(Second person POV)
Drying yourself off and putting on your sleepwear, you threw your outdoor clothes into the washing machine, hoping that the noise from the device wouldn't be too loud. Using your wind element to dry your hair, you took the time to brush your teeth and put on your concoction of lotions and body creams. If you were going to find your teacher, you might as well not disappoint him when you see him. Hearing the bathroom door creak, you caught sight of the familiar pulsing aura that belonged to Lloyd but you pretended not to notice as you went through your nighttime routine.
"Um... I'm... I'm really sorry for what I said at dinner, Miss (y/n)..." the boy murmured, fiddling with his hands as he stared down at his feet, too worried to meet your gaze. What if you didn't accept his apology? How would he be able to become an evil overlord if he doesn't have a loyal second in command like you? How would he be able to earn his father's approval if he-
"Hey, eyes up here, kiddo," you corrected, the sound of your monotone voice cutting through the uncomfortable silence was like a wave of relief that washed over the child, glad that you weren't ignoring him anymore. "You should look at the person you're talking to. It makes things more sincere and makes people trust your words more."
Nodding quickly in response, Lloyd looked into your (e/c) eyes, feeling a little intimidated by your unwavering stare. "I'm sorry for upsetting you during dinner, Miss (y/n)," he tried again, his aura showing that his words were sincere.
"It's fine. I should have drawn my boundaries more clearly in the first place. I don't blame you for touching on the topic," you reply, turning back to the mirror to finish your routine. "There's an unused toothbrush and cup in the cupboard. There are also towels hanging on the rack over there. You should take a shower before going to bed so you don't feel gross going to sleep,"
"Alright, Miss (y/n)!" the boy beamed, grabbing the cloth without hesitation.
"As I said before, just call me (y/n)," you respond, the small smile on your face telling Lloyd that you weren't mad.
"Alright, (y/n)!"
"Place your clothes on the chair over there once I'm finished," you instruct, washing your toothbrush before placing it on its stand and leaving the room. "Go ahead and remember to pull the shower curtain back,"
Hearing the child hum back in response, you shut the door behind you and walked over to the dinner table to wash the dishes, only to find the boy's plate remained untouched since you walked out on him. Feeling a little bad for the kid, you let out a soft sigh as you tipped the unfinished food into the bin, making a mental note to give him a big breakfast tomorrow to make up for it. Eyes lingering on the other dish that was left over as always, you took the plate over to Dart who had already finished yours.
"Do you want some more?" you asked the dragon who shook her head, having eaten two servings already.
Well, I guess this is tomorrow's breakfast for me... you thought, putting the noodles into a container and placing it in the fridge. Running the dirty platters under the tap, you absent-mindedly began to clean them, your mind elsewhere as your body seemed to move on its own. You were questioning whether you should continue your search for your teacher or whether you should move on.
On one hand, maybe you were the only one holding on and Kusho Sensei had long since forgotten about you. On the other, if you gave up on the search, you would be abandoning your sensei while he might still be trying to reach you. Letting out a sigh, you hated how uncertain you felt, fear's tendrils curling around your mind even as you did nothing. If you stopped looking for him, then it would mean adjusting the routines you had adopted and continued to practice in your day-to-day life. It would mean uncertainty, which in turn would mean change. Or worse yet, irreversible change.
Hearing Dart let out a yelp of warning, you looked down at the sink to find it start to overflow with boiling water and your hands were plunged right into its depths. Letting out an instinctive hiss, you closed the tap and shoved your hand underwater, pulling out the sink plug. Though the hot liquid should have left a nasty burn scar, you found your hands to be perfectly fine even though thick tendrils of steam wafted from the water.
...How... odd... you thought as you stacked the clean dishes on the drying rack just as you heard Lloyd call out "I'm done!"
Pretending that nothing was wrong, you replied "Alright! I'll get you a spare change of clothes while I put yours in the wash!" Climbing up a drop-down ladder that lead to your bedroom, you opened the closet and began looking for a change of clothes for the child that was staying in your home. I don't have anything suitable for a small boy... you thought rummaging through what little outfits you owned. You didn't need many different sets of clothes anyway, not when you had the ones gifted to you by your sensei.
Hands stopping over the drawers that housed your teacher's clothes that haven't been touched in nearly a year, you hesitantly pulled it open, going over the contents inside. Seeing the various sets of garments that your mentor had worn, you felt a sentimental longing wash over you against your wishes. You didn't have time to reminisce over bygone times, not when you needed to focus on the future. Yet with each passing moment, you felt your heart grow heavier at the clothing that was gathering dust in the drawers. A part of you was certain that was the way they were going to be for the rest of time, untouched and a mere relic of simpler times, but you didn't want to listen.
Swallowing the feelings of protest as you picked out a robe for Lloyd to wear while you washed his current outfit, you were about to shut the wardrobe when a soft tinkling of bells caught your attention. As curiosity took hold of you, you pulled out a familiar icy-blue bell that was attached to a thin metal hook, you recognised it as the chime you found in Kusho Sensei's room the day your shared home got destroyed. The pad of your thumb running over the groves that were etched onto the arctic-blue metal in the shape of a lotus, you felt a lump well up in the back of your throat. You haven't put on the earring since that time you lost the cave to the explosion as the charm wasn't suitable for battle and made sneaking around harder. Plus, it was a little uncomfortable to sleep with as the thin tassel would tickle your neck as you lay down.
Hooking the ornament on your left earlobe, you felt a sense of comfort wash over you, clearing your mind and bringing peace to your thoughts. It was therapeutic, to say the least as if the storm clouds that were your raging thoughts began to quell, turning into calm clouds that overlooked you. It's like... a clarity bell or something... you thought, deciding to keep the chime on as it helped you focus, Plus, Sensei's aura seems to radiate off from it...
Taking the robe to the bathroom, you gently knocked on the door, not wanting to disturb Lloyd if he was still showering, though the lack of rushing water seemed to disprove your theory. "Here's a change of clothes," you announced, opening the door by a fraction and handing the cloak to him while looking in the other direction in case he wanted some privacy. "Can you hand me your clothes? I want to wash them if that's alright with you."
"Alright. Thank you, (y/n)," the kid replied, placing a rough cloth in your hand that was still sticking through the doorway before you retracted the limb.
"I'll lead you to a separate bed once you're done changing," you speak through the door before walking away to the washing machine that was done cleaning your outfit. Taking the wet clothes and placing them in the dryer, you turned it on as you placed Lloyd's in the washer and turned that on too.
Walking to the bookshelf that stood in the corridor between the kitchen and the bathroom, you ran a hand down the spines of the various books you had ordered by authors in alphabetical order. The sight of the classics Sensei read you made nostalgia wash over you again, your mind spinning as if you were in a tumble-dryer in place of your clothes. Letting out a sigh, you wondered whether you should place the texts back into your pocket dimension with the rest, only to be unable to make a decision.
After a few more minutes of contemplating, you decided on packing them away tomorrow morning as it might make Lloyd uncomfortable if there was just an empty bookshelf glaring down at him. Opening your pocket dimension in front of you, you looked through the orderly piles of your past before pulling out one thing that brought you the most sense of comfort: the Void Vanquisher.
Unsheathing the blade, you twirled it around in your hand, relishing in just how... right the weapon felt in your grip. The main thing that comforted you was the way your teacher's aura seemed to radiate from the tsurugi, making you feel at peace and that your searching won't be in vain if it meant finding the ghost. Before you had a chance to further relish in the power of the sword, a familiar voice called out from your left "(y/n)?"
Snapping your finger, the weapon and your pocket dimension disappeared from view as you turned around to see the source of the voice: Lloyd. "I don't think your clothes fit me," the boy muttered, struggling to roll up the sleeves of the robe as the bottom of the cloak pooled around his feet.
"That is to be expected," you replied, helping him in the task, "These clothes belonged to my teacher. He was taller than me so the clothes probably won't fit you. However, they were the only outfits that weren't mine and I didn't want to make you uncomfortable by wearing a female's outfit."
"Oh, okay," the boy replied, stiffening slightly at the mention of the man that was a touchy topic for you.
"Let's go to sleep now, shall we?" you proposed, "Even overlords need to get their rest,"
Shyly, the child tugged at the sleeve of your nightwear, murmuring a soft "Can... can we sleep together...? I'm, um..."
Catching sight of the candy-red and ink-black colours that filled the kid's aura, you realised he was both embarrassed and scared respectively, making you nod despite not understanding why. You didn't understand fear, much less embarrassment so you weren't in a position to console him.
Leading Lloyd to your bedroom that was positioned above the front seats of your van, the two of you climbed the drop-down ladder inside. Laying on the mat under your bed lay Dart in her dragon form, startling the boy who nearly leapt into the air in surprise.
"(y/n)! There's- It's a-" the child stuttered, seeming confused as to how the animal got inside in the first place.
"Calm down, it's just Dart," you assured the human who felt even more dumbfounded than before. "The black and silver snake with blue eyes? This is her real form," you explained, watching the kid shuffle around the fantastical beast who was the same size as she was when she first hatched. "Don't worry, she doesn't bite. Well, not you anyway. She knows that we're friends and won't attack unless you provoke her."
Nodding almost hesitantly, Lloyd leapt onto your full-sized bed, the (f/c) coloured duvet flumping into the air before being pulled back onto the mattress. Giving the child a pleased smile that he was settling in, you stood on the furniture and pulled open the curtain that was covering the sunroof, allowing the moonlight to stream into the room. Tucking the boy into bed, you asked "You ready?", as the other nodded excitedly in reply.
Going downstairs, you made sure to close all the shutters, lock the doors and windows, as well as turn off the lights before heading back to your bedroom. Pulling the drop-down ladder up, you closed the hatch and shut off the light before beginning to head to your spot on the bed on Lloyd's right.
"Hey, (y/n), why are you on the right? Wouldn't it be easier for me to be there?" the child asked as you slipped under the covers and turned on your bedside lamp.
"Well, it would make it easier for me to beat someone up if they got in the room as I'll be the closest to them and it'd be harder for them to hurt you," you replied matter-of-factly before noticing the boy tense up. "...But that won't happen because I've locked all the doors and made sure this whole place is secure," you add on, trying to reassure the kid.
"Thanks, (y/n)," he smiled, shuffling towards you.
"It's alright, kiddo," you reply, trying to resist the urge to back away from the physical contact, "I'm gonna turn the lights off, alright?"
Getting a nod in reply, you flicked the switch and watched the lamp's warm honey-gold glow drain away. After a while of silence with nothing but the occasional soft ringing of your Clarity Bell earring and Dart's snoring filling the quietness, Lloyd suddenly piped up "Hey, (y/n)... Why are you staying by my side?", his words catching you off guard.
"...Why do you ask?" you can't help but reply despite knowing it's rude to answer a question with another question though the kid didn't seem to mind.
"Well, you know how you said that everyone's doing things for their own benefit?" You nodded in response, "I was wondering why you were sticking with me even when Skales offered you a position in his snake army. I mean, I might be the son of Lord Garmadon, but I'm just a kid and the Hypnobrai are Serpentine-"
"Hold on," you cut in before you could stop yourself, "Who's your father?"
"Lord Garmadon," the child answered, as you saw his aura filling with a violet pride before it changed to lemon-yellow worry, "You don't... hate me for that, do you?"
"What? No, of course not," you replied without hesitation, "Why would anyone hate you for that?"
"Well, my dad's the Dark Lord and he's evil. That's why I wanna be evil too so that I can be his second in command! Then we can rule all of Ninjago as father and son! Oh, and don't worry, (y/n). I'll still have you as my second in command, so you can be... the third in command? I dunno, but I want my dad to be proud of me so I'll follow in his footsteps!"
"Is that so...?" you murmur, "But does being evil make you happy?" Getting met with silence, you took that as a sign to fill it in yourself. "It doesn't matter whether your father is proud of you if you're not proud of yourself,"
As if taking a moment to digest your words, Lloyd changed the topic as he insisted "Now you share something about yourself! I told you about my dad and what I wanna do so you should too, or else it isn't fair!"
But is anything fair in this world? you thought, biting back the words so as not to seem rude or hurt the child's feelings. "Alright. How about I tell you about my teacher?" Hearing this, you felt the boy stiffen next to you while you shuffled on your right side to face him, the sound of your Clarity Bell ringing out in the haunting silence. "My teacher's name is Kusho, but I call him Kusho Sensei to be respectful. He taught me everything I know since I woke up in a forest somewhere in Ninjago. I don't have any memories of my past beyond the time I awoke and... I'm in no rush to get them back right now. Currently, my main priority is to find my teacher and... protect a sword and I'm willing to do anything and everything to fulfil the two."
"...Is that why you're sticking with me?"
"No, that's not the main reason," you reply naturally, "It's because I also want to learn about everything and travel the world. What better way to do it with some company? Besides, you kind of remind me of..." Myself, you thought but stopped yourself before you could say any more.
Despite receiving the biggest cliffhanger he had had, Lloyd seemed satisfied with your answer, snuggling closer to you before whispering "Goodnight, (y/n)..."
"'Night, kid," you reply, gently patting the boy's slightly damp blond hair as you turned to look at the sunroof that was covered in a blanket of snow. Using your wind element, you made a particularly harsh breeze blow off the sleet from the outside of the van, giving you a clear view of the cloudy night sky. Watching the whiteness start to pile up again, you suddenly felt a weight on your stomach, making you lift your head slightly.
Catching sight of a rippling aura that seemed to form a barrier around the being, you recognised its pattern to be that of Dart's, the glowing mist that surrounded her in an arctic-blue shade. Judging from Lloyd's reaction, or lack thereof, you realised that only you could see the aura and its glow, making you sigh deeply and cover your eyes with the back of your arm. Guess who's not getting any sleep tonight~?
Author's note:
Thank you for reading the new chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and didn't mind how much reminiscing there is on the reader's part. This was 2957 words long but I hoped you enjoyed it! See you in the next one :)