Author's Note: Hello everyone! It's been awhile since I last updated this story, so I'm very excited to finally have time to present to you another chapter. My summer camp underwent a change in management, and I kept having family emergencies to deal with which prevented me from writing as much as I wanted to. "Family" is dedicated to my Grand Mom, who died last week, and also to author/cinnamon roll buddy JoyoftheStorm, whose unending support and suggestions are very much appreciated. This is yet another segment in the Samurai X plot arc I've been working on. I hope you enjoy it!

Review Replies:JoyoftheStorm: Hi JoyoftheStorm! Aaaaah! How are you so sweet? Seriously, your reviews always make my day brighter. *Hugs back*. Did you see the hashtag I left in my review for your latest 5 times chapter? Aw… don't hide behind that pillow forever! I really do love input, and I'm more than happy to give you help with your writing should you ever need it… so glad to hear that you liked how 'Exhaustion' turned out. I used your idea for the family drawing in this chapter, just not quite the way you suggested. Let me know what you think. Oh no! With all the buttons out to get you, let me know if you ever need to hide in my super secret bunker… It's kept many a fictional character safe from my crazy friends, so I'm sure it would protect you from autocorrect, review button, etc… Yeah, I feel the lack of action in movies sometimes too. Nya is too hard on herself. That's what Lloyd is for. He keeps her on track, and vice versa. Don't worry, she's been getting a lot more sleep. Pinky promises are totally sacred. At least among camp counselors – looks like my summer job is bleeding into my writing… I'll see if I can hook you up with Lloyd for persuasive lessons. Thanks again!

CHEESEPUFF fg: Hello again! Glad to head that your brain didn't suffer this time. Wow, that's some fast reading, :) . It was so fun to write Lloyd being annoyingly caring towards Nya. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And yes, as I've said before, I wanted my focus on Lloyd's changing perspective in the TV show, so that's what makes me add it to my stories. I feel like he and Kai would be the ones to have similar taste in movies and such (also jay-they're both into comics and Cliff Gordon later in the series). Of course Lloyd knows where all the sweets are, it's his go to when he needs comfort, and he sees that it's helpful for others too. Thank you so much for your sweet review!

Random Dragon 2.0: Hello! So glad to hear that you enjoyed 'Exhaustion'. Lloyd is definitely very stubborn, especially when it comes to the people he cares about. Nya was his first friend on the Bounty, so he's super protective of her. I hope you enjoy this chapter are well!

Ejetty: Hello! Thank you SO much! That's super sweet if you. I don't think there's enough Nya and Lloyd bonding on this site, but it's something that I love to write, so I'll keep doing it as long as I have inspiration. The only other good Nya and Lloyd stories I've found (in as I've only recently joined watt pad) are 'Raising Hell' by lloydskywalker (its's in my favorites on my profile) and some parts of '5 Times Lloyd Was a Pain' by dietcokeislife. I highly recommend both. Thanks again!PacificaPines: Hello, there! I take it you like Gravity Falls? Thank you for your review, you're so sweet. I agree about the level of Lloyd and Nya moments in the show. That's why this exists. I just couldn't resist adding some Jaya fluff to 'Exhaustion'. It's such an adorable ship. Seriously, though, thank you so much!

Family

Nya slipped silently through her open window, still reeling from Samurai X's first appearance. Being out in the field with the ninja was exhilarating, even if it hadn't gone entirely as planned. She still wasn't certain why she had drugged her friends – that had been some questionable judgement on her part, but hey – at least she had managed to get them out of the swamp alive. That counted for something. After all, helping to keep her brothers (and possibly others as well) safe had been the reason the mech suit was built to begin with. All the long hours of sneaking around, working on it where the others wouldn't see and putting up with Lloyd's constant questions and general cluelessness when it came to machines – She thought his lack of knowledge had been getting better, but his panicked voice pulling from her slumber earlier that day to help start a load of laundry after getting soap and water everywhere when he had tried to do so himself told her that he still had a ways to go- had finally come to fruition. Though, she would easily admit, she'd rather not see Kai high off of whatever nastiness he'd been exposed to again any time soon. That had not been pretty.

If she were lucky, Nya thought as her feet made contact with the wooden floor inside and she began removing her armor, no one would have noticed her absence. She certainly couldn't afford to have anyone discover her identity so soon, and she didn't really have the energy to come up with a believable cover story.

"So, how'd it go?" A voice asked from the darkened interior of her room. Startled, Nya made her way to the light switch. Who could possibly know what she'd been up to? Failure to keep her secret was not an option. Nya hated failure. As the lights flickered on, she realized how silly it was for her to worry. There, on her bed with a tray of cookies and two glasses of milk, sat Lloyd, acting as if it were the most normal thing in the world for him to be there. Nya smiled. She should have known he would do something like this.

"Operation Samurai is a go." Lloyd returned her smile.

"Awesome…" They each grabbed a cookie, "Now, I want all the details… Don't you dare leave anything out." And so, Nya eagerly began describing her adventure to a very fascinated Lloyd.

"And then, Kai mistook me for Santa… "

"Seriously? That's so random."

"Yeah… Still not sure why the Venomari spit made him hallucinate Christmas stuff of all things. Gonna have to ask him about that someday." Lloyd nodded agreement, "So, what happened next?"

"Well… Zane walked up to me and wanted to talk, but I sorta panicked and…" Nya looked a little sheepish, "I shot him and the rest of the ninja with knockout gas…"

"Wow, Nya! I didn't know you had it in you…"

"Me neither. But hopefully I don't have to do that again anytime soon."

"I guess.. It must've been awfully cool though." Nya was about to agree with Lloyd, when someone knocked on her door. Glancing around the room, she grabbed the nearest book from her bedside table.

"Come in." Jay opened the door and stuck his head into the room, seemingly recovered from his exposure to chloroform.

"Nya, Zane wanted me to tell you that dinner was ready." Seeing Lloyd, he added, "Oh, hey Lloyd. What are you doing in here?" The boy glanced over at him, trying to act casually, while Nya answered the question.

"Oh, you know, just reading. We got bored while you were gone, so I figured, why not spend some time enjoying a good book…" Jay stepped into the doorway, noticing the title of the book.

"And you thought 'Advanced Philosophy of Mechanics' was a good book to read out loud to a ten year old?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"Actually, I'm almost eleven. My birthday's in a few months…" Lloyd replied, ever so innocently.

"Okaaay. Still. Interesting choice if you ask me."

"Well… I mean, why not? You've seen what happens when Lloyd tries to use the microwave, or anything else, for that matter. We had to start somewhere…" Lloyd looked defensive. Nya tried to send him a look of apology, which seemed to quell his irritation.

Shuddering as he pictured the aftermath of certain incidents involving said microwave, Jay shrugged.

" Can't argue with that logic. It's about time somebody taught you how to use that thing properly, kid." Awkwardly leaning against the wall – probably trying to look cool, but failing – he added,

"You know Nya, if you ever need help teaching Lloyd about the joys of technology, I have been known to be quite the mechanic. Have I ever told you guys about that pair of hang glider wings I built?" Lloyd and Nya glanced at each other, trying not to laugh.

" I'm sure we'd love to hear all about it sometime… But didn't you say dinner was ready? We don't want to keep the others waiting… " Nya replied after a minute.

"You're right…I know how much everyone loves Zane's cooking… " Jay commented as he turned towards the hall. Stopping momentarily, he added,

"Oh, and… Kai ran into some pretty wicked Venomari spit earlier, so don't be surprised if he acts like you're a gingerbread man or something!" This thought made all of them laugh, though it was likely that the red ninja would be mortified once he realized what had been happening.

"Sounds like you guys had an eventful mission. See you in a few minutes." She called, watching him leave.

"Well, I guess we should probably go get some food, huh?" Nya added, turning to her young protégé. Lloyd sighed, clearly not ready to join the others.

"Probably. I can't believe Jay fell for that, though." Nya smiled.

"Well, you do have some issues when it comes to the microwave…"

"Hey!" The small boy cried as he attempted to shove her off the bed – unsuccessfully. She responded by hitting him with a pillow.

"If you're gonna insult my microwave skills. Maybe I should start talking about how much Jay loooves you!" Giggled Lloyd. Whump. Another pillow hit him in the face. Nya really did have excellent aim.

"Quiet, you. Now we really should get going before Jay comes back…" Lloyd stopped his attack, digging in his pocket for something.

"Yeah. But first, I almost forgot…" He held out a piece of paper, "I got super bored earlier after everyone left, so… I made you this…" Nya accepted the offering. It was a had drawn picture of 7 figures standing on the deck of a ship. She knew immediately who it was supposed to be. It was something she'd carry with her for years to come.

"Lloyd. This is so thoughtful of you…"

"This is gonna sound super lame and stuff, but…" Lloyd took a deep breath, "Youguysarelikefamily." Another deep breath, "You're all so awesome… And courageous. And… And, you looked after me when no one else wanted to, even though I've kinda been a pain in the butt about it…I don't have any real brothers or sisters, but if I did, I'd want them to be just like you…" Nya was quiet for a moment. Was something wrong? Had he overstepped some unspoken boundary with the gift? But then, she hugged him, and he realized that she wasn't upset with him at all. In fact, quite the opposite seemed true.

" For the record Lloyd, you've been like the annoying younger brother I never had ever since you first got here. I know that you have a lot of trust issues and that sometimes you feel unwanted, but you've totally been adopted into this chaotic mess of a family. Can't get rid of us, now… " he didn't reply. Couldn't trust his voice to function properly. Only able to return the hug. This was what having a family was supposed to be like, wasn't it? Lloyd found that he quite liked it. Eventually, they made there way to the dining room, where the others were loudly discussing conspiracy theories about who exactly hid behind Samurai X's mask. Only Nya and Lloyd knew just how wrong they were.

Thank you to all who took the time to read this chapter. I really hope you enjoyed it. It was wonderful to actually have time to get back into writing again. Also, I found a clip supposedly from season 10 that makes it pretty likely that a Jaya proposal is in the works! Aaaaah! This is my first time using the mobile app to upload, so please try to be understanding of any formatting issues that may arise. As always, be sure to review!

-GwenBrightly