I think this may be the last chapter, it's a sorta open ending, might add onto later, but I would be happy with this as an ending.
—
Lucy wasn't surprised a few days later when newspapers came out with articles about how the Ninja had handled yet another threat.
She had just gotten money sent to her account via check due to her job. She finally could invest in an apartment with confidence that she wouldn't go broke immediately. Her therapist — online and who she had just started seeing — had suggested that a stable home would do her good.
Lucy was sitting in her own window, a smile on her face as winter finally came and snow was dusting Ninjago City. She held a mug in her hand and it was filled with steaming tea.
Her phone buzzed on the desk near her, her smile wasn't deterred as she reached blindly for it. She barely looked at the caller ID and answered it.
Her greeting was cheery but robotic, an instinctive greeting you'd expect from a retail or restaurant worker who took care of the phone.
"Hey Lucy, it's Nya. Just wanted to check in and see how you're doing. Lloyd told us about you showing up at the swamp."
Lucy's smile faded a little. "Oh. I'm doing fine. I'm doing my own thing, ya know... taking pictures, chatting with people, attending weddings and hiding in bushes to capture moments. The norm."
Nya laughed lightly. "Glad to hear you're doing well..."
Silence fell and Lucy sighed.
"Is there any specific reason to why you're calling me? I figured I made it clear that I needed space, Nya. You guys needed to be away from me."
"Well — Yes... actually, it's cause of Christmas coming up." Lucy looked out her window again, the lights and evergreens lining the streets. Christmas had been in the corporate world for a couple weeks now. "We wanted to see if maybe you'd like to join us for it. Lloyd was going to call but between me, him, Jay, and Zane, we figured it may be better for me to call..."
Lucy glanced at the coffee shop calendar on her wall, she'd been given it by one of the baristas at her favorite cafe when she told them she finally got an apartment. She hadn't any plans yet but she made it clear that she would be available to be hired that day... she can always change that. After all she was basically self-employed. The wonders of freelancing.
"I..."
It's not to say that Lucy didn't want to, more if she wasn't sure she could face them. After nearly killing them all, she couldn't...
"Lucy — I hate to say it this way, but we're not the ones who asked for space."
Lucy sighed. "Alright, okay. Christmas Eve and morning or just Christmas Day?"
"Are you up for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?"
Lucy could do that. She nodded subconsciously. "Yeah, yeah I can do that. Where? Want me to just show up at your floating island?"
"Sure, I'll let them know you agreed. I can't wait to see you again, Lucy. I... We missed you a lot, you know? Believe it or not, we care about you."
Lucy hummed, a voice whispered in the back of her mind that Nya was lying but she shoved it away. That voice was nothing more than her own insecurities taking precedence and it was infuriating.
"... Okay, see you later Nya."
"See you later, Lucy."
Lucy hung up, she propped her chin on her knees as she stared at the falling snowflakes.
"Great. Just great," Lucy sighed. "I guess I should go Christmas shopping. Gosh, I'm so going to go broke... unless I just give them..." Lucy looked over at the box shoved under her desk.
Days passed, Lucy took the bus across the city, watching the city fly by through the window. She had headphones over her ears but that's not to say she wasn't alert.
The bus came to a stop, it was midday on Christmas Eve and it was the last bus of the day. Lucy got off and started walking out of the city.
Snow fell around her, she didn't admire her surroundings anymore. Her once bright and awed eyes were calm and cold, fixated on the distant island.
Wind whipped up around her ankles as she approached and she launched herself up onto the island, no fear for falling.
"Lucy!" Jay was there waiting. He grinned at her. "Welcome back!"
"Hey Jay," Lucy nodded in return. She held the large bag up. "I come bearing gifts?"
"Nice! You didn't have to!" Jay chastised. "Come on! Everyone's been missing you."
Lucy doubted that fact, she didn't miss the glance Kai shot her direction. Hesitant and guilty yet at the same time, distrusting. Cole's glance was careful. Misako looked over her.
Lloyd, however, he lit up when Jay dragged her inside.
As Lucy did a round of greetings, she noted the bright lights and garland lining the walls, tinsel decorated everything and a tree sat proud, covered in lights and baubles and glitter.
"Want to string popcorn?" Lloyd asked, Lucy stared at him as he offered her a bucket of popcorn and a roll of string.
"I..." she could remember stringing cheap popcorn when they were little, popcorn they'd taken from the teacher's lounge at Darkley's and strings they'd stolen from the arts and crafts room.
It had been Brad's idea and a lot of the kids did it. It was their Christmas tradition. They covered the bushes outside with their finished strings on Christmas Morning.
Lucy smiled softly as she nodded. "I'd love to."
Lloyd grinned, he gestured her to the sofas and Nya pat the seat beside her. Lucy took it and joined the circle, making her own string of popcorn.
Jay started talking, and the atmosphere of the room became relaxed and warm. Lucy ignored Wu and Misako across the room, she ignored their intimately laced hands and close proximity. She ignored them just as she ignored Kai's blatant distrust and Cole's hesitant wariness. She ignored them as she ignored Zane's innocent calculativeness.
Lucy focused on her hands and her brother, and her s — and Nya, and Jay's unending voice, and the Christmas music that played from a radio.
Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' came on... again.
Dinner was pizza and video games, Lucy kept to herself and denied the offer to join the games. She mostly sat on her phone.
—
Harumi ❤️
Hows it going with them?
Lucy
it's going
they don't trust me
understandable
it hurts tho
Nya, Jay, and Lloyd trust me
the others don't
Zane...
I think he does but he's also not
I don't know how I'll handle a second day of this
Harumi ❤️
Just leave
My door is open
My parents would love you joining us for Christmas
Theyve been wanting to meet you ya know
Lucy
we'll see
not today or tomorrow
I told Nya I'd be here and I will
I'll come meet your parents some other day
Harumi ❤️
Not for New Years
You promised wed go out on New Years
I want to sneak into bars and get hella drunk
Lucy
Rumi no
we're 16
no bars
Harumi ❤️
You goody two shoes
You promised we would
Lucy
yes
the girl who nearly destroyed the world is
a
goody
two
shoes
.
Harumi ❤️
You are
Lucy
🙄
whatever
but I did promise
so fine
if we get caught youre bailing us both out of juvie
idk how
but you are
Harumi ❤️
Deal
I cant wait
were gonna get so drunk
I wanna try all the drinks
All the beers and all the vodka and all the fruity ones too
Lucy
yea yea
we need to get someone to chaperone
I dont want to risk getting drunk alone
and not having someone nearby to help us if needed
Harumi ❤️
Fine
Oh I gtg
Mom wants me
Byebye
Lucy
bye
—
Lucy closed her phone, looking up at them playing the game. She studied it a second and the scores.
"You do realize Kai's winning, right? He's got two lives to your ones," she said. The reactions were immediate as the other four ninja quickly reacted to knock Kai out of first place.
Nya laughed, watching as well due to having lost all three lives.
Kai did end up winning, but not easily.
Lucy had slept with Nya in her room that night, she was reluctant to talk, but gave in and talked with the other girl for a while until they both fell asleep. One excited for the next day, as it was Christmas. The other was excited for the next day, as then they would get to leave back to their apartment.
Christmas morning brought nothing unexpected. Lucy hadn't expected any gifts at all, perfectly 'content' to watch the others open their gifts, except she had gotten gifts.
One from Misako, which was something suited for a child or maybe Lucy from before the Overlord's second (third?) coming. Another was from Jay, which wasn't a bad one and there was definite thought behind it. Probably not the most accurate thoughts. Lucy couldn't fault him, he tried and honestly? Nobody here knew her at this point in time. Another from Zane, who'd gifted pretty well. He'd gone with some yarn, and Lucy had no clue how he figured that one out. Nya hadn't faired much better than Jay, but she had gotten a level higher in that hers was useful just in general. Lloyd... Lucy didn't know exactly what to think about Lloyd's.
He'd tried, and Lucy could tell as much. She could tell he'd put a lot of effort into getting her a good gift. In all honesty she liked it, the only problem was that she already owned the item because she decided to splurge and indulge herself a month ago. She didn't mention this to Lloyd, instead thanking him with as much happiness as she could muster.
Kai had given her a box of her favorite candies later, quietly saying it was from him and Cole. He didn't say anything else, walking away.
Lucy didn't enjoy this Christmas, but it was better than it being another lonely day. She did think she would've enjoyed it more if she'd spent it with Harumi and her parents.
At breakfast, Lucy was feeling a bit better after the 'joyous' morning. She'd froze for a second.
Misako kissed Wu's cheek before turning to finish making the food and dishing it out.
Lucy turned quickly, muttering an excuse to Jay as she passed him and went outside.
She wasn't stopped. Once upon a time, she would've been stopped. Lucy sat on the rocks by the frozen stream, relaxing and she just breathed the clear air.
A couple minutes passed before someone came out. Lucy didn't look as she heard someone approach and sit by her. The pants she could see told her it was her brother.
"Merry Christmas," he said quietly. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just needed a minute away from everyone," Lucy lied.
"Lu — Okay..."
Lucy gave Lloyd some credit. He was trying not to push her. She didn't like it though. She hated everyone walking on eggshells around her, to be fair, she wouldn't want them to act as if nothing changed either. Lucy didn't know what she wanted from them.
"I miss Dad," Lucy confessed quietly.
Her Dad could've fixed this. He could've fixed her. He knew what she went through, feeling like yourself but knowing that something had messed with your morality and goals. Thinking you're in control when something else is influencing you to act in a way you would never. Lucy wanted her Dad, he wouldn't have forgotten about her or left her behind.
"I do too..." Lloyd said. "He's —"
"Don't you dare say he's in a better place," Lucy spat, glaring at the ice. "He's in the Cursed Realm. He-He — He's never going to be at peace. He's not even going to ever really die."
Lloyd was silent. "We destroyed the Cursed Realm. The Preeminent..."
"You... so Dad is dead. Completely." Surprisingly, this news was good to Lucy. She smiled a little, watching the clouds in the reflection of the ice. "Good. At least he's not suffering even more."
He was gone. Good and truly gone.
Her smile dropped as she remembered her mother. Who had effectively cheated on her Dad in the past, who she hadn't even seen really mourn the passing of her husband and the father of her two children. She hadn't seen Wu mourn his brother either.
Lucy soured at the thought of the two. They were the only ones she could sanely dislike.
"I'm happy you joined us," Lloyd said, breaking the silence.
Lucy didn't say much in response for a moment. She was hesitant to do so.
"Thanks for inviting me," Lucy finally decided on.
"Lloyd!" The siblings turned to see Misako calling. "Come back inside, you'll catch a cold!"
Lucy visibly soured, not moving.
"One minute, Mom!" Lloyd called back, he noticed Lucy's change in mood. "You don't like her."
"I don't think I ever really did," Lucy admitted. "Maybe for a little bit between Overlord battles, but only when Dad was there. When all three of us were together, we'd be a family, talk about how you should've been with us, it was like — well, the time was off, but like you were off to college. You know? We were happy, not quite complete, but happy."
Lloyd was silent.
"She never really cared, I don't think. I've been doing a lot of that, actually. Thinking, that is. She cared about you, about her baby boy, her son, but not me," Lucy tried to hide the bitterness that seeped into her voice. "She didn't give a rat's shit about me. She couldn't even care to find a coed school for us. Then — Then... No. I don't really like her. I gave her a chance once, she didn't take it. As far as I'm concerned, I have one parent and he's dead."
"Lucy — I... I'm sorry."
Lucy stood, scoffing lightly. "It's not your fault. You're not the reason she acts that way. Come on, let's go inside, or she might come back out with her panties in a bunch over her baby boy getting a cold."
Lloyd caught her hand, still sitting on the rocks. "Lucy, I —" he cut himself off, going quiet. "You know I care about you, right? You're my sister. I'd do anything for you."
Lucy looked him in the eyes. "I know."
"Just... remember that, okay?"
"Okay."
Lloyd stood, he let go of her and they went back inside.
While Lloyd went to sit down and join the others again, Lucy gathered her things. Nya noticed.
"Are you leaving?" Nya asked, bringing everyone's attention to Lucy.
"Yeah," Lucy admitted. "It's getting late and it's a long drive back to my apartment."
"We can give you a ride," Lloyd offered.
"No thanks," Lucy said. "Merry Christmas. Goodbye."
"Bye Lucy!" Jay called. "Drive safe!"
"Bye Lucy," Zane said as well.
The others called a short bye. Lloyd had gone back to the doorway and pulled Lucy into a hug, as did Nya.
Lucy left.
The door clicked behind her, Lucy dropped her bags on the kitchen counter. She pressed her hands on it, breathing heavy.
Without looking, Lucy dug out her phone and called someone.
It rang three times before someone answered.
"Hello? Lu?"
"Hey Rumi," Lucy said, her body relaxing as she heard the other's voice. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas. Are you alright?"
"I'm alright, I just needed —" Lucy took a shaky breath. "I needed to hear your voice. Today... yesterday... it was a lot. I'm tired."
"Aww, I'm sorry, Lu," Harumi said softly. "How about this, you go take a long, hot bath, or shower, your choice, and go curl up nice and comfy in your bed. Then call me back and I'll stick with you until you fall asleep, okay?"
Lucy sighed. "Yeah, alright. I'll call you back."
"Good. Go get some self care."
"I will. Love you."
"Love you too."
—
Heyyyyy haha
Long time no see?
Okay, yeah. Umm, so... been a year. Yep. Sorry. No real excuse except that I just didn't feel like working on this story tbh. No motivation or anything so I kinda... left it alone.
But, 2023: year of content.
(That worked out great for TheOrionSound when he said it, didn't it)
Yeah, attempts will be made. I'm sorry for the long wait. Your guys' constant support and comments definitely contributed to me updating, I'll say that much. You're real ones.
💜 ~ Bye!