•••
A stylus combed through my hair as I watched the camera screen.
The screen pans around a golden teapot with three blue panels surrounding it and Jay yells and grunts.
It zooms in on a teapot, and reflection reveals a skeleton being kicked by Jay, grunting once again. Jay whips out nunchucks, fighting the skeleton who is dodging his attacks.
He knocks the skeleton away and four more skeletons drop from the ceiling. The blue ninja grabs the teapot handle and turns it, switching the first blue panel to red, which flips around to reveal Kai.
“Ninja, go!” Kai does Spinjitzu, defeating the skeletons.
A skeleton is knocked down a ramp, and under it is Zane stretching his arms.
Other skeletons sprint down the hall and Cole ghostly emerges from the wall so the skeletons run back only to find a punch from Zane crashing through a barrier of ice.
Kai and Jay come sliding down the ramp with excitement and all four ninja line up together facing the screen.
Cole comes forward and pounds the floor tripping the skeletons into the wall.
The ninja go into fighting stances.
Samukai crashes through the wall and charges at them.
A green light appears and the Green Ninja emerges from the wall. He lands and punches Samukai with green Energy.
“Do you have the golden scroll, Lloyd?”
“I sure do, Kai! But I don't know what is says. Can anyone help me read it?”
“We can! Because reading is the first step to every adventure. Go, reading, go!” the four ninja exclaim together.
“Is there any style you want, Miss Y/n?”
“I just need it so that it's not nappy. Do whatever you want to it.” I answer leaning back in my chair.
“And... Cut!” Dareth emerges from behind the camera walking up to the ninja, “Brilliance plus perfection! Clean up, little fellas, and make some headway here. That's a wrap!”
“A wrap? I just got here. Dareth said—” The Brown Ninja interrupted interrupted Nya.
“Hey, hey! There's my boys! I knew you could Spinjitzu but that acting knocked me out.” He notices nya, “Oh, hey, sweetheart. Mind sticking around for a segment to teach girls how to apply makeup?”
Uh oh.
Nya looks to the back corner, angered. “You're gonna need makeup when I rearrange your face!” She walks over to deck Dareth, but Jay holds her back.
Jay grunts, “Easy! Nya is one of us now, there's no reason she should be treated differently.”
“No reason? You added a girl to the group. You know how much that hurts your image? You're a boy band-”
I stood from my seat, “Absolutely not, Dareth.”
His eyes widened looking over at me, “Angel!” He greeted pulling me into a hug, “You could have greet-”
“The five of them are all equal, gender doesn't matter. In fact Nya is important since she gives girls the idea that they can do anything a man can.” I interject, gently pushing him back.
“Important? No. Irresistible... uh, debatable.” Kai winks at fangirls in the doorway. They scream and try to run to him, but guards stop them.
“Kai… shut up before I actually hurt you.” I threaten glancing back at Dareth.
“Darling, you can't change the recipe. The are the face of the franchise, and now the face of Teen Idol!” He whips out a magazine with Lloyd on it and Jay and Cole on each side of a heart with Nya in it.
“‘Sensei Lloyd’? But I'm only a Sensei-in-training.” Lloyd reads out.
And a fine good one at that.
Right… sorry. I'm trying to pull back a bit.
“And what's this about me and Jay still fighting over Nya? That's old news.” Cole grumbles.
That was messy shit. I wasn't there to experience it but holy shit. One… can I say… I find it bullshit that Nya started the whole thing, even though she was already in a relationship with Jay-
Actually if I start thinking about this now it will get me frustrated so… never mind.
“Who cares if it's real or not? Isn't this what you've always dreamed of? You're the hottest thing in Ninjago!”
“Dareth…” I seethe.
“Alright..” he sighs, glancing at Nya, “you'll be in the next action advertisement with the boys.”
___
“Dareth wants me to teach girls how to cook? How about I teach them how to do this?” Nya sprays water on sparring bots.
“I know. Such a misogynistic thing to say. But at least he agreed to an action shoot.”
“Only because he has a crush on you.” She growls out destroying the practice bots.
Misako walks up, setting her hand on my shoulder, “Bad day? You're supposed to hit them, not destroy them.”
I know… I'm hoping I never make her angry.
“I'm a girl, but I'm also a lot of other things. But what does that matter when everyone only sees me as one thing: the girl ninja.” Nya groans, “I just wanna be given a fair shot.”
“Why? To make things easier? The harder it is, the more you will excel. You'll never be happy if you let the world define you. You've got to define yourself.” She repairs the bots. “Now, again. And this time, destroy all the targets.”
Lloyd rushed through the doorway, “Sensei's back, and there's trouble.”
_
I've figured that life is easier if I just stay out of the way. Other than the fact that I may get beaten to a pulp just for being physically connected to Lloyd but, you know… at least I'm not dying.
“What is it? Have they sold out of Kai action figures? I knew there wasn't enough—” Kai shut up with a glare from me.
Wu shook his head looking over to a screen, “No. It appears when you destroyed the Cursed Realm, one ghost escaped. And you know him all too well. Clouse. Security footage shows him buying a train ticket that will arrive in Stiix in just a few hours.”
“Clouse? The sorcerer from Chen's Island? What does he want with Stiix? That place is just a salvage yard now.”
That's the stuff I missed… you know… after having my sould ripped out of my body.
By the way, where the hell is pythor? I still haven't given him a piece of my mind.
“That's why I want you to go there and stop whatever it is he is planning to do.”
Kai crossed his arms, “But Dareth wanted us to visit the hospital for that Grant-A-Wish thing.”
“Hey, we take orders from Sensei Wu, not Dareth. Lil' Nelson only has a broken leg. If his wish is to be a ninja for a day, that day can be tomorrow. Suit up.” Lloyd announced leading the gang out.
“They are growing up.” Misako smiles gently.
“Yes, they are. But I'd still like to think Ninjago would fall apart without us.”
“You can't get rid of the OG.” I mutter watching the 5 fly away on their dragons.
__
“yeaaahhhh, It's a party in the U.S.A.” In my lazy state I flipped through the pages of Lloyd’s comic book collection.
The gang was out at stiix, while-
My attention turned to the speaker of mumbling voices.
“look what I found. A Kai action figure. Some fan probably lost it. No way anyone threw this out. Practically priceless.”
I scoffed pressing down the microphone button, “Kai nobody wants those things.”
His voice returned clearer indicating the fact that he's actually speaking into Lloyd's communicator, “That coming from the girl who has one.”
My heart jumped for no reason.
“Yeah, to use as a voodoo doll when you get on my nerves.” I retort, turning the page.
Lloyd let out a chuckle, “No sign of Clouse.”
“Okay well keep looking. Wu and Misako are at some… library looking up something… I don't know” I mutter almost gasping at the betrayal on the page, “yeah- uh I'm here if you need me.”
“Ugh Y/n's not the most reliable with information.”
Slamming the book closed, I sat up practically mashing the button down, “Okay how about this. They're at Domu Library, looking for what your little friend Clouse could have been looking for. Does that make you happier Jay?” I hiss adding in a cherry tone.
“u-yeah… thanks.”
“Alright there. Calm down Y/n” Lloyd soothed softly.
A shutter passed through my body, a tingly feeling mainly in my chest. I don't know what he does but it manages to ground me Everytime. With a gentle hum I relaxed back into the chair, opening up my book.
Although before I could catch back up on my reading the news station caught my attention.
Having so many TV's on can be quiet disruptive, but it does help let the ninja know whenever a crime has occurred.
“They're calling it the Crime Wave of the Century. Earlier today, Green Ninja Lloyd Garmadon was caught on tape robbing the city bank.”
Video footage of Lloyd running out with a bag of money cuts on screen.
“Uhhh-”
“And that's not all. At Mega Monster Amusement Park, Zane was on a rampage of vandalism and mayhem.”
Well obviously that's never happened.
But who… and actually… how did someone manage to pretend to be them?
“I am ashamed I ever wore their underwear. Oh, uh, I mean, T-shirts.” A citizen interviewed responds.
A reporter walks up to Jay’s parents, “Any comment about your son's offenses?”
“Jay would never do this. And if he did, he had good reason. I hope.”
‘i hope’ damn that's crazy.
The commissioner holds up a picture of wanted signs, “The ninja are at large. They are armed and dangerous. And they have legs. If you see them, do not approach. Call local law enforcement so that we can apprehend.”
Sighing, I stood to my feet making my way over to the wheel.
They can't fight against civilians, so best thing to do is pick them up.
“Y/n, we're in a bit of a jam.” Lloyd explains as I throw on the thrusters.
“Yeah I saw the news. On the way.” I mutter sailing past obstacles. “Guess you guys are in the zone of infamous, huh?”
“Seems like it, but we'll never find out who did this to us unless we get out of here.”
“Don't worry baby. Just stay safe for about 3 minutes.” I unconsciously answer, pushing a lever forward.
My chest strummed a bit, feeling like a guitar playing a cord. A bit disorienting.
Coming up on the deck of Stiix, the ninja were on top of a machine, hiding.
Before relief could be in effect hooks latch onto the bounty pulling me down. “Take her down.”
Fuck.
Lunging for the speaker I pressed the button, “dispersed, don't be caught together.” I whisper as the bounty was forced into a landing.
I got no answer back.
____
Blowing strands of hair from my face, I scoff looking at my ‘interrogators’
Simon and Tommy.
What beautiful names for people who gave me a sprinkled donut.
“Just come clean, tell us where they are.” Simon is taking the good guy route.
Tommy slammed his fist on the desk in front of me, “We know you're protecting them. Spill it!”
“Uh one, take that attitude down a few 8 notches.” I state, placing my feet against the desk, “two, I'm not gonna talk to someone who yells at me.” I add taking a bite out of the donut.
Setting it back on the table I glanced up at Tommy's glare.
“Oh! And three, they didn't do it.”
Tommy smacked my donut off the desk, “Right. That's what my mother would say too. Maybe we should give her some time to sweat it out. Come on, Simon.”
“my donut” I whimper looking at the sad scene.
They slam the door leaving me on my own.
“I wish I had more donuts.”
“Your wish is yours to keep.” a voice whispers.
A box of donuts appeared on the desk.
My eyes widen seeing a guy who looks like a genie.
I think the no legs and the ponytail gave it away.
“Why not wish for a way out?”
“I don't like to wish for things that won't happen.” I mutter, searching through my memory for who he could be.
“I have a good feeling this one will.”
The memory clicked.
Na- da- Nadakhan!
Misako would randomly talk about things she's read. She might just assume I'm not listening due to how much I pretend I'm not.
Nadakhan, as my memory could recall is a genie, one with a silver tongue that you SHOULDN'T make wishes to.
I just have to manage to play it cool.
“No.”
“Oh, yes.”
They seriously need to have someone watching me the entire time!
“Ooh. Someone was kind enough to bring donuts.” He smiles looking at the mess, “and someone wasn't.”
“Where is Wu and Misako?”
“Oh, you mean...them?” He sets a teapot on the desk.
The Teapot of Tyrahn.
“It's smaller in person, I know. I was trapped inside it for longer than I care to recall. But now Clouse is in there. And he has Wu and Misako to keep him company.”
The outside of the teapot faded away showing Misako, Clouse, and Wu inside of it.
A sigh left my lips, “What do you want?”
“A good captain never leaves his crew behind, and mine was taken from me.”
“Uhuh… you're a pirate captain. Granting wishes to others, since you can't do it for yourself.” I summarize scratching my scalp.
“Yes, I cannot wish for myself, but I can always get what I want. Wu already told me where the Realm Crystal is, but I will still need your help.”
I scoff, narrowing my eyes at him “good for you buddy.”
I'm not that dumb.
I'm better off gone, than giving him information he needs.
He glares, making his way to me, “you're not half bad.”
“I just like to know who I'm working with. You don't seem to make the cut.”
“And you're about to disappear.”
A smile made its way onto my face, “Wouldn't be something new.” I stood to my feet touching the teapot, “I'd wish you'd get on with it, slowpoke..”
______
“how did party in the USA go?” I mutter flipping through a page in Lloyd's comic book.
Pausing, I slowly glance down at the book in hand.
A strange sense of deja-vu….
The television caught my attention.
Having so many TV's on can be quiet disruptive, but-
No seriously… this all feels… so familiar.
The broadcast shows Jay and Nya kissing in embrace.
Weren't they fighting just a few hours ago?
Something had to have happen.
Something that altered time.
Like in a show your watching and they practically destroy the world, but either it was a dream or magic turned it back to normal.
Meaning not Canon.
But.
At least those two seem to remember whatever the hell happened.
Humming a tune I looked back down at the book, reading.
_____
One one one!!! More!!!! Lefttttt!