CHAPTER TWO
CHILDISH FEARS
LOST IN MY PAST
THE FEELING OF ANGER NEVER COMPLETELY LEFT KAI SMITH AS HE WALKED OUT OF THE DESTINY'S BOUNTY, keeping a glare leveled at the boy who called himself Avashiro until he was out of sight. If they had been a little more careful, they could have beat him in the fight — wizard powers or not! He couldn't understand why Lloyd had invited Avashiro onto the ship, as it would have been far easier to just let him get captured by the Stone Warriors. What could The Overlord do to his own son that was so bad that Avashiro would want to escape the island? There were too many questions and no good answers, especially when wondering why Sensei Wu trusted Avashiro enough to be alone with him. All Kai knew was, he would never betray his father.
Kai grumbled as he picked up a shovel, glaring at the sand. "I don't like it."
"Same here," Cole agreed. "How can we trust him? He's The Overlord's son! He's pure evil!"
"I don't believe anyone can be pure evil," Zane argued. "If raised in the right conditions—"
"We're talking about someone made from a thing called Dark Matter," Jay cut in, "and raised by the source of all evil in Ninjago! Do those sound like the right conditions, Zane? Because they don't to me!"
"And what about his powers?" Kai added. He groaned. "Urgh, I don't like Sensei being alone with him! He should have at least brought Lloyd with him!"
"Yeah, but Lloyd was the one who brought him onto the ship," Cole pointed out. "What was he thinking?"
"We should trust Lloyd's judgment," Zane chastised. "If he thought Avashiro was dangerous, he wouldn't have brought him onto the Bounty."
Kai sighed in exasperation, knowing better than to argued with the Nindroid. Zane could be naive at times, but when he thought he was in the right, he was almost impossible to argue with. Besides, Zane was smart — if he thought Avashiro was dangerous, he would have fought harder against Sensei, or would convince them to spy. In fact . . .
"We are not spying on Sensei," Jay argued. "We'll totally get caught!"
"I want to know what they're talking about," Kai countered as he threw down his shovel, "and make sure Sensei is safe! Isn't this the right thing to do?"
"No!" Jay exclaimed.
"Guys, stop it!" Cole cut in, frustrated. "Kai, can you just go be lookout for a while? Arguing isn't going to make this go by any faster!" Kai rolled his eyes and stomped off, heading for the forest. He sat down behind one of the trees, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of the Stone Warriors, Garmadon, or . . . what did The Overlord even look like? Whatever it was, Kai kept a look out, knowing Cole was right — arguing wouldn't make the time go by any faster than being silent would.
Almost ten minutes passed before Kai had a reason to turn around and run back to the others. He took in the sight of the Destiny's Bounty, whichwas covered in the dull brown sand that seemed to cover most of the island, leaving only a few parts exposed to the island, as well as the makeshift entrance they'd hastily made out of the hole the Starteeth had created. As Jay, Cole, and Zane continued hiding the Bounty, now on its side and hidden under a mountain of sand that definitely didn't look natural, Kai approached them from the trees, having just seen two Stone Warriors come and go, luckily not having spotted him.
"This whole island is swarming with Garmadon's indestructible Stone Army," he informed them.
"Ha! Good thing we're ninja and we know how to hide!" Jay chuckled, placing a large leaf in front of one of the tree trunks beside the entrance, which didn't do anything except make it look more suspicious. Kai rolled his eyes but decided not to comment.
"Who wants to hide when you can fight?" Cole complained, throwing his shovel onto the ground. "I'm getting tired of having our heads buried in the sand! I wanna fight these guys!" His eyes turned onto the ship, expression souring. "I wanna fight him. If we had known about his powers, we could have beat him! He just surprised us." Kai understood the feeling. Shiro had completely caught them off guard, first as a human inhabitant of the island, and then as a powerful wizard-type of guy that could send them flying across the island if he wanted to. If they'd been prepared, maybe the outcome would have been different. "I don't like how long it's taking them to talk. We should go see what's up!"
"But Cole, the Stone Warriors have no apparent weakness," Zane said. "And for that matter, we don't know the extent of Avashiro's powers, or if he has any weakness, either. It would be unwise to start a fight we cannot finish," he added as Sensei Wu exited the Bounty. "And like I said, Avashiro—"
"Is not our enemy," Sensei Wu finished. Jay, Cole, and Zane turned to face him. "Come. We must find the Temple of Light so we can start a fight we can finish."
The four brothers shared a look before running after Sensei, who disappeared back inside. They found themselves in the control room, standing beside each other and Sensei. Dr. Julien sat on Sensei's other side, with Misako on his right as she unrolled an old, battered looking scroll. Lloyd stood at her side, reading the paper over her shoulder. And unsurprisingly, Avashiro stood beside Lloyd, pointedly not looking at the Ninja, three of who shared confused, frustrated looks at the sight of The Overlord's son still in their ship.
"Misako," Sensei Wu said, her cue to begin.
"The scrolls say there is a hidden temple on the island," she explained, motioning to the paper in front of her. Kai leaned in closer, trying to look at the picture. "If you find it, it will give the Ninja pure elemental powers, powers that can destroy the indestructible army." She looked up and smiled at them. For a moment, Kai was thrown off by how similar her and Lloyd's grins were, but he quickly forgot about the similarity when Cole exclaimed that they finally got the chance to fight.
Misako put a hand on Lloyd's arm. "And you, my son, here it is written: 'For once the Green Ninja finds the Instrument of Peace, he will strike it, and know the power of the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master,'" she continued. "It means you will be able to invoke the power of the Golden Dragon, an ancient fighting style only practiced by the First Spinjitzu Master." Kai looked over to Avashiro, who glanced at Lloyd with a strange look. Kai scowled, wondering what was going on inside his head — was he angry? Was he going to hurt Lloyd? Kai wouldn't allow it to happen.
Lloyd chuckled as he took in everyone's expressions. "Jealous?" he teased.
Kai shook his head. "Ah, uh, wait a minute," he protested. "This all sounds too good to be true." He laid eyes on Avashiro, who finally looked up at him. They both glared at each other. "What's the catch?" he sneered.
"The catch is," Sensei Wu interjected, giving Kai a look that clearly said drop it, "the Temple could be anywhere on the island, and all we have it this." He pulled out a circular golden object. Three holes were carved into the top, and the image of a dragon reflected back to Kai. Kai furrowed his brows, confused as to what it was. Sensei Wu handed it to Dr. Julien, who took it eagerly.
"A medallion!" he exclaimed. "It's like a compass. When the three holes match up, the medallion will reveal where the Temple is hidden." He chuckled, handing the medallion to Zane. "I did a lot of reading in my spare time. Adventure stories were my favorite."
"Yeah, that's nice and all," Cole said, "but I don't that's what Kai meant."
Misako frowned. "What do you mean?"
Avashiro smirked. "He meant why am I still here instead of dead or sent back to my father," he told her. "Don't worry, boys, it's just that your sensei asked me to be here."
"Do you ever—"
"Kai," Sensei Wu warned. Kai snapped his mouth closed and scowled, crossing his arms. "Avashiro is here because I have a request of him." He turned to the younger boy. "Would you join our fight against your father?" he asked sincerely.
"What?" Kai demanded, mouth dropping open.
"Sensei, what are you doing?" Cole challenged. "He's The Overlord's son."
"This is crazy!" Jay exclaimed.
"Hey, stop it," Lloyd tried to cut in.
"Sure," Avashiro chimed in, shutting everyone up. He looked around, seeming to take pride in everyone's varying expressions, from shock to anger. He looked back at Sensei Wu. "I'd love to help. Just tell me when the fight is." Sensei nodded, thanking Avashiro before looking back at the Ninja. Kai didn't know what to say — that this was crazy? That Avashiro was evil? What could be do to convince Sensei that this would be a bad idea? It seemed that Sensei Wu couldn't care at all — for some reason that Kai didn't understand, he was completely confident that Avashiro wouldn't betray them the first chance he got, or that this wasn't part of the Overlord's grand plan.
Kai didn't have that same faith.
"Go," Sensei Wu ordered, looking at Zane, the only one who seemed to agree with him about Avashiro being trustworthy.
Zane held up the medallion. "What are we waiting for?"
( BIRTHRIGHT — LEGACY OF THE GREEN NINJA )
To say that Avashiro was surprised by Wu's offer would have been a lie. It was clear to him that the second Wu knew of his hatred for The Overlord, he would be asked to join the team. Perhaps when he was younger, he could have said no — he would have wanted to protect his father, not matter the cost, even if he didn't get anything out of it. But after so long in the dark, Avashiro wanted revenge. His mission was no longer to get off the island, it was to get back at his dear old dad. And what better way to do that than to join forces with the boy destined to kill his father?
And, of course, he got to make the other Ninja mad. That was a plus.
Avashiro watched Cole, Kai, Jay, and Zane head out after Lloyd was told to stay back, Misako saying something about not wanting the Final Battle to start prematurely. Though Lloyd seemed annoyed, he looked like he was taking the stay back order pretty well for someone who was being excluded from a group adventure. Avashiro didn't know how he did it — he would be angry. He would probably sneak off. But right now he was opting to stay back, both so he didn't have to see his father and so he didn't have to deal with the Ninja. He'd much rather help Dr. Julien with building things to use in the battle than actually be out in the field.
"How are they going to stay hidden?" he asked once he was sure they were gone.
"What do you mean?" Misako asked. "They're ninja."
"Right. I totally know what that means," Avashiro agreed, "but, like, Zane is wearing white. Honestly, none of their clothes are the right colors for a stealth mission. Shouldn't they be wearing brown, or . . . green," he added, nodding to Lloyd, who was wearing the perfect color to hide in the trees.
"They'll find a way," Wu told him, turning away. "Now, will you, Misako, and Lloyd please help Dr. Julien? I fear the Ninja will need something fast to complete their mission."
Avashiro threw his hands into the air in confusion before letting them drop to his side. Lloyd laughed, then quickly covered his mouth. Avashiro smiled at him hesitantly — if he had to be stuck with any of the Ninja, he'd rather it be the only nice one.
He followed Lloyd, Misako, and Dr. Julien out of the ship, looking around. He'd seen the island so many times as a child, but somehow it felt . . . wrong, now. Before, the island was just that — a small piece of land in the middle of the ocean, barely noticeable, and certainly not able to be found. But now the once white sand was a dull brown, and the trees seemed to hang lower, like they were dying. The rocks in the ocean were new, too, and the island was bigger. It didn't have an evil feeling — despite being called the Dark Island, Avashiro had never found it to be terrifying. Even now, with the land recovered, he wasn't scared. He just felt bad that something so beautiful was being used to hide something so evil.
"How good are you with a hammer?" Dr. Julien asked, looking at Avashiro.
Avashiro frowned. "Hammer?" he repeated. Dr. Julien smiled sympathetically, which made Avashiro want to roll his eyes. He didn't need sympathy.
"It's a tool," Lloyd explained. "It helps with building stuff."
"I can't even build a sandcastle," Avashiro muttered. Lloyd snorted.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find something for you to do," Dr. Julien said rather cheerily, which just made him feel worse. Here he was, surrounded by a team of ninja, — which, by the way, he still didn't have an actual definition for — their sensei, a historian, a builder of robots, and a probably very intelligent girl around his age (maybe) who could build and was a Samurai, whatever that meant. What could he bring to the table? His powers? Was that the same level of useful as someone like Misako and Dr. Julien?
They got to work. The hot sun found it's way under Hiro's clothes, and he was sure the color of the cloth did nothing to direct it away from him. Lloyd shows him how to do the basics, like using a hammer for the nails and screwing in the screws, which helped Avashiro feel a bit more useful. They were creating a large black and gold vehicle that could hold up to seven people, Dr. Julien explained, showing Avashiro, Lloyd, Misako and Wu the blueprints once the older man had come out of the Bounty to help. Avashiro looked over Lloyd's shoulder, studying the design with furrowed eyebrows. It looked too complicated to build in a day, but what did he know?
"It's like a race car," Lloyd commented.
"'With a sealed cockpit and a large golden drill on the front?'" Avashiro added hesitantly, reading the words on the blueprints. Lloyd smiled and nodded. "Cool. No idea what any of those words mean, but it sounds fun."
"Why don't you and Lloyd get started on the drill?" Dr. Julien offered. "Misako, Wu, and I will start on the car, and we should be able to finish it before the Ninja get back!" Avashiro shrugged, looking to Lloyd, who nodded. He followed Lloyd a little ways away so they could get started on their part of the project.
"So how does this work?" Avashiro asked, looking over their copy of the blueprints. "It looks like it'll need a lot of metal."
"We have scraps," Lloyd assured him. "And it'll be easier to move with your powers." Avashiro nodded. Part of him wanted to ask why Lloyd thought he'd use his powers to help, but Lloyd was being so nice, and, besides, Avashiro had agreed to help. He had no one to blame but himself. "Trust me, with the two of us, this'll be a breeze. We might even get to have an early lunch!"
They buckled down on the work. Avashiro used his powers to move the scrap metal wherever Lloyd directed it to. He watched as Lloyd welded the metal together with his own hands, impressed by Lloyd's ability over fire, and helped in screw in the screws tighter. As they neared the end of their side of the work, Avashiro looked over and found that the adults were quite nearly finished as well, which made no sense to him — how had they made so much progress, what felt like more progress, than him and Lloyd? Maybe they all had secret powers of their own.
"I think we did good," Lloyd said. Avashiro turned back to him. He glanced at the drill and nodded, though he had no idea how well they had done their job. "Come on, let's bring it over to them so we can attach it. It's getting late," he pointed out. Avashiro looked up at the sky and was surprised to find that it was nearing the time of evening. Had the whole day really gone by?
"Huh," he said in thought. He moved back and held out his hands, allowing his power to wrap around the drill. He couldn't see the power itself, but he could feel the weight of the drill in his bones, and once he was sure he had it, he lifted his hands, pulling the drill up with him. He moved it over to the car, making sure he wasn't about to crush anyone before he set it in the sand. Dr. Julien looked over and grinned at him and Lloyd.
"Amazing work," he praised, walking over to examine it. "This'll do nicely! Now we just need to attach it to the front of the car," he told them. "It'll just take a few more screws."
"Can you hold it up for a while?" Lloyd asked. Avashiro nodded, though he really had no idea how long he would be able to hold it for. He was already tired. But if this was it for the day, perhaps he could push through his exhaustion.
"Ready?" he asked once Lloyd was in position to attach the drill. Lloyd nodded. Avashiro lifted the drill into the air and brought it against the car, careful not to crush Lloyd. After some adjustments, they found the perfect fit. Avashiro kept his hands raised as Lloyd began screwing it in. Almost ten minutes later, with his bones feeling like lead, Avashiro was told he could let it go, as now that most of it was attached, they could finish the rest without him holding it. He dropped his arms to his side, relief spreading through his muscles.
"That," Avashiro proclaimed, "sucked."
Misako smiled, patting his shoulder as she walked by. "You did very well," she complimented.
Why can't the rest of the team be this nice? Avashiro wondered. He moved to Dr. Julien's side to help him put on the finishing touches.
"Thank you, Wu," Dr. Julien said as Wu set down a box of scraps. "If you could fetch some more creek water, that should pretty much do it!" he said cheerily. Avashiro watched Wu pick up two empty buckets and begin his journey to the creek, but was confused when the older man stopped. Wu and Misako looked at each other, and for the briefest moment, Wu had an almost love-struck expression on his face. Avashiro raised his eyebrows.
Lloyd jumped down to stand beside his mom. Avashiro turned back to Dr. Julien. "So we're done?" he asked.
Dr. Julien smiled and nodded. "For now," he added. Avashiro sighed. "Why don't you and Lloyd do a quick patrol around the camp? It wouldn't hurt to watch out for the Stone Warriors!" he chuckled. Avashiro smiled hesitantly before walking over to Lloyd, dropping the smile. He relayed Dr. Julien's request and the two of them took off to do a quick circle around the Ninja's base camp.
"So," Avashiro began, falling into step with Lloyd. "What is a ninja?"
"Uh, what?" Lloyd asked.
Avashiro shrugged. "Wu says you're ninja. I get that it's a team thing, but is that the team name? Is it a type of person? Is it someone with powers? Could I be a ninja" Lloyd was quiet. Avashiro looked at him curiously, frowning as he realized his questions weren't getting answered and that Lloyd had stopped a few feet back. Lloyd was fidgeting where he stood. "What?"
"Nothing." At Avashiro's look, Lloyd sighed. "I just don't think you'd be a ninja is all."
"Why?" Avashiro pestered. His thoughts landed on one possibility. "Ah, I get it," he realized before Lloyd could explain. "Since my dad's evil, that must mean I am, too."
Lloyd sighed. "What? No, that's not what—"
"It's fine," Avashiro spat, "I can deal with a little cold shoulder." He stormed away, heading back for Dr. Julien and Misako.
"Shiro," Lloyd called out, sounding exasperated.
"That's not my name," Avashiro replied, not looking back. He approached Dr. Julien and Misako, looking over the giant vehicle that had all worked on creating. He tried to ignore the way his instincts told him to turn back to Lloyd. "What are you calling it?" he asked.
Dr. Julien smiled, patting the car. "It's the Earth Driller," he told him. Avashiro nodded. "I thought you and Lloyd were patrolling."
"Change of plans," Avashiro said simply. He looked around and frowned. "Wu isn't back yet?" he noted.
Misako frowned. "You're right. He should be back by now." She looked over Avashiro's shoulder. "And where's Lloyd?"
She and Avashiro shared a look before taking off in the direction where Avashiro had come from. They headed deeper into the forest, following the trail to the creek. There were two sets of footprints, one fresher than the other. As they entered a bamboo forest, the sounds of fighting reached Avashiro's ears. Misako took off in a separate direction while Avashiro continued straight. Avashiro broke though the thicker part of the bamboo in time to see Lloyd using his power over fire to burn away the bamboo sticks one of the Stone Warrior generals was holding to hurt Wu with. With a blast of earth power, he turned the Stone Warrior to a stature of dirt.
Across from Wu, another Warrior, this one a simple solider, stood, picking up his own bamboo. Before Avashiro could call out, Misako yelled, "Watch out!" She slid down the bamboo from above and landed on the solider, sending him to the ground. Avashiro grinned, but it fell away as Lloyd, distracted by two more soldiers, didn't notice a third approaching him from behind with a sword.
Avashiro threw out his hands, his power wrapping around the solider. Just as he thought, when he tried to hurt the solider from the inside, nothing happened, and he couldn't make the solider stay still either. He groaned and threw the solider into the air. Once he'd dealt with the other two, Lloyd turned and shot a blast of ice at the solider. Avashiro let it fall to the ground, confident that it would stay frozen long enough for them to tie the soldiers up.
Avashiro approached Wu and Misako. "That was close," Wu said as Misako helped him to his feet. "Our presence on the island cannot be hidden for much longer. I just hope the Ninja have located the Temple." Avashiro moved away from them to help Lloyd tie up the soldiers. He looked into the generals eyes, noting that it wasn't Kozu. He wondered if the general knew who Avashiro was. "Knowing them, they have probably already found it by now," Wu continued as he and Misako came up behind Avashiro and Lloyd.
Avashiro didn't comment. He didn't have the same faith in the Ninja that Wu did, but at least he knew not to voice it.
He just hoped Wu's hope wasn't misplaced.
As the sun began to set lower in the sky, Avashiro found himself standing alone near the water. The events of the day were beginning to catch up with him, fatigue making it difficult to think. He pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering when the Ninja were going to return. The worry of Dr. Julien, Misako, Wu, and Lloyd was beginning to make him feel anxious, and he didn't even like the Ninja. He didn't like feeling scared for them, either.
"Hey!" Dr. Julien exclaimed. Avashiro turned and saw the four ninja running into the camp, Zane holding what looked to be a bird. He moved closer to them, though opted to stay in the shadows. "They found the Falcon!"
"Falcon?" Avashiro inquired quietly.
"Zane's friend," Misako told him, which Avashiro figured was going to be the best explanation he got.
"Why are they running?" Lloyd asked.
Zane set the Falcon on a table. "Prepare for battle!" he exclaimed, making Avashiro stand up straight. "We've got company!"
"Seriously?" Avashiro muttered, moving to stand by Dr. Julien's side.
Wu and Misako ran over to them. "You were spotted?" Wu demanded. "By one? Two?"
"How about all of them," Kai corrected, sounding sheepish. Avashiro facepalmed. Leave it to the Ninja.
"Did you locate the Temple of Light?" Misako cut in before anyone could panic.
"It's at the top of the mountain. I hope those vehicles are ready, 'cause we could sure use them now!" Kai explained.
Avashiro followed the group to the Earth Driller. As everyone piled in, Avashiro stood back. He assumed he wouldn't be welcome, but besides that, he wasn't in the mood to help the Ninja anymore. He wasn't even sure how much help he would be with his strength drained. It was best for him to just hope they would complete their mission without any interference, but could he honestly expect anything to go smoothly with this team? It's hardly been a day and he's already had it with their lives constantly being in danger. He didn't know how they could stand it.
As the Earth Driller moved out of the walls of sand the team had created, Avashiro climbed to the top of the closest mountain of the terrain. He frowned as he saw the Stone Warriors following the team. "Don't do anything," Nya advised, coming to stand beside him. "If we draw attention to ourselves, we won't be able to defend the base." He nodded, though it felt wrong not to use his powers to help. "Come on. Let's wait for their return."
She led him back down the sand. Avashiro tried not to worry about the Ninja. Really, he tried not to worry about Lloyd.
( BIRTHRIGHT — LEGACY OF THE GREEN NINJA )
The darkness of the night sky was broken by the image of a green-eyed, golden dragon appearing above what Avashiro assumed to be the mountain that housed the Temple of Light, with the powers of fire, lightning, earth, and ice spreading out in four different directions under the beast. From his place in the control room, Avashiro tried to hide his grin as Wu, Dr. Julien, Misako, and Nya cheered for the victory of the Ninja. While they stayed close to the monitor, Avashiro sat at the table he'd stood by that same morning.
Had it really only been a day? It's felt like a lifetime.
"We may yet have a chance of victory," Wu said. He turned and smiled at Hiro as Nya left the room. Avashiro watched her go before looking at Wu. "Thank you for your help today, Avashiro. You prove to be a valuable member of this team."
"I'm not—" Avashiro started, but he was distracted by the dragon disappearing from the screen. He stood and made his way over. "Does that mean they're coming back?" he asked.
Misako nodded. "Let us hope that the Earth Driller is in one piece, and that they do not lead the Stone Warriors here."
"We will be stronger with them here," Wu countered. "But it would be wise to get some rest tonight."
Avashiro went back to the table, sitting down on the opposite side than the one he'd stood at that morning. He put his arms on the table and rested his head, boredly waiting for the Ninja to get back. His stomach grumbled.
"Are you hungry?" Nya asked, coming back into the control room. Avashiro shrugged. She offered him one of the sandwiches from a plate she had returned with. He took one and thanked her, diving into the food as she passed the rest around.
Eventually, the Ninja came into the control room, a mess of cheers and smiles as they celebrated their victory. Avashiro waved at Lloyd from his place on the floor, then quickly lowered his hand as he remembered that he was supposed to be angry with Lloyd. That didn't stop Lloyd from cheerily waving back before joining the rest of his friends and Misako, Wu, Dr. Julien, and Nya. Avashiro listened to them tell their tale of success, smiling when he heard that Kozu had been the one to call for the retreat.
"It's been a long day," Misako said, her voice taking on a tone that all the Ninja seemed to listen to. "I believe it's time for bed."
"What?" Jay complained. "But we just got back! Can't we do a bit of partying?"
"My mom's right," Lloyd argued. "We need to rest and gather our strength. We should be ready for anything." Jay sighed loudly but didn't argue.
"So, uh, where's he sleeping?" Kai asked, pointing at Avashiro, who looked up. He frowned, looking to Wu — it was a good question. He was sure Wu hadn't even thought about it, given the brief flare of surprise in his expression. Avashiro sighed, figuring he should take one for the team — literally.
"I can find somewhere close by," he volunteered, not wanting to make the situation more awkward than it already felt. "Though I should warn you that the temperature drops at night, so you might want to have more blankets for yourselves. I can—"
"Avashiro will sleep in your room tonight," Wu told the Ninja.
"What?" Jay exclaimed, louder than the Cole and Kai, who had also begun to protest. "Sensei, that's—"
"Final," Wu cut in, silencing the three of them. "Misako and Nya are already sharing a room, and at the moment Dr. Julien has the guest room. Would you have this boy sleep outside when it gets cold at night?" Avashiro raised his eyebrows. Guilt tripping, he thought, though he never imagined Wu would use such a tactic. He was impressed.
"Depends," Kai said icily. "What's he going to do to us when our guards are down?"
"Kai," Cole warned. He looked at Avashiro. "As long as he doesn't snore, it's fine with me, I guess."
"Says you!" Lloyd called out, causing Jay to laugh. Zane sighed, glancing at Avashiro out of the corner of his eye.
"I'm sorry about them," he said quietly. Avashiro shrugged.
"Can't exactly say I'm surprised." He offered Zane a half-smile. "I don't know how you survive."
"I assume my father programmed me to be patient," Zane said matter-of-factly. Even though he knew Zane wasn't likely joking, Avashiro smiled anyway. So maybe the Master of Ice wasn't so terrible after all. Good to know. It didn't make Avashiro any less weary of him, but it helped to know he might be able to have a semi-decent conversation with someone on the ship who wasn't three times his age.
He followed the Ninja to their room, keeping a few feet behind. He didn't like this arrangement, either, but he was weary of Wu and didn't want to defy him. Besides, though he'd said he would find somewhere close by, Avashiro had no idea if that was possible. The team had picked the worst place to hide their ship. The closest shelter would be near the mountains, and they were very far from that. Avashiro would've had to sleep in the sand.
He stopped just inside the Ninja's room. To his right, a door led to an unknown space, probably a place to store things. To his left, there were two units of furniture that consisted of two beds stacked on top of each other, each in their own corner, and a cot in the middle of them. As the Ninja prepared for bed, Avashiro was able to place each bed with a name — Kai and Jay to the furthest corner from the door, Zane and Cole to the closest, and Lloyd in the middle. He stood awkwardly, wondering what he was supposed to do.
Lloyd approached him with a blanket and pillow. "There's not another cot," he told him, "so—"
"I claim the floor," Avashiro blurted.
Lloyd frowned. "Wait, no, I was going to—"
"Please don't," Avashiro pleaded, not wanting Lloyd to offer his own bed. Lloyd hesitated, but finally sighed and handed the supplies to Avashiro. Avashiro found his spot directly across the room from Lloyd's bed, trying to get as far away from the Ninja as he could. As he set up his bed, he could hear Jay and Zane arguing quietly across the room. Part of him was tempted to listen in, but he decided against it, not wanting to make enemies with Zane as well, not when he felt they were making progress.
As he sat down on the floor, Zane approached him. Avashiro looked up at him. "Here," Zane offered, holding out pieces of white cloth that Avashiro realized were a shirt and pants. "They might not fit you very well, but they're clean and more comfortable that day clothes." Avashiro quickly realized that's what Zane and Jay had been arguing about. Jay was probably the closest to Avashiro's size, but he had clearly won the argument. Avashiro stood and hesitantly took the clothes. He thanked Zane softly. Zane smiled. "Of course. The bathroom is right there," he said, pointing to the space that Avashiro had previously thought was a storage compartment.
Avashiro stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.
"I don't like this," Kai immediately said, seeming to not realize that Avashiro could hear him. Avashiro rolled his eyes and began to change. "What was Sensei thinking?"
"Kai, can you stop?" Lloyd defended. "We're all tired and scared, but Sensei said that Avashiro isn't our enemy. We have to trust what he says. And Avashiro isn't a bad guy!"
"He's the son of The Overlord!" Jay countered. "What if he kills us in our sleep?"
"I'm the son of Lord Garmadon," Lloyd snapped. The boys grew quiet. "Are you saying that I'm going to turn out like my father, too?"
"Of course not," Cole said gently. "None of us think that. We're just being cautious."
"No," Lloyd argued, "you're being rude. You need to get your acts together. Would it kill you to be nicer to him?" he hissed.
Avashiro rubbed his temples. He hated this. He hated them. And he hated these stupid clothes, which were too big and too bright. The strings on the pants didn't help, and the shirt hung off of him and made him feel like a child wearing adult clothes for the first time. And the color — white worked for Zane, but not for Avashiro. He would do anything to be wearing black right now. At least the clothes were comfortable, he tried to reason.
He exited the bathroom and quickly got onto the floor. He caught Zane's eye and gave him a thumbs up as another thank you. Zane smiled.
Eventually, all the boys were ready for bed. Lloyd turned off the light, and the room was plunged into darkness. Avashiro curled up on the floor under his blanket. He stared into the room, but the darkness didn't dissipate. He closed his eyes and tried to even his breathing, his method to falling asleep as a child. When that didn't work, he opened his eyes and turned to look up at the ceiling. Something told him that not everyone in the room was asleep. He was willing to wager that Kai was waiting for Avashiro to attempt to assassinate them.
Avashiro closed his eyes and made his breathing even deeper, but it was hard to go into a vulnerable state when he was unsure about the dangers. But he had to sleep — he needed to regain his strength. He would just have to trust Lloyd and Zane to stop the others from hurting him if it came down to that.
Soon, he found himself drifting in and out of consciousness, a tell tale sign that he was finally falling asleep. A few minutes after this awareness, his thoughts pulled into the dream world, and Avashiro dozed off.
A golden clock, far larger that it needed to be, spinning as it ticked down. The human from before, the four-armed man — Garmadon, Lloyd's father. Beside him, the spirit of Avashiro's father, The Overlord, floated. Though his father had no expression, Avashiro could feel the rage radiating off of him.
"It appears your indestructible army isn't as tough as it appears to be," Garmadon mocked. "And what of that boy the Warriors told me about? The one they call Avashiro? When were you going to tell me you had lied about his existence?" he demanded.
"The Ninja may be getting stronger, but so are we," The Overlord argued. "When the Celestial Clock reaches zero, the ultimate weapon will be complete, and then there will be nothing the Ninja can do to stop you from turning Ninjago into your image!" Garmadon turned away, still angry. The Overlord inhaled deeply, voice rough. "My creation will have nothing to offer during the battle. Where he seeks to destroy me, I seek to imprison him. As soon as I am close enough—"
His father went quiet. Garmadon turned to face him, crossing all four of his arms. "What is it?" he asked, looking around. "What do you feel?"
"Someone is here, listening even as he dreams," The Overlord hissed. Avashiro froze as he felt his father's gaze turn onto him. "Hello, Avashiro."
Avashiro's eyes snapped open. He flinched, kicking his leg out. He managed to keep quiet, even though his heart felt like it was trying to fight its way out of his chest. He clutched the blanket in his hands in a vice-like grip, feeling the material against his skin. A moment later, his brain caught up with reality and he realized that he wasn't still stuck in the prison of darkness. If not because for the first time in years he'd had a dream, then because his eyes were now adjusting to the darkness of the room and he realized that it wasn't the pitch black he'd lived with for so long, but a dull black that he could still see pieces of furniture in. Time had passed faster than he had realized.
Avashiro sat up, steadying his breathing. Someone was snoring — he was willing to bet that it was Cole, and luckily he would win, as he didn't have anything to bet with. He didn't know if anyone else was asleep, but he hoped they were. After a minute of sitting in almost-silence, he stood up, leaving his blanket on the floor as he left the room. The pajamas were far too big on him — he kept adjusting the pants so they didn't fall. He'd have to make adjustments to them if Zane allowed him to keep them.
Avashiro found himself leaving the ship. The sand felt soft against his skin, another thing he would miss if he were locked away again. He headed toward the ocean, sitting down a few feet away from the wet sand so he wouldn't get hit by the ocean. It was hardly quieter out here than in the room, but at least out here he wasn't surrounded by hostiles. He felt safer by the water than he did with the Ninja, which was strange considering his father's warriors, or even The Overlord himself, could spot him here, out in the open.
At least he knew what his father would do if he got his hands — metaphorically speaking, of course — on Avashiro. The Ninja were truly unpredictable.
"Avashiro?"
Avashiro nearly jumped out of his skin. He jerked his head to the side, looking up at Lloyd, who had come to stand behind him. He narrowed his eyes at him. "What?" he asked sharply, not in the mood for another argument. "Why can't you and your friends leave me alone?"
"I saw you leave the room."
"And you followed me out because?"
"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Lloyd admitted.
"No, you wanted to make sure I wasn't going back to my dad," Avashiro corrected bitterly, looking away from him to stare out at the ocean.
"Hey, I'm not going to call you Shiro," Lloyd pointed out. "You don't get to tell me how I feel, and I feel like you're not okay and need someone to talk to."
Avashiro rolled his eyes. Lloyd sat in the sand beside him, fully facing him, and Avashiro could feel Lloyd's eyes searching his face. He sighed. "You're right. I apologize," he finally relented, turning to Lloyd. He finally spotted the blanket in Lloyd's hands. He raised his eyebrows. "What, are we having a sleepover out here?"
Lloyd chuckled. "No. I just thought about what you said earlier, about the temperature dropping. And we're by the water, so it's probably even colder, and I didn't know how long you planned on being out here, so . . . I'm rambling," Lloyd recognized, smiling sheepishly when Avashiro nodded. He held out the dull blue blanket. "Here."
"You don't have to do this."
Lloyd frowned. "Do what?" he asked, arms dropping down.
Avashiro scowled, turning his body so they were fully facing each other. "Be nice to me. Pretend to be my friend. I'm not mad about earlier, you know. You have every right to doubt me and my intentions, but just because you can't imagine killing your dad doesn't mean I can't imagine killing mine. Or at least having him be dead. I'm on your side whether you like it or not. I'm not going to betray you over a little fight."
"That's not why I'm out here," Lloyd protested. "I . . . I mean, maybe I am feeling a little guilty about earlier," he sighed, "but I'm not being nice for myself. You haven't done anything to prove you're not on our side." Avashiro opened his mouth, but Lloyd quickly added, "And Kai attacked you first, so that fight doesn't count. We probably could have worked something out if no one ran at each other." Avashiro closed his mouth, frowning. "Look, just . . . I don't want you to freeze." He held out the blanket again.
". . . Thanks," Avashiro muttered, taking it from him. He wrapped it around his shoulders and offered Lloyd a hesitant smile. "You're not as bad as the others."
Lloyd smiled. "I'm going to take that as a compliment." Even though you're insulting my friends, is what he probably would have said if the crying of a seagull didn't interrupt him. He turned his head to look out over the water. "By the way, when I said you wouldn't be a ninja, I meant that it just wasn't something you would be interested in. It's a lot of training, teamwork, and having someone tell you what to do." He grinned, noticing that Avashiro was watching him carefully. "You don't seem like someone who likes being told what to do."
Avashiro pursed his lips. He exhaled in annoyance. "Fine. I'm sorry, okay? I overreacted."
Lloyd smiled, nodding. He looked at Avashiro again. "Do you think you'll come with us to Ninjago?" he asked hesitantly.
"I'd do anything to get out of here," Avashiro told him softly.
They fell into a comfortable silence together, looking over the ocean. It was too dark to see anything beyond the huge rocks sprouting out of the water like weeds, but it was the good kind of the dark, the kind that was still lit up by the moon. It was the soft, glowing darkness that didn't press in from all sides. Avashiro closed his eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh ocean air that entered his lungs. He could almost fall asleep right there, on the open beach, but he knew the chill would set in. Before, when he was a child, he'd made his home in a cave near the middle of the island, something small, dark (back when it wasn't so scary), and, best of all, warm. He doubted he'd be able to find it again now that the island was so much bigger.
"Can I ask you a question?" Lloyd finally spoke. Avashiro opened his eyes. He nodded once. "Why did you come out here? I know Cole's snoring is bad, but I didn't think it was that bad," he joked. Avashiro smiled, but it quickly fell away. He shrugged. "You don't have to tell me," Lloyd added. "But I'm not going to judge you for it."
"So you say," Avashiro muttered. He sighed. "I guess . . . it was dark," he said, not knowing how to explain it. "And when I woke up, it was still dark. So I thought everything was a dream. Like I was never actually free." His voice grew softer at the end. He was hardly able to believe he was confiding in Lloyd at all.
"You're afraid of the dark," Lloyd realized. Avashiro nodded. "That's nothing to be ashamed over. Everyone has a fear that seems random!"
"It's not random," Avashiro snapped. Lloyd frowned.
"Hey, I'm sorry," Lloyd said. He reached out to touch Avashiro's arm, then seemed to think better of it, drawing away. "Is there a reason for it?"
"I—" Avashiro began before faltering. He sighed. "I already told Wu about it. It's not fun."
"I'm not here to judge you."
Avashiro sighed. He kept his eyes on the ocean. "When I was a kid, I got angry with my dad for ignoring me. I hurt him with my powers. He locked me in darkness for many years. I couldn't feel anything, but I wasn't allowed to sleep. It was hell," he explained softly. "I never thought I would be set free, but now I've been freed twice. I fear that one day that will no longer be the case," he finished, not wanting to go into too much detail.
Lloyd was quiet. When Avashiro finally looked at him, he saw that Lloyd looked furious. "He did that?" Lloyd demanded. Avashiro shifted uneasily, nodding. "That's the cruelest, most hateful—"
"Lloyd," Avashiro interrupted. "I didn't tell you that so you would be angry on my behalf."
Lloyd opened his mouth to protest, then sighed, nodding. "Well . . . we're all afraid of trivial stuff, the team and I. At least you have a genuine reason to be afraid of the dark."
"Yeah? What can the great Ninja be afraid of?" Avashiro teased.
Lloyd smirked. "Jay? Terrified of spiders. I can't count how many times I've run to him after hearing him scream and he has me kill the smallest spider ever. Like, I don't even know how he sees them!" He threw his hands out. Avashiro smiled. "Cole's afraid of singing, but don't let him know I told you — you'll probably hear him sing if the whole team does, but if you have him get on stage by himself, he panics. Kai . . . oh, Kai's afraid of doctors."
"What?" Avashiro asked, amused. "Like, Dr. Julien?"
"No, like people who prescribe medicine. Dr. Julien is a scientist," Lloyd corrected, grinning.
"Than why is he called a doctor?"
Lloyd shrugged. "It's just a title, you know? Doctor can mean a lot of things. Scientist, medical professional, alien who travels time and space with companions . . ." After a moment, he sighed, looking down. "Um. I'm afraid of snakes," he admitted.
Avashiro tilted his head. "But snakes are nice," he pointed out. "I had this friend who was a snake. I named him Mr. Slithers and he always led me to water sources on the island!"
Lloyd smiled, scratching the back of his neck. "No, I mean, like . . . in Ninjago, we have these things called Serpentine. They're giant snakes, like the size of a person, but the generals are taller than normal people and have these super long tails, but the normal ones have legs and really tiny tails," Lloyd explained. "They were locked away forty years ago in separate tombs to keep them from uniting and getting revenge on the people of Ninjago who had put them there." Avashiro nodded, following along. "Well . . . I was a dumb kid. I wanted to be just like my dad, because being evil was all I had known. But no one took me seriously. So I set one tribe free, but they betrayed me and kicked me out. So I set a different one free to get revenge, but then it turned out that those two tribes were friends." He sighed. "So I set another one free. The whole tribe had starved, except for one."
"And that one also betrayed you," Avashiro finished.
"Not only that," Lloyd added, "but Pythor, the only one left of his kind, released the last two tribes, united the Serpentine, and released the Great Devourer, a snake so big that it could consume an entire city. And that was its plan. It would eat until there was nothing left." He looked down, playing with the sand. "My father was bitten by the Devourer when he was a kid, when he was my age. And that's why he's evil now. But he's also the one who killed it and saved the city, so I know there's hope for him. He loves me. He's still a good man." He looked up and frowned, seeing that Avashiro had looked away. "I'm sorry, I didn't think—"
"I'm glad you're father is a good man," Avashiro interrupted. "And I hope you can save him. But you don't have to pity me. It would do all of us well for my father to die."
"I don't pity you."
The words hung over them for a moment. Avashiro nodded in satisfaction.
"So . . . Mr. Slithers?" Lloyd teased, and the awkward air was immediately blown away.
"I was a child. I don't even know how old I was," Avashiro argued, his voice going up a pitch in embarrassment. "But it's a very respectable name!"
"Oh, of course," Lloyd agreed, voice dripping in sarcasm, but strangely still friendly. "Mr. Slithers. Very respectable."
Avashiro scowled at him. "I can tell you're mocking me, Lloyd. I don't appreciate it."
Lloyd grinned. "My sincerest apologies." Avashiro reached over and flicked his arm. "Ow! Okay, okay, truce!" Lloyd exclaimed, rubbing his arm. "Jeez, you're strong."
"Good. Don't mess with me," Avashiro retorted, leaning back.
After a few moments, Lloyd said, "It's getting cold."
"You should go inside."
Lloyd frowned. "You're staying out here?"
Avashiro shrugged. "For a while."
Lloyd looked like he wanted to protest, his eyebrows furrowed and mouth turned down. But he clearly thought better of it, having learned what it's like to be on Avashiro's bad side. So he nodded once, accepting that he couldn't convince Avashiro to come with him. "I'll see you inside, Hiro," Lloyd said, getting to his feet. He brushed the sand off his pants.
Avashiro looked up at him, frowning. "Hiro?" he echoed.
Lloyd met his eyes, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, I forgot you don't like nicknames."
"No, I— I like it," Avashiro admitted. Lloyd perked up. "Just . . . don't let the others call me by it. It's your name only."
"I'm . . . I'm honored," Lloyd said, and Avashiro felt that he was genuine.
"One more thing!" he added as Lloyd began to walk away. Lloyd turned to him. "Please stop defending my honor, Lloyd. I can handle your friends' hate. It doesn't bother me. But I am not a maiden in need of defending."
Lloyd nodded. "I'll see you in the morning, Hiro." He smiled. "And keep the blanket for tonight. It might get cold."
Avashiro watched him go, expression distant as he tried to sort through his thoughts. Once Lloyd was gone, Avashiro wrapped the blanket tighter around his shoulders and turned back toward the ocean, taking a deep breath as the chill began to set into his skin.
Why did he tell Lloyd he liked that name?
In truth, Avashiro had told him it was fine so Lloyd wouldn't feel bad for letting the name slip. He'd lied about liking it (at first, that is), and to make sure the others didn't hop on the nickname, he'd told Lloyd it was his name only. Avashiro had never had a nickname before — who would call him by it? He'd never had a reason to nickname himself, either, as he'd chosen his name by himself and liked it, even after so many years — even when he could have had any other name on the planet. But the first time he was presented with one, Shiro, he hated it. Maybe if it hadn't come from someone who hated him, or had been given by someone like Lloyd, Avashiro wouldn't be so opposed to the name. But Shiro made his skin crawl everytime he heard it, so unfamiliar and hateful.
Hiro . . . that name wasn't born of hate. It was a name Lloyd had said by accident, something he was probably planning on keeping to himself so he didn't make Avashiro uncomfortable. It was a name that Avashiro hadn't expected to hear, and even more surprising was the fact that he liked it. The name Hiro was kind. Gentle. Lloyd had given it out of friendship, not malice or ignorance or unwillingness.
The name made him sound like an actual hero.
Was that how Lloyd saw him?
When he got back to the room, he could tell that everyone was already asleep. Cole's snores broke though what would be a peaceful silence, and there was faint light from the moon coming in front the window. The room felt more welcoming now that he knew everyone was asleep and there was no danger to him. He hoped he would wake up before the boys did, too — Kai may have been worried about what would happen if the Ninja were vulnerable, but he'd never understand the fear the son of the Overlord felt while in the same room as people who wanted him dead just based on his dad's identity.
Hiro covered himself with the blanket, and for the briefest moment, the dark wasn't so scary anymore.