Well...I would have liked to have at least helped...but from my own experience, there's a lot to be said for teamwork." He winked at Colby. "Green ninja or not, I've never defeated an enemy all on my own before."
Colby thought back to all the stories he had heard growing up. "I guess that's true," he mused. Lloyd gave him one last smile before standing.
"I'll let you get some rest, but I just wanted to come check on you, and apologize for not being around to help when it mattered most. Don't feel like you have to make a decision right away about living at the temple...just focus on getting your strength back." He gestured to the cube. "As for the element...give it time. They have a way of getting back to where they belong. I mean, Theo gave his father back his element all those years ago and it still made its way back to Theo."
"It took years, though."
"And I can't promise that yours won't...but if I've learned anything about elemental powers over the last few decades, it's that no matter how much you know, they'll always take you by surprise." He gestured at the cube. "Keep it close, Colby...and maybe it will surprise you."
People were definitely staring at Theo as he made his way through the halls, and he tried not to be self-conscious. He wasn't sure if it was because he was oni or because his face was slathered all over the news, but he kept himself from looking at the different medical staff that were eyeing him with various expressions. He reached Rook's room and knocked a few times before heading in. He was glad to see that she was awake, and he couldn't help but smile a little as he realized she seemed to be intently watching the T.V. screen on the opposite wall.
"You're a fool Angelica—Dave only likes you for your riches. It's Bill who's actually earnest, and you aren't giving him a second glance!" Rook yelled, obviously agitated.
Theo glanced at the screen for a moment and finally came over. "You realize they can't hear you...right?"
Rook turned in surprise, and he was sure she saw a little smile appear on her face before she scowled dramatically. "If one more person tells me that..."
"So, you've discovered television," he pointed out as he sat on the chair next to her bed. "But surely there's something more interesting to watch than these dating show train-wrecks."
"It's amazing," Rook argued, turning back to the screen, where a woman was crying dramatically as she pulled petals off a daisy. "It's like people-watching from a corner of a crowded market, except you can actually hear what everyone's saying." She glanced back at the screen. "And there hasn't been a single train, so I'm not sure how it can be a 'train-wreck.'"
He smiled a little as he reached over to pick up the remote. As he switched the television off, Rook grabbed his arm in protest.
"What are you doing?"
"You just said she's going to make the wrong decision," he pointed out. "Besides, I wanted to talk to you."
"Could it wait? She's about to pass out the daisies. If she doesn't give one to Bill, she's going to screw up any chance she has at happiness." Rook reached out to grab the remote, but Theo pulled it away from her reach.
"How many episodes have you seen?"
"I don't know what that means," Rook offered, half-climbing on him as she tried to reach the remote he was keeping away from her. "But she's given out flowers at least four times now and she always picks the stupid men first. All looks, no brain. Classic mistake."
"Is this all you've been doing all day?"
"There's nothing else to do. The healers taught me how to use the wall-screen hours ago...probably because they were tired of me falling asleep."
Theo's smile faded as he watched Rook glance away. He lowered the remote, but she no longer tried to steal it from him. "My mom told me about the nightmares," he finally said. Rook smiled a little, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Now I know what was going on in your room that night, when I thought you were being murdered," she pointed out softly. "But the realization wasn't really comforting, if you're still struggling with that madness and you've had your powers for years."
"There are ways to make it easier," Theo tried, studying her face. "But why didn't you tell me that Zerek unlocked your powers?"
"It never came up. Plus, I kind of forgot about it." Rook shrugged a single shoulder. "There was always something more important going on. A collapsing roof, a really good kiss..."
"Rook."
"Kissing is better than aura powers," she argued, glancing back at him to smile mischievously. "But I'm willing to let you test my theory."
"You're ridiculous," he pointed out, but then he was moving to push her hair out of her face. It looked like it hadn't been touched since she had been brought to the hospital—it was sticking out every which way like a matted nest. "I'm sorry that you've got to deal with the nightmares...but the powers aren't so bad, once you get used to them."
"Well, I suppose it would be worth it if you'd teach me that trick you always did when you cheated during our spars."
"I never cheated—"
"Engulfing your blade in fire feels like cheating. You owe it to me to at least tell me how to do it so that the playing field's a little more even next time we're allowed to have a match." She was smirking, but there was a glimmer of fear in her eye as she toyed with the remote in her hand. "You...will teach me how to use these crazy powers, right?"
"Someone's got to. I'm not sure the realm can handle an untrained, fully-powered Rook," he teased. "Don't worry...I know some good teachers, and I may be able to help you learn a few things too."
"Well, good. I'm sure there will be tons of time to teach me while I'm sitting in a dungeon cell."
"They aren't going to lock you up, Rook."
"Not if they ship me off to Dragon Territory, I suppose."
"Dragon Territory?"
She shrugged. "Your mother may have mentioned it."
Theo scoffed, fiddling with the sleeve of her hospital gown. "That's a terrible idea."
"Because I'll be so far away from you?" Rook asked, batting her eyelashes.
"No—because I don't want you anywhere near dragons. Bad enough, the trouble you cause with Oni. The world isn't ready for you to team up with thousand-pound reptiles."
"Mmm...maybe I should take your mother up on her offer after all. Sounds like it could be fun." Rook smiled, but then she shoved him. "Stop staring at my hair—I know it's a mess, all right? I just haven't had the energy to do it."
"And yet, you've had the energy to yell at the T.V. screen for who knows how many hours," Theo pointed out as he moved his chair closer.
"It's called prioritizing, Handsome. What are you doing?"
"Turn your head," Theo offered as he reached out to gather her hair.
"I'm not sure I trust you with my hair, Theo," she pointed out, but she obliged and turned so he could access her tangled locks more easily.
"Why not?"
"You obviously don't know the first thing about doing hair—after all, yours just hangs in your face like a wet sniffer-coat."
"Now that's harsh. I've been a little too busy to schedule in a hair-cut. Hold still." Without a brush, Theo tried to rake through Rook's thick hair with his hand. Rook went quiet, and for a few minutes, he worked in silence. He kept waiting for her to complain when his fingers got stuck in tangles, but she was uncharacteristically quiet. Eventually, he managed to pull it back and start braiding it. He had no idea how to pull off Rook's usual bubbly-braid, but Amber had taught him to weave a common braid when they were growing up. Eventually, Rook's hair was tucked into a basic plait, and he pulled away.
"That should hopefully keep it out of the way," he said lamely. Rook reached up to pull the braid over one shoulder so she could scrutinize it.
"Not the best I've ever seen," she pointed out at last. "But not terrible. If I was Angelica...I would maybe give you a daisy for this effort."
Theo rolled his eyes as he leaned forward. "I can take it out."
Rook pulled the braid away from his reach. "Nope. I don't have the energy to do it properly, so we'll have to leave it." Her stoic expression broke at last. "Now, if only you would do something with your hair, I wouldn't mind being seen in public with you."
"Fine. I'll schedule a hair-cut as soon as I leave. Will that get you off of my case?"
"Don't cut it," Rook chided, her hand darting forward to run her fingers through the hair flopping over his forehead. "You've got good hair, you know. It would be a crime to cut it off."
"But you just said..."
"Just pull it back out of your face," Rook said, using her hands to quickly scrape back the top half of his hair. She held it in place with one hand, grinning. "Like this."
"That would look stupid," Theo said flatly.
"No, it would look fine."
"I'm just going to cut it."
"No!"
"I'll shave it all off. Then everyone will stop commenting on it."
"You can't!" Rook insisted. She was laughing, but almost in panic. "Don't cut it off, Theo."
"Why?"
"Because I like running my fingers through it when we kiss," Rook admitted sheepishly, weaving her hands into the soft hair in demonstration. "It's one of your best features."
Theo shook his head, but he couldn't help but smile. "Fine, I'll just get a trim," he offered. "But I'm not pulling it back."
"It would make you look older," Rook offered. Theo's expression must have conveyed that he wasn't convinced, because she finally dropped her hands. "I'll convince you someday," she decided.
"We'll see."
Rook rolled her eyes, but then her expression was flickering again. It was strange—carefree Rook didn't last as long as she used to. There were these periods of fear and self-consciousness that didn't use to be there. Was this just the real Rook coming through? Or was this just a result of everything that had happened?
"Your mother told me about how you're all leaving soon, to head back to the realm. Any chance you could just take me along with you?"
"The doctors say you've got at least another week, Rook."
"They hate me. They won't care if I leave early."
"It's not about them. It's about you, and making sure you'll heal properly."
"Please, I've dealt with worse than this before," Rook argued with a shaky laugh.
Theo raised an eyebrow. "Rook..."
"I don't want to be stuck here alone," she finally admitted. "I mean...watching Angelica ruin her life is only going to distract me for so long."
"Just six or seven more days. Then you can come back to the Oni realm."
"Can I at least leave this hospital place?"
"No—that's the whole point of you staying."
"If I have to be here, I want to be exploring the exciting places—not staring at the same four walls while people stab needles into me."
"I'll come back," Theo promised, reaching out to claim her hand. "I'm not going to be gone the whole week."
Rook visibly relaxed, but her tone remained whiney. "Why even leave, if you're just coming back?"
"I'm going to help my parents sort out some stuff."
"What kind of stuff?"
Theo hesitated. "We have a few more trials to run."
"So, the other slave traders are more important than me. That's why you're trying to—"
"Not traders. Leaders. My parents are revoking Tala and Ottan's titles."
Rook's expression was priceless, and she finally shook her head. "Crown of Kahzym...that's insanity. Who on earth are they going to replace them with?"
Theo cleared his throat. "Well..."
"I mean, I wouldn't put it past Tala to have her successor all lined up. But Ottan? They're going to have to rip him from power, fighting tooth and nail. The south is going to become one big Pit fight then—what poor fool are they going to throw into the sniffer den to try to reign in that chaos?"
Theo's heart sank, and he finally sighed. "You're looking at him."
Rook's expression crumpled. "What—"
"My parents asked me if I would lead the south, once they take Ottan out of leadership. To re-establish order, and all that."
The bedridden woman just stared. "You? Becoming the Southern Leader?"
Theo broke eye contact. "Don't think I could do it?"
"Well, of course you could. Out of anyone in the realm, you'd probably be the best equipped...if only because you're the only one strong enough to hold off all the people who would decide to attack you. It just seems like a crazy thing for your overprotective parents to suggest. I mean, they realize that the southern leader role would be the most dangerous, most targeted—"
"They know it won't be easy," Theo cut in. "But please, don't stress how dangerous it would be in front of them, okay?"
"Are you going to do it?" Rook studied him carefully. "I thought you were done with all the leader-ruler-madness. You were going to move to this realm with its trains and televisions and evil men made of metal."
"I...haven't decided yet," Theo admitted. "I was going to turn it down, but then I just keep thinking about it. I mean, I could finally put a school in the south...and proper orphanages. I could make sure that things like the slave trade wouldn't ever be able to take hold again." He hesitated. "I just don't know if all those plans are wishful thinking, or if it would even be possible."
"It wouldn't happen overnight," Rook agreed, but her expression was thoughtful. "But, I mean, if those things had been in effect when I was young...I could have avoided my whole lifestyle completely." She shrugged. "Maybe we won't know how possible it is until you try. And you'll probably have to try a lot, because the south isn't going to go down easy. But if it could give oni there a better chance at tomorrow...then maybe it's worth the effort."
Theo studied her closely. "Do you really think I could do it? Lead the south? They wouldn't just treat me like some silly child trying to fill Ottan's shoes?"
"Oh, they will definitely treat you like that," Rook offered. "But you've got what it takes to prove them wrong." She leaned back on her pillows, her lips pursed in thought. "Also, you're going to need to beef up your escort by at least ten guys. I mean, Tolan's got a mean stink-eye and all, but you're going to want maximum security."
Theo blinked. "I've never had to have an escort that large."
"You wouldn't be in your cushy little fortress anymore. Not even Ottan was dumb enough to travel without at least five men with him."
"Ottan? He was always walking around the markets by himself, or at the Pit..."
"His guards might not have always been right with him, but he was never alone, Theodynn. Trust me."
Theo leaned back as he pondered that, and Rook fiddled with the end of her braid.
"You'd need people you can trust—just because the southern guard was loyal to Ottan doesn't mean they'll automatically be loyal to you. You'll want to bring your own people with you." She chewed her lip for a moment before looking up to smirk. "And, you know...if I don't get thrown in prison, I might apply for the position. After all, I feel like an ex-assassin would make a remarkable bodyguard."
Theo blinked in surprise, but then he chuckled. "Yeah, I'm not sure my parents would go for that."
Rook sighed dramatically. "You just don't trust me with important things," she pouted. "Am I just a pretty face to you?"
"Nah." Theo leaned forward until they were just inches apart. "I'm really just using you to use your southern connections," he murmured.
"The scandal," Rook whispered back. "It's Deilie, isn't it? I knew I should have never introduced you—one taste of his food, and you're hooked. Now I'm going to be your go-between for the rest of my life."
"You guessed it." He slipped a hand behind her neck. "So make sure you take it easy this week so I can get you back to the realm in one piece."
She scanned his face. "Theo?"
"Yeah?"
"You're sure your parents won't throw me in prison?"
"Pretty sure. But I can't promise you won't be scooping hoofer dung for the next few years."
Rook's nose wrinkled, but then she was leaning forward. "You'll still kiss me if I smell like hoofer dung, right?"
"Mmmm..." Theo made a show of thinking about it, and Rook leaned in to kiss him. Theo was sure to keep it gentle, not wanting a repeat of their last visit. After a few minutes, Rook pulled away, raising one eyebrow.
"See what you'd be missing?" She pointed out. "You won't find a better kisser anywhere in our realm...or even this realm, to be honest. Not even Angelica is that good—that's how she lost Brad and George."
"I'm not sure a Southern Leader is going to have a lot of time for kissing," Theo whispered, and Rook smiled wickedly.
"Trust me, Handsome. We'll make time."