Hey, y'all! Quick note: if you've read Chapter 15, I recently updated the second half of it to give the story a more serious tone. The idea is still the same, but there is more dialogue and description, so I'd recommend re-reading it if you'd like. Thank you so much for your continued support!

RPM Shadow, thank you so much for the review! As far as OC's go, I don't plan on creating any from this point in the story. However, I would like to go more in depth with the love triangle later on. In terms of giving Cole a girlfriend, I'll definitely keep it in mind! I'm so glad you like this story and I hope to write through to the show's conclusion. Thank you so much for your support.

As usual, all characters belong to the creators of the show "Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu." Without delay, here's Chapter 16!

Chapter 16

Pain's Best Friend

Lloyd screamed. Boys laughed. His bed stared back at him with a thousand, beady eyes, shifting and coiling like a cesspool for vile vermin. Lloyd felt the sudden urge to vomit.

"Gee, Lloyd. I never knew you were such a slob," one of the boys chuckled. Lloyd shot him a look.

"I saw some worms in the backyard if you want more friends, Lloyd." Lloyd growled. The fire ants stared back at him, asking him to try something. He grimaced, a look of panic flashing across his youthful features. The sound of raucous laughter drowned out his senses; loneliness and shame enveloped him in their dark embrace.

Jay grimaced as his back hit the ground. Outdoor living wasn't all he'd cracked it up to be, he'd realized. His bed called to him from a distant mountain, mocking his aching back. Just a few more days, he'd tell himself over and over again. A few more days, and someone's gonna get it.

It was long into the night when he heard a rustling; he sat up then, unnoticed by the black silhouette that retreated into the shadows' depths. Frowning, Jay slipped his gloved hand into his pack. A pair of nunchuks reflected the moon's light as he grabbed them. Pulling his hood over his face so as to not be spotted, Jay crept into the darkness.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, y'know?" Cole commented. His back to his friend, he didn't miss it when Jay rose his nunchucks, presumably to knock him out. Jay raised an eyebrow.

"Cole?" A moment. He put his nunchucks down. "What are you doing? You should be sleeping." Cole laughed, a short, slightly amused sound as Jay sat next to him on the riverbank. The silence was thick but not deafening as he continued to watch the stars; Jay watched him instead, concerned.

"You ever wonder what Nya's experiencing right now?" Cole asked.

"Where did that come from?"

"It's just... You remember when Master Wu spoke with Kai?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, when Kai was mad he... he told me what he saw. It... wasn't pretty." Jay looked to the stars then, watching as they conversed with their beautiful glow. One would wink, another would follow. This set off a chain reaction that seemed never-ending as the two men sat in the moonlight.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to save her then." Cole looked at Jay, surprised by his bluntness. The ginger man was watching the stars, his voice void of its usual humor. Turning back to the vast expanse before him, determination settled within Cole like an immovable brick. The girl, both decided, would not be forced to endure any more. Soon, she would be greeted with the noonday sun. He'd make sure of it.

Hidden by throngs of beautiful trees, Kai stood surrounded by his tortuous thoughts, his silent tears closed off by anger and pride. No one knew what he was going through. Though, Perhaps, he thought... Maybe, just maybe... he'd found some people who might.

Hey, y'all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review and let me know if there's anything you'd like to see in this story. Thank you so much, and I hope y'all have a great day. God bless!