Children of Destiny
Hi everybody! I left you all with that wham ending & we'll continue where we left off. We'll see how Lloyd and the rest of the family react to Garmadon possibly becoming evil again but there's gonna be some moments exploring how much the ninjas have changed so read on!
Chapter 42: Times Have Changed
Blissfully unaware of Willow's visions and Garmadon's latest dilemma, the ninja and kunoichi, both old and new, were having a good time at the celebration of Ninjago City's revival.
"I've been waiting for this day to come," Even Wu admitted, "It's amazing how things change…"
"And that's why we gotta make the most of it!" Jay exclaimed, still as jocular as ever.
'Well that's one thing that hasn't changed…' The old man cherished his previous students and even he can't have them any other way.
Lloyd also took his time to just relish these peaceful times, knowing how ephemeral they are.
Even the original ninjas were enjoying themselves, just talking and getting into the same antics they had back in their glory days.
"…And then next thing I knew, every single light in the building went out!" Jay went on and on with his escapades at his company.
"I'm surprised Nya hasn't left you yet." Kai said dryly.
"Jay may not be perfect but he has his own charm and despite his faults, I won't have him any other way." Nya leaned her head on her husband's chest lovingly.
"If that isn't true love, I don't know what is." Cole observed.
In the meantime, Willow and Garmadon returned to the monastery…
"Willow! Grandpa! What took you so long?" Leon just complained when they finally joined the party though Lloyd shushed him in a disciplinary manner.
"We were just talking." Willow said a little too quickly before running off to join the kunoichi.
Meanwhile, Garmadon wasn't so lucky trying to get past the radar…
"I know something has happened brother." Wu can easily tell something was up.
Even Garmadon knew that it doesn't matter whether or not one stays silent or deny the truth, his brother always knew when someone was troubled with just a mere glance.
"Dad, what's going on?" The hero of Ninjago stared at his parent.
"Lloyd… I'll have a word with you later…" Garmadon felt uneasy delaying the inevitable for his son. He still loved him along with his family with all his heart. He no longer wanted to be pitted against them but it seems fate just loves tormenting him.
Once they were safe from prying eyes, the younger brother quickly got serious.
"Brother, tell me what is wrong." Wu repeated in a firmer tone.
"I prefer to talk in private… and bring Haruka and Misako…" He whispered to his brother.
Wu obeyed, sensing the urgency in Garmadon's voice and knew this won't bode well…
At the top of the monastery, the elders gathered around Garmadon. After making sure no one followed them and they were alone, the former dark lord finally confessed everything.
"Willow has been having ominous visions as of late and because she is the kunoichi of time, it's more than likely that there are some truths to the omens she's been having as of late."
"Can you describe them to us?" Haruka urged her husband to reveal what he knew.
"One concern is the Serpentine," Garmadon started, "As far as we know, the former leaders are still alive under the Overlord's orders. There are currently no female Serpentine but in Willow's dream, an egg hatched and Serpentine came crawling out."
"There's more to it," Misako stared at her old flame with scrutinizing eyes, "Tell us everything."
"Those snakes had the same eyes as the original kunoichi. I know exactly what they imply but I would rather not say it out loud."
Wu, Misako, and Haruka immediately knew what Garmadon was trying to say but as disgusting as it is, they had a bad feeling the Serpentine's age-old plot might become reality…
"Is there more you need to tell us?" Misako inquired her former lover.
"The Overlord may gather more followers in the too-near future…" Garmadon continued, "And one of them… could be me…"
"We've lost you once and we can't lose you again!" Haruka clung to her husband tightly, "None of us can bear the pain of seeing you fall a second time!"
"There's still a chance this might not come to pass," The somber man embraced her to console her, "These events haven't happened yet and we can choose to prevent them but that it's not the same as knowing if they'll happen or not."
"I wouldn't think of you as someone who gives in to fate so easily. You may have been corrupt but you still came through with your love for your son." Misako pointed out.
"And yet you speak as if you've already turned against us." Wu said stoically.
"If my granddaughter's nightmares come to pass… then I want you to do everything you can to stop me…"
The other elders weren't sure how to even react to the former despot's request.
"Whatever happens, no matter what may come in between us, you are still my brother."
"You still care for me even after all these years…?"
"We're family and you're important to all of us. We don't want you to suffer any more than you already have and you won't have to if you let us work together to find a way."
Even Wu and Misako gathered around the solemn man in an effort to comfort him. Though he was touched by their sentiment, it did nothing to banish the shadows in his heart…
Lloyd was just about to go off to find his parents when they finally got back.
"Mom, Dad, are you well?" He asked.
"We'll be fine. Don't worry about us." Haruka embraced her son but he can sense otherwise…
"Father, is something wrong?" Lloyd was quick to confront his father once his mother finally let him go.
"We'll talk in the morning…" Garmadon dismissed his son but he'll have none of it.
"I'm not a child." The fair-haired man narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
"Lloyd please, I sincerely do not wish to speak of it right now."
The green ninja can hear the discomfort in his parent's voice and didn't wish to stress him out.
"Fine…"
"Lloyd, is something bothering you?" Iris noticed her spouse's wary expression once she finally caught up with him.
"It's nothing," He dismissed her, "Not now…"
The former kunoichi of time was disturbed by her husband's attitude but gave him the benefit of the doubt and waited until the party was over…
The first thing Lloyd and his family would do in the morning was gather in front of the news to see if anything was going on in Ninjago City and today was no exception.
"Everyone's still celebrating the complete reconstruction of Ninjago City yesterday!" Catherine, reporter of NTV exclaimed on the screen, "Of course everyone's still in high spirits! The streets are filled with people partying like there's no tomorrow!"
The journalist went about interviewing some random civilians going on but it wasn't easy when everyone kept dancing and just being very noisy. It was almost hilarious seeing the newest staff of NTV just struggling to have her voice heard over the raucous party animals. But while trying to interview a crowd at the outskirts of the city, a strange face went unnoticed by the cameras but the Garmadon family saw it.
"Whoa! What was that!?" Leon quickly noticed the face in the crowds.
Lloyd used Jay's 'playback' tool installed in the TV to rewind the scene until pausing at the very second the familiar face appeared.
"Is it really him?" Iris felt chills go up her spine seeing the person amongst the crowds.
"I don't believe in superstitions but this is way more than a mere coincidence." Lloyd knew that face from anywhere.
Mostly hidden in the hood draped over his head was the unmistakable purple serpentine snout of Pythor.
"But how could they not notice him!? He has a TAIL!?" Leon shouted.
"Have you forgotten? Pythor can turn invisible," Iris reminded her son, "He probably used it to get around the city unnoticed…"
"But the question is why he was there." Willow pointed out.
"Sneaky bastard's probably trying to get a rise out of us…" Lloyd whispered so Leon and Willow couldn't hear but Iris did.
"He couldn't have known of the cameras going around."
"Has something happened?" Lloyd's relatives soon joined the family.
Lloyd immediately seized the opportunity to demand explanations, just as Garmadon expected.
"I know you're hiding something from me so you better tell me now." Lloyd told him sternly.
"I do," Garmadon sighed, "But I can't guarantee any good will come out of your reactions…"
"Just say it. It's not going to make a difference."
The former dark lord sometimes wished his son wasn't so uncompromising but one, his words were true and second, what choice did he have?
"If you really want to know what will happen… then I have no choice but to confess..."
After telling his son and family everything Willow had seen in her visions, Garmadon expected the family to not take it very well but was surprised that they managed to keep their cool but looks can be deceiving...
"Willow… why didn't you tell us of these dreams earlier…?" Iris held her daughter.
"You were all so busy and looked so happy when the city and monastery were finished. I didn't want to ruin it for you." The pink kunoichi whispered.
"But telling Grandpa everything beforehand was still the right thing to do." Lloyd consoled her.
"Grandpa, are you gonna turn evil?" Leon asked.
"I have no desires to return to the dark side but if that happens to be the case…"
"Don't speak that way!" Lloyd rose his voice for the first time in years that wasn't targeting any disobedient students, "I know you're stronger than that! You were corrupted since you were a kid, couldn't be there for me or Mom, and got possessed by the Overlord and this is how you're going to give in!? By some vision that might not happen!?"
"I truly love you all and I don't want to make any of you suffer ever again but if it's my destiny to consort with darkness once more, then it's your duty to strike me down."
"Grandpa…"
Just when they thought they finally achieved true peace, their reprieve was shattered…
Liana wanted to make the most of her return to Arbouria before leaving again.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Icy McWhitey?"
The ice wielder cringed as Maria, the meanest girl in Arbouria, approached her with her lackeys. Even outside of school, the bottle blonde would stop at nothing to make Liana's life miserable.
"I don't have time for this." The kunoichi of ice tried to leave before things get worse.
"Oh, so you're gonna try running away by singing 'Let it Out'?" The mean girl taunted.
"Maria, please…" Liana didn't want to deal with the queen bee but she was as ruthless as ever.
"What are you gonna do? Run and cry to daddy?"
Liana was hurt but remembered her fellow ninjas' lessons to stand up for herself.
"Be silent!"
"Excuse me?" Maria stared at Liana as if she spat on her mother's grave.
"You heard me! Be silent!" Liana finally spoke back against the alpha bitch, "For years, I've bore all the insults you've thrown at me and so have all the people you treated like insects but now, I'm done! Everyone's done! Everyone in Arbouria is sick of the way you strut around like you're better than even the First Spinjitzu Master himself!"
"Because I am?" Maria cruelly smirked but Liana wasn't backing down. Not anymore.
"No because you're just trying to escape your own problems!"
"How dare you talk to me like that!? You know nothing about me!"
"Underneath all that bragging is an insecure girl who can't even fathom the idea that she isn't the charismatic beautiful model the world thinks she is and actually has trouble expressing her true self so she always puts up a queen bee charade that has only created more enemies. Well guess what? You're not all that special. None of us are. Everyone is a special snowflake but you can't bear the thought of blending in with everyone else."
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Maria threw a fit like a spoiled child but Liana had no sympathy.
"And you know what? All those names you threw at me won't hurt me anymore. I am who I am and nothing will change that so leave before I'll make you."
Maria can only stare at her former punching bag blankly before running off in tears.
Liana felt a huge weight being lifted from her chest finally being able to stand up to her bullies thanks to the encouragement of the ninjas. It still didn't feel good making people cry but Maria deserved to be taking down a notch after treating everyone who wasn't her like shit. It wasn't long before her actions got a reaction from others, especially her brother who approached her.
"You seem to be in a good mood." Liana noticed the smirk on Forrest's face.
"Yeah! I saw Maria running and crying like a baby! I wanted to tell you to cheer you up!"
"Actually… I was the one who told her off…"
"Wait! YOU were the one who finally stood up to her!?"
"Yeah… I guess Chris' 'tough love' rubbed off on me…" Liana blushed.
Forrest stared at his sister speechless until his lips curled into a smile.
"I'm actually happy seeing you finally stand up for yourself. Not everyone will like you but hey, to hell with them. It was Maria's fault for being a closed-minded bitch, not yours for just being who you are. You really changed a lot."
"I'm also sorry for taking you for granted. You were always trying to defend me from bullies like Maria but all I ever did in return was dismiss your efforts. I never realized how much I had until we went on our adventures."
"Hey, it's not your fault either. None of us are perfect and that's why we're all special."
"I'm now really grateful to have you for my brother, Forrest… Kiitos…"
The Julien siblings were now more grateful than ever because despite all their differences, they were still sister and brother and now they can't have it any other way.
"Now channel the electricity into the wires." Jay guided his eldest son who was working on the latest P.I.X.A.L. he designed and lo and behold, the gadget came to life.
"Great job!" Meanwhile, Nya also praised their middle child in bending the metal to be used for the outer foundation of the machinery.
"Mommy, Daddy, can I do something?" Sayuri tried to join in.
"Uh… you can see if the P.I.X.A.L. is safe or not…" Jay did what he can to let his daughter join in on her brothers' activities but it was hard when she didn't have powers…
"When will I get to have my own powers?" The nine-year-old whined.
"Come on sis. You don't need powers to be special." Chris grew exasperated by his baby sister's jealousy over his and Kyle's elements.
"But I don't have anything else!" She cried.
"Sayuri, stop being so jealous. You're your own unique person. Haven't you forgotten all those calls Mom and Dad got from your teachers talking about you being the smartest kid in class?"
"But you had the same thing!"
"But not as much as you! Everyone has their own gift and some come later than others. Sensei Lloyd once said that the more you try reaching for things, the more you'll lose. Did you already forget what the Overlord had done to you?" Kyle reminded his baby sister.
The lonely girl pouted, not wanting to repeat her mistakes but she still had plenty of moments where those deceitful words still tempted her…
"I know exactly how you feel," Nya hugged her daughter, "Destiny may have other plans for you but waiting is easier said than done, I know that all too well."
"But what if nothing happens? What if I'm stuck this way forever?"
"Be careful what you wish for," Kyle warned her, "Sometimes, you get what you want, albeit for a price and you might even regret it.
"Yeah…" Jay still felt a little embarrassed over his botched first date with Nya where he almost lost his humanity in the process, "That's one reason why that saying is very important."
"Also remember what Misako said, not knowing what will happen will leave room to figure out what path you shall walk. Your brothers may have been destined to be ninjas but they can still decide which road to take." Nya continued.
"How?"
"They protect us not because it's their destiny but because they want to. We're all important to each other and so are you. You may even have something special but it'll take time. Be patient and it may come sooner than you think."
"O-okay…" Sayuri whimpered.
Jay and Nya embraced their youngest child to let her know that she was loved just as much as her brothers, whether she'll have any special powers or not…
The sound of music filled one of the rebuild houses in the residential area of Ninjago City.
Lou was always happy to have his granddaughters around because they were blessed with the musical talent of their families and thus, he was able to relate to them very easily. In turn, Amy and Melody got along with him because he always lets them indulge in their hobbies revolving around singing and dancing.
"A five, six, seven, eight!"
Lou played a little tune on the piano while his granddaughters danced to the music. They really enjoyed music but still can't decide if they want to follow in their family's footsteps. However, Lou learned to accept that not everyone in his family will be the same as him and respected his son's choice to be a ninja since then yet that didn't stop his heart from swelling with pride every time his granddaughters showed off their musical talents. They were blessed in the field by not only their mother but their grandmother as well. He can tell that his beloved Estelle continued to live on in their grandchildren.
"Très bien!" The old dancer commended his granddaughters once they were done, "Both of you really improved and your grandmother would've been so proud…"
Amy and Melody heard so much about their grandmother from Cole and Lou and oft wondered if they would've gotten along with her and both asserted that she would've loved them and on some occasions, point out similarities with her from their sweet tooth to their stubbornness.
"Looks like your parents are here." Lou saw his son's car pull up the driveway.
In Meerheim, Cole and Luna's house was also rebuilt but had their daughters stay with Lou until it was complete.
"How was your stay with Grandpa's?" Luna greeted her daughters once she came in.
"We had a good time." Amy answered.
"Seems like the music gene skipped me." Cole observed his daughters' talents.
"Don't say that," The father of earth retorted, "You may not have a professional career but you can still sing and dance. Your happiness with the path you've chosen is what matters most. Amy and Melody still have some growing to do."
"But I'm not the one to decide if my daughters want to continue singing and dancing. No matter the path they choose, I'll support them as their father."
"I share the same sentiment," Lou replied, "It was wrong of me to impose my beliefs on you to be something you aren't and I don't want to repeat the same mistakes on your daughters."
"I know you won't. You weren't perfect but you were not a terrible father."
"Cole…"
Father and son shared yet another tender moment, knowing Estelle will watch over them.
The greatest blacksmith of Ignacia has finished yet another work of art.
Kai inspected the weapons he and the original team will be using once they were complete. He too was aware of the underlying threat the commoners have completely forgot about and was given the task to make sure the ninjas will be well-prepared when evil rears its ugly head again.
"Hey Dad!" Alex greeted her father at the shop.
"Alex! Do you need anything?" Kai immediately offered assistance to his daughter.
"Who are those for?" The orange kunoichi pointed at the recently completed weapons.
"You and Akira aren't the only ones who can still fight. Believe it or not, your old man's still got it." The red ninja boasted, much to her exasperation.
"Get serious." The kunoichi of wind deadpanned.
"Alex, listen to me. The road to being a ninja will only grow more difficult from here on out. You and your team alone may not be able to keep Ninjago safe. You were meant to fight alongside us, not replace us. I just got a message from Sensei Wu and it seems that the Overlord is coming back much sooner than we thought…"
"Don't worry, Dad. We'll take care of him."
"But I don't want you to fix my problems. I can't drag you into any more troubles than the ones you already have to face. It's my duty as a father to guide you, not order you around."
"Even if you have your own battles to fight, I can't just leave you behind." Alex said.
"Everyone has to face their own battles. You have yours and I have mine but at least I have your mom to keep me out of trouble."
"You can be so ridiculous sometimes," The orange kunoichi humorously berated her father, "As for me, I'll keep Akira out of trouble and I know he'll do the same for me. You can count on us."
"You two have really grown up…"
Kai thought it bittersweet to see his children mature from ambitious youths into capable ninjas and that made it another reason for him to have faith in them.
The world he knew was fading but a new world may await…
I know these chapters were a bit slow but please bear with me. We'll (hopefully) get back to more action in a couple of chapters. Until then, tell me what you think in the reviews!