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

Chapter 18

Kai drew in a shaky breath as they broke apart again. Then he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Let's go," he murmured.

Garmadon began to follow the red ninja out of the room. He realized he cared for Kai more than he thought he had. It's like... he really is my son.

As soon as the words rang in his head, Garmadon suddenly felt his mind unfold with memories. He gasped in surprise as he dived into a flashback.

Lloyd scoffed from where he was sitting behind his bed. "Maybe if you would've told me what was really going on, your 'oh so precious Kai' would be in perfect health!" he snapped angrily.

Garmadon heard his son begin to sob.

"If you care about Kai so much," Lloyd went on, voice cracking, "why don't you just adopt him and forget about me?"

"Lloyd, that's the craziest thing I ever heard!" Garmadon exclaimed. "You of all people should know how much I care about you! Yes, I care about Kai, too, but you're my only son." He sat beside the green ninja. "I love you, Lloyd."

Garmadon gasped as he was jolted back to the present. Panting, he leaned against the wall as the scene replayed in his head. Lloyd knew it from the start, he realized. And he thought I was replacing him. Garmadon rubbed his head. I sounded so sure that I wasn't back then, he thought. But now I'm not so sure.

Garmadon's heart pounded in his chest. Am I replacing Lloyd with Kai?

* * *

"Okay, we're all here," Wu announced as Garmadon and Kai joined the others in the meeting room.

"Kai!" Nya gasped and rushed over to her brother. A huge smile broke onto her face. "When did you wake up?"

Kai chuckled. "Not too long ago," he responded.

"How are you feeling?" Nya asked. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Kai responded with a smile.

Nya let out a relieved sigh. "You had us worried sick!" she exclaimed.

Jay gave Cole a nudge from where they were sitting. "See?" the blue ninja said. "I told you he'd wake up!"

Cole gazed at Kai, eyes deepened with some emotion Jay couldn't put a name to. "But at what cost?" he whispered.

Zane, who was sitting beside Jay, glanced at Cole questionably, but before he could say anything Wu walked over to them.

"Let's let Kai and Nya catch up a bit," the sensei told them. "I have to talk to you three."

The three ninja nodded.

"As you all know, the Overlord has three of our elemental weapons," Wu went on. "And he'll be back for the fourth any day now. I think it's time we take some action in this scheme."

"What exactly are you getting at?" Jay asked.

Wu returned his gaze. "We're going to steal them back."

The ninja glanced at each other, eyes bright with excitement. Cole smirked. "Let's do it."

"Of course, in order to do so, we have to find the Overlord's headquarters," Wu stated. "So I'm sending you three out to look for it." He paused before going on. "It shouldn't be too hard to find if I know the Overlord. But listen closely." His voice got more serious with the next words. "When you do find it, do not engage. Do not go inside, and most importantly, do not get spotted. We aren't ready to launch any kind of attack yet—especially with no weapons."