Darkness from Within #2: Tension Rising (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 10

That night, Nya pushed open Kai's bedroom door. She hadn't talked with her brother in a while, and this was a time he most needed comfort.

She found him pacing the floor. She made sure he noticed she was there before she scared him to death. He's been really jumpy lately.

"Are you feeling okay, Kai?" Nya asked as she closed the door.

Kai grunted. "I wish everyone would stop asking me that," he muttered. "I'm fine."

Nya was taken aback by his anger. "We're only worried about you," she defended herself.

Kai sighed and stopped pacing. "Then you can stop worrying," he scowled. "I can take care of myself."

"We can't stop caring about you, Kai," Nya went on. "You're family."

Kai slumped onto his bed. "I don't feel very much like a family," he murmured. "Not when I don't know who to trust."

"Kai, that's insane!" Nya protested. "You know you can trust us!"

"I know it," Kai sighed, "but I don't believe it."

Nya didn't know how to comfort her broken brother. Trust wasn't an easy thing to gain, and it could be taken away in a heartbeat. As they fell into silence, her gaze drifted over to Kai's back, where his sword was firmly put into place. "I still wish you would stop carrying around your sword," she said, breaking the silence. "You're scaring everyone!"

Kai rose to his feet again. "Don't you get it?" he exclaimed, eyes blazing. "I can't. When Lloyd attacked me, I had my guard down. I thought he was a friend. But I'll never be defenseless again." Kai turned on Nya, intensity dazzling in his gaze. "I'll never let my guard down again!"

* * *

Lloyd walked down the hall, desperate to find out what everyone was hiding from him. He looked up as Cole came down the hall from the opposite direction. The green ninja halted. Eyeing him closely, Lloyd took everything in as the black ninja swept past him. He didn't tense; he didn't seem cautious. He barely noticed Lloyd was there. Pretty normal, Lloyd thought as he continued walking.

Then he looked up to see Kai coming toward him. Lloyd paused to observe him as well. The red ninja froze when he saw Lloyd standing in the hallway with a focused expression. Taking a deep breath, Kai casually turned around and headed back the way he came.

Lloyd noticed how stiff his walk was. He furrowed his eyebrows. Is he scared of me? The green ninja continued down the hall with his head low. I don't understand, he thought. Cole was completely okay around me, but Kai literally turned the other way. Lloyd shook his head. Whatever the ninja's big secret was, it definitely affected Kai more than the others.

* * *

Wu sat down for a cup of tea. He took a sip and jerked when it burnt his tongue. He placed the cup back on the table and waited for it to cool.

As he sat there, a shadow loomed in from the balcony window. Frowning, Wu rose to his feet and walked over to it. Sliding open the door, he found Lloyd leaning over the railing with head low.

Wu stood beside him. "Is everything alright, Lloyd?" he asked.

Lloyd looked up at him. "Just thinking," he murmured.

Wu laid his hand on his shoulder. "Come on, you and your father use that excuse way too often for me to believe it. What's troubling you?"

"Sensei, can I ask you a question?" Lloyd began, desperation in his voice.