This took about three years of trying to decide how to properly describe the fire temple and crying because doing this episode justice is REALLY HARD (I failed, probably, but I tried to properly honor one of my favorite moments in Ninjago ever).
As always, thank you so muchto all the lovely people who leave reviews, I can't express how much I appreciate them!
Chapter Four: Kai Gives Everyone a Heart Attack, Including Himself
Nya changed the chat name to Don't Blow It, Kai
Nya: get it?
Nya: because you're in a volcano
Nya: and it might blow up
Nya: kai
Nya: please don't get blown up kai
Nya: and stop being so overdramatic about everything I can hear you over comms
So like, Kai knows he's being a little dramatic about all this. He's totally justified, of course, but he can sort of see why the guys and Nya have been calling him out on this. However-
"From here on out, we travel by shadows."
"It's the only way I know how."
-compared to Lord Garmadon, he thinks he's doing alright. Because besides being the biggest pain in Kai's neck ever to walk the earth, Garmadon is a total drama queen as well. And yeah, his son is in potential mortal danger, Kai will give him that, but still.
They race through the fire temple – not really traveling by shadows, strictly speaking, because everything is glowing an orange-red from the lava ahead, but still quietly enough that they're not spotted. Garmadon makes a decent ninja when he needs to, Kai will give him that (begrudgingly).
They're hit with a blast of heated air as they finally reach the inner chamber, the bright steam from the bubbling lava stinging Kai's eyes. Beside him, Zane shifts in discomfort, and Jay wipes at his forehead, sweat already beading up beneath his gi. Cole looks a bit more at ease, his eyes narrowed as he sizes up the Serpentine below them, their hissing voices loud in the echoing cavern.
Kai feels invigorated by the heat – he loves it. It feels like the lava itself is reaching to him, ready to respond to his call, if he can just get his stupid power to unlock-
"There's Lloyd!" Jay whispers suddenly, pointing across the cavern.
Kai follows his finger, his pulse picking up as he spots the kid. Lloyd is still locked in that cage, a tiny figure in black where he's resting precariously near to the edge. He doesn't look bothered by the heat, though – just concerned and scared and really, painfully young. Kai bites his lip. Nya is right – they should've got him back a while ago.
Garmadon gives a sharp inhale, moving forward. "Son," he gasps. It's weird, the sheer concern and worry that colors his voice – it's incredibly unfamiliar and rather disorienting to hear from him, who Kai has written off as not caring about anyone in the world but himself.
There's a tiny flicker of relieved sort of satisfaction in his chest, as he remembers Lloyd's words to him before he was captured. At least his father seems to return that same love.
Kai brings his gaze back to the Serpentine, mentally noting their numbers as he sizes them up. Most of them don't really seem to be doing much, just watching the little group near the middle digging-
"Out of my way, fool!"
The voice bursts out from the small circle of Serpentine, and Kai's eyes narrow. That's Pythor – Kai knows that saccharine voice anywhere. He glares at the Anacondrai as he hurries to the hole they were digging, bending down and picking something up before waving it triumphantly in the air, where it glitters in the heated light.
"The third Fangblade is ours!" Pythor roars, and the Serpentine go wild, cheering and yelling. Kai feels his stomach twist. Three Fangblades, that's three times they've failed now.
No - not this time. This time, they're leaving with the Fangblade.
Sensei Wu inclines his head, and they begin to creep forward, keeping low as to avoid being seen. Their footsteps are silent where they tread across the jagged, volcanic rock that forms the lifted structures. Kai keeps his breathing steady, even as he feels his shoulders begin to tense up in pre-battle anxiety.
They're almost to the first of the Serpentine, mere feet away from the first of the bridges, when they're caught.
Kai's not sure how it happens, actually. One second, they're creeping along unseen, the Serpentine too busy celebrating to notice - the next second, Pythor is hissing Ninja! in a particularly disgusted voice, and they're left staring down a considerable amount of hyped-up, fairly angry Serpentine warriors.
"Attack!" Pythor howls, and great, now the Serpentine are charging at them.
"Light as a leaf!" Sensei Wu cries, springing forward. "Attack like there is no tomorrow!"
Kai is still trying to figure out what "light as a leaf" means in terms of attacking people, when he's quickly yanked back to the present as they clash with the Serpentine, Garmadon already on the violent offensive. Despite everything, Kai feels a grin creep up on his face as a burst of adrenaline floods his veins. Now this, this is something he can get behind. They're finally getting something done.
Jay is the first into battle, barreling through the Serpentine before he's forced to pause, a burst of fiery lava shooting up in front of him.
"Wind!" Jay yells, sparks flying from his hand and whipping into a bright blue funnel that cuts through the burst of flames.
Kai blinks. Jay's power is lightning, where is this coming from? That's not fair at all, Kai thinks, irritated – he doesn't get much further on that train of thought, forced to dodge as a Fangpyre nearly bites his arm off.
He catches Zane out of the corner of his eye as he battles, watching as his friend jumps forward, preparing to cross over the lava.
"Ice!" Zane yells, bright white light bursting from his hands, crystalizing in the heated air where it immediately starts to sweat. Kai feels a mixture of relief and irritation - his teammates are handling themselves just fine, what with their new elemental potentials-
And Kai really needs to stop paying attention to his teammates this much, because now he's surrounded, Serpentine closing in on him from every side. He reaches back for his sword - then hesitates. Nya told him specifically not to, and she doesn't give them orders like that without a reason.
The Serpentine edge closer, and Kai swears internally. Honestly, what is he supposed to do? It's not like doing his Spinjitzu in the middle of an active volcano is going to go any better than using the fire sword is, and he's all out of other options.
He pulls out the weapon, grinning a bit as the familiar warmth pulses beneath his hand. The grin immediately fades as the lava around them reacts violently, hot yellow light flaring briefly.
That's not good, he thinks.
"Kai! The weapon is compromising our safety!" Nya's slightly panicked voice comes over the radio, confirming his suspicions.
Yeah, well, being weaponless is compromising my safety, he thinks, hotly.
"I will do what I must," he says.
...okay, maybe he is reaching Garmadon's levels of drama.
Kai slashes forward with the sword, driving the Serpentine back. Around him, the others have sent the better part of the Serpentine fleeing, leaving Pythor surrounded by his guards. The Anacondrai hisses, slithering up the staircase carved into the cavern wall.
"Let's get out of here!" Pythor calls, smiling darkly down at them. "But not before we leave them with a parting gift."
Before any of them can react, several Serpentine dive beneath the ground, drilling through the unstable earth. Kai has a moment of panic as he whips around, expecting them to shoot up from beneath him at any second. He feels a flash of relief as he sees them come up across from him instead - but that relief quickly turns to panic. Lava spurts from the holes, flooding over the bridges as the rocky structures they're standing on begin to get noticeably closer to the rising lava.
"They're making the volcano unstable!" Zane says in alarm, confirming Kai's fears.
Jay looks around in panic, his voice tight. "Any minute this place is gonna blow, we have to get out of here!"
"Not without my son," Garmadon growls, surging forward as the rest of them fall back. Kai watches, wide-eyed, as he clears the lava, jumping to the feet of the stairs and racing forward.
"Dad!" Lloyd's voice echoes across the cavern. The kid's knuckles are white where he grips the cage bars, his eyes glued on his father.
His son's voice only seems to fuel Garmadon's determination, the dark lord a flash of black as he streaks up the stairs, charging at Pythor in full force. He approaches the last of the Serpentine, and –
Oh, wow. Wow.
Sensei Wu was right about Garmadon holding back, then. Remind Kai never to go up solo against Lord Garmadon again, especially if his son's life is on the line. Because he will freaking die.
The Serpentine don't stand a chance against Garmadon, either. Pythor seems to realize this, his eyes going cold as he watches. He whirls around to yell at the Serpentine behind him.
"Lose the boy!"
One Serpentine hesitates, but it's not enough – they haul the cage over the lava, and with a panicked scream from Lloyd - drop him.
Kai's first thought is holy FSM, Pythor is a stone-cold, child-murdering maniac.
His second thought is OH FSM, he just threw Lloyd in the lava.
His third thought is more along the lines of blinding panic.
"Lloyd!" Garmadon roars.
Nya's anguished shriek rings through the communicator, and Kai swears, watching Lloyd's fall in panic as he moves toward the edge of rock, hoping against hope that maybe, somehow, Lloyd won't-
The cage catches against a rock just jutting up from the rising lava, leaving Lloyd literally inches from a boiling death. Kai starts breathing again, a wave of relief sweeping him, before it turns to concern again. The cage won't hold for long against the heat - one of them needs to get to him before it sinks.
Garmadon's already moving, and Kai grits his teeth, rushing forward before the others can react. The bridges are gone now, drowned under the rising lava, but Kai doesn't need them - he jumps, his momentum just propelling him to the next raised rock. Squinting through the heated steam and smoke, Kai gauges the distance between him and the stairs, and jumps again, just clearing another burst of fiery sparks. He hears Cole's sudden yelp of shock, Jay's cry of concern, but he ignores them. Someone needs to get over there and help.
Kai makes it to the bottom of the stairs just in time to see Garmadon pull Lloyd up, immediately grabbing him into tight embrace, his expression crumpled in overwhelming relief. Huh, Kai thinks in the back of his head. Maybe Garmadon isn't a half-bad dad to have.
Kai yanks himself back on course, sprinting up the stairs and darting past father and son. "The Fangblade's mine," he breathes, his eyes on Pythor.
"Come back! It's too dangerous!" Cole's voice echoes through the cavern, his normally calm tone laced through with panic. "The whole place is gonna explode!"
"Then I'd better be quick," Kai says, his voice set in determination. There's the tiniest flare of guilt for making the guys have to worry about him again, but really - he's got this.
Pythor is almost at the exit, the Fangblade glinting in his hand as he slithers away. No you don't, Kai thinks, fiercely. He pulls his sword back, eyes narrowing, and flings it forward. Kai watches it fly, his aim dead-on as it slams into the Fangblade, knocking it from Pythor's hand with an alarmed shout from the Anacaondrai before pinning it solidly to the wall.
Pythor hisses in anger, tugging desperately at the Fangblade, unable to pull it free. A vindictive grin spreads across Kai's face - he doesn't train obsessively for nothing.
Kai's almost on top of Pythor by now - the blue Hypnobrai leader seems to realize this, his eyes widening. "Come on!" he hisses at Pythor, dragging him through the exit just before a chunk of the ceiling comes down in front of it, blocking Kai off from them.
Not that it matters - Kai's objective is pinned firmly into the wall in front of him.
"Leave it, Kai, it's not worth your life!" Jay yells as the temple shudders, the volcano rumbling threateningly.
"Not without that Fangblade!" Kai calls back, as he finally reaches it, wrapping both hands around the hilt and pulling. He's worked this hard for it, it's literally in his hands - there's no way he's letting it go now.
There's another burst of flame, the ground beneath Kai shaking as more heavy chunks of rock fall from above them.. Out of the corner of his eye, Kai can see the lava rising faster.
"Kai! Kai!"
There's Lloyd now, he thinks - Kai isn't sure, the voice is drowned out amongst a sudden burst of yelling from the others and the loud, thundering crack as more stone breaks apart. Kai grits his teeth as he braces his foot against the wall and pulls harder, now regretting throwing the sword quite as hard as he did. Come on, it's not like he's that strong, he should be able to pull this out easily.
Kai spares a quick glance to the others - his teammates are backing up as the ledge they're on trembles violently, Sensei Wu pulling Garmadon back from the edge. That just leaves Lloyd, who is-
Kai double-takes. Lloyd is clinging to a rock floating in the lava, several yards below him.
How-?
Never mind, Garmadon is a terrible father. It's been like five seconds and Lloyd's in mortal danger again-
"It won't budge!" Kai yells in frustration. With a jolt, he realizes he's yelling to no one - his teammates have disappeared behind a wall of fallen rock. Kai swears. Whatever, he doesn't need them. He can do this on his own, getting out shouldn't be too hard for a ninja of fire.
With a final, desperate yank, the Fangblade finally comes free. Kai's cry of victory quickly turns to a yelp of panic as the Fangblade flies out, clattering down onto one of the rocks Lloyd's cage was balanced near earlier.
Oh, come on-
Kai hops down, barely flinching at the sudden blast of intense heat as he nears the lava. He balances precariously on one of the rocks, his fingers outstretched toward the blade as he strains.
"Come on, why won't my power unlock?" he growls at himself, his fingers trembling as he stretches them as far as he can reach. The heat around him is becoming unbearable, sweat blinding him as he strains toward the Fangblade.
He's so close – if he can get the blade now, they're safe. Nya, his family, Ninjago – they're all safe from the threat of the Great Devourer if Kai can just reach it. He can save them all right now, prove once and for all that he's the green ninja.
This is his moment. This is the perfect moment for his potential to unlock, he's literally in the fire temple, so if he can just reach the stupid blade-
"Kai!"
Lloyd's cry cuts through Kai's obsessive haze, and with a brief struggle, he tears his eyes away from the Fangblade. His eyes lock with Lloyd's, and Kai's world screeches to a halt.
Lloyd is clinging to one of the few remaining rocks, the lava around him threatening to consume him any second now. Kai gives a quick glance back to the Fangblade, which is in the exact same predicament.
Lloyd and the Fangblade, both in peril.
Lloyd or the Fangblade-
He can't save them both.
Lloyd is moments away from a fiery death, the lava nearly having overwhelmed him. He's clearly terrified, tears brimming in his eyes as he clutches the sinking rock desperately, but the look in his eyes-
He can't save them both.
-there's resignation there. Lloyd looks as if he's expecting Kai to leave him for the Fangblade - as if he knows Kai will abandon him. As if Kai should abandon him, because the Fangblade is more important.
As if it could be the same as the look in Kai's eyes when he decided the Fangblade was worth his life.
It's an easy choice.
Kai yanks his hand back, standing up. The obsessive haze is gone, along with any doubts he has. Bracing himself, he hops across the lava, using his Spinjitzu to bring him over to Lloyd.
"Come on!" he says, hauling Lloyd up by his jacket and setting him on his feet. Lloyd blinks in almost-surprise, but a wave of relief spreads across his face. He wraps his arms around Kai, clinging tightly to him, and Kai grabs him close, gripping him firmly as he uses Spinjitzu again to take them both over the lava, hopping from rock to rock-
Kai's forced to cut his Spinjitzu off suddenly, and they both stumble forward on the small rock, Lloyd giving a quick yelp of fear. Kai stares forward in horror. There's no rocks left. There's no exit left. There's nothing but Kai, Lloyd, and the lava rising around the rock they're standing on left in the temple.
Sparks flare around them and Kai pulls Lloyd back by his jacket hood, trying to shelter him from the growing heat.
Oh, no, no, please-
Kai swallows. There's a terrible ache growing in his chest, a mixture of fear and despair. He doesn't know how to get out of this. He's never trained for anything like this. How is he supposed to-?
There's nothing he can do, he realizes. Kai has screwed himself over - it's that simple. He let his recklessness run away again, and now he's going to pay the price. Kai feels a crippling hopelessness threaten to overwhelm him as he realizes he's brought this on himself.
But Lloyd -
It's Kai's own stupid fault for getting himself stuck here. Lloyd doesn't deserve this, not now, not when he's finally free.
Kai blinks back sweat from his eyes. He thinks of his brothers, of Nya – he can't leave her alone, he promised he wouldn't.
And he thinks of Lloyd, stuck in this inferno with him.
Lloyd looks frightened, his hands clinging tightly to Kai's gi, but he's looking up at him with determination – with confidence. Lloyd's looking at Kai just like he did back on the deck of the Bounty - like he's the bravest ninja in the world, and as if he knows he's going to get them out of this.
It's almost funny, Kai thinks. That Lloyd, of all people, seems to be the only person left with any kind of faith in him. With so much faith in him that he still expects Kai to get them out of this. Lloyd trusts Kai, he realizes with a start - wholeheartedly and with his life. It hits him that this might be the first time he's seen Lloyd look at anyone like that, even his uncle.
It also hits him, at the same time, how much he cares for this stupid kid.
Your greatest strength isn't that you're the best fighter. It's that you care the most. You're strongest when you're fighting for the people you love.
Nya's words flicker through Kai's head. Resolve sparks to life in his stomach, a fiery sort of determination that blazes up into his heart. He takes a deep, steadying breath, closing his eyes briefly and letting the scorching heat surround him, sinking into his skin, his lungs. He grabs Lloyd's hand, pulling him in close-
-and the world shifts, a warm sort of giddy energy pulsing from his fingertips to his heart, similar to the way fire feels to him but different, softer and steadier and –
Green.
Kai blinks. Huh.
"I've got you, Lloyd," he says, his voice calm. "Just don't let go."
And with that, Kai lets go – lets go of his anger, lets go of his fear, lets go of the desperate need burning in his chest to be better.
He's got his brothers, he's got Nya, and now he's got Lloyd. He doesn't need to be the green ninja to be important to them – he's never needed to be the green ninja. This isn't about proving himself to the others. This isn't about being the green ninja. This is about being Kai.
And Kai does not give up when his family is on the line.
There's an explosion of light, a roar of wind that mixes with Lloyd's exclamation of wonder as the heat turns blazing-
-and Kai bursts to life.
Kai changed the chat name to FIYAHHHHHH BABY
Kai: AW YEAHHHHHHH
Kai: TAKE THAT SENSEI WU
Kai: WHO'S LAUGHING NOW GARMADON
Nya: oh fsm
Nya: you're going to be impossible to live with now
Kai: ASFDSGHKLJ HECK YEAH
Nya: oh by the way
Nya: if you ever do anything like that to me again
Nya: i swear to fsm i'll murder you
Kai: u have my word
Kai: know why?
Nya: oh no
Kai: because i am THE FIRE NINJA
Kai: AND THE FIRE NINJA ALWAYS WINS, HECK YEAH
Watching her brother disappear into a fiery inferno behind a stone wall of rock is an experience Nya never, ever wants to relive.
She had been already half-hysterical as it was, watching Lloyd get straight thrown down into the lava, only to be saved at the last second by his father (speaking of, Nya reminds herself to never get between Lord Garmadon and his kid, ever). To have to watch helplessly as her hot-headed, well-meaning, self-sacrificing moron of a brother ran straight into what may as well be his death pretty much sent her over the edge.
(Does he even realize what losing him would have done to her, the last time they ever would have spoken she would have been angry at him-)
But this is Kai, and Kai has a knack of coming through when the situation is worst. Seconds after the fire temple erupts, a brilliant fireball shoots above the ash, and Nya doesn't need Sensei Wu's awed exclamation to know who it is.
And she's proud of him, so proud of him that he found his true potential even against all odds. And, yeah, she's also pretty smug that he managed to prove Sensei Wu wrong that drastically (despite her actions sometimes, she's always holding out for her brother). However, none of that is going to get him off free for almost giving her a heart attack.
The first thing Nya does when she's able to get her hands on him (because he was hot there for a second, literally radiating heat and fire everywhere, how on earth he didn't cook Lloyd alive is…something she needs to ask him), is worry over Kai mercilessly.
"Never do that again," she mutters in his ear, as she hugs him tightly. She's going to be having nightmares of her brother dying in that volcano for months.
"Scout's honor," Kai says. "I'll try not to get stuck in erupting fire temples ever again."
Nya's torn between strangling him on the spot and dragging him straight to the first-aid kit, so she settles for muttering curses at him as she searches him manically for any outstanding wounds. Kai looks slightly scared by her threats and flushes in embarrassment (they are still in front of the guys), but he lets her worry over him, with all the gentle patience of an older brother who knows he's in trouble. He can't stop the wide grin that keeps breaking out in his face, though, along with the triumphant gleam in his eyes.
"But did you see-"
"Yes, Kai."
"Like, I didn't think it was gonna work, but then all of the sudden I just knew, you know?"
"We know, Kai."
"And then bam, it was the easiest thing ever, fire everywhere-"
"Trust me, we saw."
"Ha, it was way cooler than any of yours," Kai says, with a grin of superiority.
"Um, are you serious?" Jay says, insulted. "All you did was fly around a little, I stopped an entire roller coaster-"
"Excuse me, are we forgetting that I lifted, like several tons of debris-"
"May I remind you that all of you would most likely be dead, had I not unlocked my potential and frozen the Treehorns-"
"Okay, okay, fair point," Kai says. "But I saved Lloyd."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Jay says.
Kai grins wickedly at him. "Everything."
Nya rolls her eyes, knowing exactly where he's going with this. But - he does have a very good point. She steps up, pressing a kiss on his cheek and ignoring his embarrassed "Nya!"
"Thank you for bringing my partner in crime back," she says. "Your potential was the best."
Jay blinks, his mouth opening. "Hey, wait, I helped save Lloyd too!"
"Yeah," Nya says. "But Kai risked his life for him, you know?"
"Okay, first of all, we all know he was going after the Fangblade like a total hothead," Cole says, scowling. "Second of all, seriously? Mine was way better."
"No, I'm pretty sure Kai was just running after Lloyd," Nya says, evenly. Kai winks at her, grinning.
"Oh for-"
They all dissolve into arguing after that, and Nya rolls her eyes, leaving the boys to bicker amongst themselves as their post-battle adrenaline wears off. She makes her way to control room, searching for victim number two. She finds him with his father, who hasn't let him out his sight since Kai brought him back. It's a close battle, but Nya just barely manages to extricate Lloyd from Garmadon's grasp, glaring firmly at the dark lord.
"I'm just going to patch him up," she says, undaunted. "Give him over."
Lloyd wriggles out of his father's grasp, hopping over to Nya. "Nya's super cool, dad, don't worry!" he says, grinning.
Garmadon looks slightly taken aback. Nya gives him a smug grin. Ha, that's what you get when you forget to check on your son for eight years, she thinks. You gotta share.
Nya sits Lloyd down at the table, pulling the first aid kit out and immediately attacking the scrapes and bruises he's got everywhere. She keeps a cheerful conversation going with Lloyd as she does, hoping to distract him - he doesn't seem to mind, though, barely even flinching as she dabs alcohol on the cut over his knee. She listens to his story about how he got it (trying to get the Fangblade for Pythor, of course, she's getting sick to death of those things) with an even expression on her face - internally, though, she draws up her plans for revenge against Pythor in refined, graphic detail.
"Okay but Nya, did you see Kai back there though?" Lloyd says suddenly, his eyes shining as she finishes putting a bandaid on his knee. "He was so cool, like he just - burst into flames, it was awesome-"
Oh no, Nya thinks. There he goes, biting the dust. She's losing him to Kai, it's already happening.
"It was…awesome," she says, glad she's out of earshot of her brother. His head is going to be inflated enough as it is. "I'm just glad he got you out safe."
"Me too," Lloyd says, with a shiver. "I totally thought I was gonna get fried alive in the lava there for a minute."
Nya cringes. Things like childhood trauma and issues for life are flashing through her brain rapid-fire. Hopefully it's not too late to give him a normal childhood experience, like, you know, playing a board game or something, instead of spending the majority of his time playing chicken with death.
"But Kai was there too, so it ended up being awesome instead," Lloyd says. "I got to erupt out of a volcano, Nya, it was so cool, I could see for miles up there!"
Despite the fact that he's talking about getting blown out of a volcano, Nya is actually…slightly, the tiniest bit (not very much at all, really) - jealous. It would be cool to fly without anything but your own power.
"And then I sort of blacked-out, because it was kinda hot," Lloyd says, expression falling.
Nya frowns. "It didn't hurt you, did it?" she asks.
Lloyd shakes his head. "I was just overheated from the volcano, I think. It wasn't very hot with Kai at all! Just a little bright."
"Huh," Nya says, pausing. She had felt the heat coming off of Kai even from ten feet away, but from the looks of it, Lloyd hadn't felt anything at all. Maybe it had something to do with actually being inside the fire ball?
"Yeah, it actually felt - Kai!" Lloyd perks up, a brilliant smile breaking out on his face as her brother walks in.
Nya fixes Kai with a glare as he comes up to them, pausing to ruffle Lloyd's hair, which sends a tiny cloud of ash puffing out from it as he does. "You stole my kid," she hisses at him.
Kai gives her the most unapologetic look she's ever seen in her life. "You were the one who told me to be nice to him," he says. "I can't help that everyone naturally loves me."
Nya sputters furiously, but Kai is already turning away from her, fist-bumping Lloyd as he hops down from the table, following Kai closely. "Come on, shortie, let's go rub how cool we are in everyone's faces."
"I'm not short-!"
Nya watches them go, feeling slightly miffed. Sure, she's happy that Lloyd has someone else to prove to him that he's not unwanted now, and she's really happy that Kai is bonding with him, because yeah, she did tell him to. But it's just…Lloyd was her kid.
She sighs, packing up the first aid kit. It's not really Kai she's worried about, if she's being honest with herself. Garmadon's here. Lloyd's dad is here. She'd kind of just been assuming Lloyd was going to live with them forever now, but now that his actual family has shown up…
Will Garmadon take him to live in the underworld with him? There's no way she'll let him send Lloyd back to Darkley's - she'll fight him herself on that if she has to. Maybe Garmadon will see the benefit of leaving Lloyd with his brother, in a semi-normal and functional environment with people who aren't murderous skeletons. She bites her lip. Maybe-
Lloyd suddenly rushes back in, making Nya jump in surprise. He plows into her without hesitating, throwing his arms around her tightly.
"I forgot to tell you, I missed you," he says, his voice muffled. He pulls back, looking downcast. "I tried all your tricks and stuff to try and escape faster, but you'll have to teach me again. I messed them all up."
"You know what," she says, smiling. "We'll have an entire day for it. We'll learn how to break out of anything, square deal?"
"Deal," Lloyd says, grinning. He starts. "Oh yeah, I was supposed to be getting you - they want us in the control room, Uncle Wu wants to talk to us about everything."
Nya doesn't waste any time getting them back to the control room, where everyone is already gathered, talking easily with each other even in the presence of Garmadon. Despite the trouble they've just been through, the loss of the Fangblade and the threat of Pythor still on the horizon, everyone is in high spirits, taking this one as a victory for once. Lloyd immediately makes a beeline for his father, who pulls him into another tight embrace. Nya can't help but smile wider at how happy Lloyd looks.
Good, she thinks. It's about time Lloyd realizes that he doesn't have to be anything other than himself for his parent to love him. He just needs to be alive, and that's clearly enough for Garmadon. It's almost enough for her to overlook that time he captured her and…
Okay, it's not quite enough, but she'll let it slide for right now. She can still be happy that Garmadon is apparently dad of the year, even with being a homicidal dark lord of the underworld.
Garmadon looks up from his son, an odd expression on his face as he looks at Kai - something that almost might be respect. "Thank you, Kai," he says, embracing Lloyd a little more tightly.
Kai blinks, clearly surprised at the open way Garmadon uses his name. He gives an awkward little nod, as if he can't quite decide how to take the thanks. Nya stifles a snort.
"But how did you survive?" Zane says, asking the question that's on everyone's mind. Despite the fact that Kai's told the story about fifty times so far, he still hasn't actually told them how he managed to unlock his potential. "How did you discover the key to unlocking your powers?"
"I knew I had to make a choice," Kai says, his expression content in a way Nya hasn't seen it in…well, in a while, actually. "I wanted the Fangblade so badly, to prove I was good enough to be the green ninja."
Nya exchanges a small smile with Cole, thinking back to how he had reassured her. Looks like Cole wins this one.
"But then I figured it out," Kai says, his expression growing serious. "All my training to become the best ninja…wasn't in preparation to be the green ninja." He looks at Lloyd, his eyes widening a bit, even as they light with a determined sort of fire. "It was…to protect him."
Silence reigns in the room. The same slowly dawning expression of shock is written over everyone's faces. Nya blinks. What on earth is Kai trying to say - that Lloyd is the green ninja? That's ridiculous, there's no way-
"What? What is everyone looking at me for?" Lloyd says, clearly as baffled as the rest of them, if not more so.
"That means…" Nya trails off, still trying to make sense of what Kai just said. Cole blinks slowly, as if awakening from a haze, and he steps forward, holding the golden weapons out. Nya follows suit, though her mind is still rebelling in denial.
This is ridiculous, she thinks. Kai's head is still just overheated, that's all. Lloyd is just a child - a spunky little brat with more heart than half of them put together, yeah, but a child. There's just no way-
The weapons flash, flaring to life and floating in a protective semi-circle in front of Lloyd. He jolts in alarm, his eyes going wide as the weapons surround him, the bright green light glinting in his eyes. Nya's mouth falls open.
"Lloyd…is the green ninja," Sensei Wu says, his voice as astounded as the rest of them.
Nya stares at him, blankly. Zane's eyes have gone wide, and Cole looks like he's struggling to hide his shock. Jay isn't even trying, his jaw practically resting on the floor.
"I had thought it would be one of you," Sensei Wu says. "But it was him the whole time." Beneath the shock and awe in his voice, Nya catches an odd note in Sensei's voice, a twitch in his expression - as if he's trying to stave off a reaction of some sort.
"It all makes sense," he continues, slowly. "Not only have you four been chosen to protect the golden weapons, but also to protect the chosen one."
What. The. Heck. Nya gapes at him.
There's a sharp, sudden intake of breath, and everyone turns to look at Garmadon. His expression is frozen in blank horror. "That means…"
"The battle lines have been drawn, brother," Sensei Wu says, his voice pained in a way Nya's never heard him sound before. "Sadly, our family has only become more divided. Brother versus brother…" Lloyd reaches out to Garmadon, his expression twisted in desperate denial. "…and now, son versus father."
Just like that, Nya's shock takes a hard left and derails into fear.
Oh no. Sensei can't be serious, he can't - they just got Lloyd back from the Serpentine, he can't be telling him he has to fight his father. They need to be giving him an actual childhood! He needs to be able to goof off and help her prank the guys, he needs to learn how to be an innocent little kid outside of the influence of terrible people, he needs-
No. Sensei Wu can preach about destiny all he wants, but Nya's going to have to be physically chained up by the Serpentine before she lets Lloyd don the green gi anytime before he's at least fifteen. Maybe sixteen. Seventeen? How old is Kai again...
The heavy, tense silence is suddenly interrupted by Jay's high-pitched, 'panic mode' voice.
"This is heavy and all, but whatever happened to the Fangblade?"
...and there's her boyfriend, cutting the tension with more tension.
FIYAHHHHHH BABY Group Chat
Nya: what the HELKJHK
Nya: kai they can't do this to him he's just a kid
Nya: HE'S JUST A KID KAI
Kai: i know i KNOW i'm pissed too i didn't even THINK about
Kai: his FATHER oh fsm
Nya: he's gonna need you guys kai
Kai: i will fight garmadon myself
Kai: i'll fight stupid destiny myself
Kai: i'll take lloyd with me and run before he has to face garmadon alone
Nya: with you a hundred percent bro
Nya: but by the way
Nya changed the chat name to Kai's a Roasted Marshmallow
Kai:…
Kai: fair enough
Kai has trouble falling asleep that night. The adrenaline from earlier hasn't worn off, and he can still feel his new fire potential surging through his veins. It's awesome, but it doesn't really make for a good night's sleep, so by the time Lloyd tiptoes into their room and taps him hesitantly on his shoulder, Kai is pretty much wide awake.
"What's up?" he whispers, careful not to wake any of the others.
Lloyd shifts awkwardly, his hands wringing the cape portion of his black jacket. "I – I can't really sleep," he whispers, looking painfully shy. "D'you – would you want to light some fires?"
He's fully aware that it's about three a.m. right now, but it's not like he's getting any sleep anyways - and Kai's never needed to be asked twice to set something on fire.
"Sure, kid," he says, slipping out of bed. "Let me grab some paper."
With a small burst of satisfaction, Kai leaves the lighter behind as he walks with Lloyd to the deck. Actually, he probably doesn't even need paper now, but he grabs it for Lloyd.
They have to sneak past Sensei's room on their way out - the light is on, streaming through the crack beneath the door, and Kai can hear low voices, tense and arguing. It's Sensei and Garmadon, Kai realizes with a start, and he doesn't need to listen further to know what - or who - they're talking about.
Grabbing Lloyd's shoulder, Kai hurriedly steers him away before he can hear anything. Judging by the expression on his face as they step out into the night air, he's failed. Kai winces, but he doesn't comment on it, instead shoving a piece of paper into Lloyd's hand to distract him.
With a tiny frown of concentration, Kai snaps his fingers - and a bright grin spreads across his face as a tiny flame bursts to life from his fingertips.
Lloyd's mouth drops a bit, the light flickering and reflecting in his wide eyes.
"How's that for an elemental master of fire," Kai says, smugly.
"So cool," Lloyd says, awed and little wistful. He holds the ball of paper out, and Kai lights it up, the two of them watching as Lloyd lets it go, floating up into the dark sky.
They sit there in silence for a bit, just lighting up little balls of fire and watching them disappear into the night. It's good practice for Kai, in keeping the fire small and controlled, but he's endlessly pleased to find it's a lot easier than he'd thought. Lloyd is an oddly steadying presence by his side, almost as if having him near is giving Kai the inner balance he needs to keep the flame in check. Kai's lit about eight little balls of paper on fire before Lloyd suddenly breaks the silence.
"How did you know?" Lloyd asks.
"Know what?" Kai asks, glancing at him.
"That – that the green ninja was, you know," Lloyd says, looking away. "Me."
"Oh," Kai says. He pauses. He hasn't really thought about the how of it, really. He'd landed on the Bounty just knowing, unquestionably, that Lloyd was the green ninja. But now that he thinks about it…
"I just…I felt it, you know?" Kai says. "We were in the volcano and everything was terrible, and then suddenly…it was like I just knew. I knew it was you."
"Oh," Lloyd says, quietly, and Kai frowns. He's been trying to get a read on how the kid feels about the whole thing since they broke the news, but so far he's come up with nothing. Lloyd's got an alarmingly good poker face for someone his age, his emotions surprisingly unreadable.
"Are you mad?" Lloyd suddenly asks, his voice cracking slightly.
Kai stares at him. "Am I – what? Why would I be mad?"
Lloyd won't meet his eyes, his shoulders painfully tense as he stares at the floor like it's the most interesting thing in the world. "You wanted to be the green ninja, right?" he says. "So – so you should be mad that it's me instead."
"Oh, Lloyd, no," Kai says, wincing. Because yeah, he's given Lloyd a lot of reason to think that – and more. But it's different now, Kai's world is flipped upside down and he's better for it. "I'm not mad at all, I'm fine with it. I'm glad it's you, actually," Kai says, giving him a hesitant smile.
Lloyd doesn't return it, suddenly looking furious. "Well I'm not!" he bursts out, angrily. "I don't want to be the stupid green ninja! You be it, you wanted it so bad!"
Kai almost flinches back in shock at the sudden outburst.
"Wha - Lloyd, that's not - that's not how it works," he says, weakly. "You're the green ninja, it's supposed to be you."
"I don't care!" Lloyd says, his eyes bright with anger and welling moisture. "I don't care about what stupid destiny says, I just - I'm not-"
"You're not what?" Kai says, trying to reign the kid back in before that shine in his eyes turns into something else - please don't cry, please don't cry-
Well, actually - crying might help with this one.
"I'm not – I can't – ugh!" Lloyd cries, his arms flailing out in frustration. "You wouldn't understand!"
He jerks away from Kai, huddling himself up against the railing and burying his face in his arms. Kai blows a breath out wearily. He wonders if this is anything like the guys feel when they have to deal with his own angry outbursts. It's about as appealing as pulling your own teeth out, according to Jay. The guys aren't always sure how to handle it.
The good thing is, Kai is an older brother. For him, this is very familiar territory.
"Hey," he says, his voice gentle as he draws up next to Lloyd. "You're right, you know. I don't understand."
Lloyd actually looks up at him, his expression surprised where he's peering at him from beneath his arm. "I am?"
"Yeah," Kai says. "I'm not the green ninja. And Garmadon isn't my father."
Lloyd's eyes go wide, and he immediately looks away again, biting his lip. "That – that's not-"
"You know," Kai says, edging closer to Lloyd. "If I was just told I had to fight my own father, I'd be pretty scared."
"I'm not scared," Lloyd mutters into his arm.
"I didn't say you were, I said I would be," Kai says, gently. "So you know, it's totally okay to be scared. And angry. Trust me, I'm the expert on being angry."
Lloyd gives an audible sniff. "I'm not."
Kai crouches down, putting himself at eye level with Lloyd. "No one would think any less of you if you were," he says, trying to convey this to Lloyd. "No one around here is going to tear you down for feeling a certain way. We're not - we're not like the people at your school, I promise."
"I'm not scared," Lloyd says, tremulously. "I can't be, not anymore, I have to - I have to be the green ninja now, that means I have to be like you, and I want to, I really want to, but it's just-"
Kai wraps his arms around Lloyd, pulling him close and effectively halting his stream of nervous chatter. Lloyd's voice cuts off in a squeak, his shoulders going painfully rigid. Kai only shifts his embrace so Lloyd is closer to him, though he's careful to leave him with enough room to pull away if he wants.
Lloyd doesn't. He takes a sudden, shuddering breath that reverberates through his chest, and then clutches Kai back tightly, his shoulders shaking as he buries his head in Kai's shirt.
"I don't wanna fight him," Lloyd whimpers, sniffling. "I can't be the green ninja. Ninja are strong and brave and I'm just – I'm scared, and I – I-"
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Kai says, even as his temper sparks dangerously. Whoever – or whatever, it doesn't matter – is responsible for putting this on the shoulders of this nine year-old child who's already been through enough…Kai is going to have a few words for them.
"It's going to be okay," Kai continues. "I promise."
"You can't promise that," Lloyd says, his voice muffled. "How do you know, that everything's not - that everything's not gonna be terrible-"
"I can't know for sure, no," Kai says, fiercely. "But I can promise you, without a doubt, that I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure it's okay."
Lloyd finally blinks up at him, his eyes red and wet. Kai ruffles his hair, giving him a determined smile.
"Whatever happens after this - whatever comes up on the future - we're going to face it together," he says. "Okay? You and me, just like in the temple. We got out of that, right? We can get out of anything."
"That was all you, though," Lloyd says, looking down. "I didn't do anything."
"No," Kai says. "You really did, Lloyd, you did." More than he'll ever know, probably.
Lloyd looks up at him again. The expression of utter misery has ebbed from his face a bit, leaving him looking lost.
"What do I do now?" Lloyd asks him quietly, his eyes wide where they look to Kai.
"Be you," Kai says. "Be yourself, and give it the best shot you can give it. We'll do the rest. Cole, Zane, Jay - we're all gonna train you, okay? So don't go looking so doubtful of our amazing training abilities, we're the best around."
Lloyd gives a weak, tiny smile at that. "Okay," he says, his voice a little hoarse. He shifts, looking at Kai hesitantly. Kai shakes his head, and pulls Lloyd in, hugging him tightly again. Lloyd grips him like a lifeline, giving a shuddery exhale.
"Thanks, Kai," he whispers.
"No problem, kid," he says, pulling back and grinning. "Just promise me you won't use your newfound power to rob Ninjago of all its candy, okay?"
Lloyd giggles, and Kai is endlessly pleased with himself to see the bright expression on his face.
"I'll try," Lloyd says. "But no promises."
"The best I can ask for, I suppose," Kai says, dramatically, and Lloyd snorts. They lapse into silence after that, the two of them leaning over the Bounty railing, watching the villages below streak by.
"That was super cool, how you turned into straight fire and stuff," Lloyd says, suddenly.
"I discovered my true potential, I didn't actually turn into fire," Kai says, amused. "At least, I think I didn't," he says, with a frown. Huh. Maybe Zane could have turned into ice, but he's pretty sure that Cole didn't change into straight-up rock, or that Jay didn't suddenly become hundreds of volts of electricity. (Okay, he might believe that one.) But still-
"It was pretty cool though, huh, shortie?"
"Don't call me that," Lloyd grumbles, shoving at his arm. He perks up quickly. "Hey, do you think I'll be able to do something like that?"
Kai shrugs. "I have no idea," he says, thoughtfully. "I don't really even know what your power is."
"Me neither," Lloyd grumbles. "I've never done anything cool like you guys."
"Hey, with you, I'll bet its like, the elemental power of candy consumption," Kai says. "Or the elemental power of excessive whining-"
"Shut up, Kai!" Lloyd yelps, shoving him even as he tries to stifle another giggle. "I do not whine."
"Yeah, and I'm the elemental master of water."
Kai's a Roasted Marshmallow Group Chat
Nya: oh my gosh, you are so weak
Kai: huh?
Kai: what do u mean
Nya: i can't believe you ever gave me heck about the kid
Nya: hypocrite
Kai: hey he's still a demon spawn
Kai: he's my demon spawn now tho
Nya: i had him first, you demon spawn stealing, no good brother
Kai: we can share genius
Kai: besides imagine the potential
Kai: the three of us pranking jay
Nya: kai no
Kai: still gotta give him shovel talk no. 6
Nya: kai please