~~~*~~~
But I'm a creep,
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here
~~~*~~~
During lunch, Nya mentioned that it would take us until tomorrow to arrive at Lord Garmadons base, due to the damage Morro had caused to the ship. I was conflicted by this, which meant it would take longer to save Lloyd but it also delayed my first meeting with Lloyd's father.
What can I say? Meeting your soulmate's dad is kind of awkward under normal circumstances anyway. But meeting him by saying, "Oh hello, Mr soulmate's dad. I accidentally got your son possessed and now we need that scroll you stole- no, not that one, the other one- to save your possessed son."
Okay, so maybe I wouldn't be using those exact words, but it would be just the same if I did.
I was completely out of my comfort zone, and stressed. I was really stressed. After eating I retreated to Lloyd's room once more, everyone probably thought I was some sort of anti-social hermit by this point. I mean... kinda, but no. Baby Lloyd is just a very good author. Very enticing way of writing, which must've evolved into charm as he grew. Or maybe he was still a good author, I'll ask him after he's freed from his possession. It'll be my first question for him, after which I'll follow with, "Are you okay?"
I grabbed the diary from the hiding spot I had hastily shoved it into in my complete panic, reopening the entry I had begun to read.
25th December 2014
It's Christmas!!! I'm so happy. Uncle Wu gave me a present. It was my really cool ninja clothes. He said that I'll have to grow for it to fit but I don't really care. I'm wearing it now. It's not that big on me. My mum sent me comics. I already read them all. I wonder what [Y/n] got for Christmas. I wish I was alowed to ask her.
I smiled as I read, it faltered slightly when he mentioned me. I definitely hadn't been thinking about him on Christmas, I was too upset to think about him. I couldn't look at my hand for 2 months afterwards because I almost always cried if I did.
On the next page, some of the ink was smudged and the page was wrinkled in some areas- a telltale sign of water damage. I wonder what it was.
2nd Febuary 2015
I met my dad today. I never saw him before. I wish it stayed like that forever. I was so excited when Uncle Wu said he was staying for a bit. I even brushed my hair. But when he saw me and I went over to hug him he cried. He said he was sorry. I asked why and he said I looked like a monster and it was all his fault.
Am I a monster?
Oh my god. That's why he got so scared when I saw his red eyes for the first time. I wanted to cry, I did cry once I realised that it was the last time he wrote in the diary. Poor baby.
"You're not a monster, Lloyd..." I whispered, stroking the old, now obviously tear-stained page. How long had he cried over this? How many times had his mind wandered back to the first time he'd met his dad?
I tucked the book back under the pillow and rested my head above it. I didn't mean to fall asleep, crying this much in so little time makes me tired.
***
I was rudely awoken the next morning by a very loud seagull, screaming bloody murder somewhere up on the deck. At first, I grumbled, turned over and tried to go back to sleep. The problem with me, however, is that once I'm awake, I'm awake.
Defeated by the shouting gull, I rose from bed and walked out of the room. If it was a seagull I heard, that meant we were near land... Which also meant, I now had to meet Lloyd's dad.
Everyone else was already awake, again. I walked over to the front of the ship. I could see Garmadon's base looming just ahead of us.
I really didn't want to meet this man. He called his kid a monster, and you know terrorised our city. Being mean to Lloyd was worse in my opinion.
I tore my eyes away from the large volcano and looked down at myself. I had fallen asleep in my clothes and my hair was still in the pigtails, however, half of it had fallen out while I slept. Garmadon may be a tyrannical madman, but he was still Lloyd's dad. I had to make myself look a little more presentable.
After pulling the plaits out of my hair, by brushing through my hair with my fingers I decided to put my hair up in a ponytail instead- for practical reasons.
I suddenly got extremely nervous, being able to make out the outline of a very tall, four-armed man waiting for us. Anxiety-ridden, I practically ran into the bridge. Nya was in there, sailing, man- what can't that girl do?
"What's up with you?" She asked.
"Nothing..." I looked out of the window, we were closer now and I could see Garmadon in more detail. Red eyes, except these ones weren't sexy, "S-So, erm, how tall is he?" I couldn't bring myself to say his name out loud, otherwise, it would confirm in my head that this was all, actually, happening.
"I think around 6'8 or 9, I've never actually measured." She turned to me, smiling. Once she saw my vacant stare out the window her smile widened, "You're nervous."
"N- Yeah. So? He's Lloyd's dad! It's awkward. I'm only meeting him because I got his son possessed, is that how you met Jay's dad?"
"I'm going to ignore that you're still blaming yourself for all this, but trust me- everything will be fine."
She couldn't have been more wrong.
***
The first thing I heard from his mouth was gloating, that man loves to gloat apparently.
"OH HO OH, What do we have here? Are the uber-powerful, secret Ninja force surrendering to me?"
Everyone, apart from me and Misako, was on the deck in complete view of Garmadon. Misako was smiling like a schoolgirl at her husband, Wu really wasn't lying when he said she loved him. This piqued my interest, people hated Lloyd and then hated me for being his soulmate, so what was it like for Misako?
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," She turned away from the window.
"When people say horrible things to you, and about- How do you deal with it all?"
She looked back over to her husband as she spoke, "I ignore them, they don't know anything about the real him. Why? What have people said to you?"
"More like, done to me."
I lifted my top up slightly, revealing the still healing bruises from when I first met Lloyd- before slapping him.
Misako gasped, "Oh sweetheart, why didn't you mention it? That looks like it hurts."
I shrugged, pulling my top back down. "It happened a while ago, it was worse when it first happened."
"What happened?"
"Some cheerleader didn't like that I insulted his insult creativeness."
She tilted her head, crossing her arms. "That isn't the full story, is it?"
"No," I sighed, "He called Lloyd something, I remember it being really stupid, which is what I told him and he told me I shouldn't be sticking up for him. Oh and, this was before I had even met Lloyd and it was only my second day at school. And another thing, people on the school bus started doing that thing when I get on now too."
"What thing?" Lloyd hadn't told his mum?
"You know, when they all pile onto the other side of the bus."
"Kids can be so cruel..."
We both looked out of the window, Garmadon had climbed on board now.
"Where's your leader? I would like to ask what on earth that little outburst was about the other week."
Wait, "He doesn't know that he's fighting Lloyd?"
"Not yet... I didn't want him to know. I guess we have no choice now." Misako began walking to the door, "Are you coming with me?"
I looked out the window and quickly back to Misako, "Yeah..." I didn't really have too much of a choice here, I was going to meet him one day so why not now?
I followed behind her, shrinking into my borrowed hoodie. Did I have to meet Lloyd's entire family in some sort of chaotic way?
Upon hearing a new set of footsteps, Garmadon looked up expecting the leader of the Ninja force to be approaching. Instead, he saw his wife.
"Misako! What brings you here? Has Wu dragged you into all this nonsense, or did you just miss me?" He went to take a step toward her, his arms outstretched but stopped. He had spotted me, and I was wearing Lloyd's green hoodie.
"Did you turn the green ninja into a girl?"
I almost laughed, almost, "What? No, my name is [Y/n]."
"Oh. I don't know who you are." He looked around once again, "Where is he?"
Exasperated, Kai started, "That's why we're here, we've been trying to tell you."
"He was possessed and we need the scroll of Airjitzu." Jay added.
"Which you stole." Cole continued.
"Two weeks ago." Zane finished.
"Why would I want to help you?" Garmadon quickly retorted.
The Ninja looked at Misako expectantly, it was her decision to tell Garmadon the truth. I watched as she wilted slightly, still unwilling to break the news to him. I had to step in... right?
I sighed a little, "Because, you'll be helping your son."
His face dropped and the bright red of his eyes dulled to an almost brown colour, with the realisation that he had been battling against his own child the entire time.
"You- Misako?"
She nodded tearfully, "I didn't want to tell you, I thought I could stop it."
A realisation of my own hit me, this was deeper than I originally thought. I could vaguely remember something about a prophecy detailing a huge battle between the Green Ninja and Garmadon, that he'd be the only one to return him to his original state.
Damn.
Garmadon's demeanour completely changed, "I don't even have that scroll anymore, some guy bought it off me."
"So we came here for nothing?" Jay complained in usual Jay fashion.
"Not for nothing, Morro still doesn't know about this otherwise he'd already be here." Nya reminded him.
"Morro? That's who possessed my son?" Garmadon seemed surprised, if not a little disgusted.
"Yes."
"That obsessive little kid? How could you let him possess my child?" He had now turned to his brother, all four hands on his hips... and torso I guess.
"Actually, it's kind of my fault that he's possessed..." I interrupted.
"And you are?"
"[Y/n] [L/n]... Lloyd's soulmate."
"[L/n]? They had a kid?"
Wow. Okay. Why does everyone know my family?
"Who did you sell the scroll to?" Wu asked.
"Some hobo looking guy in a hat. He had this flying ship, not like this one."
"Ronin." Kai muttered angrily.
"That was his name, yeah."
"Last I heard, he's in Stiix." Nya mentioned.
"You heard the woman. We're going to Stiix." Garmadon loudly announced.
"There is no way you are coming with us." Kai told him.
"Lloyd is my son. I will go as I please."
"Kai, just let the man help his son." I found myself saying, I knew that Garmadon wasn't the best father in the world but at least he cared.
"I like you." Garmadon pointed at me, smirking.
Kai grunted angrily and left the deck with Nya to plot our new course. Misako and Wu lead Garmadon to the library, possibly to get his help with the symbols. Jay and Cole were looking at me in bewilderment, Zane was looking at me as well except a small smile was on his face.
"You just let Garmadon onboard." Jay stated.
"And you told Kai off." Cole pointed out.
"And he listened?" Jay continued.
"The only person Kai will listen to is Lloyd, and occasionally Sensei." Zane added.
I shrugged, "Maybe the hoodie confused him."
AN
2053 words
6th October 2022
I needed [Y/n] and Garmadon family-bonding time, okay?
~Actuallyabiscuit0602