Dreams and Desires

Chapter 7

Doubt

*I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.

He was standing on the roof of a building. The ground beneath his heels was rigid, laid out in a tiled pattern. Looking up he sawa blue-clad stranger was walking towards him, swinging a pair of nunchucks ominously. He ran away in fear, reaching the edge of the roof and looking down. A wave of clouds swirled around him, obscuring the distant ground from view. He gulped in fright, trying to pull back from the temptation to jump. It would be so easy… All his troubles would be over…

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon! You come here right now!" someone barked. Lloyd didn't hear him, still staring down longingly at the ground below. He didn't want to leave. The last thing he wanted was to be forced to be with the stupid ninja. The blue one took a swipe at him, but he ducked out of the way. He was not planning on going quietly.

"What should we do with him? Wash his mouth out with soap for a year?" asked another voice. Lloyd looked over with fury, glaring at the black-clad foe. Why did they hate me so much? he wondered. All I have done I have done to try to be like my dad, who isn't here! Both of my parents are gone, and I just want to see them again! he thought.

"Ground him indefinitely?" joked the red one. Lloyd ignored the taunt, turning his focus back to his pursuer. In his moment of distraction he had let the blue man catch up to him, but Lloyd adjusted quickly, dodging the nunchucks and knocking them out of reach. "Have him sit in a corner for a century?" remarked the white ninja. The three numskulls were still ignoring his confrontation, and they would pay dearly.

Lloyd grabbed the nunchucks, and launched himself at the trio. He caught them by surprise, knocking two of them back off the roof. The white one managed to avoid the swing at the last moment, but he quickly ran over to the edge, attempting to save his falling brothers. "Zane!" the blue man yelled before also running over towards the edge. Lloyd walked over slowly, charging up the nunchucks to finish them off. Two hands grabbed him, pulling him back from attacking them. He looked up in horror to see his uncle; his face flushed with anger.

"I know exactly what we must do." he said with a piercing surety.

Lloyd looked up in fear as he felt himself being pulled further backwards. He gulped, and he was thrown forwards. Lloyd flew through the air, tumbling over the roof before beginning to plummet towards the ground. His eyes widened, before he slammed head first into the grass.

Lloyd woke with a start. He didn't know whether he should be relieved or worried, as he had finally stopped dreaming about Harumi. Unfortunately the abuse he had suffered at the hands of his friends and family was now front and center, and it was an even more concerning issue. Have my friends ever truly liked me? he questioned. Was I simply a pawn for destiny? He shook his head, no longer sure of what to believe. It's just not fair! he thought, I've done nothing to deserve all this pain, all this misery, but it keeps happening! Zane and Cole have both suffered but what has ever happened to Jay, Kai, or Nya? LITERALLY NOTHING! he mentally screamed.

"So Lloyd?" The voice drew him out of another tangent of thought, and he looked up at his eccentric captor. The Master of Dreams had spruced the place up a bit since he was last awake. Glancing around, Lloyd saw that they had somehow gotten a huge stack of reading materials. Tons of comic books and magazines were strewn around the room, and the Master had their feet kicked back on a newly-acquired table. They looked down from the issue of Starfarer and leaned up in their chair.

"You ready to get some revenge on those pesky ninja yet?" they inquired.

"Never." he spat, with more blood dripping down his enraged face.

"Suit yourself." They shrugged, firing off another cyan beam at the stubborn ninja. His body fell to the ground once again.

They set down the comic on the edge of the table. Getting up from the comfortable swivel chair, the conniving asshole slowly meandered over to Lloyd's crumpled body. "Take all the time you need Lloyd." they said with a biting tone. "I'm patient. I can wait."

They grabbed the Sword of Sanctuary from its spot resting against the wall, and they slashed out at Lloyd's wrist. More blood seeped itself into the stone floor, further staining the barren landscape. The Master of Dreams was going to use every possible tool at their disposal to get what they wanted. Every. Single. Advantage.

Nya sat on the edge of her bed, staring down at the photo on her nightstand. She had been lost in thought for what seemed like hours now, and her worries were only growing. There was someone missing from the picture, a loss that was only eating at her more and more. She sighed with sorrow, remembering fondly that wide-eyed boy that had joined their team so long ago. He was now fully developed, having adjusted well to the role that had been bestowed upon him. But Nya now wondered whether Lloyd's tumultuous upbringing was still shining through, threatening to destroy all they had accomplished. Lloyd had become more far quiet and reserved as he had grown, and she feared that he might still be too trusting. He had immense difficulty expressing his true thoughts and feelings, a reality that had only been worsened by his toxic relationship with Harumi. She wasn't sure if he would ever really heal from his pain.

"Nya?"

The spell was broken, and she turned to see Jay leaning against her door frame. "Are you, uh, doing alright? You've been staring at that old picture for like, a really long time now." he said with an air of uncertainty.

Nya sighed, finding herself slightly comforted and equally flattered by his awkward concern. "I'm just really worried about him. I don't like seeing him getting hurt, and I'm scared he might not come back as the same person."

Jay looked at her with longing; a feeling of jealousy slithering into his mind. Why does she care so much about him? I'm her boyfriend, and yet she spends all of her obsessing over Lloyd! Jay shook the doubts from his mind, once again dismissing his darker worries. "I'm sure he'll be fine." he said, although he wasn't actually sure of it himself. "The little guy's had a rough life, but he's gotten past every obstacle so far. He'll find a way."

"Yeah, you're probably right." she responded. Jay smiled, for he always knew how to get through to her. "I just can't help but worry though. I don't know, I guess I've always felt a strong connection with him." His eyes narrowed, the feelings of doubt quickly returning and consuming him.

"Oh really?" he bluntly asked. "What's so special that you have with him, but not me?!" he questioned, his anger rising as his mind went wild with anxiety. "Jay…" she started, but he cut her off. "No seriously! What does he have that I don't?!" he yelled.

"Jay, it's not like that. We've always been the youngest ones of the group, and I guess I've just always bonded with him more than any of you have. Lord knows all of you guys treated him like complete trash when he first showed up." she said.

Jay's anger dissipated, and he looked down in shame. He had entirely forgotten about their mistreatment of Lloyd until she brought it up. Why am I always so quick to jump to conclusions? he wondered. Why do I think Nya's just going to leave me at a moment's notice? I should trust her more at this point, but I just get so worried that she'll fall for someone else. Is it because I don't think I'm good enough for her?

"I, I'm sorry Nya. I don't know what came over. I shouldn't have accused you of anything, and I never should have hurt Lloyd. But you remember what he was like!" he pleaded. "He was just a bratty kid, and we didn't know any better. It took him quite a while to turn into the champion of all things good and honest that we know today."

Nya nodded slightly, accepting his thinly-veiled apology. "I don't blame you for your actions Jay. But you have to understand that the pain has only grown in him. Lloyd's had a tough life, and he's dealt with more hardship than most. He didn't have either of his parents growing up, and so he tried to connect with his dad by being bad. After he became the Golden Ninja, Lloyd finally got his father back, and he was coming to terms with their past, when his father was abruptly taken from him once more. Then when he had begun to move past his father's death, Lord Garmadon was resurrected, and Lloyd had to see the man he loved destroyed and corrupted. He still has his mother, but don't forget that she was also absent for a lot of life. And she stills leaves a lot now. Growing up without either of his parents was really hard for him."

She paused, looking over with sadness at the picture of the team. "But I think that out of all he's gone through, Harumi hurt him the most. I can't imagine how horrible that must have been for him, to have his heart broken in such a way. I don't think that wound is going to heal any time soon."

Jay looked up at her, confusion mounting in his eyes. "If Lloyd was hurting so much, why didn't he talk to anyone about it?" he asked. "We could have helped him work through his problems, but he just shut us out again. We're his friends, and we really do care for him. Why can't he see that?"

She sighed, and shrugged. "I don't know." she sadly remarked. "He's never given enough attention to his own feelings. For him, the greater good comes first, and he always seems to put himself last. Perhaps he just didn't couldn't bear to show us any of his weakness or vulnerabilities." she said, somberly gazing towards the ground.

"We'll get him back Nya." Jay stated assuredly. "Whatever it takes, we'll find him."

Nya smiled softly, once again finding herself calmed by his clumsy charm. "I know we will." she said softly.

"I'm just scared that he won't be the man we love when we do."

He found himself standing in a decorated corridor; paintings and sculptures lined each wall, separated by the scarlet columns. He turned, hearing the sound of a door opening. A figure quickly ran out, rushing past to the opposite direction. He was shocked, quite taken aback by her sudden appearance. It had been years since he had last seen her, and for her to be here now made little sense.

"Misako?"

She stopped in her tracks. He was really here, right now? She turned over towards him, quite happy to see him again. "Wu." she remarked. He was older, wiser, but she saw pain in his eyes. She had chosen Garmadon over him, and although he had never shown or acted upon it, she knew that Wu had felt the same way about her.

Feelings of regret and sorrow began to well within him, but he pushed them away. There was nothing to be sad about. He wouldn't have Lloyd otherwise. "I, uh…"

"It's been a long time." she answered. They stared at each other, both unsure of how to move forward. Much had happened since their last meeting, but what was there to say? The silence was deafening, and they were both glad when it was broken by the sound of someone clearing their throat. "So, uh, you gonna introduce us?"

The four ninja approached, having followed their Sensei through the Museum. He looked over towards them, and then back at her, hesitant on how he should handle the situation. Was now the time to tell them the truth? She nodded slightly at him, and he relented.

"Uh, yes." he answered. "This is Misako, Lloyd's mother."

The four teenage heroes gasped in surprise, recoiling back from the revelation. Wu had never talked about Lloyd's mother before, and they had all assumed that she had died or something. But there she was, standing right next to their Sensei.

"My…my mother?"

They all turned at his voice, and they saw Lloyd slowly approaching. His face was marred with confusion and anguish, and his eyes were lit with a fiery animosity. Where had she been for all of this time? He had begrudgingly understood why he couldn't have grown up with his father, as the Lord of Darkness and King of Shadows had not been a very good influence on him. But what reason did she have for abandoning him? Why wasn't he loved?

She looked up, her eyes widened with shock. "Lloyd?" He was old, completely grown up now. It didn't make sense, he should still be a kid! she questioned. What had caused his rapid development? "My little boy? You're so much bigger than I remember."

He felt the anger rising at the statement. Of course she wouldn't recognize me now! he thought. She had abandoned him, leaving him to spend his childhood at that godforsaken boarding school. He felt himself shudder as several unpleasant memories returned, but he was more upset that she hadn't been willing to care for him.

"Yeah, well it's been a long time." he said, turning away from her with contempt.

She looked down, crestfallen by his reaction. All this time she had been trying to prevent the final battle from happening; attempting to keep their family together. His feelings were understandable, but they still saddened her. "I didn't want us to meet like this."

Lloyd once again found his frustration growing. Was she going to meet me at some point?! he wondered. Did she ever plan on being a part of my life, or was her goal to just keep ignoring me forever?

"I have a reason for why I've been away." she quickly added.

"Yeah, well I don't want to hear it!" Lloyd barked. He quickly turned on his heels and stormed off. "Lloyd wait!" she cried. "Please." she quietly added. He ignored her and kept walking through to the next room.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he screamed before slamming the door shut.

Lloyd woke with a start. He was in for a world of hurt.

I took a bit more time to try and make the dialogue more refined for this chapter, and I think it worked out pretty well. I'm not really sure how much is left to write for this story. I have the plot all planned out, but I haven't decided when the plot will advance. I need to make sure that Lloyd suffers enough, but I also don't want it to drag on for too long. It might be a while before I make the unrequited Llorumi pairing more central to the story again, but it will be back, you have my word on that.