Happy Friday everyone, time for an update. Okay so this chapter will be very different. It does have Lucas still, but he's not in the past. It's present time. Oh and if you're ready Dying Winds right now, this will be a huge spoiler alert then if you want to read it first then this chapter. If not, you've been warned. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Enjoy.


Chapter 13: The Present

"Wow. Is that how you became so over-protective, Lucas?" Lloyd, my cousin, asked.

I looked at my twelve-year-old cousin, emerald green eyes opened wide in interest to know more. I gave him a sly grin and chuckled while ruffling his blonde hair to make it stood up. He shoved it away to fix it back to its normal bowl-cut like style while still being shaggy as mine. "Not exactly, Lloyd." I replied while shifting on the bean bag chair I sat on while my cousin sat on my lap as we shared it. "What I meant was that I vowed to protect those that are unprotected and young. Like you. That's why I'm your guardian. Along with your sister."

"So how does it involve you when you were in the Underworld?" Cole, my friend who I and all of us call him our brother as we're all family, asked. "You were on the dark side."

I looked at all of my brothers and sisters as all eyes were trained on me. Cole, the black earth ninja and leader, leaned against the wall of the living room of the Destiny's Bounty with his arms crossed over his black tee shirt and dressed in his black sweatpants. I turned to Kai, the red fire ninja, in the lounge chair that was set underneath the October fall sunset with his spiked hair casting long shadows on the floor and in his red tee shirt and jeans. Jay, the blue lightning, being all talkative was for once quiet with an arm over Nya's, the samurai and Kai's sister, shoulder on the couch with a blanket over them to warm themselves against the cool fall air. His blue tee shirt and her red tank top contrasted brightly against the thick black blanket. Over in the corner was Zane, the white ice ninja and android or 'Nindroid' as Jay called him, had his eyes closed in a lotus position of meditation, but I knew he was listening. And finally, my other cousin, who I never knew of as I was out of commission for four months due to a coma, Laurie, the orange wind ninja, sat next to me and Lloyd with her legs crossed to know more while fixing her fiery red hair to a ponytail.

My cousin and I are different. Before I fell to that God awful long coma, my uncle managed to steal all of our golden weapons and created the Mega Weapon to cause havoc to the world. And he recreated pirates that were causing trouble to the city and we managed to fight them off. Until Lloyd used his 'element' that was uncontrollable to handle caused the mast to fall. I was in the wrong place when it happened. I've been gone since early July and it's now mid-October; four months. I even missed my birthday. I am now eighteen-years-old. Not much of a birthday.

While I've been gone, Lloyd was unprotected without me until Laurie showed up after I was gone. M cousin, Laurie, was found by her father and corrupted her mind to make her believe my brothers kidnapped Lloyd and attempted to steal him back. Can't stop having apprentices can he? After she saved him from being turned into a Serpentine, she later became the second guardian of mine and her prophecy. After that, she's been haunted by a Serpentine goddess named Belinda and nearly tried to kill her, Kai, and almost Lloyd until she sacrificed her memories of her and Kai together to keep them alive. She tried everything from then to find those memories back, but was being hunted by an assassin, who was twelve named Rhea. The girl may have fooled everyone, but only little saw through her as evil. (I'll add in the rest when Dying Winds is finished. Sorry.)

But what makes me and my cousin different that the others was that we can still control our powers without any golden weapons. I'm still able to control my elemental water powers with my sai's while my cousin can control her elemental wind powers with her bo staff. And I think the others are jealous of us. Mainly Kai. Anyway, I'm starting to get off topic now. Where was I?

I looked at my brothers and shifted to get comfortable on the puffy bean bag chair while straightenting my grey sweatpants and dark grey shirt. I see that the color reminds me of my time as Garmadon's apprentice to have me recieve the whip scars, but the color is still grey and I like grey. "Yes I was on the dark side." I answered Cole. "But if you look at my propchey with the two clouds, it's like a Yin and Yang thing." I rubbed my neck as the muscle felt a bit stiff and tight and slowly massaged them. "The black cloud was me on the dark side while the white is me on the good side. And both colors balance out for me to be the grey ninja. A rise and fall of a storm." I stopped massaging my neck and slowly rubbed Lloyd's back to relax him. I've been gone for four months. He missed me and I missed him and my father. It's good to be back.

"Okay so answer me this." Jay prompt while bringing the blanket closer to him and Nya as she laid her head on his shoulder. "What makes you protective like you said you vowed?"

I glanced into his hazel eyes with my hazel grey eyes and soothingly stroked Lloyd's hair. Like a cat or dog enjoying the comfort. He doesn't even seem to mind either. Probably missed the comfort of his cousin. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Jay." I remarked. "It's either my nature or my unknown prophecy to be a guardian makes me protective. Which is it?"

My lightning brother had his mouth gaped open to answer, but no words came out. I smirked as I got him to make his mouth shut and he stroked Nya's hair. "I think it's both." I heard a voice other than Jay's answer.

I turned to the familiar voice to face Lloyd and smiled and chuckled on his answer. He got it right. "That's right, Shrimp." I said. "I'm a caring person, everyone knows that, and it's part of my prochey. To be caring and protective on the people I care for. Even to you and my Dad."

"Why do you call him 'Shrimp'?" Cole asked while brushing the bangs out of his bushy eyebrows.

I looked at him with a look saying 'Are you serious?' "Why do you call him Squirt?" I asked back. "Why does Jay call him Pipsqueak? Why does Nya call him Pint-size?"

"Because...he's short." Kai answered if he got the answer right.

"That's what you see. I call him it because it's what I called him when we first fought in the alley, and where I gave him that scar, but I call him that it's because he's short and it's something from my element."

"So you can command shrimp?" Jay asked while raising a scarred eyebrow.

I gave myself a facepalm and sighed. "No, you idiot." I mumbled through my hand and removed it from my face. "I call him that because shrimp live in the ocean. I love the ocean and it's based from my element. Water. And in the ocean is shrimp. He doesn't even mind that I call him that. Get that through your head, Zippy." while tapping my head to make him the idiot.

Jay gave me a slight glare and looked away. I heard a friendly chuckle of my remark and turned to see Laurie laughing. For the past few hours, she's been quiet throughout my past. I'm glad to know that the picture I saw when I was ten was her when my aunt was carrying her months after I was born. I think she said her birthday was somewhere in March so it makes me the older sibling of our generation. Me, her, and then Lloyd. But what was she laughing about? "What's so funny?" I asked her.

Laurie chuckled and stopped to breathe. "Jay's little joke." she replied while stretching her legs out and heard her knees popping into place. "Commander of shrimp. You have to admit it was funny a little. My cousin, a mermaid." and began laughing again with Lloyd following her. I thought it over and soon after began to laugh along with them. I shouldn't have been harsh on Jay now, but they were right. Commander of shrimp. That's now funny. Soon after, everyone else began to join in, including Jay. This is how it should be. Family having fun with jokes.

I was beginning to laugh harder that my sides began to hurt and coughed. I was now gasping for air and stopped laughing to throw a coughing fit. It's been too long since I had a long laugh with my family and I missed it. My throat now felt dry and couldn't couldn't find the over-sized plastic mug I recieved from the hospital after I woke up. Where was my water? I finally spotted it on the coffee table and wanted to get up, but Lloyd's weight was pinning me to the chair so I stay with him. A promise I made to him on his birthday say that I'll never leave him. And I'll keep it forever. But for now, my water. Glad my element was water and I still can control my powers. But it's been awhile though. Doesn't hurt to try though, right?

I held my right hand out to my mug and closed my eyes. I concentrated on my powers and began to feel the cool sensation in my veins as I concentrated harder. I imagined that an ocean wave was brushing across my arm and felt it retreating back. I opened my eyes to see a small orb of water above my plastic mug and smiled as I know how to control my powers still. I flipped my hand to have my palm at my facing me and the orb slowly flew across the room until it reached my palm as its new home. I brought the orb to my lips and took a long drink and felt the icy liquid running down my throat as it quenched my thrist.

I drew my hand back to see the apple-size orb that has contracted to a marble and thought over on what to do with it. I stared at the drop and felt my vision turn fuzzy and cloudy as my eyes were starting to change from their hazel grey irises to milky white as my eyes. I was now controlling the weather. My vision was now normal, but still felt my powers taking hold and concentrated. The drop began to shake and shift and slowly began to dissolve and now was a drop of fog. I felt my vision return to normal and my smile returned as I still had my powers with weather. I caught Lloyd smiling and he blew the fog away with his breath and chuckled. I chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"Yeah we get it, Lucas." Kai said annoyed. "You and your cousins are able to control your powers without the Golden Weapons. Don't have to rub it in our faces."

I smirked. He was obviously the jealous one for sure. I had a good one for him. "Be grateful that I still have my powers." I spat at him. "If I wasn't the destined guardian for Lloyd, you'd be lying on the streets with multiple lacerations and I wouldn't be able to heal you. Or if you're surrounded by the Serpentine, Laurie wouldn't be able to push them away with her element." That made him shut up. I can be sarcastic from time to time. But he lead me to it. I turned to face Lloyd. "Speaking of which, how has training on you elemental water powers been going without me, Shrimp?" I asked.

Lloyd smiled. "It's been going well with Uncle's help." he replied. "I can even use your heal ability without your help." I smiled as he was learning well with me gone. "Watch." he said and held his right hand out at my mug. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply to concentrate. I watched my mug shaking a little and watched with a smile as a small orb of water began to levitate over the mug. Lloyd opened his eyes to smile on his turn and flipped his hand to have the orb come towards him. But the liquid began shaking and splashed on the wooden floor. He lost his concentration. "Ugh! Come on!" he whined. "I was so close." I chuckled and wrapped my arm around his neck to give him a noogie. He laughed along and struggled to escape. "Come on Lucas, that hurts." he laughed. "Quit it." and pushed me back.

I laughed with him and everyone else did. "Here's a tip for you." I said. "It doesn't matter if you're close or not. It only means you're getting stronger and learning faster." I brought him closer for a hug. "I'm proud of you."

"That saying." Kai spoke up. "I heard it before." I let go of Lloyd and looked at Kai confused. I never said it to him before. Or did I?

"You're right." Jay agreed. "It does."

"You heard it too?" Cole joined in. And Jay and Kai nodded.

I looked at them confused. All eyes were trained on even more. When did I say that to them? I looked at Kai, who gave me a quizzical look to study me and his brown eyes widen as if he found something. "Two years ago, a couple weeks after I turned sixteen, a kid that looked like you, Lucas, and had a thing for the sai's and came to my Dad's blacksmith shop for a request of sai's. He had the same eyes, but his hair was short and not shaggy."

"I met a kid who had the same features and came to my parent's junkyard for something on his motorbike that I knew looked familiar when he changed into it the first time we met in the alley." Jay added.

"I did too when I scaled a mountain and saved him from drowning after I surprised him." Cole chirped in.

"You three believe that Lucas was the same person you met and he said the saying to you?" Zane asked. The lightning, earth, and fire ninja nodded.

I looked at them confused and slowly remembered. When I turned sixteen, I met them before they became ninjas. "You remembered, don't you?" I asked them. They nodded in reply.

"Lucas, what are they talking about?" Lloyd asked.

I looked down at Lloyd as he doesn't know the tale. This should be interesting. "Lloyd, what time is it?" I asked.

The Green Ninja patted his pockets of his green sweatpants and held up a finger for me to wait and got off my lap and his bare feet padded on the floor as he left the room. A minute passed and Lloyd came back with something in his hands and seated himself back on my lap. He opened his hands to reveal the silver pocketwatch that I gave to him on his birthday. But it was also sad as it was the night I was dying but I came back as I have a destiny to fulfill as the guardian. He pushed the notch down to flip the cover open to reveal a picture of us with Lloyd on my lap and we were both smiling. It was early summer and we were all in the park, before Laurie came and I left to protect everyone, and we were chasing after Lloyd and I finally caught him and both stumbled to a oak tree. After I gave him a tickle fight, Nya took the picture and she called it 'A Happy Family Moment'. And that's the bond between me and Lloyd can never severed. "It's eight-fifty, Lucas." he answered and closed the watch and placed it in his pocket.

"Okay I'll tell you this story and then it's bedtime alright." I told him. "No complaining either. Or I won't play my flute tonight." He nodded as he understood and shifted around on my lap and leaned his back against my chest. I cleared my throat and looked at everyone as their eyes were trained on me. I closed my eyes to collect my thoughts and breathed in deeply to calm myself and opened my eyes. "It all started when I turned sixteen..."


Hoped you liked it. I warned you that there was a spoiler alert. My sister and I had this covered when merging our series together. And Laurie goes to my sister, Kaitoukiwi, and I thank you for letting me have her to make this chapter happen. I hoped you like it and can't wait to see the reviews. Here's a question. Who do you think Lucas will meet first? Have a good weekend and see you next week. :)