The homework gods have indeed taken pity on me! Huzzah!
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Enjoy the new chapter
The new apartment was, well, disgusting. Yuki had felt cleaner out on the streets. The second the ninja had brought him through the threshold his sensitive nose was attacked by the stench of mildew, spoiled food, and cigarettes from past tenants. Yuki guessed none of them had lived there long, or showered in that time. He sneezed in disgust. Zane held him tighter in his hoodie. That seemed to be the main mode of transportation whenever Sensei was nearby.
But within days Yuki noticed the difference in the boys' relationship with each other. Now that they no longer had the threat of eviction hanging over their heads, the ninja had time not only to train Lloyd but also just to be together, almost like a real family. And Lloyd thrived. Yuki could see a glow of joy radiating off his face whenever Cole cheered him on at training, or whenever Jay helped him pull a prank on one of his poor unsuspecting roommates. His steps became lighter, his giggles became more frequent, and his determination skyrocketed. Despite the shadowing dangers creeping just outside the door, their tiny home felt safe.
Sensei stayed more often as well, mentoring his little nephew in the ways of the Ultimate Spinjitsu Master. From his closet, Yuki could watch the silvery bearded man with his bamboo walking stick sit cross-legged in front of Lloyd, discussing in a hushed voice what he could only guess was Lloyd's father. At first, they were happy stories about Wu and Garmadon's adventures as children, then they darkened into a more solemn discussion about the growing threat of the dark lord.
"Lloyd," Sensei paused to light a wick of incense between Lloyd and himself, the boy's hands clasped nervously in front of him. "Your father wishes to make the world in his image. That image is distorted with violence and evil. As the prophesized Green Ninja, it is your duty to protect Ninjago from this evil, no matter the cost." The old man put two wrinkled hands on Lloyd's shoulders, bringing the child's misty gaze to meet his own. "You have no idea how much I wish destiny had chosen differently. I know you still love him. You left your heart bare to the one you love most, only to have them rip it out and trample it. But your father must be stopped, and your brothers will always be there for you when you need them."
Lloyd kept his gaze fixed on his uncle for a beat. Two beats. Then he threw his tiny arms around the old man, almost knocking the straw hat off his head. "I know, uncle." Yuki could smell the hot tears on his face. "And you will be too."
Wu chuckled and wrapped his arms around his nephew.
…
It wasn't until later that night Yuki could roam the apartment freely to stretch his legs. Lloyd's bedtime had been hours ago, (after a twenty-minute session of protests and feet dragging) and the older ninja and samurai had been lounging on their lumpy couch. Zane, Nya, and Jay curled up on the cushions, Cole, and Kai leaning against the wall on the floor across from them.
Nya had currently nodded off while sharpening her katana, head rolling unconsciously onto Jay's shoulder. The master of lightning froze in his seat, eyes blinking. his hand was just about to slip into hers when Kai cleared his throat loudly and sent the blue ninja the most withering glare Yuki had seen yet. Jay quickly nudged Nya's head onto Zane's shoulder and retreated to the other end of the sofa, poking at a spring sticking out of the armrest. Kai gave a nod and a don't-you-forget-it look.
Yuki circled widely around Kai's perimeter hopped nimbly onto Zane's lap.
"So does anyone know what we're doing for training tomorrow?" Cole asked.
"I dunno. Sensei probably has some sort of crackpot schedule for five in the morning." Kai yawned and stretched.
"Any word on Garmadon since the Ninja'ball race?"
Zane looked up thoughtfully from rubbing Yuki's belly, which the kitten was thoroughly enjoying. "Negative. Garmadon has been unusually quiet since his last usage of the ultra weapon. What do you think he is planning?"
"Nothing good," Kai growled, "that's for sure."
"Poor Lloyd, the kid has to fight the only family he has."
Jay frowned as if he just thought of something. "Hey, does anyone know anything about Lloyd's mom?"
"She dropped him off at Darkly's when he was little. well, littler. He never saw her again."
All the boys fell quiet for a moment. An ugly feeling of protective indignation settled on each and every one of them for the green ninja sleeping in the next room, Yuki included. The more he learned about the little boy, the more he was certain he would protect him from each and every terrible person wishing him harm.
"Well," Cole broke the silence, hoisting himself off the floor and clapping his hands, "If we're going to be protectors of Ninjago, we should probably get a little more than five hours of sleep."
The ninjas agreed, Kai taking Nya's katana out of her half-hazard grip and carrying her to her room. The samurai mumbled in her sleep.
Yuki padded back to his nest of blankets on the floor of the closet and curled up contently. As usual, Zane scratched his ear and wished him goodnight, slipping the door closed just enough for a sliver of light from the bathroom filter in.
Yuki listened for the telltale rustling of four ninjas getting ready for bed, counting the sets of breathing as they one by one drifted off to sleep. However, one boy's breathing evaded his ears. Curiously he peered through his opening into the bedroom. All the boys were burrowed snuggly under their covers to keep warm (except Kai who kicked the covers off almost immediately). Cole, however, sat perched on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees and one hand on his forehead as if mulling over a distant thought.
Several silent minutes ticked by. Cole lifted his head and looked around the room at each of the boys in turn before grabbing his hoodie and shoes off his bedpost and slipping out the bedroom and back into the living room/kitchen.
No one should be outside at this time of night alone, especially in this part of the city. Yuki clawed the sliding door open a sliver more, careful not to wake anyone. He wriggled through the crack and glanced around for any other way out besides the closed door. He spotted the broken window above Kai's bunk with a tarp tacked loosely over it and swallowed. Of course it had to be right above Kai's bed.
The kitten coiled up and prepared to spring, latching onto the bedpost and shimmying up to the top. He padded across the mattress right up to the fire master's snoring head. If he could cross his paws he would have as he leaped over the boy's pillow to the window ledge, tensing when he heard sleepy mumbling behind him. He didn't waste any time in slipping through the hole and out onto the fire escape, ignoring the sting on his shoulder as he brushed a glass shard jabbing out.
Peering down at the sidewalk lit with oily streetlamps, Yuki could just make out the raven-haired boy exiting their complex, hands in the pocket of his hoodie. The kitten slinked down the iron stairs and landed on the concrete without a sound.
Cole had cut around a corner out of sight, walking with a purposeful gait. Yuki had to trot to catch up, though he slunk further into the shadows. The streets were all but dark except for the occasional obnoxious neon signs of bars and chain restaurants. The master of earth wove through several abandoned alleyways and main roads before stopping at an iron fence surrounding a cemetery. Yuki hid behind the corner of a building, curiosity making his tail twitch.
It seemed ironic the resting place for the dead had one of the only patches of greenery in the industrial city, yet the blades of grass on the other side of the fence shivered in the breeze. Yuki watched curiously from the cover of darkness as Cole cleared the black spires and landed with a thump on the other side before jogging further into the graveyard.
Yuki padded over and slipped easily between the two rails. Fireflies blinked in and out of his vision as the kitten spotted Cole standing motionless in front of a headstone, hands still buried in his pockets. The kitten stalked cautiously up behind a row of tombstones so as not to startle him.
Closer up Yuki could hear him mumbling. He crouched low in the grass to listen.
"I miss you, mom. I really wish you could be here now," the master of earth took a shaky breath and sat on his heels, arm wrapped around his knees. "I don't know why I've been missing you so much lately. I mean, it's been seven years, I thought it was supposed to stop hurting after this long."
He swiped at his face as if to physically change the subject and sniffed. "Anyway, I talked with dad a while ago. We're getting…better. I think you'd be happy. I might visit him sometime soon if I can."
He looked at the ground and picked a tiny white flower from the earth. "Guess dad's been here already," he looked at the vase of perfect fake roses on the gravestone, "But I know you like the real ones best."
He placed the flower on the stone, then nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Yuki sitting two inches next to him. "Geez, cat," he gasped, clutching his heart, "don't do that."
Yuki looked up at him and twitched his whiskers in a questioning manner. Cole sighed and relaxed his shoulders, giving the kitten a scratch behind the ear. "How did you even get here anyway?" he said mostly to himself while Yuki curled up beneath his towering frame. Seeming to accept the unexpected company, the two sat in comfortable silence. Cole adjusted his position so he sat cross-legged, leaning back on his hands and face toward the stars.
The city's constant blue glow drowned out most of the stars, even at that ungodly hour. But a few managed to burn through the smog and artificial light, and Yuki could even make out clusters of them, like freckles on a face.
"She loved stars, you know." Yuki looked back at Cole to show he was listening. Again, Cole looked at the cat a little funny since he was mostly talking to himself, but he continued. "Whenever she wasn't dancing, she would take me mountain climbing when I was old enough, and she'd show me all the stars. You should have seen them, there were so many, I thought the First Spinjitsu Master accidentally knocked over his bucket of stars." He chuckled to himself at the memory. "Kinda ironic, huh? The masters of earth fixated with the sky?"
The tears on his cheek began to dry. The quiet was beautiful.
"Cooooole?" Kai's distant call broke the silence. The two turned to see the master of fire's red pajamas at a distance through the iron fence passing by, hands cupped around his mouth. Cole sighed and hoisted himself up, swatting the dirt off his pant legs. "C'mon, cat. I don't really want Kai waking the dead looking for me."
Yuki knowingly scampered up into Cole's secure arms and got comfortably enveloped in his black hole of a hoodie for the ride home. The master of earth jogged past the rows of graves back to where he'd come from, easily clearing the fence again despite his little load. Kai had since past the graveyard and crossed to the next block, still calling Cole's name.
"Kai, over here buddy!" The black ninja waved his free arm to get his attention. When he did the two waited for the teen to trot back to them. When he came closer Yuki could sense Cole stifling a snicker at Kai's hair gel-less bed head. He just managed to keep a straight face as Kai began his scolding session.
"For crying out loud, Cole! What the heck are you doing out here? You know Garmadon's serpentine are out and you know the creep would like nothing more than leverage against Lloyd." Kai ranted, unlaced boots stamping on the pavement and hot air puffing out his lungs in the cold. It was a little comical if Yuki was being completely honest. Despite how intimidating Kai was to the kitten, he was still a pipsqueak compared to Cole. Like a chihuahua barking a Burmese mountain dog. Still, Cole waited patiently for him to finish as they started walking back towards their apartment. Kai did indeed fizzle out but still radiated his signature grumpiness.
"Your concern for me is touching."
Kai snorted. "What are you doing out here anyway?" Kai asked abruptly, looking at Cole curiously.
"Oh, uh," the black ninja faltered a little, Yuki felt his pulse quicken beneath his shirt. "Just ah, you know, visiting a friend."
"Cole." Kai gave him a look.
"Ok, ok," Cole held his hand up in surrender. "Just…thinking about what the guys said earlier, I guess."
"What, about moms?"
The tips of Cole's ears reddened. "…Yeah."
Kai frowned like he was putting the pieces together. "You were visiting a fr-" He glanced back at the iron gates now faded in the distance and realization dawned on him.
"Oh."
His perpetually angry face softened a bit and he picked up his pace to catch up to the master of earth. "Hey, wait! Do you wanna um, talk about it?"
"Not really."
Kai grabbed Cole's arm, "Cole, I know it sucks."
Cole stopped walking and half turned, though he kept his gaze on the ground. Yuki, though, looked right at Kai's angry, concerned eyes. "Believe me, I know how it feels to miss your mom. It sucks when the one person you should be able to rely on bails on you.
"How did yours die?" Cole asked quietly still avoiding eye contact. It was Kai's turn to stumble.
"Oh, uh. Heh. Actually, I'm pretty sure both my parents are alive. I just don't, um, know where they are." The red ninja rubbed his neck awkwardly. This time Cole looked up at him and frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Me and Nya were out playing outside one day, when we came inside there was no one home. We waited a couple of days but it was pretty clear they weren't coming home." Yuki saw his fists clench and unclench at the memory.
Kai squeaked when he was crushed in Cole's massive hug, smushed right up against Yuki. He gave the cat an annoyed glare and spat fur out of his mouth.
"Kai, I swear if we ever meet your parents, I will personally help you kick their asses."
Cole squeezed harder and Kai wheezed, "You're such a sap. Y'know that?"
"Yup. Now, what's say we get some sleep?"
Kai gave an agreeable grumble when Cole set him down. They could see their apartment complex from where they stood.
"How did you even know I was out? I made sure everyone was asleep before I left."
Kai snickered. "Runt whacked me on the nose when it slipped out." He sent another withering glare to the feline as he ducked under to the safety of Cole's hoodie pocket. He heard another snicker.
When they snuck back into their bedroom, they slept soundly.
Jay: Huh, I'm the only one out of all of you that actually has good parents.
Season six: Imma bout to end this man's whole career.
As always, thank you so much for reading. Leave a review if you have the chance:) Have a lovely day!