(*screams into the void* this was NOT supposed to be this long)
Thank you SO MUCH for all the positive reviews, you guys are the best - and the best at giving me serious motivation to actually piece this fic together. Here's the first actual chapter, featuring mostly Nya (Kai's up next, he can't escape forever).
Chapter 1 - Nya Bites the Dust
"First Spinjitzu Master alive, screw it a-"
Nya bites off the violent stream of cursing before it can get too loud. The last thing she needs is one of the guys finding the samurai mech because she burned herself on a stupid misplaced relay. She sucks the edge of her hand angrily, immediately flinching at the taste of metal and grease. Note to self, she thinks, spitting. Wear gloves next time.
She's normally never one to forget proper safety gear – that's Jay's area – but she was so excited about this last issue she's finally figured out in her mech that she went straight for the kill.
Which is so worth it, Nya thinks, grinning at her near-completed mech. It's beautiful, if she does say so herself. Kiss her days of getting kidnapped by skeletons and being stuck on the Bounty goodbye, she's going to kick so much butt in this.
Now, if only she could show it off to everyone without blowing her cover. Oh well. She'll have to live in suspense for now.
And mild pain. Nya glares at her still-stinging hand. She should probably get that treated, given how often she harps on the guys for never treating their own injuries. They'd probably all die of infection or something without her, she thinks, as she slips out of her room, taking care to hide away any traces of the samurai mech. The guys are all on a training run with Sensei Wu right now, but one can never be too careful.
She makes her way to the ninjas' shared room – the burn cream is going to be in Kai's drawer, where it always is. Given her brother's tendency to accidentally burn himself, she should probably get him his own-
She stops suddenly in the doorway. Garmadon's son is crouched over Zane's drawer, currently pulling out his uniforms.
"What are you doing?"
The kid's head jerks up, his hand frozen over Zane's gi. "Uh, nothing!" he says, laughing nervously. "Just, doin' some laundry, haha!"
Nya narrows her eyes at him. She's given him the benefit of the doubt, but if the kid's about to try and pull something on Zane-
"Okay, okay, I'll spill," the kid says, cracking under Nya's stare faster than she expected. "Uncle Wu - I mean, Sensei Wu – he wants me to pull some pranks on the guys." Nya raises an eyebrow. "I'm telling the truth!" the kid says, defensively. "He really did! He lost his training book, so he wants to teach them about, uh, the destructive power of rumors, or something."
"Uh-huh," Nya says. It sounds…well, actually, it sounds pretty plausible, considering that this is Sensei Wu. And amusing, though she's not about to admit it to the little demon spawn. "He lost his lesson book?"
"Yup," the kid says, but he looks suspiciously twitchy. "Must've misplaced it, y'know-"
Before he can blink, Nya's hand whips the training book from the kid's hoodie pocket. The kid stares at her, astonished. "Lost, huh," Nya says, tossing the book from hand to hand.
"Okay, I stole it," the kid mutters, ducking his head. Nya appraises him, still tossing the book. She should probably let Sensei Wu know where his lesson book is, and that his nephew is, as predicted, already up to no good. However…the idea of the guys getting pranked is kind of tempting. Kai's been a pain about her living on the Bounty recently.
"So," she says. "What were the pranks he wanted you to pull?"
The kid looks up at her, his eyes unsure. "Uh, he didn't really say much, just to pull something harmless," he says, hesitantly. "But I was thinking - for Zane, I was gonna toss Kai's ninja suit in with his laundry."
Nya has to choke back a giggle at that. Zane's robes are going to be beautiful.
"Please don't tell the others," the kid implores. "I know I stole the lesson book but I really do wanna do good on this for Uncle Wu."
"Nah, you're good," Nya says. The kid gives her a disbelieving look. Nya draws her fingers across her lips in a zipper motion, tossing an imaginary key behind her back. "Your secret's safe with me."
The kid flashes her a hesitant smile. "Thanks," he says, stacking the robes in his arms and trotting out of the room. He pauses at the door turning back to her. "Um, do you know here the laundry room is?"
Nya rolls her eyes. "C'mon," she says, motioning for the kid to follow her. "Let's give you an actual tour of this place."
The 'tour' consists more of her pointing out where not to go on the ship until they get to the laundry room. Nya bites back a sigh at the pile of laundry shoved up haphazardly in the corner. There is no way she's getting roped into doing that for them.
She does get roped into showing the kid how their terrible old laundry machine works, though he appears to know how to mix whites and reds pretty well. Now they just have to lean back and watch the disaster unfold.
Nya eyes the kid from the corner of her eyes as they sit on the floor. It's still hard to believe that this is the son of the great Lord Garmadon. The kid is painfully scrawny for his age, his black hoodie hanging a too large around his small frame. His white-blonde hair looks wild and unkempt, haphazardly cut into fluffy bangs. Apart from his eyes, which are that unsettling shade of red, there's nothing about this kid that screams "future super villain in the making" whatsoever.
Especially as he's shifting nervously besides her, looking slightly scared and even smaller than usual.
"So-o," Nya finally says, watching Zane's uniform swirl around with Kai's in the machine. "How did, um - how did you, uh, end up…"
"End up what?" the kid says, from where he's sitting cross-legged on the floor beside her.
"You know," Nya says, gesturing at the air. With a sigh of exasperation, she gives up on tact. "Running around with a bunch of snakes, terrorizing villages."
"Oh," the kid says, ducking his head. "Yeah. Um, I was pretty stupid, I guess."
Nya doesn't want to outright agree with him, but… "I mean, yeah, you created a pretty big problem. Several pretty big problems."
"Well, maybe I wouldn't have if you guys hadn't been such big jerks-" the kid cuts off, as if catching himself. He stares angrily at the washing machine, his face working as he takes a breath, his cheeks puffing up before he blows it out slowly. He seems to crumple inwards, as if sinking into the floor. "I-I know," he says, subdued. "And I'm - I'm really sorry. I messed up, big-time."
Nya studies him. "How did you even get that far, anyways?" she asks, shaking her head. "Weren't you supposed to be at school?"
The kid's face darkens, and he glares at his scuffed-up, worn sneakers. "No. And I'm never going back to that school," he says, his tiny voice surprisingly menacing. He pauses, and Nya holds her tongue, sensing he wants to say more. "I hated it there," the kid finally says, his voice small and bitter. "It was dumb. Everyone there was a jerk. And then they kicked me out, like I wasn't even good enough for that."
Despite the trouble this kid's caused for them, Nya feels her heart twist at that. He is just a kid.
"Why didn't you go back home?" Nya says. "Going after the Serpentine was pretty dangerous."
The kid looks up at her, confused. "I don't…have a home," he says.
Nya blinks. "What?"
The kid shuffles. "I didn't have anywhere to go," he says. "My dad's in the underworld, and I barely even remember my mom. I wouldn't even know where to look for her."
Oh. Nya's heart is doing something funny.
"But that's okay," the kid continues, casually. "I don't want to look for her, anyways! She left me at that dumb boarding school so she doesn't want me, I guess. I'm fine without her."
Oh. Nya's heart might be breaking.
"So I just lived on the streets for a bit," the kid says, like he's talking about the weather. "It wasn't a lot of fun, 'cause sleeping outside is the worst. But I thought-" the kid suddenly takes a shaky breath. "I guess I thought that if I could be as good a villain as my dad, maybe he'd decide he wanted me, and he'd come back."
Oh no, Nya's heart is definitely breaking.
"But Uncle Wu found me instead," the kid says, brightening. "And he's really smart, he knows how to puts thing in perspec - perspirective-"
"Perspective," Nya says, her voice oddly thick.
"Yeah, that," the kid says. He sighs, looking down at his beat-up sneakers. "He said a lot of smart stuff," he mumbles. He glances up at her. "I know you guys don't trust me. I wouldn't trust me either! But I don't know how to fix what I did."
Nya has a lot of things she wants to say - first off, she wants to ask the kid who the hell is mother is, to abandon him like that. She wants to ask who gave him the idea that he'd only ever be wanted if he was evil, because yes, he's a brat and she's called the kid a demon spawn herself, but he's just a kid. A kid who lost his family, just like her, except he didn't have a big brother Kai to take care of him and make sure he was always safe and warm and happy.
No, this kid spent the better part of his childhood alone on the streets, and that is actually breaking Nya's heart more than a bit.
She wants to reassure him, she realizes, as the kid stares up at her with those eerie red eyes, trusting and far too innocent. She wants to have the answers for him. She wants to steer him right.
But she honestly has no idea what to even say to that, because she also doesn't want to let the kid down.
"Listen to your uncle, kid," Nya finally says. "He's a lot smarter than any of us. He'll lead you right."
The kid nods, his face serious. Somewhat satisfied that she'd handed the kid's moral development off to someone more qualified, Nya turned back to the washer, watching the red from Kai's uniform slowly seep into Zane's white clothes.
"My name's Lloyd, by the way," he says, quietly.
Nya feels a brief flare of guilt "I - I know," she says. She turns to him, offering him a smile. "It's nice to meet you properly, Lloyd. I'm Nya."
The kid - Lloyd's face splits into a sunny smile. "Nice to meet you, Nya." Nya can't help but smile widely in return. Sue her, Lloyd's looking at her like she's his favorite person ever, and he's got some powerful puppy eyes.
"Hey," Lloyd says, looking eager but slightly hesitant. "So – I kinda noticed you're like, really smart with machines." Nya feels a flash of surprised pleasure. "You, uh, you wanna help me reprogram the ship's training bots to get Jay?"
"Oh, do I ever," Nya says, grinning.
As she allows Lloyd to half-drag her through the Bounty in his enthusiasm, Nya reminds herself that this is the same kid who set the Serpentine loose on them. She can't go losing her heart on the demon spawn just because he's got puppy eyes, and he's kinda sweet when he actually talks to her, and the poor kid's had such a tough life she wants to wrap him up in blankets and-
Uh oh.
Super Secret Sibling Recon Group Chat
Kai: did u help the demon spawn prank us?
Nya: idk what you're talking about
Kai: nya i know ur the only one who could've rigged the training bots
Nya: you'd be surprised
Nya: the kid's pretty devious
Kai: yeah he KILLED ALL MY HIGH SCORES
Nya: do you even know how lame you sound
Nya changed the chat name to Kai Is Hecking Lame
Kai: RUDE
"Hand me that wire."
"This one?"
"No, the red one."
"Um, they're all red."
Nya sighs, resisting the urge to slam her head against the wall. "The one that I am clearly pointing at, Lloyd."
"Uh - this one?"
"Yes," Nya says, snatching the wire from Lloyd's hand before he can damage anything. She sets on reconnecting it, silently praying that she doesn't fry the Bounty's central heating this time instead of fixing the cooling system.
"How do you know all this stuff?" Lloyd says, scuffing his feet in front of him where he's seated on the floor next to her.
"Lots of practice and studying," Nya says, adjusting her safety goggles. "Kai and I used to have a blacksmith shop, so I could work on what I wanted when I had the time. I've picked up some things from Jay, too."
"That's…cool," Lloyd says, almost sounding like he means it. He picks up her pliers, fiddling with them absently. Nya bites down the urge to smack his hands away.
"Hands off," she says instead, plucking the pliers from his grasp. Lloyd gives a whine of displeasure. "Y'know, if you're bored, I've got this pretty much covered here. You wanna see if your uncle needs any help?"
"I already asked," Lloyd says, kicking at the floor. "He's just staring at his smoke, doing weird sensei stuff. He told me to go bother you instead, since we're both stuck here."
Nya sighs. It's barely been a week since they've picked Lloyd up, and hardly a day since she's started calling him by his actual name, but she doesn't really mind spending time with the kid. He's been surprisingly eager to make up for what he did, offering to help in an almost desperate way that's quickly becoming annoying. She understands, though – she's less annoyed with Lloyd and more so that she's stuck on the ship, doing nothing, again.
She knows why Kai's so against her going into the field - and it's not because she's a girl, at least. It's because she's his little sister, and Kai, bless him, is so overprotective of her it's almost suffocating.
She gets it. She doesn't know what she'd do if something happened to Kai - he's the most important person in the world to her. But she still lets him go, because it's what he wants and it makes him happy. She can swallow her fear because her brother is doing something great, being a part of something bigger than any of them. He's defending the people who can't defend themselves, and she's proud of him for that.
She just wishes she could be part of that too. She's not useless. She's smart and capable and - and she wants to be out there, too. She wants to fight for the people of Ninjago. She doesn't care about the recognition, or the praise (not that any of them get a whole lot of it, anyways) - it isn't even about proving herself to the guys either, really.
(Well, okay, that's a pretty big part of it.)
She wants to help because she can. Because it's the right thing to do. That's why she's invested this much time and energy into her mech. Once she gets the chance to slip out in it, Nya's going to prove that she's much more than Kai's little sister. She's going to prove that she doesn't need to be stuck on this stupid ship forever.
(Granted, the only one who will actually know is her, so she won't really be proving anything to anyone but herself, but...it'll still be satisfying.)
"This sucks," Lloyd finally says, breaking the silence. "Is it always like this?"
"Like what?" Nya says, tiredly.
"Like…I'm kinda mad, because I'm left behind, even if I get why," Lloyd says. "But…I'm kinda worried, too, because we don't know what's happening."
"Yeah," Nya says, her hands stilling on the panel she's soldering back into place. She thinks back to all the times she's been made to sit out, the fear that grips her when the guys' communicators die and she's left in the dark. "Yeah, that's exactly what it's like."
"I hate it," Lloyd says.
"Me too, kid," she says, ruffling his hair. He squirms indignantly, moving out of reach. "But we're doing important stuff here, too. Someone's gotta keep the ship running. And someone's gotta patch them up when they come home."
"You're a doctor, too?" Lloyd says, looking at her curiously.
Nya snorts. "Not even close," she says. "I just know basic first aid-"
The radio over the Bounty screeches to life, and Nya freezes. Cole's voice is coming through, tense and panicked.
"- a trap, Nya, the Serpentine knew we were coming! You gotta warn Jay and Kai before-"
The radio cuts off into loud static. Lloyd looks at her, his eyes wide. Nya bites back a curse. Of course, of course it's Kai and Jay who are in trouble, it just has to be them-
Well. If there's ever a time to test out her mech.
"Stay here," she says, shoving Lloyd to the front of the Bounty. "Listen to the communicators, and don't move."
"Nya?" Lloyd says, sounding scared. "Where are you going?"
"Just checking on something," she says, already ducking through the door. "I'll be right back!"
She sprints down the hallways, almost skidding past her room in her haste. She throws the door open, yanking open the secret panel where she's hidden the suit. The armor takes longer than usual to put on because her hands are shaking - she's not sure whether it's from fear or excitement or a mixture of both. She finally gets it on, clicking the bracelet that controls her mech once and grinning as she hears the roar of engines. All that's left is the mask and helmet-
"I knew you didn't just sit around all day."
Nya starts so hard she bangs her head against her drawer. Internally cursing, she turns to see Lloyd standing in the doorway, his eyes wide in awe.
"I thought I told you to stay," she says, frustrated.
"I went to a school for evil kids," Lloyd shrugs. "I don't know how to obey anyone."
Nya's fingers are white where they've tightened around her helmet. "I'm going to help them," she says. "But they can't…no one can know about this, Lloyd. Please."
A small grin pulls at Lloyd's mouth. Nya braces herself for the inevitable blackmail, the threats punctuated by the kid's pathetic villainous laugh. Instead, though, Lloyd just draws his fingers across his lips, tossing an imaginary key behind his back.
"Your secret's safe with me," he says, airily. "I didn't see anything."
Nya feels a surge of relief. She grins. "Thanks, kid." She pulls her helmet on, winking at him as she climbs into the mech. "Wish me luck, short stuff. And stay on that radio!"
"You got it, secret partner-in-crime," Lloyd says, giving her a thumbs up. "Kick some snake butt for me!"
Nya rolls her eyes, but she's too excited to stop the grin that splits across her face. "With pleasure, kid," she says, as the mech roars to life. Finally. Finally, she's going to show the world what Nya Smith can do.
Or what Samurai X can do, at least.
Kai is Hecking Lame Group Chat
Kai: nysdhj
Kai: nyas]
Kai: nyaaaa
Kai: whys ur facv like that
Nya: put your phone away kai you're still high on venomari poison
Kai: ughhhjklk
Kai: stupidf ssnakjes
Zane's gi does end up looking beautiful in pink, but even though the color apparently turned out to be useful, Lloyd ends up doing so many loads of laundry to get the color out Nya figures he'll never pull anything like this again.
The good news is that the guys finally got back this time in high spirits, so Nya assumes things went their way. At least Kai isn't running into walls because he's high as a kite on Venomari poison this time.
She still can't believe she didn't remember to get video of that, what kind of sister is she.
"Ow, ow, Nya-"
"Oh!" Nya starts, realizing she's pulling the bandage around Jay's arm too tightly. She turns bright red. "I'm so sorry, Jay, I got lost in thought-"
"Nah, it's okay, pressure is good for wounds," Jay says, grinning brightly at her. " 'Sides, it doesn't really hurt that much." Nya smiles back, her blush fading. Jay's smile never fails to ground her, it's one of the things she lov- likes, about him most.
"Yeah, 'cause you barely scratched it," Cole says, rolling his eyes. "Drama queen."
"Uh - says the guy who got freaked out by a bunch of rubber snakes," Jay snaps back.
Cole flushes. "I was not freaked out!" he protests. "I just didn't appreciate getting mobbed by toys when I expected food!"
"It's okay, Cole, we all have our downfalls," Jay says. "Yours was just at the hands of a tiny little ten year-old and a bunch of toy snakes."
"Well at least I didn't get my butt handed to me by a training bot said ten year-old messed with," Cole shoots back.
"He dialed it up to like, a level eleven!" Jay yelps. "I'd like to see you beat that!"
"I would," Cole says. "Because I'm the strongest, obviously."
"Oh, you wish-"
Nya exchanges a look of weary amusement with Kai. On an average day, it's all four of the ninja going at each other, but Jay and Cole have always had a…special relationship, when it comes to competing with each other.
"Okay, but strongest ninja aside," Jay finally says, in an attempt to get out of actually physically wrestling Cole. "I can't believe Garmadon's brat got away with all those pranks. Little punk did a number on us-"
"His name is Lloyd," Nya cuts in suddenly, her voice sharp.
"Uh - yeah, okay…Lloyd, then," Jay says, frowning.
Nya flushes, but she keeps her head high – at least until Jay tosses a rubber snake in her face. "Jay!" she yelps, over his muffled snickering. His laughter cuts off in a shriek as Cole starts pelting him rapid-fire with the snakes around his feet.
"Cole – ow, stop!"
"Ha!" Cole grins, unapologetic. "Who's freaked out now."
"I'll show you freaked out-" Jay scrambles around the table, gathering his own arsenal of rubber snakes to hurl at Cole. Nya sighs, scooting her chair back to avoid the cross fire as the two turn the dinner table into a war zone. The back of her neck prickles, and Nya doesn't need to turn around to know who's looking at her. She turns anyways, meeting Kai's gaze with her own challenging look.
What?
Kai just shakes his head, his eyes sliding to where Lloyd's helping Zane with dishes and back to her. Nya simply shrugs, keeping her face neutral. Kai rolls his eyes in exasperation and shoots her a look that clearly says I'm not dropping this before diving in to help Cole fight off Jay with rubber snakes.
"Hey, no fair! Two against one!" Jay yelps. Nya shakes her head at them, but she can't stop the fond grin that spreads across her face as Jay hops around. She slides out of her own chair, grabbing a rubber snake and joining Jay.
"Let's even the odds, then," she says, nailing Kai in the head with expert aim. Jay gives her a blinding grin, and Nya tries to ignore the warmth that floods her cheeks.
Kai Is Hecking Lame Group Chat
Kai: u did not adopt the kid
Nya: i didn't adopt him geez
Nya: he's just not as bad as you think
Kai: oh no
Nya: i'm serious kai he's not a bad kid
Kai: the hypnobrai got to you
Nya: kai
Kai: your brain's been snatched
Nya: KAI
Kai: fine fine i'll give him a chance
Kai: he's still a brat tho
Kai changed the chat name to Nya's A Marshmallow
Nya: i'm putting snakes in your bed
Lloyd is finding, bit by bit, that staying with his uncle actually isn't so bad. He doesn't really ever know what he's doing, of course, and he feels awkward and wrong-footed and really just a huge, massive waste of space half the time, but it's really…not so bad.
He doesn't hate the ninja anymore. It's kind of hard to hate them when they're always arguing with each other over dumb stuff and cracking jokes to each other behind Uncle Wu's back, or when they're holding best backflip competitions for the last slice of cake, or when they get caught by Uncle Wu at two a.m. in the morning trying to tie Jay's mattress to the edge of the Bounty's mast (while he's sleeping on it). Lloyd spends more time stifling giggles at their antics than he does silently plotting their demise, like they all think he's doing.
Not that he blames them, of course, but geez, what do they think he's gonna do? They're four very intimidating, highly trained ninja who could just toss him off the side of the ship if they wanted. Lloyd is on his very best behavior. Or, he's trying to be, at least.
Nya is the only person he's really talked to, besides his uncle. It's funny, because she's a girl, and at Darkley's everyone talked about girls like they were worse than, like, eating vegetables for the rest of your life. But Nya is actually pretty cool – she knows all sorts of things, like how to fix the Bounty's thrusters and how to give Kai harmless little shocks when he bothers her too much while she's working.
She also has a giant fighting mech and dresses up like a samurai, but Lloyd's not supposed to tell anyone about that.
The thing he likes best about Nya, though, is that she actually seems not to mind being nice to him. He knows everyone only tolerates him being here because of Uncle Wu, but Nya seems like she genuinely doesn't mind talking to him, asking him what kind of animals he likes and what sort of things he likes to do, other than terrorizing villages. He hasn't really had anyone he can talk to like that in a while – someone he can tell things to and not have to worry about them using it against him a few hours later.
Nya is kind, but she's also smart and strong and good. She's just like the superheroes Lloyd reads about, like in the Starfarer comics he'd smuggle into Darkley's.
So are all the rest of the ninja, of course, but Nya is extra cool, because she lets him climb into her mech one time when she's hiding it away.
So maybe the rest of the ninja are still shooting him suspicious glances every now and then, and for the most part not talking to him much, but that's alright. Lloyd gets to live on a giant flying ship, and he gets to have a bed and three meals a day. And best of all, he gets to talk to Nya, who might actually be his friend. That's enough for him.
But, like everything in Lloyd's life, it doesn't last.
He doesn't mean for it to happen. It's just that everything builds up so quickly he doesn't – he doesn't know how to handle it.
It's one of those days – the days he used to get at Darkley's when the other boys were especially nasty, or when Brad's parents would visit him, or when Gene would come back from Christmas break and tell everyone all the cool places he'd visited and show off all the presents he'd gotten.
It's one of those days where he wakes up and just feels wrong. He wakes up to the ninja laughing over something and it makes the small ball of hurt in his chest turn hot and angry. It's not fair – it's not fair that they get to be happy all the time, that they're always good at everything and never make mistakes like Lloyd.
It's not fair that they all get to have friends. It's not fair that they get to have a family like this, one that looks out for each other and doesn't abandon anyone. It's not fair that somebody actually wants them, that nobody ever tells them their useless or stupid or pathetic just because they aren't anything like their dad-
It's not fair, because Lloyd didn't know what he was missing, but now he does and he's – he's jealous.
And it's not fair that they laugh at him when he double checks all the doors for traps, or when he tells them he was checking his food for pepper when asked why he watches them all eat first.
"We're not gonna poison you, kid," the black ninja laughs.
"I dunno," the blue one says, grinning. "If Cole cooked it, it'd probably kill you just as fast."
"Hey!"
The others dissolve into snorts of laughter at the black ninja's indignant cry, exchanging amused grins as they eat their food.
Lloyd doesn't laugh with them. His chest is getting tight, like someone's filled a balloon with all his anger and frustration and it's getting closer and closer to popping. He hates it, he hates this – they hate him, they all hate him, they're just waiting for an excuse to throw him out and keeping him around for kicks in the meantime-
"Geez, kid, what's got you looking so sour?" the blue ninja laughs. "Cole didn't actually cook tonight, this is Zane's-"
"Just stop!" Lloyd shrieks – and he pushes out violently, sending several plates crashing to the floor where they shatter loudly.
"Holy-"
"Kid, what the heck-"
Lloyd jumps up from his chair, sliding around the table towards the door. Nya steps in front of him, her hands reaching out to him, to catch him, to stop him-
"Lloyd, come on-"
Lloyd shoves her away, hard. Nya cries out in surprise, stumbling back and into a chair, which tips over and sends her crashing to the floor – but not before she hits her head solidly on the table, the awful smack resounding through the room.
"Nya!"
Everyone jumps up immediately, exclamations of shock and anger mixing as they rush to help her. Nya winces, rubbing her head as the blue ninja puts a hand behind her back, helping her sit up.
Lloyd stares at her in horror. He didn't mean to – he just wanted to get away from-
The red ninja looks over at him, his eyes burning, and Lloyd flees.
He sprints blindly through the ship, stumbling through the passages as he desperately tries to find his way to the deck. His eyes blur as he runs, and he wipes angrily at them. He can't cry now, he has to get out of here, he has to hide before they come for him – before they punish him, or worse-
Before they throw him out. He needs to leave before they make him, he can't – he doesn't want to have somebody else tell him he's not wanted, he can do that himself, he just – he just-
He can't find the stupid exit on this stupid ship, and now he's standing in the engine room and he has no idea where that is.
Lloyd stands there, the engine roaring in his ears and drowning out any voices from above. Looking around desperately, he spots a small corner, just hidden by the machinery. He shoves himself into it, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them tightly.
Then, Lloyd breaks down sobbing.
Stupid. He's such a baby, crying in a corner like this – no.
No, he's a brat, a selfish, mean little boy who just hurt someone who could've been his friend. He's bad – he did something truly bad, something cruel, something like a villain would have done.
And it's awful. It's terrible. He feels frightened and sick, Nya's hurt expression playing over and over again in his head.
Lloyd cries even harder, burying his face in his arms. He wants to die.
"Hey, Lloyd…?"
Lloyd freezes, his heart stopping in his chest. He looks up and gasps – Nya is kneeling in front of him, her hand wavering just by his knee. He can see his uncle just behind her, the red ninja beside him, hovering protectively, but Lloyd can only pay attention to Nya's face.
She doesn't look angry. Instead, her face is soft and pitying as she looks at him, offering him a tentative smile.
Lloyd has never been this confused in his whole life.
"It's okay, Lloyd," she says. "I'm okay, see?" She taps the side of her head, grinning. "No harm done."
"You're…you're okay?" Lloyd croaks, staring at her.
"Totally fine," Nya says. "You're not that strong, kiddo."
Lloyd continues to stare at her, tears streaming silently from his wide eyes. Nya's expressions softens even further, and she looks at him in something like understanding. "We're not gonna kick you out, Lloyd."
He blinks, his mouth falling open. "Y-you're not?" he breathes. Nya shakes her head, glancing back at his uncle, who's looking at Lloyd as if he's in pain.
"It was an accident," he says, quietly. "We know you did not mean to hurt Nya. My students have done far worse to each other, and none of them have been kicked out yet." He says this last part with a pointed look at the red ninja, who shifts, his aggressive stance relenting.
Lloyd looks back to Nya, who smiles at him, her hand finally coming to rest on his knee. "It's okay, Lloyd," she repeats.
Lloyd launches himself into her arms, smearing his tears into her shirt as she wraps her arms around him tightly. He can't remember the last time anyone hugged him, but Nya's hug has to be the best hug in the whole world. It's safe and warm and she smells like cinnamon and engine grease, and her presence alone is calming – like the rushing of a river, or the gentle fall of rain.
Blinking away the last of his tears, Lloyd's vision finally clears enough for him to see over Nya's shoulder. The red ninja is staring at him, but he's not glaring anymore. There's an odd expression on his face, something a little softer than his usual expression. He steps over to them, tapping Nya's shoulder gently.
"I'm gonna head back up," he says, quietly. "I'll tell the others you'll come back when you're ready."
Nya gives him a murmured thanks, and she finally releases Lloyd, pulling back a bit as the red ninja leaves. "Better?" she says.
Lloyd nods. "I'm sorry," he says, his voice hoarse. "I'm so sorry, Nya, I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," she says. "I got that. And I forgive you, so don't tear yourself up over it, okay?" She gives him a little shake. "Gotta have my secret partner-in-crime functioning at full capacity, you know."
Lloyd manages a watery grin, nodding. "You got it," he says.
Nya's face grows serious. "And listen…when Kai and I…when we lost our parents, there were a lot of bad days. We still have them, you know? When you just feel like hitting something. They suck, but talking to someone usually helps. A lot." She meets his eyes. "So next time you feel like that, come talk to me, promise?"
"Promise," Lloyd whispers.
"And I'm sure you can talk to your uncle, too," she says, and Uncle Wu gives a murmur of agreement. Nya grins. "Or you can always talk to Kai, if you want."
Lloyd wrinkles his nose. "I think he'd just light me on fire," he says, somberly.
Nya's face twitches, and she bursts into snickering. "Oh, he deserves that," she laughs. "Lloyd, listen. My brother is a giant softie. Don't ever feel scared of him, he's barely even threatening to enemies."
Lloyd has to disagree with Nya on that one, but he decides to go along with it for now, nodding. Something must show on his face, though, because Nya just rolls her eyes. Uncle Wu makes a noise that might be stifled laughter.
"You ready to go back up?" Nya says. "I'm sure Zane would like your help with dishes again."
Lloyd hesitates. He doesn't really want to, but…he needs to start facing his mistakes. If anyone is ever going to accept him, he can't just keep running away.
"Yeah," he says. "Okay."
Nya smiles, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. They file out of the engine room, Uncle Wu taking his hand as they head through the wooden hallways. He doesn't seem to mind if Lloyd clutches his hand extra tight.
When they get back to the dining room, the other ninja are sitting at the table, talking quietly amongst themselves. The broken dishes have been cleared away, no sign of Lloyd's outburst in sight. They look up briefly when Nya and Lloyd walk in, but they don't say anything, just smile easily at them and go back to talking. Nya gestures at Lloyd to sit next to the white ninja – Zane, the quiet one - who looks at him kindly as Nya starts talking to the blue ninja - whose name is Jay, apparently.
"Cole bought ice cream earlier," Zane says. "Would you like to help me bring it out for dessert?"
Lloyd nods, still not trusting his voice. He offers Zane a weak smile, though, as they stand up, and he's rewarded by Zane's bright smile.
"Come on," he says. "Cole usually hides it from Jay, so you can help me figure out where he's hidden it this time."
Lloyd glances back, hesitating. Nya gives him an encouraging smile, and he takes a shaky breath, following Zane into the kitchen.
Maybe he can do this.
Maybe…he can make this last.