Darkness from Within #4: Fading (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 6

Cole shifted his feet. "I-it was kinda unclear," he stammered.

"Why would he tell you out of all people?" Wu pressed. "You have to know something we don't."

Cole shrank back as every eye turned to him. He looked at the ground, hesitating. "Kai knows we can still save Lloyd," he began carefully. "Besides Sensei G., he was the closest to Lloyd, and he knows Lloyd can still be swayed."

Wu's gaze drifted across the ninja around the table. "Then I think it's agreed we will do everything to convince Lloyd to come home."

The ninja nodded and murmured their agreement.

"Lloyd is our brother," Jay put in. "And we love him, no matter what he did."

"It's time we put his mistakes aside," Cole added. "What Lloyd really needs right now is the love of a family."

"And who's a better family than us?" Zane said.

Wu nodded approvingly to them. "The only reason Lloyd turned was because he felt unloved and unwanted," he said. "So, to bring him back, we have to show him he is loved and wanted."

"But how?" Nya asked. "We don't even know where he is!"

"When he comes back for Kai's sword, we'll try to talk him," Wu went on. "We'll try to tell him how much we really care about him."

"It won't be easy," Jay sighed. "Last time we tried this he dropped a wooden dragon on us."

"We'll be more careful this time," Wu puffed.

"But what if he ignores us?" Zane prompted.

Wu gazed at him. "Then we'll try again and again and again until we retrieve our lost brother."

The others dipped their head in agreement, determination flickering in their eyes.

"Sensei's right," Cole stated. He gazed around at the others and, altogether, they exclaimed, "A ninja never quits!"

* * *

Plates clinked and voices shouted as Lloyd made his way through the tavern. It was noon and the place was as crowded as usual.

"Hey, Lloyd!"

Lloyd turned his head as Phil pushed his way beside him. "Hey, Phil," he greeted.

Phil nudged him as they grabbed their food. "What's going on between you and Ariana?" he breathed.

Lloyd glanced over his shoulder to where Ariana was sitting at a table. She winked at him when he caught her eye. Smirking, he turned back to Phil. "Nothing," he lied.

The two boys stumbled backward as Vanessa squeezed in between them. "Did I hear what I thought I heard?"

Lloyd shot Phil a glare. "No," he snapped. "You didn't hear anything." If Vanessa knows, everyone knows.

Vanessa giggled. "Lloyd and Ariana sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-"

Frustrated, Lloyd grabbed her by the collar and yanked her closer to him. "Shut up!" he hissed in her face. "Just because we're partners doesn't mean anything!"

"Yeah, Vanessa, the green ninja would never fall for someone below him," Joseph snarled as he appeared beside them. "Of course, being the Overlord's right-hand man, Lloyd knows the rules about partners being partners!"

Rolling his eyes, Lloyd released Vanessa and dropped a few tokens onto the counter before heading toward his usual table, taking his tray of food with him. The tokens, as he had learned, were the Baddies' currency. Earned from performing separate tasks or escapades outside or inside the Bend. If a Baddie wasn't able to carry out any tasks, they'd earn nothing for food or other supplies. The food wasn't much: only a few slabs of raw meat, bread, crackers, porridge, and sometimes a few crusty vegetables. If there were any fruit to take they were old and rotten. The meals weren't exactly appetizing, but they were enough to keep him from starving, Lloyd figured.