Eventually, all good things come to an end. We stayed up way too late, between the aquarium, the movie marathon, riding Green Dragon, half a dozen snack breaks in the kitchen coupled with short dance parties and board games in the living area, and just hanging out in my room. We ate way too much, but who could blame us? On top of the pizza and sushi, we had cake and popcorn and candy candy candy, and hot chocolate, and cookies, and little sandwiches. Pretty much anything Zane touched turned out amazing, so we all blamed him for our stuffed tummies. Even Falcon was looking a little round.
We slept in well past ten am, so we only had time for a late breakfast (choose your own ingredients omelets) before they all had to start packing up. Their parents would be picking them up at the cove at noon. More time would've been awesome, but all of their parents seemed to have plans for that afternoon.
Before I knew it, it was all over. We were back at the cove and everyone was splitting off, hugging their parents and waving goodbyes.
Jay's parents were kind of old, but looked really sweet. They gave me the friendliest smiles and invited me over for supper, anytime, so Jay hadn't been making that up. Though they also referred to their home as the junkyard, and going by Jay's groan I don't think they meant it as a joke. But that's pretty cool - bet Jay finds all sorts of cool stuff for the mech club there!
Zane's father was there, a definitely old gentleman that I recognized as the famous inventor Dr. Julien. My dad has desperately wanted to recruit him for the longest time, but hasn't had any luck. (Kudos to the good doctor!) He wasn't married, far as I knew, so I was quite curious about Zane's mom. The one he was always speaking about, that apparently spoke in dial-up? A small, copper colored version of Zane had been waiting with the doctor and ran up to give Zane a big hug. My friend introduced the mini-Zane as his little brother, Echo. He's adorable. To my surprise, he gave me a hug too and asked when he could come to the volcano! Dr. Julien patiently hushed him before I was forced to come up with a reply, thankfully.
Cole went off with his dad, a snappy dresser that I recognized from theatre posters - I think he's with the Royal Blacksmith group - and his mom, a woman who didn't look well. She was wearing a filter mask and Cole was scolding her for coming out. I'm thinking she's not supposed to, so I didn't interrupt to introduce myself or say bye or anything. Just waved when Cole nodded in my direction.
The last two people waiting in the cove were Kai and Nya's parents. The twins immediately rushed forward to jump into their arms. You'd think they'd been gone a week instead of one night! The four all looked so happy together, like the perfect family. The twins waved me over and I quickly joined them for introductions.
And... something felt weirdly familiar.
I'd never met these people before. I certainly would've remembered their mom's gorgeous, silky black hair. Or their father's cool beard. She was beautiful, he was handsome, neither could be much older than thirty-five.
There was just something about their voices, as they introduced themselves. Ray and Maya. A blacksmith and a teacher. They'd lived in Jamanakai their whole lives, but had visited the city pretty regularly when they were younger.
I felt safe and comfortable with them. Maybe because Kai and Nya are also such safe and comfortable people?
They turned to leave, and their mom gave me one last smile. Our eyes met for the briefest moment, and I knew her.
Water.
She turned back to her husband and children, completely unfazed. Nothing had happened, after all. Just a simple goodbye to their children's new friend.
She was Water. Those were unmistakably Water's eyes. Her husband was Fire. Had to be. They'd always been together when they visited me. Usually sat on either side of me while I spilled my heart out. He would always ruffle my hair and she would always give me hugs and...
That's why they felt familiar and safe. That's how I knew them.
I was suddenly shaking and very grateful I hadn't recognized them quicker. Two seconds earlier and they would've seen me crack.
Kai and Nya's parents were ninjas. My ninjas. Well, not 'mine', but the ones that had visited me. That had cared, I was sure of it, but left, I'm not sure why, but were now back. All of the Ninja had been awesome, were awesome, but Water and Fire especially...
Back then, I'd wanted them to be my parents. On really bad days, I'd daydream about them taking me home with them. Not seriously - I'd never abandon my father. It was just a "what if..." sort of thing. But that was a deep, deep, dark secret I would never tell anyone. At least twice I'd almost slipped and called Water 'mom'. Somehow I'd always managed to bite it back, knowing there was no way they wanted... you know, me.
I could never let anyone even suspect I'd once felt such a way. Especially now. Knowing they'd had kids already. Awesome, normal, good kids. Kai and Nya. I could never compare. And it was wrong to want to. They weren't mine. They'd never been mine. They'd left.
Greedy. Selfish. Stupid. Wishing for the impossible. Wishing for another life.
I had my dad, I forcibly reminded myself. I have my dad. My dad has me. We're fine. We're all each other needs. He never left me. He'll never leave me. He loves me. Not just likes, not just is nice to. He loves me.
I stumbled my way back up into the shark mech, took my usual seat in the pilot's chair, and stared blankly at the controls.
They were back. They were really back. They didn't hate me. They let their children hang out with me. My dad hadn't killed them. They really had just left.
I could ask why. Why they left. Why they came back. Why now. If it had anything to do with me. If they had missed me. If they regretted leaving me alone.
No. Not alone. Never alone. Dad was always there. He just... Sometimes... I couldn't... Ugh.
Before the craziness of this past week, before I met Kai and Nya, I would have jumped at any opportunity to talk to them. I might have ran after them, grabbed them by their civilian clothes, begged them for answers. Started crying right there, expecting them to comfort and reassure me.
Kai and Nya said they didn't have a problem with them associating with me, so they didn't hate me. And they hadn't disappeared because they'd been killed. That was more than enough. Had to be more than enough. It wasn't like they owed me anything. If anything, I owed them... everything. My very life.
They didn't know I knew. They couldn't. Their identities were secret for a reason. If they had wanted to explain anything to me, they could have. Kai and Nya's parents, so they'd been back for about a week.
They'd seen me at the warehouse. That whole embarrassing and stupid mess with my absent uncle and even more absent mother. I'd been kind of distracted at the time, but the knowledge that they knew, had seen... oh. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I can't let on that I know. I don't want them to know that I know. I don't want to know what happened that night. What my dad did. Why they left. Why they were back.
I don't want them to know about the abandoned gi on the rooftop. That I couldn't do it. That I'd been so stupid and childish and weak and indecisive that I'd dared to try on that stupid thing and made a whole mess of everything and had gone there for help that wouldn't come, that I didn't deserve, had no right to, and why, why did I have to be so stupid...
They had children. They had Kai and Nya. Of course they left, or rather, stopped coming. They had to protect them from my dad. It made sense. But then, why on Ninjago did they let them come to the volcano? Why did they let them be friends with me? It was too dangerous. The Ninja were my dad's enemies. What were they thinking, letting them come right into the volcano? Hang out with me? Were they stupid?
For the first time in years, I was too shaky to pilot the shark mech. I pressed the autopilot button instead. It would take me to the dock in my workshop without any input from me.
I'd better avoid that stupid rooftop like the plague.
And maybe Kai and Nya.
It wasn't safe. They shouldn't hang out with me. They had too much to lose. I owed their parents too much. I couldn't drag them down with me.
My phone buzzed. A group text. Kai and Nya, thanking me for the sleepover.
I had no idea what to say. As I stared at the screen, more texts popped up. I turned off my phone and put it back in my pocket.
I don't have to see them until Monday. Maybe I'll have decided by then what to do. How to act. Paint on a mask. Pretend I don't know, I couldn't know, I shouldn't know.
Just stupid Lloyd Garmadon. Surrounded by amazing people he doesn't deserve. That he's going to drag down to the cursed realm with him.
I'd escaped all this, just for that one night. It had been fun. I hadn't thought about the Ninja or the rooftop or the gi even once. I hadn't worried about my dad being evil or what might happen next time he invaded. I'd just been Lloyd. Of course that wasn't enough. It was never enough. Because I'll always be the son of Garmadon.
I wish I didn't know. I wish I could forget.
I shouldn't have put on that gi. I shouldn't have gone back to that rooftop. I shouldn't have made eye contact with Kai and Nya's mom.
I'd have to pretend I saw nothing. Knew nothing. I had two days to get my mask on straight. Get a story together. Come up with excuses in advance for not having anyone over ever again. It was too dangerous. I had to keep them all away from Dad. If I slipped up, if he found out who Kai and Nya's parents were, I had no idea what would happen. What he would do.
I love my dad. I love him so much! But I'm not stupid. I know he's capable of killing people. Probably has killed people. I've heard his threats, his rants, seem him grab someone by the throat and roar in their face. I don't want... I don't want my dad to be that guy, you know? He's just so much more than... than that.
He's not a monster. He's not.
~~ ! Go Ninja Go ! ~~
"This isn't the way home," commented Nya after a couple minutes of riding in their family car. "Are we heading to the warehouse?"
Their father was driving, but he nodded. Their mother replied for both of them. "Remember, we said we would talk to Master Wu and Misako about telling the current Ninja what's really going on? They agreed."
"They aren't happy," tacked on their dad. "But they agreed to show us the scroll that contains the legend they were talking about. The others will be there too."
"The previous Ninja? All of them?" asked Nya excitedly.
"Yes, actually. As well as Cole, Jay, and Zane's civilian parents. Wu managed to track them all down for this. It's pretty serious."
"Serious?" asked Kai, worriedly. "I thought Master Wu just saw Lloyd's potential or something. That that's why he wanted Lloyd to join. I mean, it couldn't really be about some terrible prophecy, right?"
Their mom sighed. "I wish, dear. You'll see."
The ride continued in silence.
~~ ! Go Ninja Go ! ~~
Author's Notes: I'm so happy you all enjoyed the sleepover last chapter! Poor Lloyd really needed a break! And, as promised, here we are diving right back into the drama and angst! Don't worry, we will be getting back to humor and fluff eventually, like a certain golf tournament the mayor's about to agree to…
Special thanks to Sunny Lighter, my beta! Also thanks to my reviewers from last chapter: Johanna03, The Wanderer (guest), Carrie2sky, Watcher321, Pitch'snieceanddaughterofMew, Sunny Lighter, Beaner97, and EMPFangirl02!
Next chapter: I'll finally be telling two stories that have been in the background since chapter one! Wu tells the full legend of the Green Ninja and translates the scroll. And Lloyd finally reveals to us, if not to anyone else, what really happened to him that time he ended up in the hospital.
In other news: Battery will be complete at 8 chapters. The posting schedule is on my profile. I've also started another short multi-chapter fic, Venom in My Blood, that will be complete at 3 chapters.