Uh, so this chapter is a little one-sided in terms of the character focus (I just re-read it and realized there's more Lloyd than Kai) But don't worry, Kai's going to get some love in the later chapters. (i just need to get the fic to chapter 6 or 8 first tho, but the last year of school is killing me) To add on, I was also a little hesitant to post this at first, mainly because I was unsure whether people will like Lloyd's opinion of the whole, time travel thing. But in the end, here it is. So yeah... go ahead and fire at me in the reviews if you want. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this detail. Should I keep in it and then build on it to a point where Lloyd changes his mind or throw it out completely?

As one would expect, sleep just happened to be the very last thing on Lloyd's mind when he'd somewhat accepted the fact he was now actually stuck in the body of a child.

At one am in the morning, the Destiny's Bounty was silent—courtesy of every crew member deciding to turn in for the night, he supposed, feeling his mouth tighten. All except one.

Lloyd breathed out a sigh as his door successfully closed without a sound, something he remembered his actual younger self having an issue with whenever he snuck to the kitchen. That was another thing that had changed.

Then, without further due, Lloyd quietly stepped out of his room, red eyes trying their best to see in the darkness. He felt a strong urge to desperately use his element but then told himself not to. Never to. It would complicate everything so much more if someone suddenly walked in to see an untrained child using Energy to light the way. And things were already quite a mess the way they currently were to be honest.

He guessed he had Cole to thank for being the reason why his footsteps were now so silent. The Master of Earth had always stressed about the importance of mastering that as a ninja, after all.

Fortunately, it didn't take him long to eventually reach the door leading to the deck. He opened it without hesitation, the chilly night wind making his skin crawl similar to how Morro's wind had once done. Lloyd forcefully shoved the thought away before he could think much of it, and commanded his body out into the deck.

No one else was there, which was a relief. Lloyd felt his shoulders relax at that as he then turned around to close the door, fortunately making no noise in the process. And just like that, he now had the whole deck to himself.

So all that was left for him to do was find Mystake, then.

At that, Lloyd found himself glancing momentarily at the closed door behind him as though to make sure it was in fact closed. Once he was absolutely certain that it was, Lloyd allowed himself to take some steps forward.

Suffice to say, summoning his Elemental Dragon had never felt so foreign to him before. Now that he thought of it, he hadn't done so in more than a year...since they'd lost Wu.

Perhaps that was why it now felt so strange, he thought, swallowing hard as he hastily pushed every one of his fears into the back of his mind, his forehead creasing in concentration. It shouldn't even be this difficult.

For FSM's sake, the Wu he'd blamed himself for losing was in the First Realm—and still alive. The same went for Kai, the same went for Zane. The same went for everyone. He hadn't lost his family that night like he'd previously believed he did.

They were all fine.

Thankfully, that realization seemed to do the trick because the next thing he knew, a familiar long-necked creature materialized in the air.

Lloyd could recognize it anywhere.

"Ion," he breathed, immediately reaching out a hand to touch the green dragon's magnificent shimmering body, relieved to soon realize that it wasreal. He hadn't truly lost the ability and his companion like he'd originally thought. "I've missed you," he whispered in awe.

Ion made a happy noise at his touch, just as delighted to see his master as Lloyd was to have him back. Lloyd felt a smile tug the ends of his lips, before then noticing something that formed a chuckle in his throat.

"Guess I'm a lot smaller now, eh?"

His Elemental Dragon nodded playfully, golden whiskers pointing upwards as he too smiled. Lloyd stifled a laugh, one that he didn't even have to let out to know that it was in fact genuine.

"I probably sound whinier too, don't I?" he asked teasingly, watching as Ion then proceeded to nuzzle his palm with a silent nod. "I guess it's a good thing that I never learned to unlock you when I was younger. You probably would've pushed me off mid-air."

His dragon immediately gave him a dry look at that remark, before soon shooting him a curious one. At first, Lloyd merely frowned at that, not understanding. Ion seemed to have caught on to his confusion, and used his head to gesture to the railing instead.

Lloyd was glad that was all it took for him to finally get it.

"Oh, we're going to Mystake," he explained, remembering why he was even here in the first place. Then he bit his lip. From his current height, the saddle was too high for him to pull his body onto. He grimaced. "But that's after I find a way to reach that," he said.

Ion simply stared at him, as though to point out that he'd most likely lost his common sense or to merely silently send him some other insult. Lloyd shifted on his feet awkwardly, unsure.

Then, he spotted something on the deck that appeared useful. It was an old stool.

"Is that what you're trying to tell me?" he raised an eyebrow, walking up to the stool in question. He couldn't exactly pinpoint when that had been placed on the deck, but he could remember Nya sitting on it on one occasion to repair a malfunction with her Samurai-X bracelet. "You mean you want me to just use this stoo—wait put me down!"

Lloyd's yelp quickly went ignored as the scaly beast's tail then decided to lift him up, the ends of said tail grabbing him by the back of Jay's T-shirt. Struggling wouldn't help him, he thought, soon feeling himself be gently placed on the saddle on the scaly beast's back. And yeah, maybe he did deserve some insults, after all.

"Thanks a lot, Ion," he said embarrassedly, reaching for the reins in front of him. Ion merely rolled his eyes as he then prepared for take off, and Lloyd's face flushed. "In my defence, you've never done that before."

Well you've never had a reason to,he mentally amended, suddenly self-conscious of how small he currently was.

A second eye roll instantaneously followed after that argument. Lloyd held back his temptation to stick out his tongue throughout the entire journey.

As a time-traveler that had lived through a technology craze featuring an ancient evil entity, Lloyd could confidently confirm that the Ninjago City that had existed just five years ago was utterly disappointing. Unlike its future counterpart, this one wasn't buzzing with the night life Lloyd was so used to seeing. The streets were mostly empty—the few outdated vehicles occupying them oblivious to the green Energy Dragon flying in the night sky above them. So Borg had done a lot more for the city than Lloyd had thought, then.

For someone that had spent an entire year babysitting the city, the thing that struck him the most was the absence of Borg Tower at the heart of Ninjago's capital, not looming over the rest of the city like Lloyd's history with the tower did to him. So much had happened involving that very building. So much that was about to happen.

If Lloyd closed his eyes, he could easily picture Dareth's dojo somewhere near it, the man himself about to cross paths with them in just a few weeks. Ninjago's Museum of History wasn't that far either, presumably closed right now after a still-estranged Misako had been desperately pouring over scrolls during the day—trying to prevent a battle that would happen regardless of her efforts. And Chen's Noodle House would also be no different. (For the sake of Skylor's sleep schedule, they closed at eleven) Speaking of the Master of Amber, Lloyd was then reminded that if he walked in during its opening hours, the one thing that would hit him would be none other than the absence of an overpowered redhead.

At that, a small part of him couldn't help but wonder where Harumi lived...

His hands gripped the reins tighter, knuckles turning white. She was just a girl right now, sleeping soundly in her room unaware of what was coming. Suddenly, it was the same feeling he'd felt during dinner again. She didn't know just what was going to be taken away—

A soft growl then interrupted his thought, as though to snap him back to focus. Lloyd blinked in surprise, realizing Ion had noticed he'd zoned out. FSM, had it actually been that long?

"I'm fine, I promise," he insisted to the dragon, willing himself to believe it as well. Ion shook his head as he continued to glide through the air, wind blowing Lloyd's hair. He chewed on his lip. "Now let's find Mystake."

Mystake who he was currently searching for to return to a future he had the chance to prevent, Mystake who he was looking for because he wanted to return home as soon as possible.

He had a father to face where he came from. And that was all thanks to Harumi.

And Harumi had lost her parents on the day the Great Devourer had slithered into Ninjago City. Well that, was thanks to him.

Just like him, she was just a child. Just another life he'd ruined and changed by not pulling his hand away from that lever he'd found in the snow. If only he had come to his senses a lot sooner and actually sprinted the other direction... if only he'd never found it at all.

It was always the one who did nothing wrong that suffered from the mistakes of someone who did everything wrong. Wu had said that to them quite long ago. Lloyd could still see that moment play in his mind.

The Great Devourer had been the reason they'd had to enter the museum the day he'd met his mother. The Great Devourer had driven the Serpentine underground once more, regretful of what they'd had a hand in releasing. Heck, the Great Devourer had been the reason Pythor hadn't decided to meddle with them in nearly two years.

And it was also why Lloyd's current life in his time was pretty shitty at the moment, and was definitely, gradually getting worse.

But Lloyd couldn't change something that had the potential to change everything.

What if he only made things worse?

The area of the city where Mystake's shop was located was unbearably silent, most of the other stores usually open near it already closed for the night. Mystake's would be no different, Lloyd thought, glancing around carefully as Ion's feet touched the ground. But that wouldn't be a problem though, since breaking in and waking up an old woman had already been in his made-by-one-brain-cell plan.

Suddenly, he felt himself freeze.

Where was the tea shop?

"Ion," Lloyd heard himself say, the nervousness in his voice as clear as day. The dragon's head rose slightly at the sound of its name. "Is it just me or is that a clothing store where Mystake's shop is supposed to be?"

Ion lifted his head to look at him confusedly, and nodded. Lloyd's anxiety skyrocketed as he registered what that meant.

"It's not here," Lloyd said shakily, feeling his heart race in panic. "How is that possible—it should be here!"

He'd visited the shop just two weeks ago, when Mystake told him and Jay about his true heritage. It had been right here. He briefly wondered if it hadn't existed yet at this point of time, but then realized that was impossible. How else had his uncle obtained Traveller's Tea to find his father, then?

The worst part of it all was Lloyd knew he couldn't question Kai about it. Kai didn't know that Lloyd still had his reservations about his eager suggestion. Lloyd swallowed. Kai didn't even know that Lloyd didn't want this.

And whatever was the cause of it, he also knew he couldn't stay here long to investigate further.

Lloyd inhaled a breath. If someone at the bounty even noticed that he was missing—

"I'll try another time," he whispered to Ion, unsure if that was more of an assurance to himself than to the Elemental Dragon. His fingers curled tightly into his palms as he forced a smile. "And speaking of time, we still have lots of it, don't we?"

Lloyd chose to ignore the chilling realization that he actually didn't.

Kai woke up the next morning knowing two things. One was that he was definitely in a cabin onboard the Destiny's Bounty, while the other was that the only reason he had awoken in the first place was that there was a gong being struck. Sensei's gong.

Kai opened his eyes with an irritated groan, groggily pushing his blanket away from his face. He then turned his head and saw Jay sitting up on the opposite bunk, muttering several curses—Jay, who looked a lot younger—

And on top of that, he was also in the past, he thought, blinking blankly. Zane was already on his feet, while a bleary-eyed Cole was climbing down from the upper bunk, his hair looking as though Morro's True Potential had ambushed it. Then, Jay was soon to follow, the annoyed expression on his face still there as he proceeded to cross his arms in displeasure at Wu.

This was all real.

Geez, had all of them been brats only several years ago?

"Is it that hard to give us just one day off?" he heard Jay mutter under his breath. Wu's eyes then flicked skywards despairingly after he said that, which made Kai realize that the old master had also heard it as well, despite choosing not to argue. "Really, it's almost like we're supposed to use sunrise exercise to defeat Lord Garmadon."

Sunrise exercise—which apparently had been a thing until Wu had disappeared to FSM knew where and became a cryptic infant instead of a cryptic Sensei. Kai suddenly found himself wondering whether Lloyd would've continued the tradition—if Wu hadn't been lost in time, that is.

He hoped not, because Kai had raised the gremlin to be better than that.

"To the deck," Wu told them firmly, gesturing his bo staff at the door. A chorus of an exasperated "Yes Sensei" sounded shortly after that and the next thing Kai knew, he was already on his feet to join his teammates.

Something compelled him to shift his gaze to the floor, and he did, eyes landing on the sleeping bag barely a foot near his bunk. It was empty, which meant Garmadon was already awake, then.

At that, Kai ran a hand through his hair wearily, the emotion multiplying as he could easily tell what a catastrophe the brown strands currently looked like. Well...he sighed. At least,this one was shorter and easier to style.

Kai couldn't deny he was planning to grow it out though. And Lloyd was definitely going to do the same.

But seriously though, whose sadistic idea had it even been to give a Dark Lord's son a bowl cut?

"And Kai, today you are also going to be on breakfast duty," Sensei then said, looking at him knowingly.

Kai bit his lip to hold back a sigh—but at least, that meant Wu would let him stop his exercises much earlier. "On it, Sensei."

The morning sky was cloudy when they reached the deck, and Kai had a strong feeling that it was undoubtedly going to rain soon. It was funny how that was also often the case for his own time, before he'd ended up in the First Realm. Kai's lips flattened into a grim line. It had taken him being stuck in another realm to finally learn to tolerate rain like Nya did.

And speaking of Nya, she wasn't here, Kai sighed, resigning himself into the first position Wu had instructed them to do. The privilege of not being a ninja yet.

Guess the same went for Lloyd.

"Balance is key, Cole," Wu was reminding the Master of Earth, before poking the end of his bo stick at Cole's back. "The back must remain straight."

'And this is why I prefer rock climbing,' Kai could hear Cole thinking, knowing immediately what that look on his friend's face meant. It was no wonder Cole had hated ballet.

Well that wouldn't change.

To say that this felt like forever was an understatement. Kai could've sworn he'd never felt more relieved than when Wu eventually allowed him to leave about an hour later, and he was right.

"Make pancakes!" Jay hollered as Kai was about to head back inside. "If I have to burn my tongue one more tim—"

"You're all weak, weak ninja against my spice," Kai snorted, unsurprised at the obscene finger then lifted at him when Wu wasn't looking. He rolled his eyes. "But thankfully, I am kinda feeling a little merciful today."

A little too merciful, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Frankly, it had been a while since he'd last made anything for anyone. Zane had done most of the cooking when they were both searching for their master, and most of their time had been spent on the road anyway. Kai cracked his knuckles, feeling his lips twitch. Well it was now time to see whether he'd gotten as rusty as future Cole had assumed.

He saw an already-awake Nya as he was making his way to the kitchen. Her dark hair was visibly wet, indicating she was fresh out of a shower and most likely had no plans to dry it. Kai suppressed a sigh. He'd given up trying to help her prevent a cold long ago.

"Common colds are caused by viruses. Therefore, there is no evidence that leaving one's hair wet results in them—"

Shut up, tin can.

"Jay wants pancakes," Kai told her in greeting, gaining her attention.

As expected, Nya immediately deadpanned at him the second she looked up, catching on to the meaning in that sentence like Kai knew she would.

"Well not everyone wants to murder their test buds, you know."

Kai crossed his arms, defending himself. "It helps build endurance—"

"For the Final Battle?" Nya raised an eyebrow, sounding amused. "For Garmadon's ultimate plan to shove chillies down our throats?"

Kai allowed himself to ponder that, pursing his lips. "It could work though. Jay wouldn't survive."

Nya gave him a scowl. "And you wouldn't survive Garmadon."

Yeah, cuz I survived his fuckery of a rock monster instead, Kai thought to himself. He then rolled his eyes. "But to be fair, if one of us is the Green Ninja, we need all the endurance we could get. Even if it's against one of the stupidest threats possible."

"Not sure how chillies are a possible threat, but okay, I guess," she said dryly, but then frowned.

"Hey, I just realized something," she said suddenly.

Kai blinked. "Huh—"

"The Green Ninja," Nya explained, and bit into the inside of one of her cheeks, her frown deepening. "What if it's none of you?"

Kai merely stared at her, surprised at the turn of the conversation. "What do you mean?"

"Well all of you have unlocked your True Potential. All of you have come so far in your training," she told him, her forehead creasing in concentration. "No offence, but I don't think I've seen a single trace of green," she added.

"None taken," Kai said automatically, remembering that his past self would have felt hurt—and probably a bit relieved that none of his other teammates had gotten the title as well. "I think you might be right."

"Really?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. "That would mean you guys could have a new teammate in the near future."

"Yeah," Kai said distantly, his mind racing. "Or maybe it could be you."

"Me?" Nya's eyes widened, but then she chuckled. "Hate to break it you, but I've already failed the test."

"You've already tried it?" Kai's eyebrows shot up, looking at her in surprise. And then the realization of what she had just said hit him and his expression turned into one of sympathy. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Nya shrugged, seeming as though the fact hadn't bothered her the slightest. Kai couldn't help but envy that. "I'd rather stay as a Samurai anyway."

"But what's wrong with being a ninja?" Kai questioned, feigning an offended look.

Nya's nose wrinkled in distaste. "Have you four ever smelt yourselves after a mission?"

"Hey, armour's just as unhygienic as cloth, so don't you dare go there," Kai said indignantly, glaring at her.

She shrugged again, not appearing to be convinced. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"What is sleep?" Kai muttered, and Nya elbowed him.

"Don't pretend you have no idea. I could hear you snoring all the way from my—"

"That was Cole," Kai interjected. She sighed wearily.

"Well let's hope the new teammate doesn't snore."

"I don't think anyone can beat Cole though. So, when we find him, your eardrums will still survive," Kai assured her, with a chuckle.

Nya crossed her arms with a snort. "What makes you think it's a him?"

Kai stared at her as though she'd grown a second head, and hoped it masked his nervousness. "Do you actually think I have faith in the universe caring about my sanity?"

"Oh I wouldn't go that far," Nya remarked dryly, but it was clear that she was also holding back laughter. Kai's lips twitched.

"I guess I better go make breakfast," he told her, glancing hesitantly at the clock on the wall. His jaw then dropped. "Okay, I really better go make fucking breakfast."

"I want pancakes," Nya said seriously. Kai shook his head.

"Wu gave me the right to torment Jay's tongue today and I absolutely plan to use it."

She wasn't a ninja yet, and that was something that was incredibly obvious right now. Kai rubbed the back of his neck tiredly, wondering how telling her about her element would affect the future but couldn't seem to find an answer. Maybe they could've had much more of an advantage during the Final Battle? Maybe she could've even competed in the tournament?

Kai didn't know, honestly. While she was quite useful to the team as Samurai-X, having her actually on it as an Elemental Master would definitely be better. Or was he going to toss her into more danger than she already was as a samurai?

Again, Kai didn't really know. He wasn't sure.

Nya wasn't like Lloyd who'd been so young when a prophecy had changed his life beyond recognition.

He should bring this up with Lloyd, Kai thought, exhaling a breath as he opened the kitchen door. He definitely should, he decided—

—only to then come to a halt in front of the Lord of Destruction himself.

"Ah, Kai," Garmadon said, looking up from the mug he was holding with one of this upper hands. The actual past Kai would've immediately assumed he had filled it with blood.

However, this time, Kai merely looked at him warily. "I'm supposed to make breakfast today," Kai said, definitely not planning to say good morning either.

For a moment, Kai could picture himself in the kitchen of Sensei Garmadon's monastery, watching Lloyd do his best to hold back laughter as an older man that looked so much Iike him fell victim to one of his pranks. He remembered thinking that had been the happiest he'd ever seen Lloyd in ages. He even remembered the slight envy as well.

Garmadon didn't say anything for a minute, merely pinning him with the eerie red-eyed gaze Kai didn't know whether he had actually missed or hated.

"Lloyd seems to be very fond of you," he then said quietly. Kai's surprise shot through the roof.

"Well it goes both ways," Kai shrugged, wondering why His Evilness was suddenly bringing this up. "Is he still asleep?"

"I would think so," Garmadon replied as Kai opened the cabinet.

He looked through what they had absently. "Lucky him. I wish I could sleep in."

"I thought you wished to stop me."

"Yeah, but what does needing to train during the first thing in the morning have to do with that?" Kai rolled his eyes, feeling Garmadon's own still resting on his back. "We could practice Spinjitzuing you into oblivion later in the day."

He didn't even need to turn around to feel Garmadon's glare. "I look forward to it," he bit out dangerously, his irritation more audible than ever. But Kai merely smirked.

"Same here."

Lloyd's eyes cracked open blearily, suddenly aware of the sound of heavy raindrops splattering against the window.

His first instinct was to pull his blanket further up his body, registering the cold of the room. It had been a while since he'd gotten the chance to sleep in during morning rainfall, he thought sleepily, burying his face deeper into his pillow with a yawn. His grandfather had been making downpour happen during mid-day for far too long.

Lloyd sighed heavily at the thought, but decided to relish the fact that he could patrol the city much later if he wanted to. Honestly, it was as though he hadn't even slept. Apparently that was what sneaking out in the middle of the night could do to you when you were only nine years old and—

Suddenly, Lloyd's eyes snapped wide open.

He was out of bed a split second later, jolting to his feet as he frantically took in his smaller unblemished hands, his legs, the blue T-shirt that was definitely countless sizes too big for him, the fact the floor now appeared so much closer—

It hadn't been a dream. No, of course it hadn't been a dream. It—

Lloyd's breath caught in his throat, the thought slamming into him like a ton of bricks. How were they going to get home?

Knock. Knock.

Lloyd immediately froze.

"Lloyd?" called a voice—correction; it was his father's.

His father who should be spending more time discussing the prophecy with Wu than trying to spend it with him. His father who shouldn't even be here.

Lloyd's breath hitched.

"It's about to be time for breakfast, son. Are you—"

"Coming, Dad," Lloyd said weakly, merely to tell Garmadon that he was already awake and his father didn't need to come in just to see a panic-stricken Lloyd wondering how the heck a shop he knew should exist suddenly wasn't there. That didn't even make sense.

Oh, what was he kidding? None of this made any sense anyway.

Once he was absolutely sure that Garmadon had already walked away and left, Lloyd breathed out a sigh, turning his attention back to the hoodie currently hanging by a hanger on his chair to dry—and hopefully, it actually was dry. Luckily, despite not having enough foresight to not accidentally mention to his father that he'd actually spent some time homeless, stupid Lloyd had actually had said foresight to do his laundry. Remarkable.

It was always like this.

Precisely fifteen minutes later, Lloyd was finally entering the dining room, the black hood of his clothing pulled up a lot higher than he remembered his actual younger self wearing it. (To be fair, young him hadn't exactly been that aware of the sheer ridiculousness of his haircut until Tomorrow's Tea had fixed it) And surprisingly, only Wu and his father were sitting there at the table.

"Hello nephew," Wu greeted, looking up from his cup of tea.

Does he really not drink anything else? Lloyd couldn't help but think, eyeing the large teapot placed close to the old master warily. "Good morning."

Garmadon, on the other hand was looking at him with a frown. "Did you not sleep well, Lloyd?" he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

Lloyd swore mentally in his head. "I couldn't really sleep," he then lied, suddenly feeling self-conscious of whatever it was that had just given him away. His brows knitted. Was it the eyes?

His answer made his father raise an eyebrow. However, just when he was just about to open his mouth, a flood of footsteps sounded and Nya soon appeared, holding a mug of what was unmistakeably coffee.

She let out an immediate sigh at the sight of them. "Kai's cooking...a little slow today," she grimaced, and Lloyd's nostrils eagerly drank in the smell of her drink as she then sat down with them, the scent of coffee seeming like heaven to his sleep-deprived brain.

He seriously doubted that she would even let him have some though.

Jay and Zane were the next ones to show up, with Cole quickly following them. With their hunger surging and stomachs grumbling, Jay was just about to holler a threat that he was devouring Lloyd instead when Kai finally appeared.

"Sorry guys," he apologized, placing a basket of something that smelled quite pleasant on the table. "I got held up by that idiot who misplaced the bread."

"Misplaced the bread?" Zane echoed, sounding bewildered.

Kai exhaled a sigh. "Let's just eat. I'm starving."

He then sat down, and his eyes immediately appeared to notice him.

"'Morning, kid," he grinned, and Lloyd couldn't help but inwardly cringe at that. It had been years since Kai had last called him kid.

"Hi Kai," he muttered, eyeing what had just been placed on the table curiously. "Spicy toast?"

"Poison." Jay whispered, lowering his tone grimly. "Leave the bounty now, Lloyd—save yourself while you still can—"

Kai smacked his shoulder. "Considering I made this a lot when I raised Nya, it's 100% edible, I promise," he assured him, while still glaring at the Master of Lightning.

Well sure it was. Lloyd even recall Kai making them this while they'd all been living at the Temple of Airjitzu, the atmosphere not as lively as it currently was now, sullen and unsure. If he wasn't mistaken, that had been the same day Lloyd had sat them down only to tell them that they needed to leave and split. None of them had been happy about that idea, but what else could they have done?

Suddenly Kai was looking at him questioningly. "Did...did you even sleep at all, Lloyd?" he asked, his voice edged in disbelief.

Lloyd fought hard to not cross his arms stubbornly and pout like a child at that question. "How do you expect me to when you snore like you want to wake up the dead?"

Cole nearly choked as he drank from his mug. "He got you there."

"You snore like you want to resurrect Ninjago's greatest demon, so there's no room for you to talk," Kai scowled, but Lloyd caught the way his eyes were occasionally flicking to him curiously. Then, Kai's attention fully shifted to him. "And c'mon Lloyd," he sighed. "there's no way I snore."

"Kai is correct," Zane agreed, also appearing to be just as perplexed as Kai was. "I believe the sound you are referring to originated from Cole."

Cole turned red and sputtered. "What the fuck—"

"Language," Garmadon snapped, sounding highly annoyed. Suddenly, all eyes landed on the Dark Lord, as though having have forgotten that he too was here.

"—fiddlesticks," Cole then amended, weakly, momentarily looking at Lloyd. He didn't say anything more though.

Lloyd decided to reach for some toast to concentrate on something else than his exasperation. Really, so it took not knowing a prophecy for his father to start acting like one, big surprise—

Lloyd shoved the spark of bitterness the moment it appeared, swallowing it down along with the piece of bread he'd just bitten into. His father had done the best he could back then, had stayed around long enough for Lloyd when he could've just left him the second he saw the weapons glow. And Lloyd supposed that if he himself had just been told he would have to battle his own son to death one day, that would be the only thing on his mind until he left...(would he have left?) He wondered, biting into his lip unsurely. The decision would make the prophecy much easier for the both of them, that was for su—

"Is this black again, or do I have to torment my taste buds to find out?"

"Why don't you find out?" Kai asked Jay slyly, a grin spreading across his face. Then, Lloyd saw him push a mug towards Jay, a sweet-smelling nutty aroma filling the air. He swallowed down a sigh at the sight, mentally wishing he could have at least have some too.

...which wouldn't happen, since he was apparently already a terror when just high on sugar and all. And who in their right mind would give a kid coffee?

Lloyd had to stifle a snort at that thought, momentarily glancing at Nya. FSM, there was no way even she would give in, excuse of sleep-deprivation be damned.

"Would anyone like some tea?"

Lloyd blinked, and found his attention shifting to Wu, who was once again pouring himself another cup of tea using his teapot. Some part of him couldn't help but wonder how much had the old master actually brewed. "This is chrysanthemum."

"No thanks," Kai shook his head, just like he had during the numerous times Wu would offer any of them tea. (They were all coffee-drinkers...except maybe Zane) But Lloyd saw his chance.

"Can...I have some, Sensei?" he asked, still cringing at how childish his voice sounded. Cole immediately looked up from his food.

"Does that tea have caffeine in it?" he asked the old man, but Wu didn't reply. Instead, his uncle's gold eyes were opened wide, staring at Lloyd with what must be surprise.

"Sensei?" Wu repeated, sounding genuinely astonished. Lloyd realized his mistake seconds too late, tempted to smack himself.

Great, he thought as everyone else also seemed to then notice the slip-up, turning to him astounded. Just one hour into this day and he'd already proved to himself how hopeless he was in situations like this. How fantastic.

"Um, can I have some tea, Uncle Wu?" he tried again, hoping it would be enough to fix this. Unfortunately, even Garmadon looked just as shocked.

"I... wasn't aware that you were training my son, Wu," he stated, red eyes heavily taken back.

"Neither was I, brother," Wu told him, appearing truly dazed. "But the reality is, I am not."

Then, he eyed Lloyd for a full, long minute, and suddenly smiled. Both Lloyd's confusion and panic spiked.

"Though, I must say you could make quite a fine young ninja, nephew," Wu eventually commented.

At that, Garmadon seemed uncomfortable. "He is still a child—"

"Which is why it was only a remark and not a suggestion, so there is nothing to concern yourself with, brother," Wu said calmly, silencing his father.

Lloyd didn't even need to look at Kai to know that he was considering strangling him right then and there. He really deserved it at this point.

It was then when he found himself wondering just when he'd began calling Wu Sensei in the place of uncle. And why had that even happened?

Lloyd bit his lip, deciding to leave that thought as something he could eventually ponder on later. "Can I have some tea, Uncle Wu?"

His uncle blinked, as though finally remembering what this had originally been about, and nodded.

"Well I don't see why not," Wu shrugged, before pouring him a cup Zane soon passed him. Considering that not a single person had even voiced a single objection at the older man's decision, Lloyd figured out immediately that the tea was pretty useless.

Oh, and speaking of tea—

'By the way, could you tell me just where you bought the Traveller's Tea, Uncle Wu?' Lloyd nearly asked, internally cringing as his brain formed each word. Because, for some reason, Mystake is currently—

Nope, bad idea, plus Kai was here. Lloyd didn't need another chance to prove to himself how much more of a hopeless idiot he actually was.

And how was he going to explain why he wanted to know, anyway? Just a mere child's curiosity?

Suddenly, a beeping sound filled the air, and all eyes immediately tore themselves from what they were doing to land on Nya's bracelet. The sight looked somewhat familiar. It was then when Lloyd realized that this was something that had also happened in the original timeline as well.

Nya's mouth flattened into a grim line, and then, the next thing they knew, she had risen up.

Nya sighed. "It only goes off when there's been a Serpentine sighting," she then explained, and all eyes in the room widened.

Lloyd bit into his toast harder, the fingers of his left hand curling instinctively into a fist under the table.

Right... a Venomari in Ninjago City.

The name Ion actually came from Bionic Stars, who used it in a fanfic called The Furthest Realm. After I read that fic, Lloyd's Elemental Dragon instantly became Ion in my head. Dear Bionic if you ever see this, thank you for coming up with such an incredible name.