Author's Note: Hello everyone! I am happy to announce that I was able to complete another chapter over 4th of July! Summer break has been super hectic so far, so I wasn't sure if I'd be able finish before I had to go back to work. "Exhaustion" is dedicated to my cinnamon roll buddy, JoyOfTheStorm/Hawkfeather, whose suggestion inspired me to write this chapter. It takes place not long after my last chapter, continuing the origins of Samurai X.
Review Replies:
JoyoftheStorm: I already sent you a length PM, but thank you so much for reviewing! You're on of my most dedicated readers, and I really value your input. I really hope that you like how I incorporated your first suggestion! I had a lot of fun figuring out how to make it work. Hopefully, your autocorrect and review button do not attempt to further antagonize you…
CHEESEPUFF fg: Thank you for being one of my only reviewers for "Stitches". I appreciate your input. Bleh. I hate it when my brain decides not to cooperate… I'm glad you were eventually able to enjoy it. Lil Lloyd is so much fun to write, so I'm happy that you thought he was portrayed well.
And now, please enjoy the next installment in "Of Milk and Cookies"…
The honorable knight Rodger had finally succeeded in rescuing his beloved princess Lucinda from the clutches of her evil twin Lupita, queen of the pirates. He had escaped an arranged marriage, crossed the deadly ocean, and battled horrifying sea monsters before ultimately arriving at Pirate's Cove. Following an epic battle between antagonist and protagonist, they were now free to embark on their honeymoon to Norway – at least, Lloyd was pretty sure that's where they were headed. On the other hand, it could've been Normandy. And the sea monster might have been a sock puppet … That part was still a little unclear. To be perfectly honest, he was rather lost as to what was actually going on in the TV show he was currently being forced to watch. Lloyd had come to the TV room in the hopes that Kai would let him play video games again but had quickly discovered that Nya and Jay were already using the TV for other purposes. No matter, he would just have to wait a little while. Only, an hour later, the season finale of whatever show this was had yet to reach its climax. He wasn't sure how much more of it he could take.
"Sooo bored…." He groaned.
"Yeah. How much longer before this ridiculous junk is over?" Kai agreed, looking up from his magazine, also quite ready to move on to something more exciting. And less mushy. The amount of kissing involved left him less than impressed.
"Hey! I'll have you know that Star-crossed Lovers is an extremely inspirational saga that helps me connect with my deeper emotions." Cried Jay, irritated, "Also, it's one of Nya's favorites, so there!"
"There's no need to be so defensive, Jay. Everyone is entitled to their own individual interests and opinions." Came Zane's serene voice from the corner of the room. He was, of course, correct, but that didn't stop Kai from continuing the debate. He wasn't going to let Jay win that easily.
"If this is Nya's favorite show, then why did she fall asleep 20 minutes ago?" Sure enough, when Lloyd glanced at the couch, the female teen was very obviously not awake. Eyes shut, her head lulled to one side. Her neck was sure going to be sore when she woke up. Huh. Up until a few days ago, Nya hadn't normally been one to take a nap in the middle of the day. He had noticed that she seemed a bit more tired lately (to the point of nearly falling asleep during dinner the previous night) but hadn't thought much of it until now.
"Oh gosh, now I feel guilty. She's really missing out. How could I not have noticed…" Jay whispered, looking panicked. He had alerted Nya to the airing of the season finale of the show specifically as an excuse to spend time with her. Now, it seemed he had become too engrossed in the story to actually do so.
"Calm down, buddy. She'll just have to catch the rerun later." Cole consoled. Kai and Lloyd groaned, equally unimpressed with the idea of having to endure the torture a second time. How nice it was to know that at least one of those 'goody goody' ninja – though he had begun to see them in a much more positive light – agreed with him on something. Why anyone would willingly watch this was beyond his understanding. Lloyd much preferred Cliff Gordon's movies, in which the plot made sense and there was much less romance.
"Perhaps we should wake her and make sure she is well. It is unlike Nya to fall asleep like this. She might be more comfortable in her room." Suggested Zane. Ah. So Lloyd wasn't the only person who found this unusual.
Warily, for he did not wish to deal with a grumpy momma bear when she awoke, Jay nudged Nya's shoulder and called her name softly. Nothing happened.
"Well, my sister has always been a sound sleeper…" Commented Kai, "You're gonna have to be way more forceful than that if you want her to wake up." Jay got up and backed away from the couch. He was not willing to ruin his chances with her over her need for sleep.
"Hey! I am not a human shield!" Lloyd exclaimed as Jay tried to hide behind him. Maybe it would be better if they just left Nya alone. Just as Lloyd was about to suggest this to the others, Kai decided that his sister had slept for long enough. Getting up and crossing to the couch, he leaned close to Nya's head and shouted loudly into her ear. She shot several feet into the air before somehow managing to land upright, obviously very confused.
"Wazgoingon?!"
"Relax, sis. You fell asleep. We were just trying to wake you up." Kai laughed. Nya rubbed her eyes and glared daggers at him. If looks could kill, the ninja of fire would be dead.
"You know how much I hate it when you do that." She turned to the rest of the group, yawning, "And I can't believe all of you just stood by and let him to that! I should be allowed to sleep in peace if I so choose."
"Sorry, Nya."
"Yeah, sorry." Came the chorus of apologies.
"Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. I might as well go grab some snacks. You guys want anything?" She asked, heading for the door.
"Nya, if you are truly that tired, you may want to consider going to bed early tonight." Zane commented.
"I'm fine, really. I guess I just stayed up too late reading last night. It won't happen again." With that, Nya exited the room.
/
Nya wasn't entirely sure why she had allowed herself to stop working on her project long enough to join Jay in the TV room. While 'Star-crossed Lovers' was definitely an enjoyable show, she didn't really have several hours of her time to sacrifice. Perhaps it was her need to avoid arousing suspicion. Or her genuine liking of spending time with the hyperactive ninja of lightning. They had a lot on common, and it was always nice to converse with someone who actually shared her passion for machinery. And maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with how cute he looked when he smiled – even with the set of stitches marring the left side or his forehead. Whatever the case, she certainly hadn't intended on falling asleep halfway through. That had been a complete accident – and a total disaster. Not embarrassing at all. Nope, she definitely wasn't upset with her brother for making her freak out like that when everyone else was in the room. Though it was probably a good thing she was awake again. As soon as she had found something with enough sugar to keep her awake, she was going back to her room to keep working. If she was lucky, the mechanical samurai suite she had designed would be completed before anyone else could get hurt. Jay had only just been released from bed rest. She couldn't risk having anything else happen.
Now, to find a snack. The cake in the refrigerator was off limits (thanks, Cole). Were there any cookies left over from Zane's latest batch? They had to be there somewhere.
"If you're looking for the cookies, I think I saw Kai put them in the cupboard closest to the fridge." Came a voice from somewhere behind Nya.
"Lloyd. I'm perfectly capable of finding them myself." She said as she indignantly checked the suggested location, "Thanks, though."
"You're welcome. Are you sure you're OK?"
"Yes. I'm sure." Cookies within reach, Nya grabbed a glass and pulled out the milk. As she began pouring it into the cup, Lloyd spoke again, pointing.
"Uh huh. I hate to break it to you, but you're totally not okay. You're literally pouring milk on the counter instead of into your cup." Nya looked down. Oops. Well, this day just kept getting better and better. She groaned and buried her face in her hands, milk forgotten.
"Sooo…." Lloyd started slowly, "You gonna tell me what's up, or am I supposed to let you suffer in silence?" At the sound of the familiar words, Nya looked up.
"I guess I have been a little tired lately…"
"A little tired? That's the understatement of the century. You nearly fell asleep during dinner yesterday, and today, well… I think the milk pretty much sums up today." Had her exhaustion really been that obvious? Darn. She was going to have to take even more precautions now.
"I don't think the others have noticed yet, but I have. You're not yourself. I've barely seen you out of your room on days. And I would know because I'm the only other person here most of the time." He continued. Had she really spent that much time locked away?
"It's like, ever since Jay's accident, you barely have time for anyone else." Suddenly, it all made sense.
"Oooh. This has to do with that drawing you wouldn't let me see, doesn't it?" Nya paled slightly.
"Why… Why would you think that?" He rolled his eyes.
"Come on. Don't even try to lie. I'll just bug you about it until you give in. You know I will!" Knowing this wasn't an empty threat, she relented.
"Fine. Maybe it does have to do with that. Maybe I'm worried that someone else will get hurt, so maybe I decided to build something that will allow me to be there to protect them. And maybe, I'm concerned that if I don't finish it soon, something horrible will happen, so I've been staying up super late every night trying to work on it." She snapped, visibly stressed. Lloyd patted her shoulder awkwardly, still not great at the whole offering comfort thing.
"Okaaay. So why didn't you tell any of us about this? You shouldn't be worrying about this all by yourself. You'd never let me do that. And I'm sure Jay would love to help. You should see the goo goo eyes he makes at you when he thinks you're not looking. It's so gross…" Nya sighed. Was she really discussing her love life with a pre teen boy?
"That's exactly the problem – not the grossness, the other part. I know he cares about me enough that he'd do pretty much anything for me. If he realized that I want to be out there fighting with everyone else, which I do, he wouldn't let me go. He'd want to keep me safe, and so would the rest of the team. Especially my brother. You have no idea what Kai is like when he gets overprotective. He raised me, and I love him to death, but he can't find out about this." She said tiredly. Lloyd crossed his arms, looking surprisingly mature.
"You still need to rest sometimes. Have you seen the bags under your eyes? They're super ugly."
"Thank you SO much, Lloyd. "
"I'm serious. Sleeping almost always make me feel better. Or sugar. Sugar's good too… "
"I know, but, I really need to finish this..."
"Yeah. And you can do that tomorrow." Lloyd said as he began pushing Nya towards the door, impressively strong for his size.
"But-"
"And I'm gonna help you with it, starting then."
"Lloyd, you don't know anything about machines..."
"I'm a fast learner! I haven't almost caught the microwave on fire in close to a week."
"That's not exactly an accomplishment." Lloyd ignored her.
"And besides, if you don't let me help, I'll be forced to tell everyone else exactly what you've been up to lately." He said, smirking casually, as if there was no underlying threat in his words.
"Lloyd!" Nya exclaimed, but it was already too late. She knew it would be impossible to talk him out of his plan. He continued shoving her towards her room. She yawned. Maybe some rest would be beneficial after all…
"I'll wake you up of anything important happens."
"Promise?" She asked sleepily. He held out a pinky. She took it.
"Promise. Now go to bed"
I hope you have enjoyed reading this chapter! I loved having the opportunity to utilize suggestions from a fellow aspiring author. Also, I've enjoyed the first three episodes of Season 9. They've been very different from what I expected (if you've seen them, you probably know what I mean…), but quite interesting. Depending on how things end up going, would anyone want to see a Harumi redemption story? I'm very tempted to write one at some point… Anyways, thank you so much for your continued support by reading and reviewing my work! Ya'll are awesome.
GwenBrightly