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Heart of the Storm - Chapter 5 - Ninjago Fanfic“LLOYD HAS A DATE!” Jay yelled, running into the living room, where Kai and Nya were watching TV. Neither of them paid him any attention, instead craning their necks so they could look around him. “WHY AREN’T YOU GUYS HYPED ABOUT THIS?” Nya shrugged. “Because he just turned nineteen and it’s not a big deal?” ‘It is a big deal!” Jay bent down and grabbed Nya’s shoulders. “IT MEANS HE IS IN LOOOOOOOVE!” “JAY! KNOCK IT OFF!” Lloyd yelled from down the hall. When he walked into the room, he held his arms out to show off his button up shirt and nice jeans. “How do I look?” Kai stood up and circled him with a proud look on his face. “You clean up nicely! I taught you so well.” “Um, hellOOOOooooo?” Jay said, pushing in between Lloyd and Kai. “He obviously got his style from me.” Lloyd laughed. “Okay that’s enough from you guys.” “So, where are you going on your date?” Jay asked. Lloyd slid his arms into his brown jacket. “It’s not a date! We are meeting up at an arcade to exchange our books and then maybe grab dinner or something.” “Huh uh, yeah because everyone wears nice button ups to hang out at an arcade,” Kai teased, rubbing his hand into Lloyd’s hair. “DUDE, STOP!” Lloyd yelled irritated, yet amused. “It may not be a date, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to look good! I’ll see you guys later tonight, okay?” “Come on, I’ll walk you out,” Kai said, leading him towards the outer deck. “I don’t need an escort, dad,” Lloyd joked. Outside, Cole was quietly training, throwing punches at a training dummy. His fists glowed every time he swung, but the light would vanish before his punch landed. He took a few steps back and reached for his water bottle while wiping sweat from his forehead, finally noticing the two others approaching. “You look fancy!” he said, gesturing to Lloyd. “You guys are acting like I’m wearing a suit!” Lloyd laughed. “When all you wear are ripped jeans and oversized hoodies, you may as well be wearing a tux!” Cole clapped Lloyd’s shoulder. “Have a good time tonight, alright? And don’t forget to use protection.” “Oh my GOD I’m leaving now.” And without another word, Lloyd repelled down from the ship. “You getting some training in?” Kai asked Cole, the two of them now alone. “Yep. I need to stay sharp.” “Why were you pulling your punches?” Kai asked. “What are you talking about?” “When you were punching the dummy, you were using your super strength, but you’d stop using it right when you landed the punch.” “Oh, that!” Cole took a sip from his water bottle, then put it down, taking his fight stance again. “Two reasons. One, I don’t wanna break our dummy again. And two, it’s important that I always have control over when and where I use my strength. I never want to actually hurt anyone.” “But if you never use your strength, how will you know what you can do?” “I’ve got a pretty good idea of what my powers do.” Cole threw a punch, but Kai caught his fist before it landed. “Cole, I want you to hit me.” Cole took a step back, confused. “I’m assuming you mean with my full strength?” Kai nodded. “You have the potential to hit harder than the rest of us combined, but you always take a more defensive position. If you can learn to play more offensive, you’d be a force to be reckoned with.” Kai put his hands up. “Okay, punch me.” “Kai, I really don’t think-” “DO IT!” Cole wound up for a punch, but as he threw it, Kai perfectly dodged and retaliated with his own hit, landing against Cole’s chest. The heat from his knuckles felt like he was going to burn a hole right to Cole’s heart. Kai shook his head. “You are too predictable and too heavy with your stance. You gotta loosen up and be more bouncy on your feet.” “I’m not as quick as you, twinkle toes.” Kai motioned for Cole to try again. “Come on, you got this.” Cole threw another punch, but Kai easily batted his arm away. Kai groaned and stepped behind Cole, grabbing his waist, his warm, calloused hands gently pressed against Cole’s skin. “Relax your hips,” Kai said calmly, “and let yourself feel all that energy flow through you.” His hot breath against the back of Cole’s neck sent tingles down his spine. Cole tightened his jaw, doing his best to focus. “Feel the wind on your skin.” Kai’s voice was soft and light. “Flow with it.” Cole closed his eyes and felt the wind, letting his body move with it. Whenever he went too far in one direction, Kai would tighten his grip and guide Cole back the other direction. Cole was melting into putty under his touch. “Yeah, you got it!” Kai said excitedly. “This is where you want your balance to be when you’re on offense. You want to stay loose and relaxed and ready to move without moving too far in any direction. Hold that position, I’m going to do something.” Cole suddenly felt Kai run his hands down his arms, grabbing Cole’s hands. Cole’s skin burned under his touch, making Cole shudder. Kai moved his hands, one held out in front of him and one held closer to his body. You want to be ready for anything. You can’t afford to tank hits like you normally do, you have to be ready to feel the natural push and pull in a fight.” Kai finally let go of Cole and circled him. “Now, I want you to throw a hit at me at full strength this time, but make sure you stay light on your feet.” Cole nodded. He bounced from foot to foot and rolled his shoulders back. He then took up the stance Kai had taught him, earning an encouraging nod from Kai. Cole felt the wind pick up as he raised his fist to punch. To his surprise, Kai didn’t dodge. Kai grabbed Cole’s wrist and pulled him forward, making him stumble out of his stance. Kai jumped and wrapped his legs around Cole’s torso, his momentum knocking the two down. Cole landed against the deck, Kai still on his torso. Kai put his hands down on either side of Cole’s head, beads of sweat dropping off of his face as he breathed heavily. He gave Cole a cocky smile, but Cole couldn’t smile back. His chest was tight with anxiety at having Kai so close to him like this. “I gotta work on my form, I guess,” Cole mumbled. “No, no, your form was good. You just trusted me to play fair, and I didn’t. That’ll be the next lesson I teach you.” Cole looked up at Kai, wide-eyed, his heart beating out of his chest. Kai sat up slightly, cocking his head at Cole. “You good?” “Am…. I interrupting something?” Jay asked, appearing just off to the side. Kai quickly jumped up as if he didn’t just take down another man who towered over him. “DUDE! YOU MISSED IT! IT WAS EPIC!” Kai grabbed Jay by the gi. “I was teaching Cole some pointers and he left himself open for a takedown! It was so AWESOME!” Jay looked over at Cole, who was still laying on the deck, trying to catch his breath. He narrowed his eyes. “Uh huh. I see.” “Did you need something?” Kai asked. “Zane wanted me to tell you guys that he has dinner ready.” “Sweet! I can’t wait to tell everyone else about this!” Kai ran into their living quarters, the biggest smile on his face. Jay lingered for a moment, but followed Kai inside. Cole couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. All he could do was lay there for a few more minutes, missing the feeling of Kai’s touch. Cole closed his eyes to take a deep breath, his lungs filling with the scent of a campfire in the middle of a cold Summer’s night. — Lloyd nervously waited outside the arcade, fidgeting with Akita’s comic book. When he and Akita agreed to meet, Lloyd had no expectations whatsoever. But since the other ninja kept calling it a date, Lloyd became stressed. Was this a date? Am I dressed up enough? Am I too dressed up? Should I have brought a gift? What if it’s not even a date anyway? What if…it is? Do I want this to be a date? I’m not sure I’m ready to- “Lloyd, right?” A sweet voice asked behind him. Lloyd turned around to find Akita wearing a cute green dress, making her brown eyes pop and perfectly pairing with her olive skin. She held up his comic book. “I believe this is yours, kind sir.” Lloyd smiled and offered her comic book in return. “And for you, m’lady.” Akita playfully cringed. “Eww no, don’t ever say that again.” Lloyd laughed. “I won’t! I regretted it as soon as it came out of my mouth.” The two exchanged books and Lloyd lit up, seeing the autograph he was given. “Thank you so much for this Akita!” “Of course! And to say thank you, you can take me to dinner!” “But I also brought your comic. Aren’t we even?” Akita’s smile faltered. She waited for a laugh or a punchline, but was surprised to see Lloyd was dead serious. “Lloyd, This is me asking you to take me on a date.” Lloyd went pale. “I am so sorry. I sometimes struggle in social situations. I had an unconventional upbringing, so I’m sorry if I ever misunderstand things.” “What? Were you raised by wolves?” Akita joked. “Honestly? I sometimes think I would’ve been better off if I was.” Lloyd pulled out his phone. “So, uh, where do you want to go for dinner?” “I’m new to the area, so I was hoping you’d maybe have a place in mind that you’d like to share with me?” Lloyd thought for a moment, then smiled. “I know a place.” — “Chen’s Noodle Shop?” Akita asked as the two walked into the restaurant together. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of it!” “It’s a pretty nice place. The owner is actually a friend of mine,” Lloyd explained. And as if right on cue, a friendly face walked up and pulled Lloyd into a hug. “Lloyd! Hey! How are you doing?” “Skylor! Hey! I’ve been pretty good. How are things here?” Skylor looked around her restaurant, busy as ever. “Well, I’d say things have been pretty amazing!” She then looked at Akita and offered out a hand. “And you are?” Akita smiled and shook her hand. “Akita!” “I can’t say I’ve seen you before, Akita.” “I’m new in town.” Skylor raised her eyebrows and looked at Lloyd. “Well, you’ve got a pretty solid tour guide.” “I’m going to freshen up in the restroom,” Akita said, handing Lloyd her comic book. “Hold this for me?” Lloyd carefully took the book and watched her leave, waiting till Akita was out of earshot. “She doesn’t know,” Lloyd whispered. “Know…what?” Skylor asked. “That I’m the Green Ninja.” Skylor stared at him. “Wait, really?” Lloyd nodded. “She didn’t recognize me and I haven’t told her yet. Just please try to keep ninja stuff to a minimum tonight, okay?” “Just be careful there, Lloyd. You’re playing a dangerous game,” Skylor warned. “Don’t let this come back to haunt you, okay? I’m honestly shocked you were ready to be dating right now.” “It’s complicated, I’m not sure I’m ready either.” Skylor blinked slowly. “So you’re hiding your identity from a girl you don’t even know if you want to be on a date with right now?” “Yep.” Skylor’s demeanor changed as Akita approached. “Table for two, right this way,” she said with a smile. As they two followed her, Akita saw the conveyor belt and excitedly asked, “Is this one of those revolving sushi type places?” “Yeah, but they have so many more dishes than just sushi! You’ll love it!” Lloyd responded. Skylor sat them down at their table and left to grab them their drink order, leaving the two alone for a moment. “This place is so nice! Thank you for taking me here!” Akita said. She tapped her nails on the table as she watched a few of the dishes go by. “What do you recommend here?” Lloyd shrugged. “That’s a tough one. I’ve never had a meal here I didn’t love. Noodles of any kind are a staple of this place, but I also love their fried rice. It’s simple but still a classic.” “These choices are going to kill me!” Akita playfully complained. Lloyd smiled at her, but from where he was sitting, he could see the restaurant’s entrance. These two rougher looking guys walked in and seemed to be having some sort of argument with Skylor, but the noise from the other restaurant goers drowned them out. Lloyd couldn’t help but watch them. Akita noticed Lloyd was no longer looking at her, so Akita turned around and saw the men too. “They seem angry.” “Akita. Something’s wrong.I need you to trust me.” “Lloyd, you’re scaring me now.” “Akita, get down.” “Do you know those guys?” “Listen to me and get down.” “Lloyd, what’s going on-” A gunshot rang out. “GET DOWN, AKITA!” Lloyd screamed as he dove across the table. He didn’t know what he was doing, all he knew was he had to protect her without being the Green Ninja.Heart of the Storm - Chapter 4 - Ninjago Fanfic“FAMILY MEETING!” Following the day’s events, everyone needed to take a moment to settle down and process it. But Jay’s idea of “processing it” was forcing everyone to stay put in the living room so they could watch him pace around and complain. Cole and Lloyd sat by each other on the couch, faces still covered with their face masks. Kai sat on the other side of Lloyd, basically attached to him at the hip. Zane sat on the ground in front of them, his eyes following Jay as he paced. And Nya was on her feet, following behind Jay, trying to get him to calm down. “Calm down? Calm down?” Jay asked her. “Calm? Down? That THING made it onto the BOUNTY and ATTACKED!” “But it didn’t attack, it just kinda took up space,” Nya pointed out. “It didn’t cause harm.” Kai scoffed and mumbled, “Physical harm.” “It also left as soon as I hit it with water!” Nya grabbed Jay’s shoulders, stopping him in his tracks. She tilted his head upwards slightly so that she could meet his eyes. “We are all still okay. We’ve dealt with worse.” Jay leaned into her touch, melting in her hands. “I’m scared, Nya. What do we do if it comes back?” “I hear pans work great!” Cole teased. Nya shot him a dirty look, then turned back to her lover. “Then we will cross that bridge when we get there.” She pulled him into a hug. “We will be okay, I promise.” Cole raised his hand. “Can Lloyd and I be excused? This face mask is starting to burn a little.” Lloyd nodded in agreement. Finally noticing, Jay stopped and looked between Lloyd and Cole. “Why are you guys wearing face stuff?” Nya turned his head to face her again. “How about you come stay in my room so that you aren’t alone? Would that help put you at ease?” He sadly nodded, then laid his head on her shoulder. “I just want everyone to be okay.” “And we will be. I promise.” Nya wrapped an arm around him to guide him down the hall, offering a friendly smile to the boys as she left. “This is a truly confusing….thing we have on our hands,” Zane said quietly as he stood up. “I’m going to spend some time tonight studying the information we have and hopefully by morning I can have some sort of answer.” Lloyd stood up behind him and grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t overwork yourself, okay? We’re in this together and we can figure this out together too.” Instead of any sort of comforting words, Zane responded, “You should go wash your face before your skin burns.” He then left quietly, his mind obviously already distracted. Lloyd and Cole silently separated, headed towards their own respective rooms. Lloyd opened his door and stepped into his small bathroom to wash his face. He bent down and cupped his hands to fill them with water, then dipped his face in. When he stood back up to look in the mirror, Kai was leaning against the bathroom door, his arms crossed tightly and his head hanging low. “I’m okay, Kai,” Lloyd reassured, “really. I promise.” Kai didn’t respond, he just continued looking at the floor. Lloyd continued washing his face, the two standing in silence. He finished and dried his face off, then looked back at Kai. “Dude, I promise. You should go get some rest.” “I saw things when the mist touched me,” Kai whispered. “It wasn’t like you and how you were just blinded. I saw you as a child. I saw how scared you were. I was reliving that moment at the volcano before I found my true potential.” His sniffling started again as he tried to hold back tears. “I tried to save you, but I dropped you on my way out. I begged for you to come back to me, but you were just…gone. It all felt so real.” “I get it, mine felt real too. I can’t even imagine having to see visuals of all that.” Lloyd guided Kai towards his bed and the two sat down together. “We could hear you mumbling while you were in the mist. We heard everything you said. I figured out that you were seeing a memory quite fast, but my experience didn’t include a memory at all.” “It’s good to know that we’d be able to hear each other if this were to ever happen again,” Kai responded. “Having one-way communication is better than none at all.” Lloyd looked at Kai, grabbing his hands. “These were a problem, though. When you used your fire in the mist, you used it in real life too.” “I figured when I saw the rug was charred.” “We’ve got to come up with a way to get through the mist without using our powers. Or at least, lethal powers, like fire.” Kai started counting on his fingers as he made his list. “So Cole can use his strength, Nya can create puddles, Zane is still incredibly intelligent, and you can use your shield and levitation.” His face fell. “Jay and I are screwed. Offense is kind of our whole thing.” “We’ll figure it out, okay? We don’t need all of the answers. Zane is spending some time looking into all of this and I’m sure he’ll come at us with some wisdom tomorrow.” Lloyd squeezed Kai’s shoulder. “Until then, get some sleep. And remember, we are both safe and okay.” Kai nodded, giving a forced half smile. “See you tomorrow, kid. Sleep well.” Kai left the room stoically, but Lloyd heard him begin to cry again as soon as he left the room. Lloyd didn’t go after him. Kai was always trying to be tough and unshaken, but he was hurting. And he needed space to feel that hurt without feeling the need to protect everyone else. —- “Hey I’m off to the coffee shop!” Lloyd called out, stepping out of his bedroom with his boots in hand. After last night, he just needed an excuse to get some fresh air and go on a walk. As he sat down on the couch, he caught a glimpse of Kai eating cereal straight from the box. When Kai saw him, he tossed the box onto the counter and reached for the cabinet to get a bowl. Lloyd smiled to himself and rolled his eyes. “Can I get an iced mocha with an extra shot of espresso?” Kai asked, his mouth still full of cereal. “Oh, I was going to take a quick walk-“ “You’ll be back quick? Awesome!” Kai poured his cereal into a bowl and Jay walked in, stretching and yawning. “Thanks for getting me coffee!” “Lloyd’s grabbing coffee?!” Jay asked, suddenly wide awake. “Caramel latte. Whipped cream. Sprinkles!” “Guys I’m just-“ “NYA!” Jay yelled down the hall. “LLOYD’S GETTING COFFEE! WHAT DO YOU WANT?” “ICED AMERICANO WITH VANILLA!” She yelled back. Jay turned to Lloyd. “She’ll have an iced ameri-“ “I HEARD!” Lloyd shouted. He finished lacing his boots, irritated at everyone, but not enough to correct them. He walked out onto the deck shielding his eyes from the sun, running into Cole in the process. “Oh hey, I was just looking for you!” Cole said happily. “Kai texted me saying that I needed to give you my coffee order. I’ll make it easy for you and just ask for a black coffee. No sugar. No nonsense. Just a coffee.” Lloyd glared. “How kind of you.” Cole gave him a friendly smile in response as he wandered back towards their living quarters. Behind Lloyd, Zane was writing in a notebook, leaning against the ropes they all used to repel down the ship. As Lloyd approached, Zane’s eyes darted up for a moment, then back down at his notebook. “Going somewhere?” he asked. “I just wanted to go for a walk and somehow got suckered into buying everyone coffee.” “How unfortunate it is to be misunderstood,” Zane giggled slightly. “I’m sorry your morning has been thrown off.” Lloyd shrugged. “With this group? It happens. It is what it is. I don’t remember their orders, though, so they probably won’t be too happy.” Zane ripped the paper he was writing on out of the notebook, folded it up, and handed it to Lloyd. “It’d be a shame if the orders were wrong.” Zane then marched off in the same direction as Cole. Lloyd unfolded the piece of paper and found it contained everyone’s order, finished with a “Flat White :D” at the end of the list. He couldn’t help but smile at the note before grabbing the ship’s repel gear and jumping off. Lloyd landed gracefully on a rooftop and peeked over the edge to see if he was spotted. The Destiny’s Bounty is kind of hard to miss if you’re in Ninjago, but Lloyd always tried to make sure he could make a quiet exit to avoid crowds of people swarming him. And thankfully, there was a nearby alleyway empty, allowing him to jump down and silently sneak out. Lloyd took a deep breath and put his hands in his hoodie pockets, enjoying the bustling ambiance around him, as he walked towards the nearest coffee shop. He loved the little moments like this where he could just be a normal person and not have to worry about saving the world again. And with this new mist shit, his much needed break was still way out of reach. Lloyd pushed the coffee shop door open and got in line, fiddling with the note Zane had given him. He tried to memorize the note, but he was so scatter-brained in that moment that it just wasn’t working. By the time it was his turn, he had given up. The barista offered him a smile. “Hi, there! What can I get started for you today?” Her short brown hair framed her face and her smile had a warmth Lloyd hadn’t been expecting. “Can I get a-” “WAIT!” The barista yelled. Lloyd braced himself, ready for her to publicly out him as the Green Ninja, but she instead said something he wasn’t expecting. “I HAVE YOUR COMIC BOOK!” “You what?!” Lloyd squinted his eyes at her. “You were the fox?” “A wolf, but yeah!” She became extremely giddy. “I’ve been asking around to try to find someone who got their autograph swapped by accident, but I couldn’t find you.” “Okay! Wow, I honestly have been so busy that I haven’t had the time to even try to find you.” “Oh I was so broken up about it! I wasn’t even upset that I didn’t have my own, I was just sad that I was keeping someone else from having something so special.” She tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear. “God I was just having a bad day yesterday. First you, then my brother, then the Green Ninja-” Lloyd hesitated for a moment. “What happened with the Green Ninja?” “I got him caught in that smokey stuff!” Her face grew bright red. “After you ran into me, my brother and I went to see a panel, but suddenly everyone started running and screaming. My brother and I got separated in the lobby area. I turned around and he had vanished in the cloud stuff. I tried to run to him, but the Green Ninja had his shield stuff up. I begged for him to go help my brother, but I think I threw off his focus or something because his shield fell and the smoke got him. I got away before it got me, though.” “Did he get out okay?” Lloyd asked, playing dumb. “Yeah!” The woman smiled. “His friends saved him. And my brother got out okay too, he was just confused why everyone seemed so scared. He said he was scared, but people around him were utterly terrified.” She stopped speaking and grabbed a cup. “I am so sorry! What would you like?” “Can I get a medium matcha latte, please?” The woman wrote it down. “Okay! Anything else?” Lloyd looked down at his note. “Can I just hand this to you and you tell me what I owe?” The woman laughed at the list. “You grabbing coffee for your coworkers?” Lloyd nodded. “Yeah, something like that.” The woman wrote down all of the drink orders, then slid the note back to Lloyd. “That’ll be $44.50.” Lloyd cringed and dug his wallet out of his pocket. “Damn, okay, they owe me.” The woman giggled as she ran his card. “Want a receipt?” “Please! I need to make sure they pay me back.” The woman laughed, printed his receipt, then walked away to make the drinks. As he walked away, Lloyd took one last look at Zane’s note, but felt his face getting hot when he saw what was written on the note- Call me for comic book swap! 555-6324 <3 AkitaHeart of the Storm - Chapter 3 - Ninjago Fanfic“So…” Lloyd started, “I can’t say I was expecting that.” Nya, still applying Cole’s facemask, mumbled, “Lloyd, come up with a better response.” “Sorry! I don’t have a problem with it at all. You being gay, I mean.” Lloyd hoped the correction was to Nya’s liking, and going off her silence, he figured it was good enough. “So, who is the lucky guy then?” Cole tightened his jaw. “That’s where things get tricky.” “It can’t be that bad!” “It’s Kai,” Cole whispered. Despite his face being covered in his face mask, Lloyd could still tell he was feeling bashful based on his voice. “Ew.” “Lloyd,” Nya warned. “Better response, please.” “Nono I don’t mean it in a ‘ew gay’ way, more of a ‘ew Kai’ way.” Cole laughed. “What’s wrong with Kai?” Lloyd gave him a “seriously” look. “Have you met the guy? He uses way too much hair gel, winks at himself in mirrors, and thinks ‘NOT SO FAST’ is a valid, serious catchphrase to use in battle.” Cole smiled quietly to himself. “I know.” Nya nudged her cosmetic box over towards Lloyd with her elbow, her hands covered in face mask goop. “Pick a headband. I’m doing your face next.” Lloyd reached for the box and found it filled with various cosmetics, none of which Nya used as far as Lloyd could tell. He reached in a grabbed a white headband with fluffy cat ears, putting it on without protest. “Why do you have all this stuff?” Nya stifled a laugh, positioning herself in front of Lloyd to do his mask next. “It’s all from Jay. He likes to get me gifts.” “But this doesn’t seem like the kind of gift you’d enjoy.” Nya looked over her shoulder at Cole, who was sitting contently, his confidence having returned to his body. “Well, it started with one headband and a few face products. They sat in my closet forever. When Cole first came to me about his sexuality, he seemed stressed, so I told him he was welcome to try out my stuff. Turns out, he loved it.” Nya broke out into little giggles, shaking her head playfully. “Jay noticed that the items he bought were being used, so he kept buying more because he thought I’d like it.” Nya’s voice lowered to a whisper as she said, “Don’t tell him he’s funding our self-care spa nights.” “I would never!” Lloyd jumped as Nya pressed the face mask against his face, not expecting it to be so cold. “I want to hear more about Kai, Cole.” Cole’s grip around his pillow tightened. “I don’t really know what to say! I mean, he’s cute.” “That’s it? You just like him because he’s cute?” Lloyd asked. “He’s incredibly protective and passionate about the things he loves,” Cole started, closing his eyes as he got lost in thought. “Like, when he talks to you two, his voice gets all soft and sweet because he cares so much. He’d give anything to protect you two, and I’d give anything to hear him talk to me like that.” His eyes opened with excitement as he continued. “And have you ever noticed he’s the literal embodiment of fire? When the light hits him just right, it looks like he’s a glowing ember. He gives off this constant heat that just makes you feel so comfortable in his presence. AND! He smells amazing when he doesn’t douse himself in cologne like a damn middle schooler. It’s like-” Cole took a deep breath, “-a campfire in the middle of a cold Summer night.” Nya smiled, still facing Lloyd. “He’s smitten.” Cole threw his pillow at Nya. “Oh, shut up. I don’t give you shit when you gush about Jay!” “Yes you do!” Nya laughed. Cole smirked. “Okay, yeah, I do.” Nya scooted back from Lloyd, finished with his face mask. “Alright, boys, leave them on for a bit and then I’ll have you both rinse your faces.” “You aren’t doing your face?” Lloyd asked. Nya shook her head. “Like you said, not my thing.” Lloyd looked back to Cole, warmly. “I appreciate you feeling safe enough to share this with me.” Cole smiled back. “Thanks for giving me the room to figure myself out.” He grabbed his pillow and pulled it back up against his chest. “So, you wanted to talk about the Rumi stuff?” Lloyd’s smile faltered. “I feel bad, though. I don’t want to take over boy talk.” “Oh, dude, don’t worry,” Cole assured him. “I promise it’s okay. Nya?” Nya nodded in agreement. “Go ahead, we’re listening.” Lloyd took a deep breath. “Okay, so, Rumi-” “BOO HISS!” Cole yelled. Lloyd shot him a look, making Cole laugh. “Okay, okay, sorry, go ahead.” “When I touched the fog, I heard her yelling for me. I followed her voice and then I started suffocating.” Nya nodded. “And I’m assuming you thought it was her?” Lloyd hesitated. “I don’t know.” “Do you want it to be her?” “I…don’t know.” Lloyd felt a pit begin to form in his stomach. “That’s why I wanted to talk about it. I know I don’t exactly do ‘feelings’ or anything, but this was something different. I mean, I was being choked by nothing. That’s not normal.” “Was it maybe a hallucination?” Nya asked. “It’d have to be,” Cole figured. “Maybe we can talk to some of the other people who were caught in it tomorrow?” “Zane already spoke to a few people today, though,” Nya pointed out. “Everyone saw or felt something different. One lady said she felt bugs crawling all over her, but a man he spoke to said he heard the screams of his wife in pain.” “What do those things have in common?” Cole asked. Before anyone could answer, a scream echoed down the hallway, followed by Jay pleading for anyone to come to his aid. Cole jumped to his feet, dragging Lloyd and Nya up behind him. The three followed the yelling into the living space where Kai and Jay were playing video games to find a puff of black mist swirling at Kai’s feet. Jay was a few feet away from Kai, outside of the mist, attempting to swat him with a pillow. “KAI! WAKE UP! GET OUT OF THE SCARY FOG!” Jay yelled, chucking the pillow at him. The pillow bounced off of Kai and landed in the mist, the attack doing nothing to make Kai budge. Jay threw his hands up in the air. “That’s just GREAT! I don't know WHAT TO DO HERE!” He seemed to be put at ease slightly when his eyes fell on Nya, who grabbed his hand to pull him away from the mist. “What happened?” Nya asked, pointing at her brother. Kai was standing, slightly slouched, and was mumbling to himself as his fingers twitched with little embers. “Come…on……why won’t….my….power unlock?” Zane busted into the room, panting, with an ice attack ready, but when he saw the cause of the commotion, he stopped in his tracks. “This is exactly how we found Lloyd.” Cole shook his head. “Not exactly, he seems more talkative.” “LET’S GET HIM OUT OF THERE!” Jay screamed, reaching for another pillow to throw. He threw it directly at Kai’s face, but Kai didn’t react to the hit at all. It was as if everyone was looking at something that didn't exist in the same realm of existence as themselves. “The pillows are too soft. I’ll be right back.” Jay shook off Nya's grip and walked out of the room. “What do we do?” Lloyd asked. “How did you guys help me earlier?” “Cole used his element of Earth to remove everyone from the mist while Nya and I contained it,” Zane responded. “Okay, then let's do that! COLE, GO!” Cole tilted his head. “And how do you expect me to do that on a flying ship?” “Well, we can still do the containing thing, right?” Lloyd asked. “And freeze my brother with it?” Nya shook her head. “No way.” “Come on…..let’s….get….out of….here.” Kai mumbled, small flames now circling his fingertips. Lloyd held up his hand, silently signaling everyone to stop talking. They watched as Lloyd took a step closer to the mist. His eyes narrowed as he quietly said, “But, the fangblade-” “Forget it…..this place…..is coming… apart.” Kai’s breathing staggered and stuttered as if he was doing something physically taxing. “It’s a memory,” Lloyd realized. “The day he saved me. The day I became one of you guys.” “You didn’t see a memory, though,” Nya pointed out. “Why is he?” “You think I know? I’m in the dark just as much as you guys.” “We gotta pull him out of there before something dangerous happens,” Cole said, starting to head back to his room. “I may be able to move him with my scythe. Hang on.” Zane watched Kai closely. “This is truly extraordinary.” He took a knee to watch Kai’s hands. “Is it possible that whatever this is, it’s trying to make us use our powers?” “I don’t think so,” Lloyd responded. “I didn’t use my powers to claw at my neck.” “I’M COMING KAI!” Jay screamed, running into the room, wildly swinging an iron skillet. Nya caught Jay’s arm before he could throw it at her brother. “DROP IT!” “I’M HELPING!” “You are NOT!” Nya looked over her shoulder to yell down the hall. “COLE HURRY!” Cole came running into the room, his weapon in hand. Jay broke free from Nya and threw the pan. Lloyd dove for it to try to keep it from hitting Kai, Cole diving after him to make sure Lloyd didn’t dive headfirst into the coffee table. Not watching out for his own weapon, Cole accidentally swung his scythe, hitting Zane behind his knees and taking him down. And to make matters even worse, Kai’s hands fully ignited in flames that overtook the entirety of his arms. Still entranced, he started screaming, begging for an invisible force to “Come back” to him. He fell to his knees, setting the rug in the middle of the room on fire, choking out violent sobs that were nearly incoherent. “Watch out, guys!” Nya yelled as she sprayed water across the room. She had expected the mist to spread across the room, but it instead floated out the window and dissipated into the night air. “That was….weirdly easy.” The water had put out Kai’s fire, leaving him on all fours in a puddle. He breathed heavily, sniffling while he tried to regain his composure. Lloyd pushed Cole off of himself and crawled over to Kai. “H-hey, man. You okay?” Lloyd’s heart shattered when he saw the look on Kai’s face. He was broken, his lower lip quivering as he tried to regain his composure. Kai had lost every ounce of color from his face, leaving him as pale as a corpse. His hands trembled as he wiped his face of tears and Nya’s water. Kai opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t form anything. All he could do was tightly wrap his arms around Lloyd, his nails digging into Lloyd’s tee shirt. Lloyd reached his arms up to hug him back and, as his fingertips brushed his shirt, Kai broke out into sobs. He buried his face into Lloyd’s shoulder, not to try to hide his emotions, but to feel closer to him in any way he could. Lloyd didn’t fight him. Kai needed this. Nya caught Lloyd’s eye, looking just as concerned as Lloyd felt inside. It wasn’t every day you watch someone like Kai fully breakdown. Lloyd started to move his hands back down, but Kai whispered, “Please don’t let me go. I need to know this is real.” “It’s real, Kai,” Lloyd assured. “I am real.” “I saw you die.” The air in the room felt heavy as everyone processed what Kai had just said. “We were at the volcano and I lost my grip and you-” “I’m right here, Kai.” Lloyd tightened his hug. “I’m okay.”

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