Author's Note: Thank you all so much for all the reviews! I still can't believe how many I've gotten! And that's not counting the favs and follows too! Please continue to support me and my little fic!
Unexpected
By: Mad Betrayal
"True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island… To find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune, to keep him is a blessing…"—Baltasar Gracian
Chapter 12 ~ Wanting to Protect a Friend
Lloyd propped Brad up comfortably against the pillows on his bed as Jay readied a water bottle. "You've taken very good care of him, Lloyd," Jay praised, unscrewing the cap. "It couldn't have been easy, even with Kai's help. And for over a month? Wow, that's major concern and dedication right there."
The blonde gazed gratefully at the blue ninja as he carefully tilted Brad's head back and began quenching the young man's thirst. "Thanks Jay, and…I'm sorry for making you upset earlier."
"Hey—don't worry about it. I know we all fight and argue with each other every now and then, but there's a right time and place for everything. And at a time like this, we really have to pull together and work as a team."
Lloyd nodded his agreement and watched his comatose friend closely. Though Brad was cataleptic, his body was very responsive and he instantly swallowed the water in his mouth. Lloyd leaned forward and wiped at the corners when a few wayward drops escaped his lips and dribbled down his chin. A steady rhythm then ensued, with Jay and Lloyd casually alternating between pouring and wiping.
Even though the green ninja had been taking care of Brad for quite some time now, he still couldn't get over how much the other had changed. Lloyd could definitely tell it was Brad, but—let's back up. When Lloyd was still a kid himself, before he unleashed the concoction that advanced his and the other Ninja's ages when they had been changed by his father's golden staff, he remembered having one regret: that he would never see Brad again. True it needed to be done to save their lives, but during that brief moment of indecision, he was struck by the fact that he would be giving up his remaining boyhood—his chance to grow up normally with Brad.
It was a bittersweet moment of farewell that Lloyd kept to himself, and had resigned to the likelihood of never seeing Brad again. So when he had found his friend down in Chen's lab, while he was shocked and appalled beyond belief that someone as sweet and kind as Brad could be treated so cruelly, a small part of him—that innocent, naïve part of him that lingered from his younger days—was completely overjoyed to be reunited with a dear friend.
Lloyd saw the occurrence as fate, not a coincidence. He believed that God had had a hand in bringing Brad back into his life. But could it be for better…or for worse? Anxiety churned Lloyd's stomach as he recalled Kai's words from earlier. He was trying to stay optimistic, truly he was. But he couldn't deny the fact that the abrupt, red ninja had made a valid point. He could only imagine what possible trauma Brad had suffered and endured while being held captive—treated as nothing more than a test subject. Did Chen warp more than his body but his mind too? How long was he imprisoned? Was he taken from Darkley's? Or worst, from his home in Sigma City? If the latter then…what happened to his parents? Were they still alive or…did Brad's innocent eyes witness their possible slaughter at the hands of Chen or any of his henchmen?
Lloyd's hand trembled as he reached forward to wipe the corner of Brad's mouth, his mind becoming plagued with dark thoughts of his former classmate's terrible fate. It wasn't long before Brad's healthy, golden face blurred as tears welled-up in Lloyd's eyes. The possibility that his dear friend could wake up and simply start attacking him and his clan was difficult to imagine. But if he did—if Brad was beyond salvation—would Lloyd really have to strike him down in order to protect his friends and family? The world?
He couldn't possibly choose Brad over the world… Could he?
Lloyd closed his eyes tight, and crystal tears rolled down his cheeks at the pessimistic thought. No…that can't happen! It can't! I want to protect him! I don't want to let Brad go now that he's back in my life!
The hand that was holding the handkerchief to Brad's face was suddenly lowered by another, and Lloyd was pulled into the tender, loving embrace of Jay's arms. Lloyd wept loudly into the blue ninja's shoulder, letting out his fears and woes about the quite possible "worst case scenario".
"Oh Lloyd…shhhh…" Jay slowly rocked back and forth as he held the younger ninja.
"Kaasan… Kaasan…" Lloyd sobbed hopelessly, clinging onto Jay as if he were truly his mother. "I-I don't know what—*sniff*… What if I have to—"
Jay turned his head and pressed his lips to wavy, platinum blond locks, kissing them gently. "Don't let despair grip you, Lloyd," he whispered softly. "Worrying about the unknown is a waste of energy. Hold onto the positive—the optimism. As far as we know he is still your friend, and he may come to rely and appreciate you the most when he wakes up."
Lloyd gripped Jay's shoulders underhanded with overwhelming strength as trepidation wracked his body, but Jay simply endured and continued his motherly ministrations. With his teeth gritted, Lloyd gasped out, "But… But…"
"No buts, Lloyd," Jay interjected firmly. "As of this moment—right now—Brad needs you…as he needed you a month ago."
Tearful, dark ruby eyes snapped open, and the young savior's body immediately stopped trembling. And Jay, knowing what the blonde needed to hear, pushed forward with warm certainty. "You saved him, Lloyd. You saved him from dying alone. And you brought him here and took great care of him. You did a wonderful thing, and everyone here is very proud of you: Your father, your uncle, your protectors and brothers, Nya…and especially…" Jay smiled, a pink blush touching his cheeks. "…your kaasan."
Lloyd pulled back from Jay's embrace and gazed hopefully at his elder's beaming face. Relieved, encouraged, and elated, Lloyd smiled and once again hugged his "kaasan" close, breathing the bonding title happily into Jay's ear. "Kaasan…thank you."
"Hmm…you're welcome…"
Having never had a mother, only knowing that she had abandoned him on Darkley's doorsteps, Lloyd had no one to express to him those unique maternal values that only a mother could convey. That is until he met Jay. While Lloyd developed a distinct closeness with Kai, the azure ninja was undoubtedly the one who was the nicest and gentlest with him. And, Jay paid attention to him too. Even to the things that weren't verbalized, Jay would decipher Lloyd's facial expressions and/or body language and figure out easily what he was feeling and would take appropriate action. And it was those endearing qualities that compelled Lloyd to seek out Jay's company on many occasions. Whether he was sad or happy, Jay's arms always opened to welcome him.
As they did now.
And so, Lloyd stayed in Jay's arms for a time, soaking in his warmth and blissfully inhaling his homey scent of apples and cinnamon. When Lloyd leaned back a second time, he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand and grinned bashfully at his mother-figure. "Sorry…grown men don't cry, huh?"
Jay shrugged and ruffled the blonde's hair. "On the contrary, bud. A surprisingly smart but inarticulate, green-eyed oaf once told me that showing emotion doesn't make you any less of a man, especially if you have every right to do so."
Lloyd chuckled good-naturedly. "You mean Cole?"
"Yeah…" Rare blue gems became hooded with fondness and respect for the ninja leader. "He can be really insightful for a guy who could be accurately labeled as a "human wrecking ball".
The two ninja shared a cordial laugh, remembering a while back when the earth ninja had showed his fathomless strength and ran through multiple cement walls of the prison located in New Ninjago City. Lloyd shook his head, it wasn't the most well thought-out plan Cole ever had, particularly so since afterwards he had been chastised by Sensei Wu for freeing so many prisoners.
A small smile settled on Jay's face as serenity claimed him. "Cole…" Lloyd stopped his chortling at seeing his "mother's" grin falter slightly, and ocean blues clouded over, turning distant, as if remembering a bittersweet past.
The green ninja blinked confusedly. "Kaasan…?"
At once, the saddened mask crumbled away and Jay sobered up. He then cocked his head as he regarded Lloyd. "These tears… You really care a lot about Brad, don't you?"
Lloyd blinked again. Now that was a bit startling. One second Jay was sad and reflective, and the next calm and supportive. Was something troubling him? He only got that way when he mentioned Cole…
Oh…that's right… Lloyd felt a spike of anger rise within him. …Nya left him for Cole recently, so of course he's still gonna be hurt…
Dark rubies met luscious sapphires steadily. Even though he knew there was nothing he could do about the overall situation, Lloyd still wanted to at least comfort his loving "mother". But as he gazed into Jay's stunning blue depths, he saw the healing process already underway. Jay was coping and moving on, slowly but surely.
Stay strong, Kaasan… Releasing his budding anger with a sigh, Lloyd's eyes shifted until they landed on his slumbering friend. "Yeah, I do," he said, smiling.
"Tell me about him," Jay pressed gently. "You already told us about the fire ant-thing and why he did it, but what else? There has to be more, right?"
The green ninja's smile broadened a bit as he nodded. "Yeah… To tell you the truth, kaasan, Brad was my very first real friend. When I first enrolled in Darkley's and was introduced to my class, while everyone else was pulling mean faces and trying to look evil or intimidating, Brad was the only one who met my gaze with a smile."
Lloyd's heart became light as sweet nostalgia overtook him, and he relinquished to Jay the many exploits and fun times he and Brad participated in while at Darkley's. Back then, they had roles. Brad was the "Schemer" while he was the "Executioner". Together they plotted and performed the best high jinks the school had ever seen.
Lloyd had wanted to prove to himself and the world that he had what it took to walk in his father's footsteps. That he wasn't just "the son of Lord Garmadon", but that he was in fact his own individual. He had aspired to become a great overlord of evil when he graduated, and he remembered discussing with Brad on what they would be when they grew up and began their multiple diabolical schemes. Lloyd recalled the look on Brad's face—how his friend had struggled to come up with anything. It was baffling at the time: How could the great "Schemer" not have a plan for the future? How could he not be excited about embarking on a cruel journey to take over the world?
Lloyd had then suggested that they stick together and form an evil duo, and Brad had agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. It wasn't until much later that Lloyd found out the truth. Brad's heart was righteously pure, and it had shone through with the confession of his love for flowers.
"…Brad was very popular too. He got high marks for keen perception and ingenuity—kind of like you, kaasan," Lloyd reflected, glancing at Jay and the latter smiled.
"The two of you sounded like the best of friends." Jay too looked over at the sleeping beauty. "Heh, I remember when we last saw Brad. It was when you got an invite to attend a…"award ceremony" at Darkley's, and Cole was fussin' about cake." Jay rolled his eyes and shook his head fondly at the memory while Lloyd chuckled. "Yeah… Brad was a cute kid. And even though it was long before his time, he's grown up to be quite the looker, huh?"
Lloyd's eyes immediately bulged and his face flushed crimson, reaching his ears. "I-I-I—We'll I—um…" He sputtered and tripped over his words for almost a whole minute. Meanwhile, Jay cocked his scarred eyebrow at his blonde charge, a small, knowing smile taking form on his lips.
Lloyd finally just looked away and fixed his eyes on his green comforter. "I…I guess," he said quietly, picking at a loose thread in the stitching. "I wouldn't know…"
It was Jay's turn to chuckle. "I think you do," he countered, and Lloyd frowned. "But…if you say so. I won't pry, Lloyd."
Rich wine eyes kept themselves averted. He couldn't possibly tell Jay how deep his feelings went for Brad, because…he didn't exactly know himself. He didn't know when he was a kid, and he doesn't know now.
"Uhhh… Ohhh…ugh…"
Both ninja suddenly snapped their eyes to the raven-haired man lying prone on the bed. "Brad…?" Lloyd whispered hopefully, for it was his friend who groaned and stirred. Brad continued to whimper in his sleep and his face scrunched up into a wince against an internal pain. His complexion was quickly turning from healthy gold to sickly white, and his long onyx strands stuck to his face as his body temperature rose.
"Brad!" Lloyd quickly scrambled up to his friend's side. The pain Brad seemed to be in looked excruciating and he turned anxious eyes to Jay. "Kaasan! What do we do?!"
Jay's pensive blues hurriedly assessed the distressed young man's condition. "He doesn't have any visible wounds, and when Zane scanned him earlier, it showed he had no internal damage either. He doesn't look to be going into cardiac arrest again, but…" Sapphires met rubies. "Go grab Zane, I may need help—?!"
Just then, the lights flickered until they shut off altogether with a quitting drone, draping the three occupants in complete darkness. "Dammit, why did the power suddenly go out?" Jay hissed.
"Brad…" Lloyd could still sense his friend's general location, and thus reached for his hand. Once grasping it, he was shocked to feel a strong squeeze to it. "Brad…?"
"Jay! Jay!" Both ninja recognized Cole's frantic call from a distance, and it only took a few seconds for Lloyd's bedroom door to fly open. "Jay!"
"Cole? Wha—Whoa!"
"Are you okay?" Cole asked, enveloping the blue ninja in his arms. "You're not hurt, are you? I thought something might have happened to you."
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine—ah…" Jay put his hands lightly on Cole's shoulders. "There must've been an electrical surge somewhere and we got caught up in the aftershock. We need to get the Bounty's back-up generator running… Wait a second, where's Nya? Did you see her? You know she can't maneuver as well as we can in dark, right?"
"Oh…uh… She's—"
"I'm—I'm right here, Jay…"
Lloyd couldn't help but notice how small and meek Nya sounded. He briefly wondered what could've happened to the usually strong-spirited woman, but was more concerned at the moment about their current predicament…and Brad's hand tightly holding on to his.
"Thank goodness," Jay breathed with obvious relief, and stepped deftly out of Cole's grasp. "But where are the others?" He asked next.
"We're all here, Jay. What happened?" Sensei Garmadon along with his brother suddenly appeared, their faces illuminated by the controlled amount of fire emitting from Kai's hand. The fire ninja's other one was firmly clutching Zane's as they too entered the room.
"We don't know, Sensei. Only that—"
"Wait!" Zane's stricken whisper aptly interrupted Jay, and Kai turned his head to look at his opposite.
"What is it, Zane?"
"I…I sense something. However…I cannot fathom what it is…" Zane's sights moved toward the couple on the bed—or more precisely Brad. And everyone followed his gaze. "…Only…that it's…building in power…"
Blue gems widened. "Lloyd! Get away from him!"
The powerful hold on Lloyd's hand unexpectedly progressed to crushing, and the green ninja cried out in pain at feeling a few of his fingers break.
"Lloyd!" Jay started to rush forward, but Cole held him back. The blue ninja glared at the other over his shoulder. "Let me go!"
"Wait, Jay! We don't—?!"
The people who inhabited the Destiny's Bounty had seen many things over the years—wild, unimaginable things. But nothing could prepare them for what they witnessed now. Bright and mystical green tendrils materialized around Brad's wrist and stretched out towards Lloyd—weaving themselves slowly and purposefully around the hand that was in caught in the former's death grip. Pure, comfortable, and loving warmth emanated from the vine-like manifestations and Lloyd felt himself relax as they wreathed around his damaged hand.
Twinkling flecks of white and gold sprouted from the tendrils like pollen and seeped through the thickness of Lloyd's gloves effortlessly and touched his skin. What is this? Lloyd pondered, blissfully. It feels…good…
But it was much more than that. Lloyd could actually feel the bones inside his hand reconstruct themselves, the chipped and broken pieces mending with a pleasant, cooling warmth.
"Lloyd, what's happening?" Jay asked anxiously. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so…" Lloyd breathed. "It's Brad—he's…he's doing something. He's healing me, although I can't describe the feeling, only that I know that I'm not in danger."
"In any event Lloyd, it's probably better for you to get away from there," Kai advised strictly.
Lloyd shook his head, too entranced with the phenomenon he was seeing to utter anything else. The hand that was holding his wasn't as strong anymore as it was desperate, and Lloyd's eyes softened with understanding to the silent plea.
"It's alright, Brad…" he said, speaking in a soft soothing tone that he hoped reached his friend's heart. "You won't ever be alone again. You can tell me…and I'll listen…"
Following the green ninja's hushed statement, Brad's eyes snapped open, revealing nothing but radiant green and blue. His lips soon started to move and form words of a mysterious nature.
"Meteors… Meteors will shower across this world's sky…on the 12th day of winter… And with them, they will bring forth destruction, power…as well as new life…"
Lloyd was enthralled. Brad's voice was light and crisp, like a spring breeze. But he couldn't revel in the beautiful cadence now, for within that lovely accent was a strange omen. The forewarning given, Brad's incandescent eyes gradually closed themselves and the mysterious tendrils receded. The lights in the room flickered back to life, and suddenly everyone could breathe again.
"What…the hell…was that…?" Kai asked, his eyes wide with shock.
Zane stepped closer to the bed, seeming just as shell-shocked and intrigued as the fire ninja. "Do you suppose it was…precognition?"
Cole folded his arms with a frown. "It was so specific, and not as vague as I thought an oracle would be."
"So then…does that mean we take it seriously?" asked Jay. "But the "12th day of winter" spill—December 12th…that's…" Jay glanced back at Nya with worry, and Kai smirked.
"Well happy birthday, sis. Looks like you'll be gettin' a meteor shower this year. Compliments of space."
Nya glowered at her brother and thumped the back of his head, but Sensei Wu shushed them all. "We can discuss the authenticity of the prediction later," he said, and pointed with his tea cup at the bed. "For now, I believe our guest—Mr. Brad Tudabone—is about to awaken…"
Lloyd turned anxiously back towards his friend, and watched as long, dark eyelashes fluttered until they revealed slivers of familiar aquamarine.
Author's Note: One more chapter of learning, explaining and bringing the focus characters into—well you know…focus. Then we'll push forward more. I love "mother" Jay or "kasaan" to Japanese fans. I think the role suits him well considering his characteristics.Please leave your thoughts.
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