ELEMENTAL SWITCH AU CHAPTER 8: All Downhill From Here?

Lloyd's P.O.V.

The reunion between brother and sister had really not gone how Lloyd thought it would have. And he wasn't thinking about their actual reunion, in the sea of sand. Lloyd wasn't going to think about that day ever again, not if he had any say in it. No, he was thinking about the two living together again. It had been a week or so since Samurai X had moved in. He would have thought that the once close siblings would talk, or share eye rolls (even if Kai had his helmet covering his face, it was easy to tell when he was annoyed - he was like Nya in that sense), or even acknowledge each other's existence. But they did no such thing. And when they did want to communicate, Lloyd would unwillingly act as their messenger.

"He's just stubborn, that's his problem." Nya grunted from underneath a vehicle she had been working on. She had gotten over her initial shock, and now sported her signature scowl whenever she was in the same room as the Samurai. "If he asks for help, it'll be his downfall. Where did you say he was sleeping again?"

Lloyd shrugged nonchalantly. "He told me that he found a cool cave. He said we could explore it together if I didn't tell anyone about him." Nya pulled herself out from underneath her complicated contraption and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You do realise he's just bribing you, right?"

Lloyd shrugged again, this time with a slight smirk on his lips. "Yeah, and it's working. If there's a spooky cave in it for me, why should I disobey?" Rolling her eyes, Nya scooted back under her machine.

"Well, you just tell him that I can build him a proper tent if he asks nicely." Lloyd knew as well as Nya that that would be a very unlikely occurrence.

…

"Ha! Fat chance," Kai scoffed. "The day I say 'pretty please' to Nya is the day I'm six foot underground." He had also gotten over his shock, and seemingly decided to annoy his sister as much as possible with the 'silent treatment'. Lloyd and Kai were perched in their usual place at the bow of the Bounty. It was about midday, and the ninja were training on the lower deck, the sounds of their fighting filled the air.

"K-" Lloyd hurriedly stopped himself from using his friend's real name out loud. "Blue, don't you think a tent would be warmer?"

"I don't need her stupid tent, Lloyd." Kai muttered. "And you can tell 'Miss Goody-Two-Shoes' that I don't need her pity either. I don't need anything from her. I'm leaving the first chance I get." Lloyd rolled his eyes. Kai was a bad liar when he was upset. He could tell that Kai would still die for Nya - but he wanted to prove that he wasn't going to crack first.

And so the weeks went on. The routine would be the same. The Samurai would meet up with the ninja after they'd had their breakfast (about 6:30am), and they would continue their search for the golden weapons. When they came back, someone would cook lunch, and Samurai X would take a portion to eat outside, where he was sure the others weren't watching. Then he would train until the ninja were finished washing up. Samurai would talk to Lloyd while the ninja trained. When dinner rolled around, Samurai would once again take a portion and disappear to who-knows-where to scarf it down. Sometimes he would come back to talk to Lloyd again, and sometimes he didn't come back until morning.

But one morning, he didn't come back. No-one was too concerned at first, it was well known that Samurai didn't like to be too predictable. He was as spontaneous as a stream - or in other words - not very punctual. No-one was worried at 7am. Or 8am… but by the time 9:45am had arrived, everyone was understandably slightly anxious. When 10:30am and 11am passed by, they were reasonably panicked. At 12:15pm, they decided to take action.

"The brat's abandoned us!" Jay screamed. "I knew he would! He's probably away to fight the whole serpentine race by himself! What a no-good, lousy-"

"Jay, please calm yourself," Zane's serene voice cut through Jay's toddler tantrum. "He has done nothing but help us. If he is in trouble, we should do the same for him."

"Yeah, you're just mad he called you a blueberry!" jeered Cole.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Guys! What if he's hurt? What if he got captured?"

"Chill Lloyd." Nya said cooly. She was studying a little cellphone-like device in her hands, her face tense in concentration. She didn't look up as she reassured the others. "I know where he is. Or rather, I will know where he is." Her face lit up slightly when the little device in her hand made a sudden whirring sound, and then started beeping steadily. She held it up and showed it off proudly.

"When did you get a tracker on him?" Jay gawked.

"Dunno. Just did."

"Oooo, cryptic. You're getting worse than Wu. Are you keeping secrets like him too?" Cole teased. Jay laughed and joined in on the good-natured pestering.

"Is there something you haven't told us young lady?" He said in a mock Wu voice. Nya went bright red and glared daggers at the two, who wisely backed down with their hands up in surrender.

…

They followed the tracker's beeping for a few minutes. They flew close to the ground on their dragons in an uncomfortable silence. Lloyd had convinced them to let him come too, so he was sitting on Flame behind Nya, his worry for his new friend clearly painted on his face. But when he looked up at Nya, he only saw slight concern. It made him feel more than a little sick.

Suddenly, the reflective light of a winding river down below caught his eye. "That's it! That's the cave he's sleeping in!" Lloyd yelled over the whipping wind and the furiously beeping tracker, pointing down to a small clearing in the middle of a dense forest. Zane looked confusedly over at him.

"How do you know where he's sleeping?"

"You see, unlike the lot of you, Blue talks to me." Jay rolled his eyes and muttered something incomprehensible, but nonetheless, the ninja halted their dragons, and Lloyd leaned dangerously over the side of Flame's back. Peering down, he recognised from when he had asked Kai to describe it for him. The cave was a patch of grey stone at the base of a large, rocky hill at the edge of the clearing. A wide but slow river wound it's way in tight turns in front of the cave entrance, splitting the small clearing in half.

After a quick affirming nod to each other, Nya and the guys urged their dragons into a dive, making Lloyd's eyes widen from the sudden burst of speed (he wasn't scared). When they reached the ground, Lloyd was the first to dash full speed into the cave. "Blue? Blue! Blue!" He momentarily clasped his hands over his ears at the loud echo his calling had made. His yells ricocheted off the walls, getting quieter and quieter as they travelled further and further through the cave.

By this time, the ninja had ran in behind Lloyd, their weapons drawn. Cole, as the leader of the group, cautiously stepped just ahead of Lloyd. There was silence. Nothing but the dripping of water droplets on the damp ceiling landing almost soundlessly on the cave's floor. Lloyd brought his baggy sleeve up to his mouth and began chewing nervously on the tasteless fabric. The group slowly advanced through the dark cave. They didn't really need to be quiet, as Lloyd's yells would have alerted any attacker, but the dark cave gave the impression that it didn't want to be disturbed.

Suddenly, there was a small noise. It was almost too hushed to hear. Everyone's ears perked up. Cole, who was still at the front of the group, placed a finger over his lips, a signal to the others to not make a sound. There was another noise, slightly louder this time. A groan.

Lloyd's spirits heightened immediately. "It's the Samurai! It has to be!" he excitedly exclaimed to the ninja before darting around Cole and sprinting further into the cavern, ignoring their whispered protests. He rounded a corner and came to an abrupt halt right in front of... "Blue?" he whispered. 'Blue' only groaned in response. He was lying curled up on the floor in front of the remains of a puny fire, clutching his stomach. He was deathly pale, his eyes clamped shut and he was shaking slightly. His helmet lay motionless a few feet away from his face.

Before Lloyd could take this in completely, Nya came barrelling around the corner, the others in hot pursuit. She ran straight to his side and felt his forehead, but immediately pulled her hand back.

"He's burning up. We need to get him home, now." No-one moved. Lloyd was especially frozen, his fear for his friend welling up and threatening to escape via tears. Jay and Cole were rooted to the spot, their mouths ajar. Though Zane was also shocked, he recovered quickly - his friend was in need of his help. He moved swiftly and silently towards the semi-unconscious Samurai. Kai whimpered and shifted as Zane slid his hands underneath him back and legs, picking him up carefully, as though he was handling a fragile doll.

"Nya's right." he said calmly. "Let's get him home."

Oof - now the ninja all know Kai's little secret. Stay tuned for the next chapter! Don't forget to review!