Void - Ninjago x Female Reader

Chapter 11: The tragedy of nostalgia

(Second-person POV)

(Time skip - 4 months)

Time passed by faster than you could register and if it weren't for the people that you've encountered throughout your journey telling you the time and date, you wouldn't have known that four months have passed since you lost the last place that contained traces of your teacher's aura. Letting out a sigh, you placed your last paycheck in your pocket and began heading to the fishmonger's to pick up some more seafood for Dart. Because you now were no longer able to hunt food for a meal, you resorted to doing odd jobs here and there whenever you travelled to a new town, never staying in one place for too long as you fear that you might miss your sensei.

Just as you were about to push the door open, you felt smooth scales brush against your neck, causing you to involuntarily flinch and glance down. Letting out a soft sigh of relief when you saw your dragon's soothing aura, reaching a hand to pet her on the head. "Hey there, Dart," you murmured, ignoring the confused stares the other passersby gave you, "Did you get lonely and had to come and join me?"

Getting a soft trill as a response, you watched in pride as your companion changed into the form of a black snake with a silver underbelly and the same shade of piercing arctic-blue eyes. Though it wasn't the most inconspicuous thing ever, it was still better than having a miniature dragon that can shapeshift around your neck.

Pushing the door open, you stepped inside the store and began looking around, trying to see whether it was worth buying some fish for Dart today. Before you had a chance to browse the various products, the shopkeeper spotted you from the back of his stall and walked over. "Comin' again eh, lassie! Here to get some fish fa' yer pet snake again?" the man beamed at you as you returned the gesture.

"Yes, though I think that she's been eating too much lately," you reply, looking at the 'snake' wrapped around your neck, "You saw how many fishes I bought yesterday. Dart managed to finish the whole bucket off."

"Good golly!" the man laughed, "Then I'd better cut ya a deal! Wouldn't wan' my most frequent customer te' go bankrupt because 'er snake ate too many overpriced fish now, would we?" Thanking the man profusely, you took the bag of produce from his hands and handed him the amount of money shown on the scale. Bidding him goodbye, you began heading back to your home: a camper van you had bought off an old man a week back. It was quite the bargain, ten thousand for a double-decker trailer that only needed a new paint job, new wires, lightbulbs, and a good cleaning for it to go back on the road.

It had two separate beds and two separate tables, a shower, a large couch, and even a stovetop with multiple cabinets. Though it needed wasn't much, it still offered a safe place for you to keep all of Sensei's belongings without having to bleed from your face every two seconds when you overuse your powers. Plus, it was much easier driving than walking all over the land of Ninjago on foot.

Unlocking the truck, you got inside with the food in hand and immediately began to prepare the dish, settling on a classical dinner of rice, egg rolls, fried salmon, and seaweed-tofu soup. Settling down on the couch, Dart watched you from her prime napping spot with an almost lazy look in her eyes, only perking up when you had finished cooking and announced that dinner was ready.

Placing the three servings of food on the table, you placed your hands together and murmured "Itadakimasu" (itadakimasu or いただきます in Japanese means 'I humbly receive this meal' and is a way of acknowledging the fact that animals and plants have had to give up their life for you to fill your stomach and continue yours), a habit taught to you by your sensei but had been forgotten in the blur that was the months following your fight with him.

Opening your eyes, you found yourself staring into Dart's confused ones, her head tilted slightly to the side and her aura showing a cloud-grey colour as if she was trying to say that she didn't understand what you just did. "It's like praying," you explain, a soft smile on your face, "By saying this before every meal, you're acknowledging the sacrifice the animals and plants that you're eating had to give for you to not be hungry,"