'The time of the green ninja has grown nearer.'
Uncle Wu's voice echoed in Lloyd's head. He rolled over pulling his pillow over his ears. It did nothing to quiet Wu's words. Only three days had passed since the fight at Doomsday Comics. Three days since fate forced his hand. Three days since he lost six-ish years.
Lloyd stood up dizzily, random areas of his gi wet from tomorrow's tea. The ground swayed far below him. Blinking hard he frantically looked toward the grundle. What had been a vicious monster seconds before now lay as an inert skeleton. Relieved he turned to see the rest of the ninja staring at him...
The transformation hadn't really hurt. At least not physically. Yet everything was different now.
He ducked through the rubble that was Doomsday Comics and made to jog after the ninja. Two steps in he tripped over his feet, falling to the ground.
"Lloyd!" Nya was at his side in an instant.
Lloyd waved her off. Gritting his teeth he shoved himself back to his feet. "It's nothing. I'm fine. Let's just get back to the Bounty."
He caught the looks the other ninja gave him, but he ignored them. They set out again, but at a markedly slower pace. Lloyd chose to pretend he didn't notice.
And that was only the start.
Lloyd held up his pajama pants. What had fit just that morning now barely came to mid calf. 'There's no way that's happening.' He frowned as he glanced at the rest of the clothes in his dresser. All too short.
"Here, you can borrow some of mine." Kai tossed an extra set in Lloyd's direction.
Lloyd reached to grab them, but his arm hit them earlier than he anticipated sending them flying toward Cole's head. Cole stepped quickly to the side and plucked the clothes out of the air. Without a word he handed them to Lloyd.
"Thanks." Lloyd muttered before heading to the bathroom to change. Behind him he could hear the whispers start up but he tried to block them out.
The ninja were still shooting him looks when they thought he wasn't looking. Unfortunately it wasn't like they didn't have a reason too.
A loud crash came from the bathroom. Footsteps thundered as six people ran to the sound of the noise. Cole, in the lead, banged on the door.
"Lloyd are you okay?"
A few seconds of quiet passed and the ninja exchanged uneasy looks.
"Lloy-" Cole started again but was cut off as the door abruptly swung open.
A large bruise was forming on Lloyd's forehead but he glared at those gathered. "I. Am. Fine. You didn't all need to run over here."
In hindsight though that was small fries compared to his attempt to train the day before.
Lloyd bounced on his toes, trying to warm up his muscles. An extra gi of Kai's flapped uncomfortably against his shoulders, but the one he'd been transformed in was getting a much needed wash. Nya promised to go shopping with him yesterday for a new wardrobe but the Bounty had a bad habit of malfunctioning at the most inconvenient times. There was no way Lloyd was going by himself so that left him with not-quite-fitting borrowed clothes. Shaking away his thoughts Lloyd looked up as Jay got into position in front of him.
Unlike the other guys Lloyd hadn't had a body that size before and his brain had no idea what to do with it.
Jay aimed a punch at Lloyd's chest. In his attempt to side step the blow Lloyd tripped over his feet and launched himself at Jay's oncoming fist. Lloyd saw Jay's eyes widen in alarm but he didn't have time to draw back. Two seconds later Lloyd landed with a thud on the mat, breath stolen from his lungs. Voices and blurry faces swarmed above him.
It didn't take long for Master Wu to call it quits, saying they needed to give Lloyd more time to adjust to his body. Lloyd heartily agreed.
Lloyd flopped onto his bed, cracking his head against the frame. A hiss of pain escaped, but that was it. Unfortunately his body was becoming somewhat used to the ongoing abuse he was putting it through. That didn't mean it was ready to respond the way Lloyd intended.
Wood creaked nearby and Lloyd roll over, back to the door. Its hinges squeaked but he lay still. Maybe it would give him some relief from everyone's constant hovering.
"Sensei should we do anything?" Cole's low voice drifted in.
There was a deep sigh and pause before his answer came. "No Cole, let him be. He needs time to adjust, as you all do. Let him rest."
That had been several hours ago. Needless to say it had not been a very restful time. Lloyd glanced at the clock. A soft green 3 o'clock stared back at him. Groaning he gave up trying to sleep. Quietly he slipped out of bed, being careful to avoid disturbing the sleeping ninja and padded softly down the halls to the training room.
'What better way to get used to my body?' He thought dourly. And to be honest he didn't want the other ninja witnessing anymore of his blunders. 'Look at me the great green ninja. I can't even brush my teeth without knocking the entire container of toothbrushes into the toilet.' The guys had let that slide- only because Zane shoved Jay out the door before he could articulate his thoughts. Yeah... not one of his finer moments. Like everything other one of Lloyd's actions over the last few days.
After a quick mental reminder that 'No, Pythor was not on the ship,' Lloyd entered the dark training room. Flipping the light on he made his way to the center of the room. Lloyd drew in a deep breath and ran through some simple stretches. He only fell once. 'I'll call that a win.'
Muscles warmed Lloyd positioned himself in front of a punching bag and slowly extended his arms to feel the distance. Once he was confident he could control where his fists would go he began to punch the bag, slowly at first but with growing intensity.
'The time of the green ninja has grown nearer.'
Grimacing he drove his fists into the punching bag. Over and over again the phrase repeated, Lloyd punctuating each word with a blow. 'Like I wanted the final battle to be even closer. 'Cause I really want to try and kill my father on a faster timetable.'
Anger bubbling Lloyd shifted his stance, going in for a front kick. Drastically undershooting the distance his shin connected with the bag. Committed as he was Lloyd barely had time to flail his arms before his momentum brought his face into contact with the leather bag. Lloyd fell to his back on the floor, seeing stars. Again.
"Arrgh!" Once his vision cleared Lloyd glared at his arms and legs. The body that was his, but not really. Not the one he was familiar with. Yet did he have the right to complain? It had been his choice to use the tea. A necessity to save them all.
That didn't stop the tears of frustration that welled. Another reason to be down here this early, the ninja couldn't see how far Lloyd had fallen. Literally and figuratively.
A cough came from the doorway. Lloyd jerked upright to a sitting position to see Kai leaning against the door jam with two glasses of water in his hands. Lloyd hastily swept a hand over his eyes.
"Wha-" Lloyd's voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "What are you doing down here?"
Kai snorted. "I could ask you the same question."
Sighing Lloyd hauled himself to his feet. "I couldn't sleep. So I figured I might as well be productive and get some training in. You?"
"Needed some water. I saw your bed was empty, heard the noises down here and put two and two together." Kai handed one of the glasses to Lloyd who took it gratefully. "It'll take some getting used to, that's for sure."
"Mmph." Lloyd grunted noncommittally, downing the water in two gulps.
"Lloyd it's okay. We know this is a huge adjustment. None of us expect you to have it all put together, especially not so soon after it happened."
"But I should be. This is my destiny after all." An unintentional eye roll accompanied the last statement.
"Destiny shmestany." Kai waved his hand. "You're an 11 year old-"
"Not anymore." Lloyd muttered.
"-kid who still has had to deal with way more than any person should have to, especially at your age." Kai continued as if he hadn't heard Lloyd.
"Maybe, but still I'm the one who tossed the tea on all of us. I'm the one who did this to myself. So I don't have the right to..."
"Oh please you have every right to be confused. My head was scrambled going back and forth from older to younger and back. And that's when it was my own body. You didn't have the benefit of gradually getting used to yours." Kai's gaze grew distant and he grimaced slightly. "Though to be honest even growing normally brings its own awkward moments."
"I guess you're right."
Kai smirked. "Of course I am. But seriously it's okay to take your time. While you might have to face your father sooner than we thought, that fight's not tomorrow." Kai placed his hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "Right now we can focus on getting you ready one day at a time."
"But what if I'm never ready?"
"That's the fun part about growing up, it tends to happen if we're ready or not. When my parents disappeared it was just me and Nya. To stay together I had to be the one to take care of her. That forced me to grow up in ways I never thought I'd have to.
"Just remember you're not alone. You've become a brother to us, a far cry from the squirt you were when we first met you." Kai chuckled. "We're here to see you through this no matter the outcome."
"But what if I can't finish it? He's my father after all, even if he wasn't always the best one."
"Yeah, absentee fathers stink, but at least you know he still loves you. He didn't seem all that thrilled to have to fight you either. Not sure if that makes you feel any better."
"No, not really but thanks anyway."
"Only so much I can do, but it's okay to be scared. We'll take this one day at a time, give you the chance for your brain to catch up with your body." Lloyd nodded tiredly. Kai took his glass and set both of them on a shelf before walking over to the bag. "Your punches looked good, all your moves are still there. You had the right idea to stick with one action. With your longer legs and arms you have to relearn your distance and center of gravity. It's just like how you trained when you first started- building muscle memory. Go again."
Heaving a sigh Lloyd set himself up in front of the bag. Once again he started slowly before building momentum.
"Good. Now switch to a left stance." Lloyd complied, keeping his movements even and precise. "Middle. Now back to right. Cross, jab and finish with a cross."
"Yaaa!" Lloyd threw all his strength in to the last punch.
Deep inside him something swelled, moving from his core down his arm. The bag flew across the room, dirt and rocks spraying in all directions.
Panting Lloyd braced his hands on his knees. "W-whoa!"
"You okay?" Kai stepped next him.
"Y-yeah, just tired. That took a lot out of me."
"That was impressive," Kai nodded approvingly at the mess, "you couldn't do that before."
"No, I-I couldn't." Lloyd stared at the remains of the bag in shock.
"Looks like your grown body has given greater strength to your powers!"
"That's... actually pretty cool."
Kai helped Lloyd upright. "See, you got this."
"Not today, but soon... I just might."
A/N- A few elements of this story were inspired by the story "Of Milk and Cookies" by GwenBrightly on Wattpad- fabulous read!