#Nya teaches Lloyd to steer the Bounty

[k1ngtok1]

kai + M? heavy thunderstorm maybz

M. When it rains/snows/storms

(Send me a character and a letter and I’ll write a short fic!)

Kai didn’t know what to make of the kid.

The little gremlin, son of the dark lord, prankster, and general annoyance that was Lloyd Garmadon had caused him nothing but frustration. He was so hard to understand and even harder to connect with. It didn’t help that Kai was the most frequent victim of his pranks and mischief. What was he doing wrong?

The others didn’t seem to have as much of a problem with him after their initial irritation in response to the first series of pranks. They hardly reacted anymore, unless he did something truly harmful, but Lloyd never seemed to cross that line between (mostly) harmless fun and truly harmful actions. If anything, they started treating him like a- dare he say it- a friend.

Jay supervised and taught Lloyd how to repair the training machine he had broken with gentle hands and a light tone. They played video games and geeked out over every new issue of the comics they both enjoyed. Lloyd became so much more open when he was with Jay. He couldn’t talk quite as fast, but he could go on for just as long and just as passionately. (Kai wondered if it was another neurodivergent thing like what Jay had told them about. It wasn’t long before he started noticing some of those traits in himself as well.)

“He’s a quick learner!” Jay exclaimed, “It’s a shame Darkly’s didn’t give him more than a basic education. Maybe I should start tutoring him instead.”

Lloyd was quieter around Cole. Their time was spent simply existing in the same room together. Maybe Cole doodled on the small sketchbook propped against his legs while Lloyd worked to beat Kai’s high score. It was hard not to raise an eyebrow at the grin that overtook Cole’s face as he carried a sleeping Lloyd back to the Bounty, or when Lloyd walked around the store with him, list in hand as they gathered more ingredients for the meal that he had ruined in his prank. He was so physically receptive when it came to Cole. He melted into each touch- each hair ruffle, high five, or linked hand when they crossed the street.

“He’s just a little kid, Kai,” he said, “Kinda reminds me of myself, before mom- well, y’know.”

Zane was much the same around him. Every day came a new lesson, though not the kind Sensei Wu would teach on the deck. Lloyd would peak over the counter as Zane idly described the chemical process of yeast and dough, though by the look on his face, Lloyd didn’t understand a lot of it. There was a furrow in his brow as he sat at the table while Zane read aloud from a book about mythology. It wasn’t a look of anger, but rather one of focus. Lloyd listened more with Zane. The kid was observant for a ten-year-old, but he opened his ears more than his eyes when they were together.

“I am attempting to form a positive connection between us,” he stated, “Sensei said the best way to defeat your enemy is to make him your friend, and while Lloyd is not exactly a foe to be bested, I would still like to heed his words.”

Even Nya had more luck than him, which was surprising, as her temper was much more volatile than his own. He would hang around with her on the bridge and she would teach him how to steer the bounty. They were left alone together while the ninja were off on missions, and often they returned to the two laughing at inside jokes that baffled the rest of the crew. She seemed to be a real friend to him, not in the way the others were. She wasn’t a mentor figure or a teacher. She was closer to his age, and Kai could see their bond being forged like one of his father’s pristine swords.

“He’s cool when you get past the pranks,” she told him, “You’ve just gotta lighten up a bit. You’ll get it eventually.”

With Kai things were different. He couldn’t put a label on their relationship no matter how hard he tried, and as far as he knew, Lloyd hadn’t done so either.

Even so, Kai couldn’t help but take note of how he always made sure to pick up the messes left behind by his mischief. He was left stunned as Lloyd rushed over to him when one of his pranks caused Kai to hit his head on the counter. He looked so concerned yet so unequipped to handle the situation, so Kai wasn’t quite as shocked when Lloyd left the room only to come back tugging Zane by the sleeve of his shirt. While Zane checked for symptoms of concussion, he fiddled anxiously with the sleeve of that old, raggedy hoodie that he refused to get rid of, despite being offered warmer clothes time and time again. Lloyd only relaxed when Zane announced that Kai only had a small abrasion that would need to be monitored closely.

Kai tried to block out the sounds that came through the thin wooden walls at night- those of muffled sobs and quick, panicked breaths with which he was all too familiar. The barely-there cries for his dad in that high, childish voice of his reminded Kai of times long since passed, when crying out for his parents was the only thing he could think of to call them home.

So maybe it was a coincidence that Kai would bump shoulders with him as they passed each other in the hall, or how his voice stayed low on the mornings when Lloyd couldn’t do much other than stare blankly at his cereal with eye bags deep enough to carry his burdens.

And maybe it was a coincidence he happened to walk out of the ninja’s shared room that stormy night, having been awoken to the boom of thunder and the pitter-patter of rain. Using the skills he had learned over the past months, Kai expertly avoided the planks that creaked loud enough to wake the dead or the ones that splintered particularly easily against his bare feet. The Bounty listed from side to side as it was hit by gale after gale from the storm, straining against the chain of the anchor. Looking through the windows of the main cabin below the bridge from his spot at the dining table, Kai could barely make out the mast he knew to be only so many yards away. The downpour was torrential- cynical and psychotic in its fury and need to drown the sky with its tears. He knew they weren’t in danger of a lightning strike blowing the Bounty apart since Jay had the foresight to add a lightning rod to the top of the mast, which led to the generator to store extra power. Despite this, the crack of thunder still shook him to his core.

Despite his loathing of water, Kai found a sort of nostalgic comfort in storms like these. Ignacia, a village that survived off its abundance of rice crop, experienced rains like this in the monsoon season every year. The heat and humidity cultured the crops, and the rains gave them life. While storms often caused Kai great annoyance in his childhood and early teens due to damages to the shop, he remembered times before that- when things were so simple.

“You see that?” whispered his mother into his ear, “Oh, how I love the rain. Don’t you, dear?”

The downpour played a staccato melody against the shingles on the rooftop, though they did nothing to muffle the sounds of glee from his father and little sister as they splashed around in the mud puddles and opened their arms to accept the cloud’s embrace. There was no thunder today, only rain and mud and the shadows that blanketed the sky.

Nya loved the water. She had taken to it like a fish the moment she was old enough to know what it was. His father was much like him and preferred staying dry, but he was helpless against the wishes of his daughter, who tugged him into his boots and pulled him into the rain.

Kai, however, did not like water. Sometimes he could deal with it, like when he needed to get clean or his parents asked him to help them scrub the dishes. Other times, though, the droplets felt disgusting against his skin. He imagined they felt a lot like the red-hot metal liquid his father sometimes worked with. His skin felt too tight wherever it ran, and he could never feel safe and warm until his clothes and thick hair was dry.

He shook his head and pushed against his mother’s chest, “‘s scary.” Rain was always so heavy in Ignacia. He was sure that one day he would be washed away with the flowing mud.

Her arms tightened around him and a gentle hand stroked through his hair, making it poke out in all directions, “That’s alright, mijo.” He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of her heartbeat with his hands clutched to her shirt, “But something tells me that one day you’ll find a way to love dancing in the rain like your sister.”

There was no way he could argue with that, despite the pout that graced his lips. Mother was always right, after all. Even father couldn’t argue against her, “…okay, mom.” One day, she said. That day was not today, but one day he would be able to call the rain home, too.

Kai was pulled from the memory by the boom of thunder and a squeak from the hall. He turned in his seat and a flash of lightning illuminated the culprit.

“What are you doing up, kid?” he kept his voice soft as to not startle him, but Lloyd flinched anyway. His sleeve was held to his mouth, so Kai figured he was anxiously chewing on it as he was wont to do with those sharp chompers of his.

Lloyd’s only response was to stare at the legs of Kai’s chair with those curious red eyes. Had he not known any better, Kai would have thought they glowed in the way a cat’s would when faced with light in the dead of night.

Kai spoke again, “Nightmares?”

The was rewarded with a hesitant nod, though Lloyd’s eyes had not yet met his own. Instead, he murmured something a bit too soft for Kai to hear.

“Can you say that again, kid?”

Those red eyes were trained against his face. Lloyd pulled his sleeve from his mouth and spoke a decibel louder than before, “I can leave if you wan’ me to.” The stuffiness in his voice spoke volumes as to the effects the dream must have had on him, because a voice only sounds like that after a long, dissatisfying cry. How had Kai not heard him when he passed by Lloyd’s door?

He shook his head and tried for a kind smile, but he felt as though his face was made for frowns, “No, no. You can come sit by me if you’d like.” He patted the cushioned seat beside him. As Lloyd hesitated in his choice to slowly shuffle forward, Kai vowed to comfort this child when the sun set, no matter their relationship in waking life. Life was difficult enough without nightmares.

Lloyd hopped himself into the seat beside him, and Kai found himself reaching an arm for his shoulders before he realized. He was about to pull his arm back, but Lloyd, who loved to make Kai ask questions he would never be able to answer, sniffled before reaching to press against Kai’s side and grip his shirt. There was no hesitation in holding him after that. Silent sniffles were pressed into his pajama top as Kai ran his fingers through soft blond hair.

It hit Kai all at once that he was doing what his mother would do on nights like these when the shadows of his room crept up the walls and his favorite blanket wasn’t strong enough of a shield to make them go away.

Time passed- though Kai couldn’t tell how long it had been since Lloyd pressed himself against him. The sniffles petered out, replaced by the occasional hitch of breath and the sound of heavy rains.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He didn’t know if it would help, but he offered so that Lloyd may have chosen to take it if he wished.

The face in his chest turned so its features were not hidden. Lloyd released a shaky exhale and a barely audible mumble, “Snakes.”

Kai moved the serpentine to the top of his mental hit list, right above the skulkin that stole his sister.

He continued to run his fingers through Lloyd’s hair, amused by how he seemed to melt into it like a cat. Was this how the others felt? To hold this child close enough to comfort? His jealousy was palpable.

“Well,” he started, listening to Lloyd’s soft, more contented breaths, “What do you usually do on nights like these?” As soon as he finished speaking, he had to hold back a whine of complaint as Lloyd moved from his hold, shifting so that he was leaning into his side rather than pressing into his chest. Kai’s skin was so cold without him acting as a temporary blanket. Nonetheless, he moved his hand back to the kid’s hair and watched his bright eyes stare out the window with intensity. There was a sort of longing to them, like the gaze Nya used to bear as she walked past a candy stall in the market. They never had enough money to buy such delicacies. Lloyd was fixed on the window leading out to the deck, and Kai had an idea that filled him with a bit of anxiety. He pushed it away to give Lloyd a grin.

“Do you wanna go outside?” Lloyd whipped to face him. Kai almost laughed at the pure and shocked eagerness on his face, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Lloyd nodded, “I’ve- Darkly’s would never let us outside when it rained. I can’t remember the last time I-“

Another member was added to his mental hitlist as Kai chuckled softly, “Well this ain’t Darkly’s, kid.” He stood from his chair and pulled Lloyd up with him, “C’mon. Let’s go get wet.”

As Kai pulled him outside and stood under the dark ended sky in wet pajamas, it was hard not to remember that night spent in his mother’s arms. The way Lloyd slid across the deck with childish glee and whooped into the open air made Kai think of Nya and his Father splashing in mud puddles. Gripping the railing and shouting into the night, laughing until their throats begged for water and their lungs heaved- this is what his mother meant about loving the rain. Laying on the deck beside Lloyd while the rain kissed his cheeks, panting and out of breath and making a game out of trying to catch the pieces of the falling sky on his tongue, Kai felt none of the tightness in his skin as he had before. There was no discomfort apart from the hard wood on his back and the ache in his throat.

The rain persisted into the morning with barely any light to show the sun’s effort. The crew of the Bounty found them lying on that deck, sleep-deprived and laughing. As they pulled the two of them inside and towel-dried their hair, Kai smiled at the little gremlin and received a smile in turn. Maybe that was what his relationship with Lloyd could be based on- the opening of heart and lungs- to confide and to laugh until your last breath. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he remembered his mother’s words.

He had finally found a way to love dancing in the rain: a little brother that matched him for every step.

#this is so much longer than it had to be but I’m ok with that #I know this is probably not the direction you expected me to take with this but I love Lloyd and Kai being brothers #ask game #ninjago #my writing #kai ninjago #ninjago kai #lloyd garmadon #dancing in the rain

[gwenbrightly]

Flying for Dummies

This oneshot was actually written for one of the fanzines, and I have been waiting months to be able to share it with you! I hope you enjoy “Flying for Dummies”, which is set before the season 1 episode titled The Snake King!

“Got any…. 4’s?” Lloyd asked, boredom tinging his voice. There wasn’t a whole lot to be done on the Bounty currently (the others were off on a mission, and his uncle was off doing… something), and this was far from exciting. Nya scanned the stack of playing cards she was holding. He waited impatiently.  

“Nope. Go fish.” the boy gave a long-suffering sigh and plucked a card from the middle (because convenience was for losers) of the pile. 

“Okay, my turn,” stated Nya, sounding only slightly more enthusiastic than Lloyd, “Got any 7’s?” he eyed his dwindling supply of cards dejectedly, but ultimately handed over several.  

“What about…. 3’s? I’m pretty sure you have at least 2 of them.” She speculated, watching his expression change from mere boredom to annoyance. Tossing her the last of his cards, Lloyd complained, 

“Aw… Come on…. how did you know?” he pointed at her impressive collection of matches and continued.

“You gotta be cheating… no one’s that good at Go Fish…” The teen shrugged.  

“Your face told me everything I needed to know, Lloyd. I’m not cheating, I promise. Just better at focusing.” the boy didn’t look like he believed her. 

“You wanna play another round, or?” she inquired, not really thrilled with the idea herself. Lloyd shook his head vigorously. 

“No… Please no. Isn’t there anything else we can do?” he begged. Nya frowned for a moment, thinking. 

“We could… play Candy-land?” 

“Nope”  

“Draw a picture?” 

“Nuh-uh.” 

“…Start a load of laundry?” Lloyd stared at the teen as though she were crazy, complaining, 

“You actually think I’d do that willingly so soon after the pink gi incident? It took me hours to get the color out…”  

“Hm…” The floorboards creaked as the flying ship shifted positions slightly. The movement sparked an idea in Nya’s brain.  

“I know! Come with me!” she cried, shooting up from her chair. 

“Huh? But where are we going?” he called after her, confused. 

“The bridge, of course. It’s time you learned how to steer the Bounty!” 

__________________________________________________________________

“This is gonna be so cool!” Lloyd exclaimed, skipping excitedly into the control room, “You can teach me how to fire the cannons, and do loop de loops, and all sorts of other cool flying tricks!” 

“Woah, hold your horses, there! Don’t you think maybe we should start with something, I dunno, a little simpler? I’d rather not get ourselves killed today if it’s all the same to you…” Nya asked, swatting his hands away from the steering wheel before he could give it a good spin. 

“Oh… okay,” the boy replied. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he made a show of reigning in his excitement. 

“What did you have in mind?” 

“Maybe the basics? Like what the different buttons do, so you actually know the difference between the light switch and the fire alarm and don’t wake up the entire ship at 3 AM?” she suggested. 

“C’mon Nya, no one’s that dumb,” Lloyd protested with another eye roll.  

“Well, actually…” 

“Wait – seriously?” 

“It was dark, Sis, how was I supposed to know that the fire alarm looks exactly like the light switch?!” Nya said in her very best Kai voice. He considered this explanation for a moment.  

“Y’know, on second thought, I’m not surprised by that at all,” the boy decided. She bit back a laugh.  

“Yeah. He can be… a little overzealous at times…” 

“You sure you don’t mean clueless?” 

“Well yeah, that too. But anyway, wouldn’t you rather be learning about the Bounty?” deflected Nya, not wanting to give Lloyd more excuses to annoy Kai. He was becoming quite good at it already.  

“Definitely. We can talk about Kai’s dorkiness anytime,” he agreed. 

“Okay, so. Most stuff is labeled with glow in the dark stickers, now, but I’ll still show you the most important ones,” she began, pointing to buttons and explaining what they did. When Nya reached a smallish button near a microphone, she told him,  

“This is the intercom. You can use it to contact people anywhere on the ship, though sometimes I like to use it to mess with the guys. Wanna try it out?” 

“Oh, um. Sure?” Lloyd’s eyes widened. 

“Here,” Nya handed him the microphone, “You just press down on the button and start talking.” 

“Good afternoon, passengers. This is your captain speaking. We’re in for a bit of a bumpy ride, since a group of Serpentine are headed our way! Better take cover, folks!” He cried, deepening his voice for dramatic effect. 

“Serpentine?! Oh no!” she chimed in, pretending to go faint, “This is the worst possible thing that could happen!” 

“Don’t worry, Admiral Nya! I’ll fly us to safety!” Lloyd assured her, patting her shoulder a bit harder than necessary, “Er… how… how do I do that?” letting out a giggle at his temporary break in character, Nya took charge. 

“Well, first you gotta disable the anchor, or we won’t be able to go anywhere,” she told him. 

“Oh, right. And uh, how would I do that?” 

 “The big lever to your right.” Instructed the raven haired teen. 

He pushed it as far back as it would go. A loud grinding noise could be heard as the anchor was raised.  

“Good,” she encouraged, “I think you might be ready for some basic steering lessons now.” 

“Awesome!” Lloyd breathed, hardly believing his luck.  

“Just try not to crash, okay?” Nya reminded him. He smirked at her, the picture of innocence.  

“Sure thing!” 

“Okaaay. So. First of all, you have to turn on the thruster – that’s kinda like a car’s gas pedal, it’s what makes the Bounty move without relying on the wind currents.”  

“The thrusters make the Bounty go, got it,” he confirmed. 

“Yep, and then we have the steering wheel, which is pretty self-explanatory-” 

The big screen in front of them flashed with a notification about an incoming message, interrupting Nya’s train of thought.  

“That must be the boys wanting us to come pick them up. Sorry, Lloyd, looks like we’re gonna have to cut your flying lessons short for the day…” she stated apologetically. 

“Not necessarily,” Lloyd said, a concerningly devious look on his face, “You… you could always let me steer on the way there?” 

Nya frowned, apprehensive.  

“I dunno, Lloyd… when I said basic steering lessons, I was thinking of a quick circle around the nearest field, not flying all the way to Jamanakai Village…”  

“Pleeaaase, Nya? I promise I’ll be extra super careful and listen to everything you say...” the boy begged. She weighed her options carefully.  

“Well...” 

____________________________________________________________________

When Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane climbed up onto the deck of the Destiny’s Bounty, like they had many times before, they were surprised to find Nya, rather than their blonde gremlin of a charge, cheerfully waiting to greet them. It took them longer than it should’ve to realize exactly what was wrong with this picture. But then it hit them.  

“Nya? I want you to think about this very carefully… If you’re out here… who’s steering?!” Kai asked slowly, afraid to hear the answer.  

“Lloyd. Who else?” his sister replied nonchalantly.  

“What?!” Jay shrieked. The looks on their faces were priceless.  

“He’s actually a pretty good pilot. He can even tell the difference between the fire alarm and the light switch.” 

#ninjago fanfiction #ninjago #myfics #lloyd and nya #omac #lloyd garmadon #nya smit #ninjago zine #Nya teaches Lloyd to steer the Bounty #what could possibly go wrong? #Lloyd needs to work on his poker face

[sneegsnitties]

You become a memory of someone else’s legacy

[AO3 LINK] [FF.NET LINK]

Summary:  After a run-in with a strange sorcerer, cole is sent somewhere familiar, but also incredibly different. Stranded with no way back, will he be able to find his way home or will his memories be replaced and lost forever?

Chapter 1

A hooded figure wanders the alleyways of Ninjago city, a crow calls out and lands on his shoulder. His blood-red eyes shine in admiration at his companion.

“Good. you’re back.” he says, the mask on his mouth makes his voice come out in a rasp, “did you do what I asked of you.” the crow caws in response, confirming that it did exactly what he asked it to do. He smiles within his mask. “Perfect.”

With a flourish, his cape swirls around him, encasing him in a black cloud before he disappears completely, leaving nothing behind as he travels between this world and his own.

He steps into his lair, takes off the mask on his face. Revealing the sharp teeth beneath it in his smile, and some of his not quite human features as he walks over to his spell book on the pedestal. Flipping to the page he was looking for.

His smile widens. “My friend,” he looks up at the crow, “it’ll work.”

~

There are some days where Cole wishes that things could be more interesting. Today is one of those days. There has been no new criminal activity or some adventure that he and the others need to go on. Or something like that. Hell, they haven’t appeared publicly in months. Aside from Shintaro, but that’s barely anything.

“I’m bored.” Jay moans.

“We know, Jay.”

“Why can’t anyone do something? Is it bad that I want that to happen? Just so we can have something to do?”

“Aside from training, that Wu insists that we do so we don’t end up soft like last time?” Nya adds, “yeah, I feel the same.”

“We could walk around the city, it would be better than sitting here and doing nothing,” Pixal suggests.

“That sounds like a good idea, we could go visit your father, get food at Skylor’s,” Nya says.

“I’m down to go.” Kai sits up, grinning.

“Is it because Nya mentioned Skylor?” Cole teases

“Yeah,” he says, blinking before realizing the implications of what Cole had said to him “she’s a lesbian, Cole.”

Jay bursts out into laughter.

“I know, I just like teasing you.” He grins at his fiery brother.

“Even if you weren’t, she already told me she wasn’t interested,” Kai adds, standing up and stretching.

“I will let Master Wu know that we are heading out,” Zane says, standing up as well to go to the door.

Before Zane can open the door, Master Wu comes in with a concerned look on his face.

“Everything okay, Master?” Lloyd asks.

“I suppose, but I have gotten word from the commissioner that there was a cloaked, mysterious figure spotted in the city last night. He had disappeared into a cloud of smoke.” Wu says looking at all of them. “They do not have a physical description of him at the moment. I was coming to ask you to search for him. Please be careful, ninja. We don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“Of course, master. We’ll be careful.” Cole says with a smile, knowing how much of an effort that he’s been putting into making sure they know he truly cares.

“We were just planning on visiting the city anyway, so we’ll look while we’re there!” Jay says with a grin.

“Should I take the mech?” Pixal asks as she opens the entrance to the hangar bay.

“I think that would be smart to do.” Master Wu says, “we can never be too careful with unknown threats. Return to me safe.”

Cole nods and follows the others into the elevator.

As soon as it closes, jay speaks up, “is it me or Wu more… caring?”

“Yeah, I noticed that too.” Kai says with a shrug, “it’s not bad, it’s just weird.”

“Kind of reminds me of when I first came to live with you guys.” Lloyd grins mischievously.

“I think he realized while we were in Shintaro when I almost gave up in doing the burst, he realized he’s been neglectful in his teachings, and maybe being an authority figure, too. He’s been stepping up.” cole says with a smile.

“About time for that.” Lloyd mutters, “what?” he says when everyone else is giving him a strange look, “he doesn’t treat me like his nephew. Or… family.” He says.

“So what do you think this dudes deal is?” Kai wonders aloud after a moment of awkward silence and walking out into the hanger and into the newly repaired land bounty as Pixal heads into her mech.

“I am unsure, but it sounds like Master Wu was… afraid. Like he knew what the commissioner was talking about.” Zane frowns.

“Better not be another one of those ‘there’s something I haven’t told you’ things.”

“I doubt it.” Cole sighs, “he seemed incredibly freaked out, plus I think he’s trying not to do that anymore.”

The ride into the city is relatively quiet aside from the music coming from their shared playlist through the speakers of the land bounty.

“It would be smart to stop by the police station to get more information if there is any,” Pixal says, her voice filtering in over the music.

“That’s what I was thinking. If we have time afterward, we can do what we were originally planning on doing,” Nya says as she steers the land bounty towards the police station.

“I now have doubts that we will.” She says, disappointment clear in her voice.

“We can visit another time, it’s all right,” Zane says with a reassuring smile, even though the samurai can’t see it.

Once they reach the police station, they find the commissioner is waiting outside for them.

“Oh, thank goodness. I’m assuming Wu told you?” He says with relief and leads them all inside.

“He told us you called and that a masked, mysterious figure was spotted,” Lloyd says with a frown.

“Yes, he was. We don’t know what his deal is. Though we fear it isn’t good. We know what we know because of security cameras spotting the guy in back alleys with a crow, talking to it. He asked it if it did what he asked it to do and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.” The commissioner explains. Leading them over to the computer to show the footage of the mysterious man. “We also reached out to the people in the area, they knew nothing. Nobody does. Whoever this person is, he’s a new threat that we know nothing about. Did Wu know anything?”

“No, he seemed… afraid. Like this was something he hasn’t heard or seen anything like this before.” Lloyd says with a frown.

The commissioner grumbles, “I’ve had my men out there looking for clues. So far, nothing. If you seven can find something, anything. Let me know.”

“Of course. Thank you for telling us this. We’ll do everything we can.”

He grins, “I knew I could count on you. Now, go, save the city, make sure we’re safe. Again,”

The ninja split up, each of them going in different directions to cover more ground. Cole went check out where the mysterious man was originally spotted. Looking around the alleyways to see if he can find anything that isn’t trash or stagnant water. So far, nothing. Not even a crow feather.

“I was wondering when one of you would show up here.” Cole hears a raspy voice behind him say.

Cole turns around quickly, preparing to call the other ninja in when he is unexpectedly knocked to the ground.

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting you… earth ninja. But that just makes things more interesting.” He rasps, allowing Cole to sit up and get a good look at his assailant.

What Cole sees, intimidates him. The man’s glowing, blood-red eyes, his black hair, the mask on his mouth that looks like an incinerator vent, the black cloak that makes him blend into the background, making it almost look like he’s invisible if not for the golden embroidery on it.

“You… you’re the person that the commissioner talked about.” Cole says, staring at him intensely.

“Ah… so you know of me.” The hooded figure says, with the tone of voice he was using, Cole can only assume he’s smiling underneath his mask.

“I know that you’re an evil dude who needs to be taken care of!” He says, standing up and summoning his lava hands in preparation.

“But you don’t know everything about me, it seems. Good. I wouldn’t have expected you to. I’m not from this dimension, after all.” He says, circling Cole, “go ahead, call your little ninja friends. It may be the last you hear from them.”

His eyes widen, he falters, his earth punch disappears. Was he going to be killed?

Quickly, he presses his hand to the com piece in his hood. Making sure that he keeps an eye on the figure. “I- I found him! In the same place he was spotted!” He says, the fear hopefully not being too obvious in his voice.

“You did!? Don’t confront him until you have backup.” Nya voice filters through.

“Oh, it’s a little too late for that. He confronted me.” Cole says, summoning his earth punch again. The fear and the adrenaline make it hard to hear the various voices of the other ninja telling him to hold off.

As he attempts to punch the guy, he disappears into that cloud of smoke. The earth ninja goes right through.

Coughing, he turns around, hoping to get him the next time. Before he knows it, he’s choking on the smoke, gasping for air. He didn’t think this through, did he?

“You little fool.” The earth ninja hears through his haze as he continues to choke on the smoke. “You thought you could take me on your own.”

“Y- you threat- threatened me.” He chokes out. He can barely breathe.

The last thing he hears before he passes out is the laughter of the man, “you shouldn’t have taken your chances.” he wheezes, “you do not understand what I’m capable of. Foolish little ninja.”

#ninjago #vesper speaks #vesper writes #ninjago fanfiction