Wildcat! Wildcat!
••• End Of The World Everyday •••
lonely little life
and nobody believes you now
you're bleeding magic out
•••••
Y/n and Lloyd in chapter 24: *kiss*
Morro, renegading in the back of Lloyd's mind: what the fuck what the fuck what the fuckkkk
^^ also me while writing this chapter ha ha good luck
"Y/n... what colour are his eyes?"
I pulled a confused look. It was a weird question, but I stared closer at the photo of Simon and answered. "Brown? They've always been brown."
Misako sucked in a sharp breath and turned her head away.
"He's put a block in her," she whispered in horror.
A spike of fear stroked up my spine. "What? What do you mean?
"Snap!"
I slapped my hand atop the pile of cards in the middle of the table, grinning victoriously. Ronin groaned in defeat, lolling his head back.
"Lost to a little girl," he complained. I chuckled, ignoring the jibe and scraped the cards towards me. "I'm losing my touch."
"Keep up, old man," I sneered playfully, adding to my pile. "You can't catch these hands."
Ronin scoffed, shaking his head in amusement.
"You're such a loser," he said. I sent him a pointed look.
"The amount of cards I have compared to you disagrees," I challenged, gesturing to my significantly larger pile of cards. Ronin rolled his eyes.
"We're playing snap," he said dryly. "It's not exactly an accomplishment."
I pointed at him with a finger, brows raised.
"That's exactly what a sore loser would say."
Our very incredibly important card game was interrupted when Misako entered the bridge, phone in hand and a troubled look on her face.
"I just got off the phone with Skylor," she said with a grave tone, turning her gaze to me. "She says that there's no records of your cousin anywhere."
"What, not even a social media?" Ronin asked incredulously, straightening. He sent me a side-eyed look of disgust. "What kind of monster are you related to?"
I gave a helpless shrug.
"Do you have any photos of him?" Garmadon asked, taking a seat at the table. Wu came to stand beside him. "Any proof of his existence?"
I frowned in thought.
"My mum maybe has photos up on her Facebook from family gatherings, but I don't have my ph-"
"Got it," Ronin interrupted, connecting his phone to the Bounty's big screen. He began flicking through the photos of my mother's thirty-third birthday from the year before. I sent him a look and he replied with a smirk.
"When you're a bounty hunter, you get good at gathering information fast."
I turned my gaze back to the photos being quickly shown on the screen when-
"Wait, go back!" I stood in a flourish, pointing. "That's him!"
Ronin went back to the photo before. In the background, half-hidden in the crowd, was the familiar white hair and yellow eyes of Simon. He was adjusting his glasses, sending a scowl at something off-camera.
Wu stiffened. Garmadon stood.
"Y/n," Misako said in a strained voice. "Are you... are you sure that's your cousin?"
"Uh, yeah," I nodded but my voice sounded strained. "Why...? Do you think-"
"That isn't Simon," Garmadon said, fist clenching. "He is Axon, master of the mind, and Nero's brother."
"Master of the.... but- but I grew up with him," I reasoned, panic swelling. "He chopped off my hair when I was six! He used to steal my toys! He was just a little kid, not a- not-"
Wu turned his gaze to me, expression taut and serious. "Whatever memories you have of a cousin named Simon are false," he cut me off. I couldn't hide my fear. "He tampered with your brain and your family's into believing that you grew up with him."
"B- but Aunt Rose-"
"Never had a kid," Ronin guessed in a grunt. He sat back, crossing his arms. "That's some serious power just to insert himself into Y/n's family. Why?"
"I'm guessing he worked out that it was Y/n in the prophecy," Garmadon said gravely. "He used that information to get to Lloyd."
"Great!" I threw my hands into the air in frustration. "Another person who knows about the prophecy except for us."
"But why?" Ronin asked, ignoring me. "What does this 'Axon' guy have against Lloyd? That's a pretty solid grudge to have against the kid."
Misako shifted anxiously, her hands shaking on the table top. Her expression was downcast and frightened.
"His mother died in the Serpentine Wars," she said quietly. Garmadon placed his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her. "She was my best friend."
"Axon has never forgiven us for his mother dying in our war," Garmadon said gravely. "He's been trying to avenge her for hundreds of years but recently, he'd been silent. Now we know why."
"He's trying to hit us in a spot that'll destroy us as much as losing his mother destroyed him," Wu mumbled in a dark tone. I fell back into my chair, roughly running my hands down my face.
"He messed with my head," I whimpered, pausing with my hands over my mouth. "What else has he messed with? What can I trust now that I know he's tampered with me?"
"You can trust us, kid," Ronin said, gently kicking my leg under the table. My eyes jumped to him. "And you can trust Lloyd."
I sent him a weak smile.
"Thanks, Ronin."
"I'll tell Skylor what we know," Misako said tiredly. "And then we'll inform the ninja when they return - speaking of, how are they doing?"
While they changed subject, I sat back and simmered in my thoughts. Part of me was relieved with the reveal - at least I can gratefully say that I wasn't related to him - but it was vastly outweighed by fear. When did he actually arrive in my life? Was it two years ago or two weeks? How could I trust my own brain?
It doesn't matter. I squeezed my eyes shut. It doesn't matter when he arrived, what matters is taking him down and getting Lloyd back safe and sound.
After all, an eye for an eye and the world goes blind.
🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃
"How do you do it?" I asked. "Persevere even when the world's against you?"
Misako looked to me. "I remind myself that I am not their thoughts or their words."
"The tribulations this family faces are worse than most, but we love one another fiercely." She gripped my hands tighter. "Fate gives its toughest battles to its strongest warriors."
"It's a lot to take in."
I sighed. My breath fogged against the cold glass, partially concealing the view of the mountain.
"That's an understatement," I murmured, sending Misako a small smile. She handed me a cup of hot tea and I thanked her quietly, eagerly accepting the warmth. The heater, working as hard as it was, simply wasn't cutting it against the chill of the wailing alps.
"How are you handling things?" she asked in her gentle, motherly voice, settling down on the window seat before me. Her gaze was concerned.
"I'm handling," I shrugged, turning my eyes back to the mountain. The ninja had disappeared into the next realm and now it was a waiting game for their return. "I mean, not really. I'm kind of losing my mind but what else is new, right?"
My chuckle was humourless. Misako didn't even give me a sympathy laugh.
"I know that this situation is tough to be thrown into," she began, cradling her mug close to her chest. I glanced over at her just as she turned her wistful eyes up at the mountain. "Up there is my son. He is fighting a battle we will never be able to begin to understand and as a mother, it's agony to stand aside and watch."
My eyes dropped to the mug.
"But as somebody who is connected to him at an even deeper level, prophecy or not, I can't begin to understand how hard it is for you."
I swivelled back up to send her a look. Wait, but- she's his mother, I'm just-
"I love seeing him with you," Misako murmured, smiling at something that wasn't the mountain. "Whenever you're around him, he's the happiest I've ever seen. He gets this smile, like everything for him is perfect. You're his world. And after years of being mistreated by other people, I'm really thankful that you accepted him so readily."
I'm just his world. Oh.
"You're so strong," Misako continued, patting my knee as she turned her smile to me. I could only stare back, processing her words. "You had every chance to leave but you wanted to stay and help, even when you've never been on one of their missions before. I really admire you."
I couldn't speak for a hot minute, blinking back at Lloyd's mother with a stunned expression on my face.
"O- oh," was the first thing out of my mouth. I didn't know what to say. "I... thank you. I just- I-"
A large snowball sailed past and down to the ground below. We jumped, taken by surprise. Thank god for the interruption because I was bumbling over my words like a fool.
"What on earth was that?" Misako asked in confusion.
"Ghost!" Wu exclaimed as he poked his head into the room before darting back out, moving faster than I'd ever seen him. Misako and I shared a look before we scrambled after him, mugs forgotten.
Much like a crustacean in a crab basket, a ghost was caged in one of the Bounty's extra rooms. He was wailing a spine-shivering squall that spooked me right down to my bones. My poker face was slipping in its facade.
"Can't the ghost go through those?" I asked warily, standing a little behind Ronin just in case.
"This cage is made from deepstone," Garmadon replied. "A material that can only be found in deep sea. Much like water, these guys can't touch it unless they want to be sent back to the departed realm."
The ghost harrumphed, crossing his arms grumpily.
"You're never getting out of here," Garmadon continued, stepping forward with a threatening scowl. "Now tell us; what's in the tomb that's so important?"
"What does Morro want?" Wu asked.
"Is Lloyd okay?" I piped up.
The ghost snarled at us, turning his nose up.
"Ghoultar never talk!" he exclaimed, before realising his mistake and curling in on himself. "Oop, Ghoultar talked. Uh, Ghoultar never talk from now on."
My expression dropped. Oh. This ghost was dumb. Any fear I had about being in the same room as him vanished.
"Oh, I'll get him talking," Ronin chuckled darkly and held up a large fidget spinner- wait no, was that was an aeroblade that Garmadon spoke about before?
Doesn't matter, because the ghost was still afraid of it. He squealed, flinching away from the mercenary with a frightened expression.
Wu held a hand out in front of Ronin, holding him back.
"No, Ronin," Wu shook his head. "We must find another way to get answers out of him."
Ghoultar childishly laughed. Ronin scowled, shoving the weapon back into his belt. He looked disappointed that he didn't get to torture the ghost. Kind of worrying, really.
Misako frowned at Ghoultar's mocking.
"Let him laugh," she said, raising her chin. "The ninja are already in Cloud Kingdom and are well ahead of Morro. Let's just hope they can find the Sword of Sanctuary before it's too late."
"We must use our time wisely," Wu nodded in agreement. "We'll try to decipher the last of the clues. As for Ghoultar... keep an eye on him, you two."
I hummed in acknowledgement, settling on one of the many crates dotting the room. Ronin waved them off as Garmadon, Wu and Misako left the room.
"Don't worry, old man," scoffed Ronin as he glared at Ghoultar. "He ain't doing anything while I'm here."
He glanced over at me, expecting some sort of reply. He frowned at my lack of energy.
"Hey. You good?" Ronin asked as he sat on a crate on the other side of the room. I sighed.
"I just feel as if my life has been under constant fire ever since I moved back into the city," I murmured. "And not in the way where the city's under constant threat, I mean personally. I met Lloyd on my first day back and ever since then..."
"It's been absolute chaos," Ronin finished.
"Yes!" I groaned, dropping my head into my hands. "And I get that this is the way Lloyd's life works and that he can't help it but gods. I enjoy being with him and I love the craziness that he is, but I just wish I was eased more into it."
"I know the feeling," Ronin grunted, grabbing a discarded bouncy ball and throwing it into the air. "I wasn't always a bounty hunter. I accidentally got my girlfriend pregnant and needed a way to get money to support her and my little Anabel. I wasn't getting hired anytime soon so I turned to bounty hunting. Problem is, when you've got a target on your back, you can't stay in one place for long."
I gave him a sympathetic look and he chucked the ball at me. I scrambled to catch it.
"Stop looking at me like that," he grunted. "It worked out in the end. Sure, we split, but she's married to a nice guy who treats them right. And we're on good terms. They let me visit whenever I want."
I smiled. "That's nice. How old is Anabel?"
"She's just had her eighth birthday," Ronin replied before winking. "The green ninja's her favourite, too. Maybe I'll get Lloyd to come visit in exchange for helping you guys out."
I smiled at my hands. "I think he'd like that."
"Maybe then you can discern whether he'd be a good dad," Ronin chuckled, sending me a pointed look. My face burnt.
"Okay, stop-"
"Picture him running after the little tot when it learns how to run."
"Ronin-"
"Putting the little fella to sleep."
"Oh, my god, please-"
"Catching him singing nursery rhymes."
I threw the ball hard at his face. He caught it with a laugh.
"Ronin, I'm seventeen," I insisted desperately. "I'm too young to start getting baby fever!"
"Didn't your mother have you at seventeen?" Ronin asked with a curled smirk. I faltered, jaw clenching.
"Well, yes - how did you know?"
"I know how to count," he shrugged. "I'm kidding about the baby thing. Well, kind of. Having Anabel was the best thing that ever happened to me. But you wait. Wait until you're all settled down or whatever. Don't want Lloyd to end up like me."
I fell silent. That hit.
"Ouch," mumbled Ghoultar, who was still there, by the way. Ronin threw the ball at him and it turned into a ghost-ball or whatever. It dropped through the ship.
"Aw. That was Jay's."
Kai's voice crackled loudly through the Bounty's intercom. It made me jump in surprise.
"Come in, Bounty, come in!" he yelled, panicked. "Hope your jets aren't cold, 'cause we're comin' in hot!"
I raced out of the room with Ronin hot on my heels, scrambling to the bridge where the others were.
On the big screen, it showed the ninja sliding down the side of the mountain on makeshift skis and snowboards made of wooden planks. They were chasing after a ship that held Morro, his friends and a particular sword.
He's got the sword.
Oh no.
"We know what Morro wants with the tomb," Kai continued, puffing with exertion. "He's after a crystal that can unleash the Preeminent to curse the sixteen realms."
"Then we must work together to make sure that doesn't happen," Garmadon said seriously as we began to file out onto the deck. Ronin was dragging some cannons into place before hoisting a few buckets full of water balloons beside it.
"What's the Preeminent?" I asked Wu quietly.
"It's the embodiment of the departed realm," he replied gravely. "A living creature that harvests the souls of the damned."
Oh, sounds peachy.
"Get us into the action, Misako. Y/n, do you know how to shoot a cannon?" Wu asked, turning back to me. Ronin scoffed.
"Of course she doesn't-"
"Yeah," I nodded, cutting him off. He sent me a surprised look as I grabbed a bucket of water balloons and hauled them over towards a canon. He followed, taking the cannon beside mine.
"What secrets are you hiding, little girl?" Ronin asked, crossing his arms as he watched me load the barrel.
"The secret to decapitating a man if he doesn't shut up and get to work on saving the green ninja," I grumbled. Ronin raised his eyebrow at me and I sighed.
"Fine," I relented, giving a quick once over of the deck before lowering my voice. "My dad's in the military, alright? I... picked up some things from him."
"The military?" he whistled lowly. "That's pretty awkward, considering how they feel about the ninja."
"I know," I snapped, shooting him a glare. "And that's why you're not going to say a word of this. To anyone."
Ronin snorted as he began loading his own cannon.
"Lips are sealed," he vowed dryly. "Does dear old dad know that you're dating the green ninja?"
"Of course not."
"Does he know you're dating Lloyd?"
I paused.
"N- no."
Ronin's expression dropped.
"Does he know you're dating anyone?"
"... no."
Ronin chuckled dryly.
"I do not envy your position right now."
"Shut up and shoot, old man."
He rolled his eyes but did as told, dropping the subject and taking a shot. It missed, but it did frazzle the ghost. I aimed. Fired.
The water balloon went sailing, crashing against the deck of the little ship but doing no damage.
"Damn," I hissed, reloading. "Water balloons are terrible to shoot."
"It's almost as if they weren't made to be shot out of cannons," Ronin snarked sarcastically.
"Watch it, or I'll be aiming at you, next."
Ronin laughed, firing again.
"You are one crazy-confident girl," he chuckled. I cheered as I hit a ghost. "What did you do, grow up on the military grounds?"
"Actually, I kind of did-!"
"Watch out!" Ronin smacked my head back just as a scythe came swinging down where I had been. I stared at it, wide eyed, only a breath away.
"Ghoultar turn you into ghost for Morro!" the ghost claimed with an excited smile.
"Aye, back off!" Ronin snarled, pulling out his aeroblade. "I'm expecting to be the godfather but I can't if she's a ghost!"
"That's why you'd save my life?!" I accused with narrowed eyes. Ghoultar grumbled before leaping overboard.
Ronin shrugged. I rolled my eyes, rubbing my sore forehead.
"Why do you think Morro wants to turn me into a ghost?" I grumbled, peeking over the rails. They were directly below the ship and at that angle, shooting would be impossible.
"Maybe Lloyd's emotions made him get a crush," Ronin suggested. I laughed dryly, sharing an amused look. Except-
"Wait, you're serious?" I asked in bewilderment. "But- I-"
Oh, wait. Oh, gods. It kind of makes sense.
"We have to get the ninja!" Wu ordered, clambering onto the anchor before nodding at Garm. He fell with it.
"Oh!" I said, surprised. "Didn't expect that, alright!"
"That old man is crazy," Ronin shook his head. The ninja were pulled up with him, aside from Kai. Garmadon had to catch Nya before she could throw herself back overboard and the anchor slipped, falling again.
"No, Kai!" she screamed as she struggled in Garm's hold. "He'll kill you!"
"Kai's still down there?" I asked, peeking back down at the ship worriedly.
"He's fighting him alone again?" Ronin stressed.
Nya was growing more panicked for her brother. I felt that same fear when I was facing Morro alone on the ship - but Kai jumped into protect me. Who would help Kai?
The dangling anchor line caught my attention and wickedly stupid plan was concocted in head at record speed.
"Wanna watch something stupidly awesome?" I asked, setting a foot on the rail. Ronin sent me a suspicious glance.
"What are you- no Y/n, wait-!"
I dove over the side of the ship, catching the anchor line on my way down. Momentum spun me, the thick metal thudding in my palms as I speedily descended.
Curling in, I hit the chain with my feet before launching, rolling into a landing on the icy ground and riding the wave of snow that broke my fall.
"What thE-!" I heard Jay shout as I forced my body into line with the little ship. I caught a rope dangling from the top of the mast and pulled myself up, scrambling onto the ship with heavy breaths.
"Damn, that should've been easier," I rolled my neck, aware that Kai and Morro were frozen in shock. "I'm out of practise. Dad's gonna kill me for not keeping up with training."
I glanced back at the two, still paused. I raised my brows.
"What?"
Kai recovered first, taking the chance to spin kick Morro. He stumbled back before quickly glancing at the golden blade of the sword. I ducked in, sidling up beside Kai as he raised his fists.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he grunted as we avoided an attack.
"Giving you an upper hand," I said, attempting to sweep Morro's legs out from under him while Kai distracted him with a punch to his face. He avoided both. "Watch out!"
Kai ducked just as the sword sliced through the air. I fell backwards, losing balance. My hand hit something and I glanced down. Kai's aeroblade.
Kai was engaged in battle, keeping Morro too busy to call upon his wind power by an excessive attack. He couldn't keep it up forever.
I threw the blade it his face.
Morro yelped in pain, holding the injury that had begun to bleed. Turning his scowl to me, he didn't see Kai kicking his hand.
The sword sailed overhead and Kai was the first to snag it, leaping back onto the deck in a ready stance.
"No!" Morro snarled, launching himself against Kai. But he had the sword, the upper hand. He stepped back, avoiding Morro, but what he didn't see was the edge of the ship.
He tumbled over the side with a shout, sword in hand.
"Y/n!" Kai bellowed as he tumbled. "Get off!"
Morro growled like an enraged tiger, ready to pounce after Kai. I scrambled to my feet and threw him against the mast of the little ship with my weight.
"You're not going anywhere," I scowled, pressing my elbow against his throat. Firmly, but not enough to choke. Payback for before.
"Let go of me!" Morro screamed, thrashing in my hold. My strength was slipping.
"Come on, Lloyd," I gritted my teeth, pushing him harder against the mast.
I could feel my hair floating, my emotionally unstable powers finally stepping up for me and helping out.
Without it, Morro's wind would've undoubtedly ripped me clear off of the ship.
"C'mon, baby," I hummed, pressing my forehead against his and closing my eyes. "Come back to me."
"Get it through your thick head!" Morro snapped. "He's GONE! There is no green ninja anymore!"
"Lloyd, sweetie," I huffed, beginning to sweat with exertion of trying to keep Morro down. "You gotta help me out here. I'm not strong enough to hold him back for much longer."
He was still thrashing, screaming in rage and- and agony?
He stilled.
"I... I told you to go h- home."
I sobbed a laugh, pulling back and finding my favourite pair of green eyes staring back. He looked tired. Exhausted, as he slumped against me. The little sled shook as it grew in speed.
"Like I would leave you," I murmured softly, brushing aside some of his black locks. He hummed tiredly, digging himself more into my touch.
"I shouldn't be surprised," he muttered.
"You really shouldn't," I smiled wearily as my hair thrashed in the wind of the speeding ship. It fell. "I miss you."
His grip tightened. "I- I miss you, too."
"You're doing so well," I said, wiping his sweaty brow. He shivered. "I promise you that we'll get you back. It won't be much longer."
"I'm holding you to that," Lloyd replied shakily. "Being possessed sucks."
I smiled sadly, pressing my head against his harder. He was wrenched back.
"Pay attention, you idiot!" Morro yelled before shoving hard against me. I gasped upon impact, being pushed over the side of the ship and hitting the snow hard. I landed on my back and rolled, losing my breath.
I managed to lift myself up just as Morro and the ship fell over a cliff.
"Aw, fuck," I gasped for breath, dropping myself back onto the snow. "Ronin was right. He does have a crush on me."
I rolled onto my back, inhaling heavily as I tried to calm my body. The sky was a deep blue, the blind man's eye having passed.
But as much as I appreciated the view of the mountain and the clear sky, Lloyd's hoody was soaked through and it was freezing.
Not good. I didn't have any equipment with me at all.
Where was the Bounty? What about Kai?
"Y/n!"
Aha. Speak of the devil.
"Hey," I replied, sticking my hand up. Kai came barreling towards me, sword in hand and kicking up snow. He looked furious.
"Don't 'hey' me!" he snapped. "The fuck were you thinking?! You could've been killed!"
"But I wasn't."
"But you could've!"
"But I wasn't."
Kai snarled a loud curse, turning away and pinching the bridge of his nose. He was frustrated - he was steaming. The snow beneath his feet had begun to melt.
"Kai," I tried, but he just set his jaw. "Kai. He won't hurt me."
"How the hell would you know that?!" Kai rounded on me, face of fury. Sparks ignited in his palms.
"Because he saved me!" I argued, throwing my hand out to where the ship had fallen over the cliff. "Twice, now! I don't know if it's Lloyd or if Ronin was right about Lloyd's feeling affecting Morro, but he saved me!"
"You can't guarantee that he will everytime!" Kai argued, yanking me to my feet.
"Ow!"
"At the end of the day, Morro's here to overthrow Ninjago. If he has to make a decision between you and Ninjago, I guarantee you that he'll toss you aside without a second thought," Kai growled. He pulled me in closer, threatening. The heat he was emitting was roasting me. "This is war, Y/n. Get it through your head! When you do shit like this, it's your life on the line."
Kai pulled himself away with a disappointed scowl, stomping through the snow.
"If you won't protect yourself for your own sake, then do it for Lloyd."
I stared at the back of Kai, chest hollow. I wiped away some traitorous tears and trudged after him.