Garmadon opened the sliding door halfway, peering out. The ninja had passed him in the hall, having a race to see who could reach the golden dragon statue in the courtyard first. Nya had won, it seemed, by Kai and Cole's pout and Jay's admiring stare at her.
"Brother?"
Garmadon jumped, spinning around. "W-what?"
Wu frowned, tea in one hand. "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing…" He swallowed, stepping back, then almost tripped outside. He quickly stepped in again and shut the door. "Uh…what did you want?"
"I'm sorry your therapy was canceled yesterday. Phil is no longer sick and is feeling better, so I'm going to reschedule your appointment."
Garmadon nodded. "Oh…"
"What were you doing?"
"Nothing…" He stared at the floor, walking past him and back down the hall.
Wu followed him. "I'll reschedule your appointment for this afternoon. Is that alright?"
"I guess." He glanced at Ochre, stroking his head. His black fur was soft, and relaxed him slightly.
"Good. Have you spoken with Ichor at all?"
He stiffened, fists tightening. "N-no."
"You seem to be avoiding him… Your pasts can't be reconciled without communication."
Garmadon picked at his glove, shivering as a coldness seeped over him. The light flickered above, his arm trapped, chained down onto a table next to him through an opening in some…machine. Ichor's hand went to the lever. "Maybe this will teach you." He started to pull it downwards.
Garmadon sucked in a breath, blinking rapidly.
"Brother? What's wrong?"
He jumped at Wu's voice, stumbling back into the wall.
"Garmadon? It's alright." Wu stepped towards him cautiously. "Just take a deep breath."
His gaze flicked both ways down the hall—it sat empty, aside from him and Wu. He tried to relax, told himself Ichor wasn't around right now, that he was safe for the moment. It only sort of worked, like usual.
Wu stepped towards him again, slowly reaching out his hand and patting his shoulder.
Garmadon flinched, stiffening, and stared at him blankly.
"It's alright, brother. Would you like some tea? It might help. Remember we have the Anxie-tea?"
He frowned. He felt fur against his hand, and stroked Ochre. "I-I…uh…" Ichor's scarred face flashed through his mind. He stiffened more, then abruptly turned, walking quickly down the hall. "No." He was fine.
Wu followed, catching up with him. "It would help your anxi—"
"No!" He grit his teeth, heart pounding now. His fists clenched and his breath caught in his throat, tightening painfully. I need to get out of here. His eye darted left and right, to the doors and further down the hall.
"Brother… It would help. Can you explain what's wrong? Maybe I can h—"
Ichor appeared above him, grinning darkly. The light shown above him, covering his face in shadow. "Care for some dissection today?" He chuckled.
Garmadon tensed, the metal cuffs holding him tightly down.
His captor chuckled again, pulling out a dagger. "Let's do some surgery. What do you think?"
His eyes widened. He started to struggle. "No, please, don't—"
Ichor just grinned. To the two men, "Hold him still."
Two men appeared, grabbing his arms and legs.
"This is a delicate process. It must be done precisely, or my 'patient'—" he chuckled—"will die during the procedure."
Garmadon paled, whimpering. Maybe death would be better than this. Maybe he'd mess up, on whatever he was doing, and he wouldn't have to be here anymore.
Ichor put the dagger's tip to Garmadon's chest, putting pressure down slightly. He grinned at him. "First, let's cut you open. Have you ever heard that waking up during surgery is traumatizing? It can cause something called 'PTSD' apparently. Now imagine being awake during the entire thing? With ZERO painkiller." He laughed, eyes lighting up in glee, gaining a certain eagerness, a satisfaction, from all this.
He shut his eyes, choking on another whimper. "P-please, don't…"
"I'd love to hear you scream."
The dagger cut into him.
Garmadon gasped, shaking.
"Brother, just breathe, alright?"
He jumped, gaze snapping to Wu. How…how did I get on the floor? His back was pressed to the wall, and he sat on the cold wood floor, shaking. Wu sat beside him, rubbing his shoulder, and Ochre was pressed against him, tail wagging concernedly.
"Are you alright?"
Garmadon opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His mouth was too dry, throat too tight. He gripped Ochre, running his fingers through his fur over and over again.
Wu sat straighter, seeing that he was more aware of things now. "What happened?"
"I…I…" He coughed a little, swallowing.
"It's alright, just focus on breathing." He waited a few minutes, watching him.
Garmadon stared at the floor, his breathing gradually slowing and mind clearing.
"You haven't had a panic attack in a while…"
He picked at his glove, tense. "S-sorry." I haven't had one that you know of, anyway.
"You don't have to apologize. I just want to know what happened, so I can help. Do you know what caused this one?"
"N-no…"
"It was just…sudden?"
"Mm-hmm."
"I see…"
Garmadon stood. "I-I…I'm going to the living room."
Wu also stood, still watching him closely. "Alright. Do you need anything?"
"No."
"What about water?"
He shook his head, quickly heading for the living room. Hopefully, Ichor wasn't there…
"Garmadon…" Wu watched as he left, then sighed.
He quickly turned into the living room, fists tightly clenched. Wu's stare was almost painful, anxiety clawing at him. He needed to—
"Hello, Garmadon."
He jumped, stumbling into the corner of the doorway.
Ichor smirked. "So sorry. Did I scare you?" He laughed.
Ochre growled, hackles raising.
"Ochre, no." Garmadon quickly tried to smooth the dog's fur down, watching Ichor. "W-what do you want?"
Ichor shrugged, twirling his dagger slowly. "How about you get that mutt out of here and I'll tell you?"
"Um…out where?"
"I don't care. Anywhere." He scoffed. "Throw it outside or something. Stab it. Toss it off the mountain. Just get it out of this room."
He swallowed, then looked at Ochre. "O-Ochre…um…go find Zane. Um…maybe he's got food."
The dog glanced at him, then his gaze fixed on Ichor again.
"Ochre, go." He pointed to the hallway.
The dog whined, wagging his tail slightly.
"Ack, you're so useless!" Ichor stalked over, then kicked the dog. "Beat it, mutt!"
Ochre yelped, leaping back. He growled, white teeth showing, and snapped at Ichor's leg.
Ichor sucked in a breath, stumbling back. "HEY! YOU DIMWITTED—"
Garmadon quickly stood in front of him. "You don't have to kick him!"
Ichor glared at him coldly, teeth gritted as he gripped his dagger. "Then remove him."
"I will…I was working on it…" Sheesh. He held back a scoff, taking Ochre by the collar and dragging him out of the room. He came back in, shutting the door.
Ochre barked, clawing at the door.
"Ochre, no. Stay."
Ichor glared at him. "Anyway. Back to what I want."
Garmadon looked at him nervously, a shudder going through him. "W-what do you want…?"
He smirked, then stepped closer, dagger in his hand still. "It's too bad we're not at my lab still. I could have done more to you. I guess this will have to do, though—I can still torture you here."
He swallowed, paling. "What?" He stepped back. "You can't. Someone would hear."
Ichor laughed. "Don't worry, they won't. There's more ways to torture someone than just physically."
Garmadon stepped back again, running into the door. "B-but…h-how…?"
He grinned crookedly, a dark glint in his eyes. "Emotionally. Mentally. That sort of thing. Ever heard of mind games? They're quite fun."
He stared at him.
"The mind is so interesting. It can twist in so many different ways…be manipulated so easily… Thoughts can become smudged or lost. Ideas and morals can change in an instant or over years." Ichor stared at his dagger, running two fingers along the blade. "Sometimes…it can be twisted so badly that reality becomes fuzzy and thoughts become real."
"What…?"
Ichor looked at him, then smirked. "But anyway. I should go now." He shouldered past him, opening the door.
Garmadon almost fell out into the hall.
Ichor walked away.
Ochre growled at him, then sniffed Garmadon, tail wagging worriedly. He whined.
He swallowed, then pet the dog. "It's okay, Ochre…" He knelt by him, hugging him tightly around the neck and closing his eye. It felt childish, how he needed the dog, but if he didn't have Ochre, if he hadn't gotten him back from Macario, he…didn't know how he'd handle this. He took a breath, then stood shakily. He walked into the living room.
"Brother?"
He jumped, spinning around and then tripping over Ochre, face-planting.
"Oh—I'm sorry, Garmadon! I didn't mean to startle you…" Wu quickly helped him up. "Are you alright?"
Garmadon stared at him, trying to get his heart to stop pounding.
Wu now held a cup of tea, which he held out to him. "I really didn't mean to startle you. I know you didn't want to try the Anxie-tea, but I made some for you anyway."
He hesitantly took it, taking a breath. "I don't need tea."
"You've been very jumpy lately…I think you do."
"Tea doesn't solve everything!" He hadn't meant to snap. But with Ichor being here, and Wu pushing him and him jumping at every single noise…he was tense.
His brother frowned. "Well…maybe not everything…but it's helpful for a wide variety of things."
"It's just stupid leaf-juice that's cooked! I'm sick of tea!"
"Garmadon…there's no reason to yell. Please calm down."
He bit his lip, then spun around, heading—
He tripped over Ochre again. Ochre yelped, leaping away. Garmadon almost face-planted, but managed to stumble instead, the tea only slightly spilling over the edge.
Wu frowned, watching him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." He huffed, stalking over to the couch. Ichor was ruining everything, like he'd known he would.
"Garmadon. Why you so upset?"
He set the tea on the coffee table, biting his lip. "Sorry…"
His brother walked over. "Why are you suddenly so anxious again…? You've been getting better… Last time something like this happened was when your dog was taken by that man. But you have the dog now. I thought it helped?"
Garmadon sat down on the couch, petting Ochre. "He…does help. I don't know why I'm anxious suddenly." Though he definitely did. He reluctantly picked up the teacup, sipping it. Maybe it would help…
Wu frowned. "Is this because of Ichor?"
He choked on the tea, coughing.
"I'm taking that as a yes… I know you don't like him, but I'm not sure why that would make your anxiety worse."
He finally got a breath in, still trying not to choke. "I-I, no, that's not it."
"Then what is it?"
"I…I'm fine." He coughed again, then sipped some of the tea to see if that would help.
"I can see that."
He set the teacup down, swallowing. "What does that mean?"
"Whenever I talk to you about Ichor, you clam up. You can't avoid him forever."
Garmadon glared at the ground. I can try.
"Brother, are you really going to hold a grudge against him? I know you've never liked him but this is getting ridiculous. Father taught us to forgive and that peace—"
"Father isn't here. He's dead." He cringed a little at how harsh and insensitive that sounded.
Wu frowned, eyes narrowing. "I know that. But that's no reason to be disrespectful of him."
"What?! I'm not!"
"You are by not considering what he's taught us."
Garmadon stood, heading for the door. "Whatever. His 'teaching' was dumb anyway."
"Garmadon—!"
He walked out of the room.
"Why are you acting so childish?! And you left the tea in here!"
He ignored him, heading quickly down the hall and stuffing his hands in his pockets. He took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. He…he'd never snapped at Wu like that before. His brother didn't deserve that, and he'd only been trying to help. He bit his lip. Idiot. Ichor was right—maybe he didn't know what 'care' meant…
He couldn't explain to Wu why he was acting like this, why his anxiety had gotten worse. He…couldn't know what had happened.
It had to stay a secret.
"There you are…" Misako relaxed a little, sighing.
Garmadon jumped, looking at her. The dog lay beside him, curled up, but had lifted its head when she had walked in.
She glanced around at the room. Boxes lined the walls and covered most of the floor, with a single walkway to the back where Garmadon sat. "Why are you in the storage room?" She had been looking for him for fifteen minutes, and hadn't thought to check this room until now.
Garmadon shrugged, looking away.
Misako frowned. "Is something wrong?"
He stroked Ochre. "No…"
She walked over to him.
Garmadon tensed, looking at her. His wide-eyed gaze showed fear, which wasn't abnormal, but he had been getting better lately, with the anxiety…
She studied him. Something was wrong…but she couldn't figure out what. The only thing that was different was that Ichor was here. She frowned more. "Garmadon…what do you think of Ichor being here?"
He suddenly looked cautious, partially replacing the anxiety. He shrugged.
"Wu said you both didn't get along well during the Serpentine War?"
"No."
"Why was that?"
He looked away, eye narrowing at the wall. Then he bit his lip, looking at the dog instead and running his hand through its fur.
She crossed her arms, uncertain. "I know you don't want to talk about it…but I want to understand. Something is going on."
"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."
"Then why are you hiding in here?"
"I'm not!"
Misako blinked. He didn't usually snap like that, either… She hesitated, then turned, walking to the door. She glanced back at him though, pausing.
Garmadon clenched his jaw, fists clenched as he stared at the floor.
She remembered a few days ago, when Garmadon had cooked those eggs with Lloyd, and she'd…wondered if he loved her. And a couple days ago, when he'd awkwardly asked for her phone number, she'd once again considered it. He was awkward around her…but…maybe she was looking too much into it. He was awkward around everyone, wasn't he?
Misako gently shut the door, heading down the hall. She'd thought the Garmadon she knew was permanently erased by Harumi, when he'd been resurrected. Maybe that was still the case after all…but something wasn't sitting right with her.
"Wu?"
Wu looked at Misako, taking a sip of his tea. "Yes?"
She walked into the kitchen, frowning. "Garmadon's acting…odd."
"I know…I don't know why, other than Ichor being here. I wish those two would talk." He sighed.
Misako crossed her arms, staring off to the side. "He snapped at me a few minutes ago. He's never done that before—at least, since being here at the monastery after you found him in Jamanakai."
Wu frowned. "At you?"
"Yes."
His eyes narrowed. "About what?"
"I tried to figure out what was wrong. I asked him a few questions about Ichor."
"Hmm… Every time I bring up Ichor, he gets snappish, anxious, and clams up. I know he doesn't like him, but that's no reason to snap at you." Wu headed for the door. "I'll talk to him."
"No, that's alright. I'll talk to him. I just wanted to let you know."
He paused, looking at her. "I understand him snapping at me, but not at you. I know he's been having problems for a while, but just because Ichor is here doesn't mean he needs to be rude."
She frowned. "Maybe he's just scared."
"Of what?"
"I'm not sure…maybe it's just from guilt over what he did to Ichor. But…" She looked away.
"But what?"
"Something doesn't add up…something is wrong. Maybe it does have to do with Ichor somehow? In more ways than Garmadon just not liking him."
Wu frowned. "I don't know in what other way it could be."
"Me neither. Maybe I'll look into it…" She walked out of the kitchen.
He watched her leave. He wasn't sure what she meant by that, and he didn't know how Ichor had anything to do with Garmadon's snappishness other than what had happened during the war. He sighed, then sipped his tea again. Knowing Misako, she'd figure it out.
Garmadon stared at the ground, biting his lip. Ochre was currently inside, begging for supper from Zane, P.I.X.A.L., and Nya. They were making some sort of pasta with soy sauce, but had also started some dumplings. These dumplings had ground pork in them, which was mainly what enticed Ochre to beg for it.
He stared at the courtyard. The sun slowly headed for the horizon, turning the sky orange. The murals on the wall were tinted orange, along with the rest of the courtyard. It was pretty.
Though it was hard to find it relaxing.
"Hello, Garmadon."
He jumped, spinning around.
Ichor grinned cockily. "Sorry. Did I startle you?"
"W-what do you want…?" He took a step back, then almost tripped on the stairs.
He laughed darkly. "The same thing I've wanted for the past forty years. Why do you have to keep asking?"
Garmadon frowned.
Ichor took out his dagger, staring at the blade. "Too bad your mutt isn't with you. And no one else, either. It's just you and me. Do you know what that means?"
He swallowed. "I…I don't know. What?"
Thud!
Garmadon gasped, actually tripping and falling down the stairs this time. His back hit the hard, cold ground, and his ribs started throbbing. He stared at the sky, breath knocked out of him.
Ichor came into his line of sight. "What, too fast? I thought you used to be a ninja. Guess my kicks are too speedy for you." He laughed.
He winced, then scooted away from him.
The blood elemental cocked his head slightly, observing him. "I could do almost anything to you. No one would know if you got a few more bruises, as long as its not on your face."
"B-but…I…"
Ichor kicked him again, in the ribs.
He choked on a gasp, curling into himself.
"You heal surprisingly quickly. Though that's partially that weird tea Wu's given you before. But, it's also your oni side. Which is good for me—I can hurt you more without people knowing." He grinned. "I could keep this up for years, and no one would know. You're trapped, Garmadon."
He whimpered, staring at the porch stairs to the monastery. He knew Ichor was right.
"And just think? This is going to get worse. Maybe I can make everyone think you're crazy. Maybe I can get everyone to think you're more pathetic than you already are. They'll give up on you, leave you." Ichor kicked his leg.
He sucked in a breath, trying to take the pain.
"Hmm…you really are worthless. No one wonder you've ended up like this. You could have ruled the city, but no—you were so pathetic your own son defeated you."
Garmadon's eye narrowed. "I never wanted to rule the city. I'm glad Lloyd defeated me."
He chuckled. "Really? Too bad. I must have really messed up your head, then."
He frowned. "What?"
"Nothing, nothing." Ichor knelt by him, taking out an ice cream scoop.
Garmadon flinched, sucking in a breath.
The tip pressed down next to his remaining eye, the metal cold. Ichor grinned. "You've made too many mistakes." His gaze darkened. "Remember? I told you not to try that again."
He shuddered, eye widening. "W-what? What did I do? I promise I didn't try to run, I didn't do anything!"
Ichor cocked his head. "Do you remember what you just said? You suddenly got defiant again. We can't have that happening, can we?"
Garmadon whimpered. "B-but…I…I'm sorry. I'm sorry, it won't happen again!"
The cold tip of the scoop pressed down more. "You had better hope not. For your sake." Ichor suddenly stiffened, looking up. He stood, putting the ice cream scoop away.
He scrambled to his feet shakily and backed away from him.
Ichor hopped onto the roof, looking down at him. "Remember my warning." He disappeared onto the roof.
Garmadon stared at the ground, fists tightening. I need to get out of here. He was endangering Lloyd, Misako, and Wu by being here. And Ichor was just going to keep coming back, keep tormenting him…but if he ran, Ichor might take out his other eye. He whimpered, tears beginning to form once more.
Ichor was right—he was trapped.
He looked at the doors to the monastery, leading out to the mountain steps. Was he being selfish, by staying here? He knew he was endangering Lloyd, Misako, and Wu. He feared if he left, Ichor would hurt him more.
But that was selfish.
I need to leave.
He swallowed. He didn't know what Ichor might do to him. He'd probably take him back to his lab. He'd probably torture him again.
Garmadon shuddered, but made up his mind. He headed for the doors. His mind went to Lloyd, what he might think when he realized that he'd left. Again. But he couldn't stay. Ichor would stay for however long he did, and he knew Ichor wouldn't hesitate to hurt his son, Misako, and Wu.
He opened one of the doors, pausing to glance back at the monastery and the courtyard. It stood silently, a few leaves blowing across the courtyard floor. He'd stayed there for a month now, since Wu had found him. He'd always considered leaving because of the risks of staying and because of his guilt. And now…he was finally doing it. At one point he'd come to believe he'd never actually do it, that maybe he didn't need to.
But with Ichor now here…he didn't have a choice.
Right?
The murals caught his eye—the one portraying him, with red eyes, black skin, and four arms. He didn't deserve to be here. He'd hurt someone. He'd already snapped at Wu and Misako. What if he snapped at Lloyd?
He bit his lip hard, then quickly headed for the stairs. He should have left a long time ago, never come in the first place. This would hurt Lloyd. He knew it. But staying might hurt him more.
Once Ichor found out he left, he'd come find him. He'd continue to torment him forever, never leave him alone. Why did I think I could escape him? Why did I ever think I could escape in the first place? Leaving Ichor's lab hadn't changed anything, other than lessening the physical pain.
Maybe it would have been better if he'd never left the lab in the first place. Maybe he should have just stayed, accepted his fate, not tried to—
"Garmadon?"
He stumbled, almost tripping on the steps, and turned to see Misako standing at the courtyard doors.
"Where are you going?" She stepped out, leaving the large red door cracked open.
"I…uh…" He stared at her, trying to fumble for what to say. He looked away after a moment. "I'm…leaving."
"Leaving? Why?"
He heard the surprise in her voice, the beginnings of hurt. "I…I can't stay here."
"Why not?" She walked towards him. "Is this because of Ichor…?"
Garmadon bit his lip. The wind blew softly, the warm smell of summer in the air. "If I stay, I'm just going to end up hurting someone." Or, someone will be hurt because of me. Ichor will do something.
She stopped next to him. "Garmadon, I don't believe you'll hurt anyone. We talked about this, remember?"
He frowned. "But…" If I don't hurt anyone, Ichor will.
"But what?"
"I…I don't belong here. I don't think I should have stayed as long as I have. So much has happened—I've changed, you've all changed, and I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to how I was."
"Garmadon, change happens all the time. It's not necessarily bad. Remember your father's saying? 'The past is the past, and the future is the future.' Maybe a lot of bad things have happened in the past—along with some good things—but now it's the present, and you have to live for the future. Your future should be here. Lloyd needs you."
He bit his lip again, harder. "I know Lloyd needs me," he said quietly, "but I don't know how to be there for him. I'll probably end up hurting him again."
Misako put a hand on his shoulder gently. "That's alright. Wu and I can help you. It'll be rocky at first, but it's getting better. Remember when you first came to the monastery, after Wu found you? You and Lloyd wouldn't even talk. But he's much more comfortable around you now, and you've both opened up a little, and…Lloyd's happier. I've seen his mood improve, and he's no longer so focused on training and being the Green Ninja. He's able to relax and act his age."
Garmadon nodded a little, hesitantly. "But…what if I end up hurting him?"
"Like I said, it'll be rocky. You may end up hurting him in some way. But it can be fixed, and with time, it'll get better. It's already gotten a lot better."
"I guess…"
"So will you stay?"
He looked at her. "I…"
She watched him, waiting, a hopeful look in her eyes.
She…wants me to stay? Even after he'd snapped at her earlier? Maybe…maybe Ichor was wrong. Maybe he did have something to fight for.
And that's why he needed to stay.
"I'll…stay," Garmadon said.
Misako smiled a little, relief briefly flashing across her face. "Thank you."
He nodded, then headed for the doors. He paused though, staring at the ground. "I…uh, sorry for snapping at you earlier."
"It's alright." She came and stood next to him again. "I would like to understand what's wrong though…"
"I'm fine."
"If you were fine, I don't believe you'd have tried to leave. Are you sure this doesn't have to do with Ichor?"
He bit his lip, stiffening. "No. It doesn't."
Her eyes narrowed, and she studied his face.
Garmadon quickly walked to the doors, opening one. He looked at her, waiting. "I'm fine. Er…well, fine enough. Really."
Misako walked over, nodding—but she looked disbelievingly. She walked into the courtyard, and Garmadon followed her in, shutting the door.
He glanced at the murals on the wall again. He shuddered at the one of him and stared at the floor instead. Now that he'd decided to stay…what was Ichor planning? He knew he was up to something. He just wasn't sure what. Why would he stay at the monastery, instead of taking him back to his lab? Or…was it because the ninja and Wu would come after him? Suspect what was going on?
He frowned. He wished he understood Ichor's messed up mind. Then maybe he could figure out what his crooked, sick game was all about. He knew he wanted revenge, he knew he was smart in figuring out how to get it, but he was always ten steps ahead of him.
And because of that, he was still trapped.