PLAYING WITH FIRE

05

I know I was blinded by rage, but nothing will ever make me forget the way he looked at me.
His face lingered with nothing but pure fear. Seeing him like that made my blood boil, and the next thing I know, I'm pulling him next to me and almost punching the stranger in the face. I didn't though— I probably would've scared Lloyd more than he already is.
  "Kai.. That- that person.." Lloyd stuttered with a choked sob.
  I held him close and rubbed his back. "It's okay, Lloyd. I'm here.. I'm here." Without much thought, I picked him up from the ground and took a step back, glaring at the person in front of us. Who even is this person? What do they want with Lloyd? I thought. My head started throbbing suddenly, so without another word I walked away, constantly checking my surroundings. Who knows if that person was the only one there? There could've been more people involved than just that one person.
"We must be careful," I whispered to Lloyd. "I don't know what's going on, but I'll protect you. No matter what."
Lloyd nodded and clung to me tighter, his arms practically choking me in fear of being even the slightest inch away from me. Do I blame him though? Having to go through something like that at such a young age... I'd let him strangle me if it meant keeping him safe.
As I walked, my dream suddenly came to my mind. It's been a while since I've had it, but I still can't forget it. Maybe this situation is a warning of what might happen? But I wouldn't know. My dream didn't tell me much, it only repeated the same situation over and over again. There wasn't a time where it was different, and I didn't get a clear look of that person's face, so I can't tell if they have something to do with it or not. Crap, really, I should've at least peeked a bit. It would've made this a lot more easier for me and less stressful if I could just decode this stupid dream right here.
I mean think about it. I don't recall how long we've had Lloyd with us for, but I know it hasn't been a very long time either. However, in the time we've had him, there hasn't been any problems. But the minute the ninja told me he's related to Garmadon... suddenly something like this happens? What are the chances of that?! That cannot be a coincidence!
What's so special about this kid anyway?! No offense, but he's just a kid! I'd understand if he had some special power or something, but he's just an ordinary kid who loves the color green and loves eating ice cream!
People are weird for going after this innocent kid!
"Lloyd, I'm taking you back to the monastery," I said, giving him a pat on his head. "There, we'll play in my room, yeah? How does that sound?"
He didn't say a word, only nodded in response. I can't tell what emotion he's feeling right now, I thought to myself as I reached the bottom of the mountain that the monastery sat on. I know he's terrified, but there's something else... anger? No. Pity? For what? It's not pity... what is it?
These stupid stairs will be the death of me.
Annoying stairs... why are there so many?!
No offense... but Lloyd, you're very heavy!!

...

Finally, the top!!
"Geez.. next time we'll take my dragon.." I huffed as I pushed open the monastery doors. "I cannot walk up those stairs.. me, a ninja, who's very fit and has walked those many times!"
I heard a giggle come from Lloyd. "Funny."
Damn. I couldn't help but smile. Damn you, Lloyd! Why are you so cute?!
  I put him down on the ground and held his hand. "Alright, before we go to my room, are you hungry?"
  A minute. Two. Then he spoke. "Yes."
Just say yes! I wouldn't mind it if you're hungry, I'm hungry too! I huffed but smiled. "Okay. I'll make some ramen, how does that sound?"
He nodded in agreement and smiled widely. "Can.. can mine have an egg on top?"
  "Of course, no need to ask! Come on, let's go make some ramen."
  We both headed to the kitchen, and almost immediately he ran towards the pantry and pulled out a small red pot. "We need this one right?" He asked as he turned around, the rim of the pot resting gently on his stomach.
I smiled again. I don't recall how many times I've smiled already. "Yes, we will need that pot."
    "Okay!" He smiled, going to the stove and placing the pot on top. "What else do we need? I can get it for you!"
    "Well, we'll need the noodles, so could you grab them for me? I'll heat the water in the meantime."
    He nodded and ran to the pantry, pulling out the drawer that held the noodles inside. It was funny watching him; he tried his hardest to not break them. How cute. After he grabbed enough, he came back and placed them on the counter. "There you go, Kai!" He said. "Anything else?"
"Good job! We'll also need the eggs," I hummed in response as I waited for the water to boil. "Could you grab them for me, sweetheart?"
    "Of course!" Lloyd ran to the refrigerator and grabbed the egg carton, slowly and cautiously holding them in his arms. "I dunno how many eggs Kai needs, so I bring them all!"
    I chuckled and grabbed the carton. "Thank you, Lloyd. Would you like to help me stir the noodles when I put them in?"
    He nodded quickly. "Yes yes! Please lemme help, Kai!"
    We spent our entire afternoon eating ramen and laughing at childish things, but it entertained Lloyd, so it wasn't all that bad. It was actually... fun. He had told me about the things he likes; not just about the color green thankfully. Lloyd mentioned that he loves plants, he likes reading and drawing, and he likes cars. He didn't seem like he had any other interests, but that's because he didn't mention anything else. All he was interested in was talking about cars and plants.
    "So, if you like plants, is that why you have vines in your room?" I asked as I started to wash our dishes.
    "Uh huh!" Lloyd smiled widely. "I didn't know if it was okay for me to have plants, so I asked uhm.. Zane, right? Yeah, I asked him if I could have some kind of plant on my walls!"
    I chuckled. "You're allowed to have anything you want in your room, Lloyd," I said as I patted him on his back. "If you want plants, we can go get you some."
   He beamed with happiness. "Yay! But not today, maybe tomorrow. We went out quite a lot today... I'm sorry." Lloyd suddenly had an aura of sadness looming over him. "I... I heard what the others said earlier, and I just... I didn't mean to be a bother to you all-"
I could feel my heart ache, and before I knew it, my hand flew to his mouth to cover it. "Don't apologize. You've done nothing wrong, Lloyd," I said, looking at him. "Please, don't listen to them. You aren't a bother, and you're no different from anyone else. How much did you hear from them?"
Lloyd stayed quiet at first but finally spoke. "They told you about my last name, and how I could be like my father... but- but I promise I'm not! I don't like my dad, so... so please, I would never follow in his footsteps!"
"It's okay, it's okay. I understand, don't worry," I pulled him into a tight hug. Lloyd clung onto me tightly, his arms almost suffocating me once again. "Look, don't worry about them. You're with me, and you're under my care. Whatever they have to say about you, don't listen. I'm taking care of you, so you should only listen to me, okay? I'm here for you, and I'll protect you."
   He didn't say anything other than nod in response, but I wasn't expecting him to say anything anyway. All I could do was hold him tight in my arms as he quietly cried. I mean, what could I do? I'm not exactly great at comforting people, let alone knowing how to comfort a child. The only thing I knew how to do was give hugs as comfort, because— well, it was kind of the only way I got comfort as a child. Sometimes it doesn't work, but Lloyd seems to like hugs, so why not?
   "Lloyd, did you hear my responses to the others?" I asked after a few minutes. During our hug, I suddenly remembered what I had said to the ninja. If Lloyd heard what they said, he most likely heard what I said too.
   "Uhm, kind of. You sounded really angry so it was kind of hard to hear," he said quietly. "But there was something that stuck to me... you said you all were ninja? Or something? Right?"
   "Yes, we are. I wanted to know... would you like to become one?" I asked him with a smile.
   He stared at me for some time before smiling at me. "Yes!"
   That was when I kind of made a slight mistake.
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Words : 1574
Sorry it took so long ahsiskrkdn
- Pheonyx