TWs: Amnesia, trust issues, past collisions/injuries, slight derealization. Stay safe :)

Luna gave a slow, hesitant nod. Earth opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He raised a hand to his head, his gaze downcast, "You're my moon, but... how come I don't remember you...? How come I can't remember anything...? Is this really just an illusion?"

Luna couldn't answer most of the questions, except for one, "I'm guessing you heard Sun's explanation?"

Earth nodded, "Mhm... I didn't know whether to believe him or not. I thought he was just being crazy and weird."

"Hey!" A voice shouted before being shushed by the others.

"He always is," Luna whispered so only Earth could hear.

Earth chuckled, looking at Luna with a curious gaze, "So, do you know who's behind this?"

"Something called an AetherStar." Luna shrugged.

"An Aether... Star?" Earth raised a hand to his chin, "That sounds familiar..."

"I'm not surprised. Sun said they might've attached to you, as a sort of 'host.'"

Something flashed in Earth's eyes as they widened slightly, "Two... there were two of them."

"You remember?" Luna asked.

Earth shook his head, "No, I just know. One of them is a dark shade of purple, and the other is a deep shade of blue."

"We should tell the others about this." Luna turned, about to walk away until Earth called out.

"Hold on-" He spoke, prompting the moon to stop in his tracks, peering at him with a questioning expression, "Does this make us... friends now?"

Luna blinked, surprised at the sudden question. He faced the other, smiling softly, "More like family."

The Earth's low rumbling lessened until it finally stopped. The atmosphere fixed itself, no longer flashing purple, and the Earthlings continued to do their own things as if nothing had happened.

Earth watched Luna amble away, going to tell the others the vital information.

Earth stood there for a few more moments, frozen in the same spot as those three words replayed in his head.

"More like family."

"Family."

"Family...?" He uttered, the word sounding foreign on his tongue, "Family... huh, I think I like that word."

...

"What... is this exactly?" Ganymede tilted his head, trying to make sense of the fossil displayed before him.

"Coprolite," Jupiter responded.

"And that is...?" Europa raised an eyebrow.

"Dinosaur feces!" Earth answered before Jupiter could. The Galilean Celestites made sounds of disgust.

"Wh-Why did they feel the need to d-d-display it!?" Io exclaimed.

"It's just a part of history- plus, you can tell many things about the dinosaur from its feces!"

"Yeah... I think I'm gonna see what Triton and Proteus are doing." Callisto backed away before turning and walking further down the Fossil Hall.

"H-Hey, wait for me...!" Io yelled, running after her.

Ganymede looked at his bare wrist, peering at his imaginary watch, "Oh, look at the time, babe, we should check out the butterfly pavilion!"

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Europa linked her arm with the other's, practically dragging him away.

Earth crossed his arms, huffing, "I didn't even go into detail yet..."

Jupiter sighed in exasperation, "That's probably a good thing."

Earth hummed, looking at the taller one, "By the way, how do you know so much about me?"

"What do you mean?" Jupiter asked.

"On our way here, you seemed to know what everything was and how everything worked. Apart from Luna, you're the only one who seems to know what's on my surface. How is that?"

A small tired sigh escaped Jupiter's lips, "I've protected you for many eons, Earth. I'm your main protector from asteroids... as well as the opposite. It's my job to keep you and the other Rockies safe. I always have to be prepared, which is why I'm always expanding what I know. After all, keeping an open mind makes you stronger."

Earth frowned, taking in the information. His eyes calculated the words before lighting up. He smiled, "You must be good at your job then."

"Huh?"

"Protecting me; you must be good at it if I made it this far." Earth chuckled.

Jupiter grimaced, body going stiff as he slowly averted his gaze to the floor, raising a hand to scratch the back of his neck, "Yes, well..."

Earth cut him off, moving his hands to his pockets as he kicked at the tiled floor, "I wish I could remember it all. It all just seems like one giant nightmare I'll never get out of..."

Jupiter closed his eyes for a few seconds, his head lowering, "I understand what you mean..."

A few moments of silence passed, the only noise being from the lively chattering of the Earthlings in the exhibit. Earth could hear every noise, whether it was a word, a low hum, or even the tremors within his surface. He could feel and hear it all.

If he concentrated, he could focus on conversations.

His ear perked when he heard a tour group nearby.

"This painted mural depicts a recreation of Western North America just before the catastrophic asteroid impact." The employee remarked, indicating the expansive mural, "You can spot several Triceratops, along with some Velociraptors and a bird-like creature soaring above the water."

Earth looked up, turning his head toward the tour group, his eyes peering at the painted wall.

"Of course, we don't know what truly happened back then or if the dinosaurs knew of their devastating fate, but we can only hope..."

The words of the employee seemed to fade away as Earth kept staring at the colorful wall. It seemed so vibrant and lively, yet its meaning held a different connotation.

Unbeknownst to Earth, his body moved on its own, continuing to step forward as if the mural was calling out to him. He reached his hand toward it, digits pressing into the dry paint.

His vision blurred.

He still remembered this day as if it was yesterday.

The pained cries still haunted him.

The only question on his mind remained after millions of years.

Why?

Why did it have to happen to him?

Why not someone else?

Why did he have to be the one to suffer that day?

Luna paused from his conversation with Titan upon noticing slight tremors, causing the displays to rattle. Immediately, he whipped around, eyes landing on where Earth was.

Slowly, he walked forward, calling out to him in a quiet voice, "Earth...?"

Earth blinked, backing away from the wall before turning to face the Celestite.

"Yeah?"

Luna frowned, noting a few tears falling from Earth's eyes. Luna gestured to his face, "You're crying..."

The lively Celestial appeared surprised, reaching up to touch his face, "Oh, it appears I am..."

Luna bit his lip, "Are you sure you're okay...?"

"I'm..." Earth was about to respond with his usual response when he suddenly hesitated. He thought back to their conversation earlier.

"Does this make us... friends now?"

"More like family."

'Family...' Earth pursed his lips.

They were family, and family tells each other everything, right?

Were they to be trusted, though?

Could Earth trust them?

Something deep inside him told him that no matter if they thought of him as family, he didn't know, let alone remember, any of them.

He couldn't trust them.

Not yet, at least.

"I'm fine." Earth smiled, leaving no room for more questions as he walked away.

« NOTE »

I've been binge-watching Ninjago- I can't wait for season 3 of Dragon's Rising.

Anyway, time to binge-read Ninjago fanfics :)

Comments are appreciated 3