Dreams and Desires
Chapter 21
Consequences
*I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.
Nya and Zane were sitting in the hospital waiting room, once again left at the mercy of medical professionals. The true consequences of Lloyd's actions were slowly beginning to reveal themselves, fed through a slow trickle of constant heartbreak that was tearing away at their team unity. Kai's condition was now in constant flux due to the extended length of time it took to find him, and while the ninja had been very lucky that the damage to his windpipe had not been fatal, it was entirely possible that other complications could have occurred. Tracheobronchial injuries are quite rare and they tend to carry a reputation for being notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat; common estimates suggest that even with the advancements in modern medicine, nearly a tenth of all victims fortunate enough to make it to a hospital still perish.
The doctors would need to perform a bronchoscopy to truly judge the severity of his injuries, and his fate would essentially be a toss up between a whole assortment of potential problems. He could have a pulmonary contusion or laceration of the lungs, although they weren't as common as one might think. Unfortunately, fractures to the sternum, ribs, or clavicles were not unheard of, and spinal cord damage was shockingly frequent. Abdominal and facial trauma were also entirely possible, and ruptures to either the aorta or esophageal wall were extremely prevalent. Ultimately the distinct type of accompanying injury wasn't necessarily the important part, as they just had to hope and pray that there weren't that many of them. Which didn't seem particularly likely considering the cutthroat brutality of Lloyd's attack.
"How did this happen?" Cole wondered aloud, although he was not addressing anyone in particular. He was pacing, nervously strolling around the room as he tried in vain to work through all of his confusion. None of it made any sense to him, there was no semblance of logic to explain away their current predicaments. And so the venting began, which admittedly earned him some odd looks from the other guests.
"I remember us getting our assignments for the day, going to bed, and then nothing." he continued, his tone slowly rising as his frustration grew. "Kai and I just wind up atop Borg Tower, now he's in critical condition and I've completely lost my powers? It's just not right, there's got to be something missing!"
He glanced over at his companions, expecting to get some sort of answer, but they were just as perplexed as he was. Nya's expression was one of grave distress, and she was already on the verge of tears. Both her brother and boyfriend were seriously wounded, and of course there was the constant anxiety caused by Lloyd's continued absence. The last thing she wanted to do right now was over-analyze their situation, for the wave of conflicted emotions was far too overwhelming. Of course the same thing could not be said for Zane, who was characteristically cold and distant. The calculated nindroid was able to push his personal reservations aside for the greater good, so he had already started trying to sort through all of the startling information they had learned so far.
"Your assessment is accurate Cole, as I personally appear to be missing a large chunk of data from yesterday. My assignment had been to visit the Cloud Kingdom, but I simply cannot access those memories." he stated nonchalantly, drawing looks of surprise from his friends. Nya didn't know quite how to react, her face was marred with a potent mix of excitement, worry, suspicion, and confusion. As far as they knew his records were impeccable, and it didn't matter really if was a malfunction or tampering; either way it was extremely concerning.
"Well, why didn't you say anything?" she cried, shocked to learn that Zane had left out such a crucial detail. He shrugged, succinctly responding that, "We had more pressing issues at the time, and I did not wish to somehow undermine or devalue you in your time of grieving. Regardless, it seems plausible to assume that we have all had our memories wiped in a similar manner."
"How could someone have done that?" Cole asked hesitantly. Zane turned towards him with an almost disappointed frown across his face; he sometimes forgot that they couldn't remember things quite so precisely, as it was one of the main attributes that made him completely invaluable to the team.
"Cole, I think it's extremely likely that we encountered this mysterious Master of Dreams." he said slowly, trying his best to keep his tone measured and calm. The color drained from their faces, and a terrifying feeling of panicky fear quickly infected the pair of ninja. Zane continued quickly, hoping that some additional context would help ease them into accepting the somewhat startling realization.
"Master Wu said that erasing memories was one of the powers attributed to the element, but that ability supposedly is restricted to only eliminate events and information attained since the person last slept. That would explain why we have only lost a day's worth of experiences, although I would surmise that it must have been a very important day to result in so many changes." he added, which did very little to reassure them.
"That's putting it lightly." muttered Nya, turning away in annoyance at a perceived sense of indifference. His statements tended to come off unfeeling and impersonal, as if none of it really mattered to him. It was not surprising or out of character for Zane, for he had immense difficulty empathizing with human emotions. And while deep down she knew that he cared, it was incredibly difficult to see that through the metal exterior. How the hell can he be so calm?! she wondered angrily, finding his approach to grief to be entirely foreign and alien. It's just so… robotic.
Nya was stirred from her thoughts, looking up suddenly as the group became acutely aware of a news bulletin flashing across a television in the distance. She squinted at the text, but it made little difference as the hospital staff quickly turned up the volume.
"We have more updates on the status of our beloved ninja, but I'm afraid it's not very good news." Gayle began, her voice strained and tense. She was a professional reporter, but in this case it took every bit of restraint and self-control to remain composed. Nya's face fell flat, immediately assuming that it was going to be about Lloyd. It had seemed almost impossible that he could still be alive, and she was trying her hardest to prepare herself for that fact. That left her entirely vulnerable to the actual information she would receive, which would only exacerbate her constant agony.
"The search for Lloyd Garmadon is still ongoing, but I am now getting word that his uncle, Master Wu has died. He was found this morning in the Ninjago Museum of History, his head bloody and cracked open." The image briefly appeared on the screen and Gayle took a deep breath, trying to ease her own nerves in order to continue with the broadcast. "We at NGTV send out our deepest condolences to his family and friends, as I know this has been a difficult time for us all."
The entire waiting room sat in utter disbelief, rooted to spot in a state of shock. Slowly everyone began to turn to the three ninja, and it was the final straw. Nya couldn't handle it anymore, and she burst into tears, running off in embarrassment when she saw everyone watching. Zane blankly glanced around the group of strangers, the sadness finally beginning to show through all of his consistent logic and rationale. His expression was muddled and hesitant, displaying a repressed sense of anxiety and uncertainty. For all of his advanced processors and sensors could not begin to comprehend how half of their team had been brought to the brink of death, nor could they understand why their wise mentor had perished. He sighed and quickly went after Nya, leaving a bewildered crowd of hospital patrons in his wake.
Every eye was immediately focused on Cole, but he paid them no heed. There was a slight ringing in his ears, one that was slowly intensifying to the point that everything else was drowned out. He couldn't believe it, it had been just a few months ago that he had been caring for their master as he aged back to his normal self. Cole had spent the most time with the young Wu when they were stranded in the Realm of Oni and Dragons, and it was there where he really started to bond and connect with him. He had gained a much more profound appreciation for their teacher during the conflict with the Dragon Hunters, and now Wu was gone forever. The statement made little sense to him, for Cole could not fathom how someone could have possibly killed him after how much he had survived over the years. It was completely unexpected, although perhaps it had been caused by an adverse effect of the Reversal Blade wearing off; their master might have aged to an even older and more vulnerable state.
Who could have done this?
The answer to all of their problems, the source of their continual pain and misery, was arriving on the coast of the Dark Island. Lloyd and Harumi had just gotten back from the building formerly known as Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys, and they were both a little worn out from the trip. He had been stuck lugging around a stolen sewing kit, while she had been left with the less strenuous task of holding the pile of clothes. Of course Lloyd could easily handle his task due to the superhuman strength he had gotten by stealing Cole's powers, but having to do so while flying across an ocean was still rather taxing.
He activated his golden Airjitzu, and within moments he had reached the small shack Harumi had constructed next to the Celestial Clock. She looked up in annoyance, surprised and slightly hurt that Lloyd kept running off without her, but her worries were swept away as a shining walkway suddenly materialized between the cliff and beach. Lloyd smiled down towards her, before quickly entering the building. Harumi jogged up the bridge, and found her boyfriend already turning the coffee table into his personal sewing station.
"I didn't know you could do that." she remarked, for the full capabilities of his powers were still a mystery to them all. He quickly glanced over, a slightly mischievous grin forming on his face. His expression quickly softened however, as it often did whenever he was self-reflecting.
"When I first unlocked the Golden Power I abused it." Lloyd admitted. "I became too reliant on its many wondrous abilities, and that left me extremely vulnerable when my powers were stolen. This time around I understand the importance of using my powers in moderation, which is why I have not chosen to rest on my laurels." Harumi nodded in agreement, although she did not think she would be capable of exercising so much restraint. He stopped suddenly, his gaze falling on a stray object laying next to the table. Lloyd snatched the magazine off the ground, and turned to face her with an almost disgusted expression.
"Teen Idol?" he asked incredulously, holding up the issue that he had held so much disdain towards. The publication had been filled with inaccurate and wildly exaggerated stories, painting Lloyd as a full-blown Sensei years before he would complete his studies. Harumi's face turned bright red at the sight, flushing with rampant embarrassment and shame. Her copy had been destroyed with the Palace of Secrets, and despite some reservations, she couldn't resist when she found it at their Monastery. It had been with Kai's stuff, which was admittedly on-brand for him. He had always been the attention whore of the group, and even when the other ninja tended to shrink away from the spotlight, he reveled in it. Of course Lloyd had actively despised all of the publicity they got after the Battle of Stiix, and as such it was not a time he remembered very fondly.
"I kind of liked that article they wrote about you." Harumi mumbled, blushing furiously as she tried not to sound too shallow. She didn't like to think of herself as just another teenage fangirl, but her feelings for Lloyd had been there ever since her childhood. Before her parent's death Harumi had been a pretty normal kid, one content to live out her fantasies with a couple of ninja toys. There certainly weren't any feelings of love at first, but the fact remained that she had initially grown up idolizing the Green Ninja. And despite all the years fraught with constant trauma and tumultuous conflict, here she was, about to start training with Lloyd to become a ninja.
Harumi was suddenly wrenched away from her thoughts, as before she knew it he had grabbed a few of the clothing garments and dragged her back out onto the cliff face. "Alright Rumi, it's time for you to start learning Spinjitzu." Lloyd announced excitedly, and he quickly demonstrated the martial art to change into his Destiny Robes. He slipped the gray hoodie on over the suit, which brought a very tender smile to her face. Lloyd wasted no time in activated his golden tornado again, this time using it to forcefully change Harumi's outfit as he spun past. She looked down and was slightly puzzled to find herself now wearing a plain black ninja gi.
"Lloyd, I thought you said you were going to make me my own gi." Harumi said pointedly, as she was definitely not a fan of the color or design.
"Well I need time to actually sew it first." Lloyd said sheepishly, and she quietly sighed under her breath. "Hey, I wish I didn't, but I'm not going to use my powers to do something so mundane." he added quickly, although the statement came off a bit more defensive than he intended. "For now you can wear these old training robes; Jay, Cole, and Zane all wore these when they first started out as ninja." She nodded slightly, acknowledging the point but still somewhat disappointed.
"So, how does one become a Spinjitzu Master exactly?" Harumi asked nervously. She was excited to learn more about her powers, but at the same time it was all kind of intimidating. Lloyd couldn't be happier however, as this was his first real opportunity to pass on the wealth of knowledge he had attained over the years. He was the only one of the ninja who had achieved the rank of master, and now he finally had his first student.
"Well, Spinjitzu is all about balance and harmony, harnessing our own inner peace through the art of rotation." Lloyd began slowly, trying to simultaneously gauge her reactions as he spoke. "It's theoretically possible for anyone to perform with enough skill and practice, but it's far more effective when paired with active Elemental Powers. Technically speaking there's no reason that I couldn't have taught you this martial art when we first met, although it's obviously going to be far easier now. Training alone might do the trick for you, but sometimes it takes the right set of circumstances. More often than not Spinjitzu is first performed in a very specific, high-stress situation, as everyone of us ninja besides Nya unlocked the skill during active combat. You kind of just have to keep going through the motions, and eventually, you'll find it within yourself."
Harumi didn't know how to react, as it was a lot of new information to work through. "So… how do you plan to teach me then?" she asked worriedly, slightly unsettled by the art's seemingly random and inconsistent nature. Lloyd shrugged, as it wasn't something he was entirely sure of either.
"I guess I'll just have to help you with the basic motions, there isn't really a clear cut formula to follow." he answered, which did little to ease her nerves. Seeing this Lloyd quickly switched topics, hoping that a more general conversation might lighten the mood.
"Fortunately, Spinjitzu isn't really the be-all and end-all when it comes to further exploring your powers." he said optimistically, and her face brightened a bit in anticipation. "You have to yet to reach your True Potential, and I'm betting there are still some other abilities you just haven't discovered yet. I've barely begun to scratch the surface of my own powers, so I can definitely relate to that." Lloyd's face lit up, as a thrilling idea began to take shape in his mind. His expression was caught somewhere between impish and cunning, which usually hinted to Harumi he was going to make some sort of edgy joke. In this case however, the wry grin was meant in a far less provocative manner.
"You know, I had thought about going to the train at our Monastery, but why do that when I can bring the training equipment to us?" Lloyd said slyly, a rather devious glint in his eyes. Those same eyes turned bright gold as a massive flow of energy suddenly burst from his hands, exuding across the cliff and quickly forming into a perfect reconstruction of the training course. She was dumbfounded, her mouth lay agape at the prestigious display of power.
"Shall we begin?"
Jay sat quietly on the wooden bench, staring down at his burger with contempt. Their fifteen minutes of fame had ended in infamy, as they had been framed for numerous felonies. They were wanted fugitives, and yet, his current assignment was to monitor the same group of police that were actively hunting him. Working undercover and gathering intel would not have been his preferred activity, partially because he was a pretty bad liar, but moreso because it left him alone with Nya.
"If I had a dime for every time I was broke." Jay mumbled, his voice trailing off as he felt a pit forming in his stomach. She was sitting on the opposite bench, smiling weakly from her position across from him. He looked up from his thoughts, and was dismayed by her phony expression. It was forced, he could tell that she wasn't actually happy.
"What did I say?" he wondered, wondering what he had possibly done to upset her. Nya sighed, and the feigned smile was quickly dropped for a worried frown. "I expect it from others, but not you." she replied sadly, clearly disappointed with his behavior. Jay had been acting strangely ever since their conflict with Nadakhan began, he clearly wasn't himself. He had always treated her as an equal in their relationship, and she was getting fed up with this newfound sense of chivalry.
"What? Can't I try and buy lunch for a friend?" Jay asked defensively, quickly trying to downplay his attentions. The thinly-veiled attempt to be a gentleman had backfired horribly, as he just wasn't confident enough to pull it off. Jay was far too insecure in his beliefs, and he was absolutely terrified of admitting his true feelings to her. His plan had been to try to slowly ease into a romantic relationship with her, but it wasn't really getting him anywhere.
"But I know you don't just see me as a friend." Nya cried, revealing that his not so subtle hints had not gone unnoticed. "All week you've made it pretty obvious that you're still harboring some feelings for me. I've tried to ignore it but…"
"It's cause I'm from a junkyard, isn't it?" Jay snapped as his anger boiled over. He hated being poor, it was just so frustrating. He wasn't able to give the woman he loved the things she deserved, and his brain quickly latched onto that sense of financial inequity as an explanation for why she had rejected him.
"Of course not." Nya said quickly, shocked that he could even think such a thing. She cared far more about a person's personality than there social status, and she was also feeling incredibly overwhelmed by the pressure associated with being a more central part of their group. It was utterly demoralizing to be defined by her gender, to be seen as nothing more than the girl ninja. And while it pained Nya to see him so sad, she just wasn't comfortable with dating right now.
"We're friends, good friends!" she added upon seeing the sad look still present on his face. His expression brightened a bit, and he smiled slightly at her. He desperately wanted more, but it was comforting nonetheless to hear her acknowledge their close relationship. Unfortunately, any hope that Jay had left would be forever tarnished by what she said next.
"But that's all we're ever going to be."
He shot awake to find that Nya had barged into his hospital room, bounding towards him as the tears streamed down her face. The realization that he had returned to the present was extremely relieving, but Jay was still taken aback by seeing his girlfriend in such a disheveled state. "Nya… what, what happened?" he asked worriedly, although his voice was still slightly strained from all the surgeries. She slowed to a halt, taking several deep breaths in order to better compose herself, and looked him straight in the eye.
"They said on the television that Master Wu… he, he died." she whispered. Jay's eyes widened in horror, and for the first time in his life, he was speechless. There was simply nothing he could say, it was something he never seriously thought would happen. The incident had been isolated from the rest of Lloyd's attack, separated from the intense suffering he and ninja had endured. In fairness, Jay had not seen their master since he went off to look for the Stone Armor, but his death made little sense considering how he had still been able to get them their suits. He didn't have to speculate for long however, as everything was made ten times worse when Nya elaborated further with the details.
"Apparently he was found in the Ninjago Museum of History, his head cracked open and bleeding out onto one of those stone pillars." she muttered, her voice hollow and empty. All the color immediately drained from Jay's face, for he knew exactly what that meant. Their master must have gone to the museum to retrieve the spare set of armor, and it seemed that doing so cost him his life. In protecting Kai from Lloyd's rampage, Master Wu had paid the ultimate price.
Nya looked up at him, extremely puzzled by his somewhat contradictory reaction to the news. He reacted far more harshly to the specific location than he had upon actually hearing that Wu had died, and with that her suspicions were finally realized. Jay was definitely hiding something, but the most compelling piece of evidence had actually been staring her in the face this whole time. She cursed herself for missing the obvious, and an almost sickening feeling of dread began to invade her mind.
"Jay… why are you wearing your Stone Warrior Armor?"
I bet you didn't see that coming after how much I backtracked on the tragedy element with this story. Hey, half of the main characters were on the chopping block and I wanted to make sure that Lloyd's actions still had some very drastic consequences, so no, I'm not sorry. This was definitely the most overtly morbid chapter in quite some time, and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't excited to start adding some more of that angst back.