I told myself I'd get to the Fire Temple this chapter but nope, once again, it spiraled out of control :'(
As usual, thank you so much to all the amazing reviewers, you guys make my day!
Chapter 3: Kai (Tries) to Go Green, and Lloyd Discovers his Natural Habitat
The funny thing about all this is that Nya genuinely was looking forward to going on a date with Jay. She had actually been excited about it. The past week has been terribly stressful – between Sensei Wu's departure, the desperate race for the Fangblades, and the reaching-unhealthy-levels-of-worrying she's doing about Lloyd, to say that Nya is exhausted is a vast understatement. So the idea of break (just a little one) where she could spend the afternoon just hanging out with Jay had sounded like the breath of sanity she needed.
Also, despite what he seems to think, she really does like Jay. A lot.
What a dumb dork, she thinks. How can he think she'll ever want anything more than just himself? She didn't fall in love with him because he was cool, or smooth, or had nice hair (even if she does like his hair a lot). She loves Jay because he's Jay – loud, energetic, and goofy, but also always sincere, endearing, and never failing to make her smile.
But that's – that's not the point.
The point is that Nya had been genuinely looking forward to this afternoon, and the stupid Serpentine swooped in out of nowhere and ruined it.
And okay, Nya's come to expect the unexpected with the life she lives, but really - getting chained to a roller coaster that's heading to a flaming death next to Jay (who had been slowly turning into a Serpentine himself?) only to be saved by Jay turning into the literal embodiment of lightning – and then getting her cover as Samurai X blown once and for all…it's pushing it, a bit.
At least she finally gets to see the guys' reactions. And they're just as satisfying as she'd hoped.
"So it automatically returns to you, no matter where you are?" Zane asks her, turning her bracelet over in his hands.
"Yep," Nya says. "As long as I've got the bracelet on, I'm never without backup."
"This is incredible, Nya," Zane says, as he hands the bracelet back to her. Nya beams at the praise.
"So cool," Jay says, still looking slightly star-struck. "So, so cool."
"It's not that big a deal, really," Nya says, her cheeks heating. "I'm still no ninja."
"Are you kidding me?" Cole says, incredulous. "Nya, you're awesome!"
"It's a huge deal," Jay says, grinning brightly at her.
"We would be dead several times over if not for you," Zane says, smiling at her. "It is anything but 'not a big deal'."
"Thanks, guys," she says, flushing. "But seriously, you all really came through today with the Serpentine - especially Jay. Can't overlook that."
"Oh yeah, and I think we're overlooking something else important," Jay announces, dramatically. They all glance at him. "I figured out the identity of the Samurai." Jay grins smugly. "So eat it, Cole."
"Not true-"
"Technically, Nya told you," Zane says. "So you didn't actually figure anything out."
"Yeah!" Cole says, fist-bumping Zane. "Besides, Kai figured it out before you, anyways."
"Hey, speaking of – where is Kai?" Jay says, glancing around as if he's just noticed their fourth member's absence. Which is a feat only Jay could accomplish, because he's the only other person more vocal than Kai.
"I dunno," Cole says, his eyebrows creasing. "Didn't he say he would be down with us in a minute?"
"He has not left the ship, and I did not detect any injuries on him from our encounter with the Serpentine," Zane says, though he sounds as uneasy as the rest of them.
Nya taps the edge of the table, her fingernails clacking in a nervous little tick. She knows where Kai is – the other guys probably do, too, if they think about it. It's pretty obvious, actually. It's all he ever does, anymore.
"I'll get him," she says, standing abruptly. She gives them a reassuring little smile. "If anyone can get to him, it's his sister."
"His samurai sister," Jay says, grinning.
Nya rolls her eyes, but she feels her cheeks heat again. It's nice to be appreciated, alright?
She ducks out of the dining room, making her way to the upper deck of the Bounty. The cool night air washes over her, and she inhales deeply. She can already hear the sounds of Kai training, the rattling of the training dummies and Kai's grunts of frustration loud across the otherwise quiet deck.
Nya leans over the upper deck railing, watching Kai as he attacks the training dummies with ferocity. Normally, she likes watching Kai train - one, because he's an amazing fighter, and two, because it gives her a chance to analyze all his weak spots so she can beat him later. Watching him now, though, is just stressing her out. Because the way he's fighting just feels wrong - it's not like her big brother, who's cocky and arrogant, yeah, but always seems to be having fun when he fights. There's none of that in his expression right now, and she's worried about him.
The thing is, Kai is like a weird sort of pendulum – constantly swinging from conceited confidence to near-crippling insecurity. Most of the time, Kai runs on confidence – it's his way of dealing with stuff. Something needs to happen, so it will happen, and Kai's going to be the one to do it.
But while he'll never admit it, and it's near impossible to guess by looking at him, Kai is insecure – not the jittery kind of insecure like Jay, where he's worried about being impressive or funny or good-looking enough for people to love him. (Which honestly, Nya doesn't get at all – sure, it'd be nice if Jay took a little more initiative sometimes, but she doesn't want some suave, macho meathead, ugh.)
Kai's type of insecure is more of the subtle kind, one that eats away at someone and makes them do stupid stuff for the sake of proving something.
Kai's insecurity stems from his ridiculous need to be the best, if she has to guess. Nya's not sure why it's so important to him – maybe it's because he needs to feel needed, or it's a result of the years he spent trying to keep their broken little family afloat. Whatever the case, she doesn't like it. It makes her dumb, snarky, caring brother act like a conceited jerk-head sometimes.
It hasn't always been this bad. Kai's always been arrogant, it's just who he is, but it's never gotten to a point where he's almost obsessively proclaiming that he's the best. But something about the whole green ninja thing has lit him on fire, and not in a good way. She wants to talk to someone else about it, but it feels a little like going behind his back. She'd rather talk to Kai himself straight up. Also, the guys probably already have a pretty good idea that something's wrong.
Kai's temper is, after all, something of a legend around here.
(Nya doesn't actually mind so much – it helps mask the fact that she's got a fairly fiery temper herself. They are siblings.)
Nya sighs, watching Kai as he attacks another poor training dummy, still hitting with that same possessed fervor. At least he's channeling his passion into something not so destructive, she thinks. Maybe she can get him to channel some of that into helping her get Lloyd back.
Nya's fingers clench into a fist. She hates sitting around and waiting in general, but sitting around and doing nothing while someone she's promised to protect is in the clutches of one of the deadliest Serpentine known to Ninjago?
If she didn't respect and trust Sensei Wu as much, and if she wasn't sure that the guys would probably get themselves killed in a day, Nya would be on Pythor's doorstep this very minute.
His metaphorical doorstep. Pythor probably doesn't have – whatever, she'd have a fist in his face right now if it were up to her.
Nya huffs, frustrated. Again, she hates waiting around like this. Between Sensei Wu leaving, the Serpentine having a Fangblade, Kai being a mess, and Lloyd being captured, she's at the end of her rope-
"Man, he's a lot more fired up than I'd realized."
Nya whirls around at Cole's low whistle, nearly jumping clear off the deck in surprise. "Don't do that!" she hisses.
"Sorry, force of habit," Cole says, not looking sorry in the slightest.
"Stupid ninja," Nya mutters.
"Yeah, stealth is way overrated," Cole says, grinning. "We should all clank around like samurai."
Nya glares at him. "I do not 'clank around'!" she says, insulted. "You're just jealous Jay figured it out before you did."
"Hmph, only because you told him," Cole grumbles. "That doesn't count."
"Keep telling yourself that," Nya says grinning. The smile is quickly wiped from her face as Kai hits a dummy so hard the head goes flying off, clattering across the deck.
Cole winces. "I should've caught this earlier," he murmurs, eyebrows creasing in concern. "How long has he been this bad?"
"Not…too long," Nya says, shifting. "I don't really know. Ever since that whole green ninja thing, I think. And the true potentials."
Cole shakes his head. "That stupid scroll," he mutters. "It's causing more trouble than it's worth, if you ask me."
Nya raises an eyebrow at him.
"What?" Cole says. "Just because I want to be the green ninja too doesn't mean I can't see that it's causing problems in our team."
"At least one of you is self-aware, then," she says. "I don't want to see what happens when you get your true potential before he does."
"You mean 'if'," Cole says, glumly. "I have no idea how I'm supposed to unlock mine, either. It seemed so fast for Jay and Zane. I don't even feel halfway at that point."
"You're not alone in that, I think," Nya says, turning back to watch Kai again. "I'm sure you'll both get it soon."
"One can hope," Cole mutters.
"I'm just…" Nya bites her lip. "I'm a little worried about him," she says quietly.
"Hey," Cole says, the glum look sliding off his face as he gives her a reassuring glance. "It'll be okay, Nya. He's been in a funk like this before, and he's snapped out of it."
"Really?" Nya says, skeptically.
"You should've seen him when you were captured," Cole says. "He was a terror. Way worse. I honestly thought he'd been replaced with an entirely different person - that Sensei Wu had just swapped out Kai's on us when we got you back."
Nya grimaces - partly because her time with the skeletons isn't something she likes remembering, and partly because can imagine how Kai must've been.
"But that's just how he is, you know?" Cole continues. "Once we get a better position with the Serpentine and Sensei Wu is back, he'll cool down. Just let him vent it out for now. He'll be fine, I promise."
"Yeah…" Nya says, hesitantly. She sighs, before giving Cole a grateful almost-smile. "I guess you're right. Thanks, Cole."
Cole shrugs, grinning at her. "Anytime," he says. His expression turns mischievous. "Hey, by the way. I gotta give you the talk, you know?"
Nya frowns. "The what?"
"The talk," Cole says. "You know. Like, Jay's my best friend, so you better watch it, you heart-breaker-"
"Oh, for-" Nya rolls her eyes, elbowing him. "I'll be extra super careful with your best friend, you dork, don't worry."
"I'd expect nothing less," Cole says, still grinning as he rubs his arm. "And don't worry, Kai's already grilled Jay within an inch of his life about watching himself with you."
"Of course he has," Nya sighs, glancing back down to where Kai is furiously training. She bites her lip.
"Hey," Cole says, elbowing her - a lot more gently than she did to him. "I'm serious about your brother. He'll snap out of it soon enough. And if he doesn't, we'll do it for him."
"Thanks," Nya says, giving him a weak smile. The guys are good for Kai - they're his brothers, they know him.
But she knows him better. And she knows that when Kai is this dead set on something? It's never that easy.
NYA THE SLAYING SAMURAI Group Chat
Kai: blech
Kai: BLECHHH
Nya: shut up kai
Nya: jay was super sweet
Kai: ugh whatever
Kai: i have this great brotherly speech of wisdom about relationships for you later btw
Nya: SPARE ME
Nya: kai this is taking too long
Kai: what do u mean u guys just got together
Nya: no i mean with lloyd
Kai: oh
Nya: we should've got him back a week ago
Kai: yeah im starting to actually miss the demon spawn
Nya: kai!
Kai: we gotta hold out for sensei nya
Kai: he'll be back soon and he'll have something
Nya: …ok
Kai's happy for Cole – he really is. Cole is one of his best friends, his brother, and he's one of the strongest people Kai's ever met. Seeing him weighed down, afraid of his father's judgement and unable to take pride in what he really was, hurt more than a little bit.
Starting to mend that relationship with his father, being able to hear that he's proud of Cole – that's something Kai could never, ever begrudge Cole for. He's beyond happy that Cole has that particular weight lifted from him. Cole doesn't deserve that kind of pain in his life.
It's just…it stings a little, because it means Kai's falling short (again).
In a stroke of unfortunate luck that seems to always follow him around, Kai is the now the only ninja not to have unlocked his true potential. It sucks, more than a little bit, but Kai's fine with it. Really.
He watches Zane freeze a training dummy solid as Cole rattles the earth, hears Jay's excited whoop as he pulls electricity out from mid-air. He should be training with them, right now, but what is he even gonna do? Punch the dummy? In comparison to the others, Kai is now utterly, completely useless. He's gone from being one of the best fighters to utterly ineffective, the dead weight on the team.
Okay, maybe he's not fine.
It just sucks. Kai is trying, he's trying so hard to better, but it's like he's just not enough. Sensei Wu seemed to have faith in him when he chose him as the fire ninja, but what is he going to say when he comes home and finds that Kai is the only one who can't live up to the name?
(He can, he can live up to the name, he will-)
The other frustrating thing is that, from what they've seen, Kai either needs to one: regain his memories and come to terms with what he is; two: sort out his self-confidence and be himself for his girlfriend; or three: repair his relationship with his father and be proud in what he is. This is problematic because one: Kai isn't nindroid; two: Kai doesn't have a girlfriend (and as Nya's always quick to point out, he's never lacked confidence in that area); and three: his parents are long gone, so yeah. That's out.
And Kai knows that whatever he needs to overcome is going to be personal, tailor-made to whatever his issues are, but it's hard to pin that down. Everyone is expecting it to have to do with his temper – or Kai thinks they do, at least, it's kind of the obvious one. But that can't be it – Kai can control his temper when he needs to. It's never been as bad as the others make it out to be.
It has to be about him proving his worth as a ninja. Kai just needs to be better, to prove that he's the best – he needs to be the green ninja.
It only makes sense, right? He's the only one left, and none of the others are the green ninja, obviously. It has to be him. That's why this is so hard – it'll be worth it in the end.
He hopes. It's only just now hitting him, how lost he is on this – he really hasn't had a whole lot of time to think about how he's going to get his own potential in the past week. He's been too focused on his teammates, because FSM did they all need the support.
He's spent the last week in a constant state of worry – concern for Zane and his world-shaking revelation, concern for Jay and his frantically dropping self-worth, concern for Cole and the obvious pain his relationship with his father had left him with.
On top of that, there's his never-ceasing concern for Nya's well-being (especially now that she's Samurai X – she's brilliant, so brilliant, and Kai couldn't be more proud, but he never wanted her to have to face the same dangers he did).
And then, oddly enough, there's the growing ball of worry in his chest for the demon spawn.
Okay, so it's not really that odd. Despite everything he's done, Lloyd really isn't that bad a kid. He's naïve, in an endearing kind of way. And he's surprisingly innocent, even after everything Nya's told him he's been through – after everything Kai's seen. Sure, he's a bratty little terror with a mischievous streak worse than Jay and Cole collaborating together, but to his core he's just that wide-eyed little kid who looked at Kai like he was amazing, just because he let him play with fire.
….he probably shouldn't phrase it like that when he tells Nya about it.
At any rate, it doesn't sit well with him that the kid is locked up with a bunch of Serpentine somewhere, demon spawn or not. Especially since it is…sort of Kai's fault. (Okay, so it's a lot Kai's fault, but he didn't tell the kid to run after the Serpentine, did he?)
They need to get him back. They need Sensei to come back, and they need to stop Pythor before he gets his hands on another Fangblade. They're successfully doing none of those things right now.
So Kai is going to become the green ninja and do it himself.
…he just needs to try a different tactic than this one, because it's so not worth it.
"Seriously, guys, not cool," Kai says, glaring at them as he tries to disguise the heating flush rising in his cheeks. Jay only snickers harder, grabbing Cole's shoulder for support. Cole isn't much better, barely suppressing the amused grin on his face, and Zane - even Zane is laughing, the traitor.
"Kai, the ninja of fiyahhhhh," Jay gasps. "Dorkiest ninja in all of Ninjago-"
"I will end you, Jay," he hisses. "I'll light everything you love on fire-"
"Chill out, Kai," Cole snickers. "You're the one that got caught playing around in the green gi."
Kai flushes harder, pulling at the sleeve of the gi he's got on. "I was not playing," he says, forcefully. "I was just trying it on. I was looking for some sort of clue from Sensei, and then I found this. "
At least Nya isn't here to see this.
"But you know only he who is foretold to face Lord Garmadon is destined to be the green ninja," Zane says. "And only he will wear the green ninja outfit. So Sensei will most likely be very-"
"I know, I know," Kai cuts him off, wincing. "But I thought if I just tried it on, it might help me see my true potential." He sighs, walking over to the window dejectedly. "It's not fair that you guys have unlocked your cool powers and I still haven't."
And okay, he knows he sounds like a kid, but it's not fair, Kai thinks. The others may have their own brand of special strengths, but Kai is the best fighter, the fiercest in battle – just like fire is more formidable than any of the other elements. They fear it because it's destructive, and they should, fire is the most powerful element for a reason-
Kai blinks. He shakes his head, the haze of anger evaporating. What is he thinking, fire isn't great because it's destructive. He'd never want to hurt anyone, much less his family, geez, there goes his stupid temper again-
"Besides," he says, his voice softer. "Sensei's gone and we don't know when he's coming back-"
"Hello? I'm home!"
Speak of the devil.
The others exchange delighted looks. "Sensei!"
They all sprint out, leaving Kai behind as he suddenly panics. The last thing he needs is to get caught by Sensei wearing the green gi without permission. He grabs his own red gi from where he'd left it, tugging at the folds of the green uniform. The fabric is soft and maneuverable, and easy enough to get off and on.
Kai pauses, glancing in the mirror again, the bright green of the gi he's got on jarringly unfamiliar. It doesn't fit quite right, the design likely meant for someone smaller than him, but the effect is still the same. The green is a softer color than the usual red he wears, a bit less threatening - but it makes him look older, makes him look different.
He's…not sure he likes it. Which is ridiculous, because this is the color he's going to wear soon, and green is - it's the color of power, and-
(He's going to miss red.)
Kai jerks himself back to the present, remembering with a start where the others have gone. He quickly tugs the green gi off, pulling his own familiar red back on. He immediately feels more relaxed, much more comfortable in the uniform that's tailored to him. He grabs the green gi, folding it back up and opening the cabinet Sensei's been storing it in.
Kai hesitates. He sighs, running his fingers over the embossed green fabric once more. So much trouble, over one little uniform-
"You really shouldn't let Sensei see you with that, you know."
Kai jerks, spinning around and immediately relaxing when he sees only Nya standing in the doorway.
"I was just putting it away," he says, quickly, stuffing the uniform back. "Is Sensei on board yet?"
"Just getting here," Nya says. "I came to make sure you were gonna join us."
"Duh," Kai says, frowning. "Sensei's back, Nya, we can finally get moving!"
"Yeah, but-" she sighs. "I was just making sure you're okay."
Kai's frown deepens. "Of course I am," he says, his expression shifting as he gives her a reassuring grin. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Nya doesn't answer that, pausing. "You don't have to lie to me, you know," she suddenly says, quietly. "I'm your sister, Kai, you're supposed to be to tell me stuff. Not hide it away and act like you're - like you're some tough guy."
"I am some tough guy," Kai grumbles, but he hesitates at the look on Nya's face. "I'll be fine, Nya, I promise, I just - I just need to prove this, okay?"
"Prove what?" Nya says, looking frustrated. "Kai, you're pretty much the best fighter here. Stop thinking that you're just - some weak link on the team or something!"
"I'm not - Nya…" Kai pauses. He hates appearing weak in front of Nya, but she's the only one he feels comfortable being this vulnerable in front of. "You…you know what I'm like. I have to prove to Sensei that I can get over my weakness, like the others."
"Your need to prove yourself is your weakness," Nya says, insistently. "You don't need to prove anything, Kai." She hesitates, then grabs his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Well, you definitely don't to me. I know you'll get your true potential. Just give it time, okay? Don't run yourself to the ground over this. You're better than that."
Kai exhales heavily, not meeting Nya's gaze. Her words rattle around in his head, mixing with the constant mantra he's got going that he needs to be better. Nya has so much confidence in him, like she always has, and Kai is scared to death of proving her confidence wrong.
Kai squeezes her hand back before letting it go, his resolve strengthened. He won't fail her. He can do this.
"Now get your suit on already," Nya says, heading toward the door and giving him a look. "I'll stall for you."
She doesn't have to stall for long - Kai makes it just as Sensei Wu is questioning where he is, out of breath as he finishes tugging his gi into place. He gets a raised eyebrow from Cole, but he ignores that one, turning to Sensei.
"So glad you're back safe, Sensei," he says. And he is – he hadn't realized how much he'd missed Sensei Wu's guidance until now. He's been gone for what feels like forever.
But he's back safe now, and he seems confident, which means he must have found a way to save Lloyd. Once Sensei collects the demon spawn, Nya can finally relax and Kai can unlock his true potential. It shouldn't take long, Sensei Wu's plans are usually foolproof-
A dark shadow steps out from behind Sensei.
Never mind.
NYA THE SLAYING SAMURAI Group Chat
Kai: IS HE CRAZY
Kai: HE'S CRAZY
Nya: i'm sure sensei knows what he's doing
Nya: but YEAH HE'S CRAZY
Nya: i can't believe i have to live with the jerk that used me as a damsel in distress
Kai: I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S EVEN LIVING
Nya: okay maybe cool down a bit?
Kai: NEVER
Kai: GARMA-FREAKING-DON IS ON OUR SHIP NYA
Kai: GARM. A. DON.
Kai: IN OUR HOME
Nya: yeah this is gonna end well
So, on the list of smartest things Lloyd's ever done, trying to infiltrate the Serpentine with a mask and maracas probably ranks just barely above actually letting the same Serpentine out of the tombs. That is, right at the bottom, because they're the stupidest things Lloyd's ever done.
Stupid snakes. Stupid Pythor and his stupid Fangblades and his stupid cage he shoved Lloyd in.
Lloyd kicks at the bars of the cage again, glaring hotly at them as they barely even rattle. He'd tried hitting it harder earlier – pulling and kicking and trying to find some weakness in it. Nya had told him once, when he was helping her with repairs, that people sometimes cut corners when they make stuff and leave little weaknesses. She had demonstrated this by using a wrench as a lever and neatly breaking a metal grate on the Bounty in half.
Lloyd's been searching for something like that on this cage for hours, but even if he could find it, he doesn't have a wrench, and he's nowhere near as smart as Nya, so it probably wouldn't work anyways.
(It was worth a try, though.)
His last attempt had been to squeeze through the bars himself – he might have been able to pull that one off if his dumb head wasn't so big. Instead, he'd managed to get himself wedged uncomfortably between the bars for a few minutes, sending him into a fit of panic until he'd been able to get himself unstuck – and successfully right back where he'd started.
The Serpentine had gotten a real laugh out of that one. Lloyd's cheeks still burn at the memory.
At least they've left him alone, though. The first few days of his capture, some of the nastier Serpentine had decided that Lloyd was their personal entertainment, and had taken turns trying to scare him with the regular evil threats while pretending to stick their blades through the cage. They'd kept at that until they'd gotten bored, which had been pretty fast - they didn't get much of a reaction out of Lloyd, to their disappointment.
He'd been extra careful that they wouldn't, biting his lip and staring hard at the ceiling when they hissed at him. Never give your enemies any reaction, especially if you're weaker than them. It's always better to bear it in silence until they get bored and leave you alone. He'd learned some things at Darkley's.
Lloyd pulls his knees to his chest, trying to find a comfortable position while leaning against the metal bars. He hates this stupid cage – it's tall enough for him to stand up in, but not big enough for him to walk around any. He can sit down, but laying down is almost impossible – Lloyd's neck hurts from all the times he's fallen asleep, awkwardly propped up with a metal rung digging into his back.
The thing he really, really hates is how everyone can see him. He feels like an animal in one of the zoos he'd look at pictures of sometimes, locked up so everyone can look at him and laugh at him, the dumb little kid who got himself caught because he wasn't smart enough to mind his own business.
Lloyd promises himself that once he gets out of here, he'll learn how to fight so he never, ever gets stuck in a cage like this again.
If he gets out of here, that is.
Lloyd bites his lip, watching the Serpentine across the room from him anxiously. He doesn't really know why Pythor still has him around – he's pretty sure he's a hostage, but for how long? Pythor hasn't really made any threats to the ninja yet, except for using him as a shield back at Ouroborus when Nya was about to kick his butt into tomorrow.
Lloyd manages a tiny smile at the memory. He'd been so scared that Nya and the ninja were going to get hurt – or worse – because of him.
He's still reeling from what happened. When Pythor had discovered him at the snake-rally-thing he'd snuck into, he'd thought that was it for him. Kai had told him to stay put, and he'd ran off anyways. He had just wanted to help – wanted to fix at least part of what he'd caused – but he'd failed, just like he always does.
He hadn't expected them to all show up, in spite of that.
The fact that they had showed up – that they came for him, even after he's been a terrible brat and even when it was his fault he got captured anyways, does things to Lloyd's chest that threaten to make his eyes water. He doesn't get it. He had hoped Nya would show up, because they're secret partners in crime and she's his friend. And then she'd been captured, because she was trying to save him, and Lloyd had taken it back.
But then the ninja had shown up – all of them. Kai and Cole and Jay and Zane, all ready to fight – for him?
It must've been the Serpentine, Lloyd thinks. That's why they all showed up. They saw a chance to stop Pythor and the rest of the Serpentine, and rescuing Lloyd would have been a side bonus, that's all. Which is fine by him – he's still not used to having anyone even remotely care about him, so it probably would have been a little overwhelming if they had all actually came just for him.
The important thing is that they all got out safely. The ninja are still out there, still able to fight against Pythor and the other Serpentine. They'll stop him - they have to. Maybe they haven't been super successful yet, because Pythor already has two Fangblades, but they'll come back! The ninja will win. They'll beat Pythor.
Lloyd tries to shove away the dark thoughts that remind him that heroes don't always win. Tries to forget that a lot of the time, your team doesn't come out on top.
(After all, it's the people you think are best that fail you the worst-)
No. No, this is different. The ninja are the good guys, and they're more than good guys - they're fighting for what's right, for what's truly good. They won't lose. That's what always happens in stories like this. Just when everything seems darkest, the light comes through. In the end, good will win out.
Lloyd does wish that he could contact them, though, to help them out, kind of like a spy - ooh, that would be way cooler than this. The upside about Pythor dragging him along everywhere is that he knows exactly what their plans are. The downside is that Pythor is having Lloyd do all the dirty work.
Lloyd pokes dolefully at the hole in his pants over his knee, where the ragged scrape he got from dodging booby traps is just peeking out. The skin beneath has finally scabbed over, and Lloyd tries not to pick at it again. He doesn't want to bleed all over his clothes – he already has enough dust and dirt from sliding and diving all over the cave floor.
Stupid Pythor. He even found a way to take all the fun out of exploring booby-trapped caves.
Lloyd bangs his head against the cage, frustrated. He glances up through the bars, and is surprised to see that he's mostly alone in the main room of the cave now. The Serpentine must have gone to bed for the night.
Lloyd grins. Which means this is the perfect time for him to test out his lock-picking skills.
He crawls over to the cage's lock, pulling the snapped off arrow he'd grabbed when Pythor had forced him to go through all the booby traps. Squinting in concentration, Lloyd slides the sharp edge into the keyhole, biting his tongue as he fiddles with it. He wishes Brad was here - he's way better than Lloyd at picking locks like this. Brad is a certified master lock-picker, way better than Gene or any of the others jerks at school. One time, he had actually tried to help Lloyd out with it, sneaking out to the kitchen with him and secretly showing him just the right way to jiggle the lock to the candy cabinet open-
The lock clicks, and the cage door suddenly swings open, almost sending Lloyd face-planting to the floor.
"Yes!" Lloyd whispers, in delighted victory as he picks himself up. "Thank you, Brad."
He glances around quickly, making sure no one's heard his escape. There's no one - Lloyd is the only one in the room. Darting forward, Lloyd slips through one of the passageways, carefully peeking around the corners to make sure there aren't any Serpentine slithering around. He can hear voices down the left passage, but the right passage is clear - maybe that one will lead to the top.
Lloyd feels a huge grin split across his face in exhilarated adrenaline as he runs down the passage. He's free! All he has to is sneak through the rest of the caves, and he can hike back to Ninjago city, find the ninja, and tell them everything about Pythor's plans. He can finally be useful-
Lloyd smacks into something hard, sending him sprawling to the floor. He groans, shaking his head and glancing up. Immediately, his blood runs cold.
"Well well, what do we have here?" a purple Hypnobrai hisses at him, sounding amused.
"Get away from me!" Lloyd yelps, kicking furiously at the Hypnobari. The snake just laughs, pulling out a very, very sharp sword that could probably skewer Lloyd through in seconds. Lloyd goes still, his heart pounding in fear.
"I can't do that, I'm afraid," the Hypnobrai says. "You're our prisoner, you know."
Lloyd growls through his teeth, trying to look intimidating. Oh, he knows.
"It's a wassste, if you ask me," the Hypnobrai says, his eyes glinting as he studies Lloyd. "We're getting terribly hungry, you know. Pythor doesn't keep us well-fed." The Hypnobrai grins, sharp and deadly. "Of course, he'ssss not around right now."
Lloyd stops struggling, going still as fear grips him. The snake wouldn't actually eat him, there's no way Pythor would-
The Hypnobrai pulls him up, his fangs glinting in the dim lights of the cave. No, no, no! Lloyd wants to scream in panic, but his voice is stuck in his throat. There's a pressure building in his chest, a humming sort of terrified adrenaline. He doesn't want to get eaten, he can't get eaten, he wants to get out of here he wants to go home he wants his father-
Lloyd lashes out against the Hypnobrai in panic, and the pressure in his chest snaps, flooding out through his fingers and-
There's a weird hummng sound and the purple Hypnobrai jerks back with a shriek of pain, releasing Lloyd and letting him crash to the ground. Lloyd immediately scrambles to his feet, running as fast as he can away from the snake.
Out, out, he has to get out of here before he's eaten-
Smack.
Lloyd has the worst sense of deja-vu as yet another Hypnobrai, this one a bright blue, hauls him up from the floor. "And where do you think you're going?" she hisses, her eyes raking over him critically where he dangles from her grip in the air.
"He's going to eat me!" Lloyd shrieks, pointing wildly back at the other snake and struggling furiously. Maybe she'll remember that Pythor wanted him kept alive.
The blue Hypnobrai looks surprised. Her expression immediately twists to a glare, which she directs at the Hypnobrai that was chasing him.
"You didn't tell the human you'd eat it, did you?" she snaps at the purple Hypnobrai, who suddenly looks sheepish. The blue one gives a hiss of irritation. "Thissss is why people hate us, you know."
"He shocked me," the purple one says, sounding more surprised than angry. "I didn't know human children could do that."
"Oh, stop with your stories," the blue one says. "There's no excuse for you. We don't need to give the child another reason to think we're monstersss."
"Pleassse, his people have already filled his head with enough stories," the purple one says. "It's too late for that."
"You can stop encouraging the stories, then," the blue one says, wearily.
"Just get the child to Pythor," the purple one mutters.
"No!" Lloyd yelps, suddenly. Both Hypnobrai stare at him. Lloyd shifts. "You could, uh, you could just let me go?" he says, hopefully. "I'll tell everyone you're, uh - you're not really monsters, and stuff!"
The blue one snorts. "Cute," she says, looking amused. The expression is nice on her - it doesn't make her look as scary. And she did save him from the other Hypnobrai. Lloyd almost likes her.
And then she throws him in front of Pythor, who shoves him right back in the cage, and Lloyd doesn't like her anymore.
"Oh, Lloyd, my friend," Pythor sighs, as he slithers in front of the cage. "You really are proving to be more trouble than you're worth."
"I'm not your friend," Lloyd says, darkly, from where he's sitting back against the cage with his arms tightly crossed. "And I'm nothing but trouble. So you better watch it, you – you ugly jerk."
"I'd have thought your school would have taught you more…creative insults," Pythor says, mildly. "That wasss rather pathetic."
Lloyd huffs. As if he cares what Pythor thinks. He can think up his own insults, it's not like Lloyd knows –
Well, actually, Lloyd knows lots of worse insults, but he's not about to waste them on Pythor. Besides, he isn't actually a supervillain.
"You're gonna be the pathetic one when the ninja bust in here," Lloyd says, confidently. "They're going to break me out of here, kick your butt, and ruin all your plans. Just wait and see."
"Ssso confident they're coming for you," Pythor says. "I wonder, what makes you so sure they'd come back for a tiny little brat like you? It'sss not like you're very important."
"T-they -" Lloyd breaks off, doubt flooding his mind. No, no, that's what Pythor wants! "They wouldn't just leave somebody behind," Lloyd says, firmly. "And Uncle Wu is leading them. I'm family."
"Oh dear boy, family doesn't mean anything," Pythor laughs. "You're really better off without it. You can take it from me, I ate my own family."
Lloyd shudders, backing further into the cage, as far as he can possibly get from Pythor. "You're crazy," he says, in a kind of fascinated horror.
"Perhapsss," Pythor says. "But tell me, young Lloyd," his eyes are glinting. "If it comes down to you or the Fangblade, just which do you think they'll chose?"
Lloyd goes quiet. He doesn't know the answer to that one – or maybe he does, and he just doesn't want to say it. The ninja are good people – if he's learned anything in the past weeks, it's that. His uncle seems to care about him, Nya is his friend, and Kai – well, Kai is easy to talk to, but that doesn't mean he cares. But still, he knows the ninja wouldn't just let him die – not unless there was something bigger on the line.
The Great Devourer is something bigger.
No, Lloyd shouldn't lie to himself. If it comes down to it, the ninja won't choose him. His own mom didn't even choose him.
Pythor smiles, wide and cruel. "Ah, as I thought," he says. "You see, Lloyd, no one ever really cares in the end. There's alwaysss something better they'll trade you in for."
Lloyd bites his lip. He's got a good comeback, he's going to say it to Pythor any minute – any minute now, just as soon as his eyes stop blurring.
"I'm terribly sssorry you didn't learn that lesson at your school."
With that, Pythor slithers off, leaving Lloyd staring after him in silence. He flicks his staff against the wall as he leaves the room, and the torches burning in the cave begin to flicker out. Lloyd shivers, watching as the chamber is plunged into near-total darkness. He suddenly wishes desperately that Kai was here, with his lights. He wouldn't be scared.
Lloyd pulls his knees up to his chest again, sniffling miserably.
He thinks about the Great Devourer, the giant evil snake his uncle described to him. He thinks about the story his uncle told him, about how the Great Devourer had ripped his father from him.
He imagines the ninja standing against a huge snake, their weapons tiny against the monster. He imagines Nya, alone in her Samurai mech, fighting uselessly to save the people of Ninjago. He imagines the Great Devourer, snapping them all up in one big bite, tearing them away just like it took his father. Lloyd shivers.
He's glad they'll choose the Fangblade, he tells himself. If the ninja get the Fangblade, then they'll be safe. Nya and Uncle Wu and all the others – they'll be able to stop Pythor.
The ninja are heroes. They're like the characters from the stories Lloyd reads in his comics, brave and strong and confident. Lloyd isn't any of that. He doesn't have a place in that story – he doesn't have a place anywhere.
They won't choose him. No one ever does. What would he ever be able to contribute to the team, the family, anyways?
Lloyd kicks the bars bitterly.
Stupid cage.
NYA THE SLAYING SAMURAI Group Chat
Nya: kai i get it but you need to chill the heck out
Kai: nya are u seriously forgetting who this is
Nya: i'm not kai, none of us are
Nya: but he's helping us out now and we need him
Kai: we DO NOT need him
Nya: do you see lloyd on the ship?
Nya: any fangblades?
Nya: we can't do this on our own kai
Kai: we could've with sensei wu
Kai: i can't work with him nya
Nya: kai i love you
Nya: but get it the heck together and suck it up
Living with Garmadon is every bit the hell Kai had expected it to be. Granted, he hadn't really been expecting soap operas and suntanning (or whatever that was), but it's still hell. Garmadon is the most frustrating, irritating, and, oh yeah, completely evil and definitely-going-to-kill-them-all-in-their-sleep roommate he's ever had.
If he has to hear his smug laugh one more time-
Kai never would have imagined a day where he'd actually miss the demon spawn's obnoxious little attempt at a villainous laugh, but here he is.
The worst part about all this is that literally no one else seems to feel the same way. Have the guys forgotten that this is the same villain who almost killed them all? Heck, has Nya suddenly forgotten that this man is the reason she was captured by the skeletons and used as bait?
Apparently they have, because no one else is having a big a problem as Kai is with this.
And there's no use even addressing Sensei Wu - for all you'd know, him and Garmadon have gone back to being best brothers in the world again. Go figure.
It wouldn't bother Kai as much if so much wasn't at stake. Maybe if it was just Lloyd, and this was all to rescue him, Kai wouldn't mind it as much. But it's more than that - this is the possibility of unleashing the Great Devourer that they're talking about. That's not just a threat to their family, but to all of Ninjago as well. The stakes are way too high to be putting this much faith in an enemy.
And this…doesn't really leave Kai in a great position. He's been biting back his temper the best he can, trying to get along with Garmadon, but he's reaching the end of his rope - fast. The Fangblades, the Great Devourer, Lloyd - it's a little too much. It leaves Kai biting back anger born from the desperate sort of fear he gets when someone he cares about is in danger. It's not quite the same blinding panic as when Nya was taken, but the feeling has been creeping up on him slowly, an uncomfortable kind of twisting in his gut and a building pressure in his chest as his mind screams at him to do something, do something, fix this already stop wasting time!
It's never a good state of mind for Kai to be in, because it leaves him two seconds away from snapping at any moment.
And this time, snapping costs him. A lot.
"You cannot defeat someone who allowed himself to be defeated." Sensei's voice cuts through Kai's momentary confusion, bringing reality crashing down around him. He glances down to where Garmadon's lying on the floor, looking unconvincingly 'hurt'.
Of course. Of course it wouldn't be this easy. And of course Garmadon's found a way to pin this all on Kai.
"I wasn't going to hurt your boy," Garmadon says, his voice steady and even. "I was only fetching your weapons."
"But you were trying to steal them!" Kai says, frustrated. Can't they see-
"I asked him to get them," Sensei Wu cuts in, his voice sharp. "Perhaps…" he hesitates, an unnamed emotion flashing in his eyes.
(Vaguely, Kai has the weirdest feeling that he's not even seeing him anymore).
"Perhaps it is best you do not reach your true potential, or else someone could get hurt."
Kai goes still.
Best he doesn't reach his true potential – what?
Sensei can't be serious. He can't be – Kai isn't dangerous, he's not a liability to the team, how could Sensei think that he's better off never –
He can't take this away from him-
Kai doesn't hear Cole's remark. He doesn't hear anything but Sensei's words storming through his head on repeat, smashing into his skull-
"Aw, poor thing, let me help you."
-okay, he hears that. Seriously, Nya? Kai wants to scream.
"Yes, poor thing," Garmadon says, like he knows, like he's mocking him. Kai's vision goes blurry, turning red as he fumes.
Nya and Sensei Wu help Garmadon up, the others standing around them with matching expressions of irritated…disappointment, Kai thinks, he's not sure, because he knows if he meets any of their gazes he's going to have murder in his eyes. He's saved by a sudden shudder that rocks the ship, the heavy silence interrupted by the low screeching of the Bounty as it comes to a sudden, jerking halt.
"Sounds like we finally reached our destination," Cole says, mercifully dragging them all from the tense silence. Sensei Wu is out first, heading for the control room, the others close behind. Kai follows, his hands still clenched into fists and his head spinning.
He stops as their destination comes to view through Zane's falcon, his heart skipping a beat as Sensei Wu informs them of what they all already know.
"The fire temple."
The volcano is restless, spitting ash and smoke into the atmosphere even as they approach. Kai can feel the building pressure inside – the fire is one wrong move from going up in a blazing hot eruption.
"Pythor's here, alright," Nya says, grimly, pointing to the screen. They can just see the last of a few Serpentine entering the fire temple, a mix of Fangpyres and Venomari. There's a small flash of black on the screen, and Kai hears Nya's tiny inhale as Lloyd swings into view for a half a second, dangling in a cage held by on the Fangpyres, looking utterly miserable.
Garmadon sucks in a sharp breath of his own, and Kai can practically feel the dark anger radiating off of him as he watches his son disappear into the fire temple. There's a sharp, sadistic sort of satisfaction that curls in Kai's chest at the look on Lord Garmadon's face.
How do you like it, he thinks, hotly. How does it feel when someone you love is in danger this time-
It fades pretty quickly, though because Lloyd really does look terrible, and ironically enough, through Nya's concern and the sheer willpower of Kai's paternal side, he's come to sort of care about the only person in the world Lord Garmadon probably does. He actually cares about the little demon spawn.
At the very least, he's not about to let Pythor get the kid killed.
Sensei Wu starts detailing their plan of attack as Nya pulls the ship around, docking as close as they can get to the volcano without putting the ship in immediate danger. Kai tries to pay attention, following Sensei's instructions, but his head is still spinning, still too hot, from his confrontation with Garmadon.
Maybe Kai did mess up, but he's not wrong. He knows he isn't – Garmadon is their enemy. The minute they have his son back, he'll turn on them. It's inevitable, the others have to know this. Which is why it stings, more than a little bit, that they all took his side.
Sensei he'd expect, of course, but from Cole, Zane, and Jay – he's their teammate, their brother. They've been through so much together, faced Garmadon together, and now they're just…taking his side over Kai's? Without even trying to get where Kai's coming from?
Even Nya took Garmadon's side. Kai's been officially abandoned by everyone he knows for Lord Garmadon. Fantastic.
And now Sensei Wu thinks he's better off never getting his true potential at all.
Kai knows he's hot tempered. But he's not – he would never hurt his teammates, hurt his family. Can't Sensei Wu see that the only reason he's so passionate about this is because he wants to protect them?
Kai blinks back the jagged pain in his chest.
He's always going to be that poor blacksmith boy, hammering uselessly in the forge all day and always two steps behind everyone else.
The rest of the team starts filing out to the deck, masks pulled up and weapons glinting on their backs. Garmadon and Sensei Wu have taken the lead, preparing to drop the anchor. Kai pulls his thoughts back together, tightening his grip on the fire sword and heading for the steps.
Before he can make it to the deck, Nya grabs his arm, holding him back. "Watch it in there, okay?" she says, concern in her eyes. "It's gonna be pretty dangerous. Keep the fire sword away."
Kai huffs, avoiding her gaze. "Yeah, sure. You got it." He still hasn't forgotten 'you poor thing'.
"I'm serious, Kai," Nya says. "There's a lot on the line here."
"I know," Kai says, hotly. "I'll watch it, geez."
Nya huffs, clearly not pleased with his answers. "Look, Kai, if you're upset about that true potential thing – the others are just a little on edge, okay, just forget about it for now-"
"I will unlock my true potential," Kai says, fiercely. "And then they'll see – they'll see that I am the green ninja, that I'm not a – I'm not a risk to the team."
Nya pauses, her hold on his arm loosening. She's quiet for a moment. "You know what I love best about you?" she finally says, softly. "Your greatest strength isn't that you're the best fighter."
Kai opens his mouth to cut her off, but Nya glares at him.
"It's that you care the most," she says. "You're strongest when you're fighting for the people you love, not to be better than them." She stares at him, her gaze heavy. "Try to remember that, okay?"
Kai stares at her as she heads back to the control room, momentarily frozen in place. His fingers tighten back around the fire sword.
He is fighting for the people he loves. Can't she see that? That's why he needs to become the green ninja, so he can save them all.
He steps out behind his brothers, the ash from the Fire Temple speckling the air around them as they move forward, filing down the dropped anchor. Kai can already feel the heat, hear the boiling lava and crackling flame, calling to him. It leaves him feeling hyper-aware, like his very blood is on fire. This is his element.
This is it. This is his chance, his moment.
Kai is going to unlock his true potential. He's going to prove Sensei Wu wrong. He's going to become the green ninja today, or he's going to die trying.
Kai, why you such a drama queeeeen~