Wu sipped his tea, gazing at the courtyard. "It's a beautiful day today."

Garmadon bit his lip, fiddling with his sleeve.

His brother looked at him. "Is something wrong?"

"No…no, I'm fine. Sorry. It is nice out."

"Hmm…" Wu watched him, then took another sip of his tea. "Did you have your Anxie-tea this morning?"

"Yes."

He nodded. "Good. How has your phone been working?"

"Fine…"

"We should spend more time together. We haven't really gotten a chance yet."

Garmadon nodded a little. "Yeah…maybe."

"Would you want—"

The doors to the monastery opened.

Garmadon looked at the entrance. Then his breath caught, eye widening. Oh no, not again, not again—

Ichor walked in, hands folded behind his back, dark, cold gaze staring at him and Wu. "Hello."

Wu's eyes widened. "Ichor?"

He walked over slowly, looking around the monastery nonchalantly.

"What are you doing here?"

"We didn't really have a chance to talk last time I was here."

Wu frowned. "Yes…I'm sorry about that." He paused. "Would…you like to stay here for a few days? I'd love to be able to talk with you and learn where you've been and what you've been up to."

Garmadon paled. What?! He suddenly wanted to call Wu an idiot. He bit his tongue, clenching his hands to stop their shaking.

Ichor smiled, glancing briefly at Garmadon, then back to Wu. "I would like that. Thank you."

Wu smiled, nodding. "Wonderful. Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you."

"Alright. It would be nice if you and Garmadon could talk as well. I think it would be good for both of you, to work through some things."

Garmadon bit his lip hard, heart thudding. Shut your mouth, Wu!

Ichor paused, looking at him. "Hmm…yes, maybe. I know we didn't get along very well in the war, with my getting murdered by him and all."

Wu winced. "Yes…and I'm sorry about that. My brother will apologize for that as well. Would you like to come inside?"

I HAVE apologized! So many times! Idiot, idiot, idiot… Garmadon rubbed his thumb along his glove, then switched to clenching his wrist tightly.

Ichor nodded.

Wu turned, walking inside. Ichor followed.

"Brother, are you coming?" Wu paused, looking at him.

Garmadon glanced at Ichor, then to the floor. "U-um…n-no." It came out quiet, and he reddened slightly in shame at how shaky his voice was.

"Alright…"

Wu and Ichor disappeared inside, shutting the door behind them.

Garmadon felt tears prick at his eye, and he blinked rapidly, biting his lip hard. Ichor was here to ruin everything again. He'd take everything. What was his plan, anyway?

He suddenly realized why he'd had that foreboding feeling yesterday night—because of Ichor. Maybe somehow, his subconscious had known he would come. Maybe that's why he'd felt anxious this morning. Maybe he'd known something was up.

I need Ochre. His dog would protect him…right?

Garmadon sat down, head in his hands as he choked on sob. He'd thought Ichor would disappear. That maybe he'd quit on his relentless revenge.

But no. Now, everything was much worse. Now Ichor was here, instead of just coming every so often. It was like at the lab—but no one knew what Ichor had done, what he was capable of. They had no idea what sort of psychopath had just walked into the monastery.

This is all my fault. If he hadn't murdered Ichor, none of this would have happened. He deserved this. He was more of the psychopath than Ichor was—he'd made Ichor like this by murdering him.

I'm the monster. The villain. The murderer.

Not Ichor.

He sat there for a while, trying to stifle his sobs and calm down. The terror and fear kept building, the hopelessness, squeezing his chest and lungs, causing his hands to shake.

At least no one noticed. He needed to keep this to himself. No one could know what had happened.

What Ichor had done to him.

Garmadon sat on the couch, fiddling with his glove. Ochre sat in front of him, nose on his knee, eyes worried. He stroked the dog slowly, biting his lip. Since Ichor had arrived a couple hours earlier, his anxiety had skyrocketed. Every shadow, every corner, every noise made him jump.

He took a breath, blinking. This would be fine. Totally fine. Right?

"Brother?"

Garmadon jumped, turning to look at Wu. He relaxed slightly, but his eye darted around to make sure Ichor hadn't followed him.

He hadn't, it seemed.

Wu frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes…" Garmadon swallowed, stroking Ochre.

"Why are you anxious?"

"N-nothing…I mean, no reason. I…I'm not, I mean."

Wu rose an eyebrow. "I see." He patted his shoulder. "I'm not sure what you're worried about, but you'll be alright."
He flinched.

He took his hand back, looking worried. "Garmadon, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." He pet Ochre, focusing on the dog.

"Is this about Ichor?"

He frowned, tensing. "N-no."

Wu stood in front of him. "Garmadon, I know you and Ichor haven't gotten along in the past, but there's no reason to be anxious now."

He cringed, stroking Ochre's soft, rough fur. He avoided his gaze. "Sorry…"

"It's alright, brother…but I think you should try speaking with him."

Garmadon bit his lip, hand clenching the couch's fabric.

"It may take some time, but Ichor will forgive you. He's willing to talk."

You have no idea what you're saying. "I'll think about it."

"Garmadon…you have nothing to be worried about. I know you feel guilty about what happened, but we can work through this. It'll help you."

"I said I'll think about it." His jaw clenched.

Wu hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, brother…thank you." He turned, walking out of the room.

Garmadon let out a slow breath, heart thudding in his chest. His throat tightened. What am I supposed to do? This was bad.

Ichor was up to something. He knew it.

"Hello, Garmadon."

Garmadon jumped, leaping off the couch and stumbling back.

Ichor smiled coldly. "Enjoying your time here?"

He frowned, hands clenched as his heart thudded in his chest.

The blood elemental cocked his head slightly, mockingly. "Your dear brother finally left me alone for a bit. Said he had to meditate. Which means—" he grinned—"I could come and see how you're doing." He looked around nonchalantly, hand fingering his dagger hilt. "I see this has become your room? Not very permanent. You won't be staying here long, I'm sure."

Garmadon frowned, then stroked Ochre's head. He realized the dog was tense, ears back. "I-I…what do you want? Why are you here?"

Ichor shrugged. "I'm just paying a visit to my friend. That is all."

His eye narrowed. "Wu isn't your 'friend'. You're just using him."

He smirked, looking at him. "Maybe. Though I don't think you care."

"What? I do too care."

"Doesn't seem like you care about your dear brother." Ichor took out his dagger, staring the blade with an unreadable expression. "You've tried to murder him many times. You murdered me. You tried to kill his students. You took Misako from him. And now you're causing him even more trouble." He laughed a little. "'Care' is such a strange word. I don't think you know what it means."

Garmadon swallowed. "I do know what it means. You don't."

Ichor smirked, looking at him. "I know what it means." His eyes darkened. "And it's a myth. No one cares about you. They say they do, but is that really true? You don't think Wu is going to give up on you? You don't think he's going to eventually leave you? After everything you've done…you really think they'll accept you?"

He frowned, biting his lip. No. Wu said he forgave me. They won't give up on me…right?

"That's what I thought." He shook his head, then glared at Ochre. "Get your mutt under control."

Garmadon frowned, looking at Ochre.

Ochre had his hackles raised, growling at Ichor, ears back and tail slightly tucked.

He stroked the dog. "Sorry… Ochre, stop it."

Ichor frowned irritably. "If that dog comes after me—" he moved the dagger in a gesture across his throat, eyes narrowing—"I kill it. Got it? So keep it away from me."

He quickly nodded. "Y-yes, he won't bother you, I'm sorry."

"Good." Ichor sheathed his dagger, sending a glare at Ochre, and then walked out of the room.

Garmadon swallowed, then shakily sat down, hugging Ochre. "Don't growl at him, okay? He's…not someone to growl at. Please don't."

The dog wagged his tail, licking Garmadon's face. He whined.

He bit his lip, petting Ochre's back and smoothing out his raised hackles. "It'll be okay. This will be fine."

He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince the dog or himself.

"Garmadon?"
He jumped, looking at Wu. "W-what?"

Wu frowned, staring at him. "Why are you sitting on the floor?"

Garmadon shrugged, still petting Ochre. He avoided his gaze.

"Hmm… Well anyway, it's supper time. You need to eat. Did you ever have lunch?"

He frowned. "I'm not hungry."

"Brother…you need to eat. I don't want to have this conversation again."

Garmadon stared at the floor.

"Come on." Wu took his arm, pulling him to his feet.

He flinched, stiffening.

"Please eat. Besides, it will be good for you to be around Ichor. You two can learn to get along, despite what has happened in the past."

Garmadon bit his lip. "I-Ichor's there…?"
"Of course. He's going to have dinner with us."

"B-but…" He shut his mouth. Wu wouldn't listen unless he told him everything, and that wasn't happening. He'd just have to…deal with this. He could deal with this. It would be fine.

"Come on." Wu started leading him out of the room, Ochre trotting along behind. "I don't think you should be hiding out in the living room, either, just to avoid him. Avoidance won't help the situation. It will make it worse."

They headed down the hall.

Wu continued. "Ichor is willing to talk, as I've told you. I know you've been having some problems, but it's the right thing to do to try to make amends with him."

Garmadon stared at the floor.

"I've tried explaining that to Ichor as well, by the way. He'll be understanding."

He frowned. "Explained what?"

"Your…issues. The anxiety. I didn't go into detail—just enough so he knows you're anxious and startle easily."

He frowned even more. Great. More ways for him to torture me. Though he probably already knew all of it, and more.

Wu walked into the kitchen.

Garmadon looked up. The ninja sat at the table, food already set. Misako and P.I.X.A.L. were there as well in their usual seats, and Zane stood, since there wasn't enough room for them all. Ichor sat on the far end, by Wu's spot.

"Where would you like to sit?" Wu asked.

"Um…where I usually sit."

Cole scooted over for him, and he sat down.

Wu sat down in his seat by Ichor.

Garmadon glanced at Ichor, who was on the same bench as him, but Cole and Jay separated them. He bit his lip, then stared down at his food.

Everyone started eating awkwardly.

Ichor watched everyone, eating slowly, seeming to be observing them.

"So…you're supposed to be dead?" Kai rose an eyebrow.

"Kai." Wu sent the ninja a warning look. "That isn't very nice."

Ichor shrugged. "It's fine. Technically, yes, I'm supposed to be dead."

"Then why aren't you?" Cole asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter, really."
"It kinda does." Kai crossed his arms. "You just suddenly showed up, and you won't even say how? That's sus."

"Sus?" Ichor rose an eyebrow skeptically.

"It's slang from some game they like," Wu said. "It means suspicious."

"It's from Among Us." Jay grinned.

"Oh. What is this game?" Ichor stirred his food slowly, looking at Jay.

Jay shifted nervously. "U-um…well, someone is the impostor, and the others are crewmates. The impostor kills the cremates until they either figure out who's the impostor, or the impostor kills them all."

"Hmm." He smirked a little. "Sounds…thrilling."

Why does that sound so much like this situation? Garmadon bit his lip. Except that I know who the impostor is—Ichor.

"Uh…yup! Heh heh." Jay rubbed the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly. "Very thrilling."

Lloyd observed Ichor, eyes slightly narrowed. "You're the elemental master of blood, right?"
Jay paled a little. "Cool element. Heh."

Ichor nodded, taking a bite of his food. "Yes."

"What does that mean? What can you do?" Lloyd asked.

"Things. It's probably not a good discussion for dinner, either." He smirked. "Unless you have strong stomachs."

Jay cringed, one hand going to his stomach. "I don't! So let's not talk about blood."

Cole elbowed him playfully, smiling. "Come on, buddy. It's not that bad."

"Oh, it can get dark." Ichor smirked.

Jay paled even more, scooting closer to Cole.

"Let's focus on eating and appropriate topics of conversation," Wu said.

Kai glared at Ichor. "You're still sus."

Nya rolled her eyes. "Kai, knock it off. He's just a friend of Master Wu's."

"Yeah, and sus."

"Guys, stop it." Lloyd shook his head. "Be nice. You guys are supposed to be mature."

"Like you're mature!" Kai ruffled his hair, smirking.

"Hey!" He quickly tried to fix it. "I am mature!"
"Are not! You still pull pranks!"

"I do not, that's Jay and Cole!"

"It is too you, you gremlin."

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh."

They continued to bicker.

Garmadon stared at his food, having not eaten anything yet. It was rice with veggies, with some egg rolls on the side. Zane and P.I.X.A.L. had made it. It looked good…but with Ichor here, his appetite was gone.

Misako patted his hand. "Garmadon?"

He jumped, looking at her.

She frowned. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly.

"Y-yes. I'm fine." He looked back at the rice.

"Alright…" She watched him for a moment, then started eating again.

The ninja bickered most of supper, lightening the mood, and Ichor remained silent unless asked a direct question. Wu spoke with him a little, but the ninja were very obnoxious in figuring out who was pulling pranks, who was cleaning up after dinner, and who stole Jay's comics, so Wu didn't get far.

After everyone had eaten, Wu and Ichor left to find where Ichor would be sleeping the night. The ninja—minus Zane—had all been put on clean-up duty by Wu, and Misako had stayed with Garmadon. P.I.X.A.L. and Zane had left.

Garmadon stroked Ochre, trying to calm his anxiety down. He walked to a cupboard, almost crashing into Kai who held an armful of plates.

Kai scowled. "Hey! Watch it!"
"S-sorry…" Garmadon found Ochre's dog food and put some of the kibble in his bowl.

Ochre wagged his tail, happily gobbling up the food.

He felt someone's gaze on him, and looked at Misako. She watched him, standing with her arms crossed, and frowning a little. A pondering look was on her face. He swallowed uneasily.

She blinked, suddenly realizing he'd noticed. She reddened slightly, then turned, walking out of the room.

He noticed Lloyd watched Misako leave, a questioning frown on his face. Lloyd glanced at him briefly, then went back to washing dishes.

Garmadon frowned. That was odd. He wasn't sure what that was about, with Misako watching him like that. He stroked Ochre.

As soon as the dog had finished eating, he left the room, going to the living room.

He paused abruptly in the doorway.

Ichor and Wu were in the room, talking. Two blankets and a pillow were set up on the other couch, the one Garmadon didn't sleep on.

Wu looked at him. "Oh, hello, brother. Ichor is going to be sleeping in her for the next few nights. Or, however long he's staying."

Garmadon paled, glancing at Ichor.

Wu walked over to him. "It'll be alright, brother." He patted his shoulder, then lowered his voice. "I know it's not ideal, and I know you don't want to share the room with him, but I didn't have anywhere else to put him. You'll be fine for a few nights, right?"

He tried not to flinch at the touch, the flicker of pain easing after a few seconds. "Um…I…" No. He would not be fine. But he couldn't say that. He stared at the floor. "Yes."

Wu smiled a little. "Good. Thank you. I know this is hard with him here, but I really do think it's for the best."

Garmadon bit his tongue, walking past him and over to his couch. He glanced at Ichor, who stood by the other couch.

Ochre's hackles raised slightly, a low growl starting.

"Ochre, no." He patted the dog's head, then stroked his back, trying to get his fur to lower.

Wu walked over, frowning at the dog. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Sorry. Ochre, lay down."

The dog reluctantly obeyed, laying right next to the couch.

Garmadon sat down, petting him.

Wu sipped a cup of tea that Garmadon hadn't noticed before. "Maybe tomorrow you two can talk?"
Ichor nodded. "Possibly." He laid down on the couch, facing the back. "Thank you."

Wu smiled. "You're welcome." He headed for the door. "Goodnight, both of you."

"Goodnight."

"'Night…" Garmadon swallowed, watching Ichor's back.

Wu left.

"Going to sleep, Garmadon? Or are you just going to stare at me?" Ichor chuckled darkly.

He frowned, then laid down, turning so that he laid in a direction he could keep Ichor in his sight. "Yes." He set his hand on Ochre, running his fingers through the dog's fur. His chest tightened, and he bit his lip hard.

"Don't worry. Maybe I'll take out your other eye while you're sleeping. Then you won't have to see me."

He swallowed, paling a little.

The room fell silent, the only noise Ochre's soft breathing. Garmadon didn't dare to breathe, at least not much, listening for any sign that Ichor was about to attack. Ichor didn't make a sound.

This was going to be a long night.

Unless Ichor decided to murder him—then he'd never make it to morning.

Author's note: I keep forgetting to add this, but if anyone is interested, I've found some songs that match Garmadon well from this fanfic:

Panic Room by Au/Ra

Broken Like Me by Citizen Soldier

Tell Your Heart To Beat Again by Danny Gokey

A Reason to Fight by Disturbed

Monster by Imagine Dragons

You're Gonna Be Ok by Jenn Johnson

The Villain by John Michael Howell

Fine by Kyle Hume

Dark Matter by Les Friction (This one reminds me of the Great Devourer's venom)

Beautifully Broken by Plumb

Psycho In My Head by Skillet

Monster by Skillet

It's Not Me, It's You by Skillet

Healing Begins by Tenth Avenue North

Fear Is a Liar by Zach Williams

Walk Through the Fire by Zayde Wolf

Here's a song that matches Lloyd well:

My Heart's Grave by Faouzia

And if anyone is interested, I also have some songs that match Ichor well. It reveals a little more about him too:

PYSCHO by AViVA (This one works better for book 2)

HOUDINI by AViVA

My Own Miracle by Citizen Soldier

Hand Me Down by Citizen Soldier

Unstoppable by Disturbed

Born Without a Heart by Faouzia

My Demons by Fight The Fury

Eyes Closed by Imagine Dragons

Blood by LIUFO

DARKSIDE by Neoni

Here Comes Trouble by Neoni (This one also works better for book 2)

MACHINE by Neoni

If You Want Love by NF

Another One Bites The Dust - Remastered 2011 by Queen

Counting Sheep by SAFIA

Duality by Set It Off

I really love music apparently, because this list got longer than I thought it would XD Also if you like my writing style, you might like Spy x Family. It's an anime/comic series and the plot structure is similar to this fanfic (: