Chapter 1: Lost Hope
Chapter Text
When Lloyd saw the bounty get crushed, he had no hope left. He couldn’t bring himself to fight. What was there to fight for? His friends… No. His family… Just died… right in front of him.
“Well? Green Ninja? Have any fight left in you?”
The oni mask-wearing Son of Garmadon put him down, clearly wanting to fight him. Lloyd sighed, and just sat down. Life isn't worth living without his family. So, for the first time in his life, Lloyd surrendered.
“I… give up…” Lloyd muttered, raising his hands above his head. The Son of Garmadon looked annoyed, as she took off her mask, Ultraviolet sighed-
“Ugh, you’re lame,” She growled. “But whatever.” She put her hand to her ear, as she cuffed Lloyd. “Hey, Harumi! I got him. The green ninja! Who else?! Ok, yeah those might have been options. But I got Lloyd Garmadon, ok? Fine, I’ll bring him to the tower.” Ultraviolet stood in front of Lloyd. “Stand up, Green Ninja. I don’t wanna drag your sorry ass to Lord Garmadon!”
Lloyd did as he was told. He stood up. Ultraviolet pushed him forward. Lloyd and Ultraviolet arrived at the tower. The Sons of Garmadon, led by Harumi, were standing at the front entrance.
Harumi expected to see Lloyd fighting to his last breath, she even assumed Ultraviolet had been lying or tricked by someone. But no. Lloyd was there. In chains. Not fighting. It would have been amusing, if it weren’t so sad.
“Aww, Lloyd,” Harumi said, in mock pity. “Not so strong without your friends now are you?”
Lloyd stayed quiet, not even looking her in the eye. But he still seemed to hear her, if his look of hopeless frustration was anything to go by. Harumi always knew how to make Lloyd tick. And she loved to do it, but now was not the time for that.
“What do we do with him,” Ultraviolet asked, impatiently. “Should I send him to Kryptarium Prison already?”
“No,” Harumi smirked. “Lord Garmadon has requested his presence.”
Lloyd finally met Harumi’s eye, while his face was one of determination, his eyes held fear, and Harumi didn’t fail to notice it-
“Aww? Scared of your father, Lloyd?” Harumi mocked. Lloyd just looked away from her. “Don’t worry, I’m sure this will be quick and you end up in a prison cell soon enough. Let’s go!” Harumi ordered the Sons of Garmadon.
“Yes, Ma’am!” Ultraviolet laughed, sadistically.
Lloyd was pushed forward by Ultraviolet, and Lloyd followed Harumi. The group arrived at the top of the tower. The sons of Garmadon expected Lloyd to fight at some point. Try to make a break for it, or take them out, but he didn’t. It was as confusing to them as it was annoying. Lloyd seemed like he really just had no fight left in him.
“Harumi,” The voice of Lord Garmadon made Lloyd finally look up from where he’s been staring at the ground so intently. “Lloyd…”
“Father…” Lloyd growled, but couldn’t do anything- even if he wanted to fight- because he was chained in vengestone. “Why haven’t you just sent me to Kryptarium Prison with my remaining friends? Scared I’ll just break out again?”
“No,” Garmadon said, unaffected by his son’s failed attempts at taunting him. “I actually had something else in mind for you. Harumi!”
“Yes, my lord?” The white haired woman asked, bowing to her Oni Overlord.
“You have served me well. Been my most loyal follower. I think you deserve a prize.”
Lloyd was confused. But Harumi smirked, as she put together what her lord was saying. Harumi bowed-
“If you allow me to ask, I have a request for this prize.”
“Depends. What is it?”
“Lloyd Garmadon,” Lloyd’s eyes went wide. His father wouldn’t really… award him… like some prized pet, would he!? “I wish to have him as my servant.”
Lloyd looked at his father with silent, pleading eyes, Harumi would no doubt abuse him and use him in any way she wanted, if his father agreed to this. Lloyd didn’t want to admit it, but he still loved Harumi. If she found that out, she’d exploit it and use it against him. Garmadon simply turned away and sat back down on his throne. Garmadon had a neutral look as he finally addressed Harumi-
“He’s yours.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Harumi bowed to her overlord before turning to Lloyd and dragged him away. Once they were alone in Harumi’s quarters, Lloyd looked up at Harumi with shock on his face. “What is it, Lloyd? Shocked that your own father only sees you as an object to be given away how he sees fit?”
“L-leave me alone!” Lloyd tried to sound angry, but fear was the only thing he could show, as Harumi closed in on his personal space.
“Lloyd, this would be so much easier if you just sit still.”
“No!” Lloyd tried to leave out the door behind him, but it was locked. “ARG! LOCKED!?”
Lloyd felt a pull on the back of his Gi. Lloyd looked to see Harumi as she grabbed him and dragged him over to the side of her bed. Lloyd didn’t want to think what could happen to him. He was now basically Harumi’s slave, and she could do as she pleased with him. Harumi took something out of one of her drawers next to her. Lloyd couldn’t see from his place sitting on the floor. He knew moving without Harumi’s permission would end badly for him, so he didn’t. He just waited, silently thinking about his friends who died due to that stone monster Harumi had summoned along with his father.
Harumi finally turned to face Lloyd and Lloyd saw something in her hand. A collar. Lloyd looked at Harumi incredulously. His face twisted in anger-
“You are NOT putting that on me.”
“About that, you don’t have a choice,” Harumi had that sly smirk she always had. “Just stay still.” Lloyd growled, but did as he was told. Harumi laughed at the way Lloyd looked like an angry dog while growling. “You look so cute, Lloyd. Like an angry puppy,” Harumi seemed to notice his blush. She looked him in the eye. “And now you’re mine and no one is coming to save you.”
Chapter 2: Dreaming for Hope
Summary:
Lloyd's life as a pet isn't as bad as he thought. Nya tries to find allies to save her only remaining brother.
Notes:
TW: Dubious Consent
Chapter Text
Nya stood in shock, as she saw the bounty get crushed. Her brother, her boyfriend, her friends, they were all crushed, right in front of her eyes. She couldn’t believe it. She just couldn’t. She tried contacting Lloyd, but she only got static.
“We need to move,” Pixal stated, despite being clearly upset by the loss of Zane. “I know how you must feel right now, but we need to get out of here or we’ll be captured and likely killed.”
Nya sniffed, but nodded. The two girls quickly found a place to hide. Nya decided that if Lloyd had been captured, their communications could be tracked so she and Pixal broke their communicators and left them in the trash. After changing clothes they burned their gi and armor, so the Sons of Garmadon wouldn’t be able to recognize them.
They decided to hide out at Mitsake’s Tea Shop. Since she was a friend of Wu and not a fan of Lord Garmadon, she let them hide there for as long as they needed. Nya got in contact with Dareth. He wouldn’t be much help in battle, but he wasn’t as recognizable as them and could easily get them supplies. And they needed all the help they could get.
She had heard through rumors that Lloyd had become Harumi’s pet. Yes. Pet. And Nya was not happy. She and Kai had viewed Lloyd as their little brother, even after he had aged up with the time tea and Gronckle incident. He was still a kid in their eyes, and she already lost one brother. She would not lose another.
“We have to save him,” Nya growled.
“How!?” Dareth asked. “We barely have enough supplies to keep up the fight against Garmadon as it is. How would we launch an attack on his main tower or even find Lloyd!?” Nya glared at him. “Don’t get me wrong, Nya. I love the little green guy, but we can’t afford such a risk right now.”
“As much as I hate to risk Lloyd’s safety,” Pixal spoke up. “Dareth has a point. We are unprepared for this fight. Lloyd will survive. He’s the green ninja. But until we have the necessary resources, we will be unable to help him without a high probability of getting caught, ourselves. Unlike Lloyd, who Harumi seems to have taken an interest in, we will not be lucky enough to be held in such an obvious place like Garmadon’s tower.”
“Fine,” Nya said, finally calming down. “What’s the plan?”
Lloyd had to admit. As much as he hated being a pet, Harumi hadn’t really done anything he thought she would have. He thought she’d beat him, or let the Sons of Garmadon have their revenge. She mostly treated him like someone would their pet. She did force him to wear the collar, which was actually made of vengestone. This meant he didn’t have to walk around cuffed all the time. She used a leash and led him around. He mostly just sat next to her as she did her job as the leader of the Sons of Garmadon.
Whenever she gave him a command and he listened, which took a few weeks for him to actually do that willingly, she would give him a piece of candy. Lloyd always had a weakness for candy. The first time she’d done it, Lloyd thought it was just another attempt to mock him, but she hadn’t pulled it away when he reached for it or when he ate it. It was just a treat, her words not his. He learned over the course of- what Harumi said was- two months, he couldn’t really confirm that, since the days seemed to blend together for him, he learned that it was better just to sit quietly and obey Harumi. Lloyd was sitting next to her, as they looked for the locations of current rebel hideouts.
Lloyd acted like he was supposed to, sitting by Harumi’s side and listening. Listening because he knew if there were rebels they would need this information. He didn’t see a point in trying to escape. Harumi didn’t let him out of her sight. But if by some miracle he found a way to get in contact with Nya and Pixal, it would be important to find allies that could help them stop his father. He didn’t want to fight though, he just wanted to mourn his friends in peace. Harumi did a slight tug on his leash, signaling him to stand and follow her. Lloyd could hear the snickering from his dad’s followers as he walked by them. Harumi didn’t stop them, just smirked as she forced Lloyd to follow her. Lloyd just stayed silent as he was brought to their shared room.
Lloyd sighed, as he sat down next to the bed as normal. Harumi sat down as she read a book. She gestured for Lloyd to sit closer, he did. She gave him a chocolate bar to snack on as she read, she would occasionally pet his head. There was one thing Harumi did that Lloyd had mixed feelings about, she had sex with him some nights. He had an obvious crush on her, and his teenage body didn’t mind getting laid, but at the same time, he didn’t have a choice. If he refused she could just force him to do it, at least when he agreed he would get candy and aftercare when it was all over.
He knew it was wrong, but it didn’t matter what he thought. He was her pet. He didn’t get an opinion. He hated that, but he didn’t want to get in trouble. Since Harumi had punished him before, he’d rather not think about that. He just sat still and let Harumi pet him, as she read her book.
Nya couldn’t believe it. The elemental masters!? They were working as a rebel cell. Their base was the trashdump. A perfect excuse to go anywhere in the city. They had all the scrap metal an engineer could dream of. This was perfect, with all their powers, resources, and allies. They could save Lloyd and mount an attack against Garmadon and his forces. She just hoped they weren’t too late to save Lloyd.
Chapter 3: Alive & Hopeful
Summary:
What's been going on with the others in the Realm of Oni & dragon?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
As Kai stood in the arena, awaiting whatever dragon would come through that gate and likely kill them. He thought about what had happened this past few months… First, they had been nearly crushed. They used the ‘in case you need it’ tea they got for free from the old lady, which saved their lives. Then, they woke up in a desert in the realm of Oni and Dragon, with a baby that Lloyd had tossed to them to save.
Next, they find out the baby is actually a rapidly aging Wu. They try to teach Wu the very lessons HE taught THEM. Then, while Cole and little master Wu were away looking for food, he, Jay, and Zane had been captured by crazy, dragon-enslaving, humans. Now, Jay is delusional, Zane is having trouble understanding anything about how clearly using their powers isn’t going to do them any good, and Kai was about two seconds from freaking out himself. Their only hope is that Cole and little master Wu find them and save them before they get eaten by a fucking dragon!?
Cole was very glad their disguises were working. So far, no one knew they weren’t supposed to be there. Little master Wu was right behind him. Then, he- of all times to do it- bumped into a giant warrior-
“Who are you?” The giant man asked, skeptically. “I don’t recognize you.”
“Well-” Cole decided to think fast. “I… don’t recognize you!”
“Mhm!” Little Master Wu nodded in agreement.
“Really?! Everyone knows me-” The man went on to say a name and title that Cole didn’t care to listen to. “And what’s your name?”
“We're new to camp! I’m-” Cole stuttered, but thought of a name quickly. “Rocky Dangerbuff! And this… Uh- is my son! Dangerbuff Jr.”
“Ah!” The giant man smirked. “From the dangerbuff clan. I know Senior Dangerbuff! Let me get him!”
When the giant turned away, Cole and little master Wu quickly left to avoid possibly getting outed. Cole saw his friends being chased by an earth dragon. He had to help them!
“There!” Little master Wu pointed to a chain. “They can use that as a weapon!”
“Good idea, little master!” Cole said, happily. “Let’s get it down there!”
Together they turned the wheel and the chain fell. The others seemed to think it was an accident, but didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth and took their new weapon and chained the dragon down. It hurt Cole to see his fellow Earth elemental in chains, feeling a connection that was beyond an explanation, but he knew the dragon would be fine. Also, it would have killed his friends had it not been chained down. Cole let down a rope and quickly left before anyone saw that he and little master were the ones who gave them a chance to get to safety.
The two saw the other’s use their powers to get out of the camp, aided by one of the dragon hunter’s own. Shocked, Cole and little master Wu quickly jumped on, the dragon hunter- who was apparently on their side now- went to attack, luckily Kai recognized them-
“Stop, Heavy Metal!” Kai turned to Cole, as Zane started the vehicle and took off. “Cole! Little master! It’s great to see you!”
“You too, Kai!” The young Wu said, in his adorable child-like voice.
“You’re welcome for the chains, by the way,” Cole snarked.
“That was you?” Zane asked, as he had trouble steering the monster truck. “Uhm, Heavy Metal, could you take control of our transport? I am unaware of how to properly drive it.”
“Fine,” Came the robotic voice. Zane and the newly dubbed Heavy Metal switched places.
“It is indeed good to see you, Cole. Little master.”
“Good to see you two, Zane,” Cole smiled.
“Guys!” Kai pointed behind them. “We got company!”
“We need to lose them!” Cole shouted.
“Lose them?!” Kai yelled at Cole like he was an idiot. “How!? Where!? WE’RE IN A DESERT!?”
“Zane?!” Cole turned to their nindroid friend in hopes he had an answer. He did–
“My scanners indicate a cave system up ahead. We can lose them there!”
A few minutes later, and- just as Zane had said- they saw a cave entrance. The pursuers who were flying wouldn’t be able to follow them into the cave. Perfect. Heavy Metal entered the cave and as expected the fliers had to pull out or crash.
The ground vehicles followed and started to catch up. Cole glanced around. He saw Zane and Kai shooting at the dragon hunters, but Jay was just as useless as before they’d been captured- maybe even worse. Jay kept spouting nonsense, so he would be no help. Cole looked at the low hanging rocks. His eyes narrowed, and he jumped, hitting the rock and landing- luckily- on their stolen truck. The rock fell with Cole’s strength and landed on a large truck, crushing it under the rock’s weight. Cole winced, but turned back to his team. Kai glared at him-
“What?” Cole asked.
“That was too risky! What if you fell off the truck! We wouldn’t have been able to stop for you!”
“Sorry,” Cole rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “But it bought us time.”
“It appears we have lost them,” Zane pointed out, as they drove out of the cave.
“Or not-” The helicopter from before flew over head, with two extremely tall, strongly built, trucks pulled up on either side, chains being shot out and wrapping around the ninja’s own stolen truck. Cole started freaking out- “Heavy metal… GET. US. OUT! OF!! HERE!!!”
“I can’t with those chains wrapped around us! Get them off!” The hunter growled.
“Right!” Cole used his strength to pull the chains off, Kai used his fire to cover him and Zane used his ice to block other chains from catching onto them. “Come on… Come on… Got the last one! Heavy Metal, NOW!!!”
“Hang on!” Cole saw a cliff up ahead.
“What are you doing?!”
“Saving us!” With that, Heavy Metal pushed the gas and they drove off the cliff.
Notes:
Ha! You thought that 'Major Character Death' tag was because they didn't have the traveler's tea, didn't you?
Ok, tbh, I didn't know for sure if I wanted them to have that and end up in the Realm of Oni and Dragon since I find those scenes to be the weakest of seasons 8 & 9, despite these seasons being my favorite, but I have something even worse planned for them than death. Well, for teenage Wu that is.
Yes! I am an evil traumatized author and want to have my characters' live worse than mine so these characters are my poor chosen victims! HAHAAHHA!!!
Chapter 4: Visions of Hope
Summary:
Wu has a dream. Nya kidnaps Harumi.
Notes:
Hey guys. I know I've been updating my ninjago fics a lot. I've been waiting for season 7 of MHA to come out, so I decided to rewatch some shows from my childhood including Lego Ninjago and Avatar, so I while I wait for season 7, these will likely be the fics I update for now.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“What are you doing?!”
“Saving us!”
With that, Heavy Metal pushed the gas and they drove off the cliff. They fell down the side of the cliff. Too fast for the helicopter to keep up. Cole was scared and he passed out. When Cole awoke he realized he was laying with a blanket over him and it was nighttime. He looked around and saw his team was sitting by a fire. He walked over to them-
“Hey guys!” Cole called out, his friends turning from their campfire to see him.
“Cole!” Kai stood up and ran over, giving the earth elemental a big hug. “You’re ok! You’ve been out for hours, Zane said you passed out from shock, but I was worried you had got hurt when we landed.”
“How did we even land and not get smashed to pieces?”
“About halfway down the drop, Zane made us an ice slide to make sure we wouldn’t crash onto the ground. But we still hit the wall of the cliff pretty hard. You fell off the truck onto the ground. We realized you were out cold, luckily Zane checked your vitals and you seemed fine, we just had to wait for you to wake up.”
“Ok,” Cole saw the sun was rising. “Looks like we should get moving- Wait! Where’s little master Wu!?”
“Over here,” Came a deeper voice.
“Look who has longer legs!” Cole smiled at the teenage Wu.
“Great, a teenager, now we’re in for it,” Cole saw that Jay seemed to finally snap out of whatever broken mindset he’s been in for the past few months.
“Uh- Jay,” Kai spoke up. “WE’RE teenagers.”
“Oh right…” Jay muttered, embarrassed. Wu looked at his teenage body and seemed to look a little confused.
“What’s wrong, Young Master?” Saying ‘Little Master’ didn’t seem to fit him anymore.
“I feel- weird…” The white haired teen replied.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I don’t feel the rapid aging process I’ve been going through anymore. Maybe the effects of that tea are wearing off.”
“That is unexpected,” Zane stated. “We assumed you would rapidly age until you reached your age before you drank the tea.”
“Is it possible that this realm is messing with the tea’s effects?” Kai questioned.
“I don’t know if that is the exact reason, but perhaps the elemental energy in this realm could be interfering with the tea’s effects.”
“So, if we get back to Ninjago,” Jay piped up. “Young Master Wu will age into our Master Wu?”
“It is a possibility…” Zane muttered. “But I’m not entirely sure that is even the reason he stopped rapidly aging.”
“Well to be fair. We’re not even sure if the tea was the reason he started rapidly aging in the first place,” Cole pointed out. “We just assumed the effects of the tea were wearing off.”
“Fair point,” Kai agreed with the ravenette. “Maybe something else caused this.”
“Well, whatever it is. It really doesn’t matter,” Kai huffed. “We need to find a way home to Ninjago.”
“Let’s keep moving,” Heavy Metal said, as they picked up their supplies and put their stuff into the back of the truck. “Who knows how long it will take Iron Baren to catch up to us.”
“Right!” Kai responded, and hopped onto the truck with the others. “Let’s hope we can find a way home.”
Nya was just putting the finishing touches on a new Samurai X mech. Pixal would need it to help in the fight. They had a plan to save Lloyd, but to carry it out, it required capturing a certain person.
While at the tea shop, they learn Mistake was an Oni and that she could shapeshift. They needed a way to draw Harumi out. So, they had Mistake disguise herself as Nya. And gather the attention of the Sons of Garmadon. And cause enough problems for them that Harumi would have to handle ‘Nya’ herself.
The plan worked better than expected. When Harumi was alone. Nya, the real Nya, glared at Harumi, the girl who took away her brothers, with so much anger and hate, that Harumi seemed shocked at the look on the water ninja’s face face-
“Hello Harumi,” Nya growled, spitfully.
“Ahh, Nya,” Harumi smirked. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“You took away my friends and family,” Nya stated, as she sat on a trashcan in the alleyway. “So, I took away your friends. You have nowhere to run.”
“You think you have a chance against me? You claim to be powerful, but look at you. The once great water ninja, reduced to a beggar in rags,” The white haired woman mocked. “And your precious brothers are no more. One is nothing but my pet. And the other is dead! You are alone.”
“No,” Nya stood up, Harumi suddenly was surrounded by the elemental masters. “I’m not alone, but you? You are.”
That night, Wu shifted in his sleep. He was dreaming about his father, the first spinjitzu master, telling him to ‘have faith’. It was a weird dream, and Wu had no idea why he woke up so nervous. It wasn’t a scary or sad dream by any means, it was just… weird. That morning, Wu brought up his dream to his fellow ninja-
“Guys, I have something important to tell you,” Wu sat down with the others around their burnt out campfire from the night before.
“What is it, Young Master?” Cole asked, eating some wild animal they had cooked over the fire.
“Well,” Wu took his share of the cooked animal. “I have a vision from my father, he said something to me I think you should know.”
“The first spinjitzu master talked to you?” Jay said, excitedly.
“You’re the son of the first spinjitzu master?!” Heavy Metal asked, their eyes widening behind their mask.
“Yes,” Wu’s reply was directed towards both questions. “He said… To have faith. I’m not sure what he meant by that. Do any of you have an idea what my father meant?”
“No clue,” Kai looked at the others.
“I wish,” Jay huffed.
“I’m afraid I do not have an answer,” Zane said and Cole just shrugged without saying anything.
“I might,” Heavy Metal said, as they took off their mask, revealing a young woman. “My name… is Faith.”
Notes:
I spent all day reading and re-reading and re-re-reading this on a Google doc, due to A03 being down for a few hours. I swear if there is a typo, I will be angry about it for the rest of my life!!!
Edit: I forgot the lines to show the POV shifts. I'm mad...
Chapter 5: Plan for hope
Summary:
Wu and the others make a plan to get home. Nya, Mistake, Pixal, and the elemental masters act out their own plan for freedom.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“My name… is Faith,” Wu was stunned. The group’s eyes were wide.
“YOU’RE A GIRL!?” Jay shouted. “WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOONER!?”
“Iron Baron didn’t want anyone to know his top hunter was a woman,” Heavy Metal- No. Faith- replied calmly. “Is it true… That you are the son of the first spinjitzu master, I mean?”
“Yes,” Wu stood up and walked over to help Faith put away their supplies onto their stolen truck. “I am.”
“Then, you know the location of the dragon armor.”
“Dragon armor?” Kai asked, confused. “Like that dragon bone sword that you wield?” Faith glanced at the sword in her hand.
“No,” She nodded. “This sword can absorb the dragon’s and your own elemental powers. The armor controls all dragons.”
“Even first born?” Kai asked, following Jay and Cole as they jumped on the truck with the other two.
“Yes,” Faith said, in a matter of fact kind of way. “If we can get that armor, we can get you home.”
“How?” Cole asked, sitting behind Faith as she started up the truck.
“Dragons can go through realms,” Faith said, as they drove away from their previous camp. “Get the armor, get the dragons to obey your commands, command the dragons to take you back to this… Ninjago… that you keep speaking of.”
“Ninjago is our home,” Zane said. “No oni, and dragons only exist if we summon them.”
“Your world sounds amazing,” Faith had a small smile. “I wish I could see if, after all, Iron Baron won’t take well to my betrayal.”
“Why don’t you come back to ninjago WITH us?” Jay suggested.
“Yeah! If Wu has the armor he can tell the dragons to take you with us!” Kai cheered.
“You’d really take me with you?” Faith asked, turning her head to face the group, stopping the truck in her shock. The group turned to Wu.
“Of course,” Wu had a soft smile. “Now let’s head to the armor!”
“Which way, son of the first spinjitzu master?”
Nya smirked, as her and the elemental masters watched Harumi, who was tied to a chair in the trash depo main building.
“What are you going to do with me?” Harumi asked, in mild panic. “The longer I’m missing the more likely the Sons of Garmadon will come looking for me. Besides, only I know where your precious Green Ninja is!”
“Hmm? Oh no,” Nya said in a mocking tone. “Whatever shall we do? Skylar, do you have a plan if they come looking for her?”
“Why don’t we let Harumi go with them?” Skylar said in fake thought, and Harumi had a confused look-
“You’re letting me go?” Seems even Harumi can be caught off guard. “Just like that?”
“Oh no, you misunderstand,” Skylar smirked. “Nya, would you like to introduce our new friend?”
“Gladly!” Nya smirked and turned to face their prisoner. “Harumi meet… Harumi!” Nya stepped aside and a perfect copy of Harumi walked in front of Harumi.
“You think you can pretend to be me!?” Harumi shouted in anger.
“You think you can pretend to be me?” The older voice came from the copycat Harumi. Harumi smirked.
“I think your voice might give you away,” Nya said to the disguised Mistake.
“Oh dear,” The copycat Harumi said, and her voice slowly shifted as she spoke- “Maybe it will be more believable if I talk more like… This…” The last word was a perfect copy of Harumi’s own voice.
“They’ll find out you’re not me!!” Harumi growled.
“Ready?” Nya asked Skylar, ignoring the former Jade Princess. The redhead nodded. Skylar’s hands were tied behind her back with rope. With that the fake Harumi and Skylar left to return to Garmadon’s tower. They saw the Sons of Garmadon waiting at the door.
“Harumi!” Killow laughed. “We thought you’d been captured!?” The disguised Mistake smirked.
“They tried. I couldn’t get the ninja, Nya, but I got the next best thing. One of the elemental masters!”
“Let’s go then!” Ultraviolet laughed and pushed Skylar in front of her.
“I will be right there,” The fake Harumi stated. “I need to check on my pet.”
“Ok! I’ll make sure she doesn’t get away until you return to present her to Lord Garmadon.”
“Good,” The fake Harumi walked around the building, going to where she knew Harumi’s quarters would be.
She tried opening the door. But it was locked. She broke the lock, knowing she would get lost if she tried looking for a key. Lloyd seemed to have jumped at the loud noise. Mistake noticed Lloyd tensed as he saw Harumi.
Lloyd heard the door crack and break. He didn’t know who would be trying to break in, maybe the Sons of Garmadon finally decided to go against Harumi and beat him. Maybe Harumi was angry and lost her keys. Maybe Nya had come for him, that thread of hope was crushed as he saw his owner-
“Well, good to see you’re alright,” Lloyd looked at her in Shock-
“I-it can't be! M-Mistake?!” Lloyd asked, not believing his own ears. Mistake shapeshifted her face into her face to prove her identity before shaping back to Harumi. “H-how?!”
“I’ll explain later, right now we need to play our parts. Skylar needs to touch Garmadon and Harumi needs to be there with her pet.”
“I can’t help you,” Lloyd sighed, sitting back in his place. The place that Harumi ordered him to stay until she returned.
“Young Garmadon,” Mistake said with concern in her voice. “Something’s bothering you.”
“My friends… They’re gone…” Mistake hummed. “I c-couldn’t save them! I’m alone. I don’t deserve the title of the Green Ninja.”
“You failed, but failure is a trait of humanity. So is guilt and grief, but you are not alone, Young Garmadon.”
“What?”
“Nya, Pixal, and the other elemental masters are still out there. Would your friends want you to just act as a slave to your worst enemy? Would they want you to give up? To quit? No. They wouldn’t.”
“But-”
“But nothing!” Mistake stated, firmly. “Your friends would want you to fight, to endure, to survive, to fight for yours and Ninjago’s freedom. To stop your father.”
“I can’t fight, I’m sorry. Just… go on with your plan and leave me,” Lloyd turned away and stayed put. Mistake sighed-
“We’ll be back for you, when you’re ready, Young Garmadon...” With that, Mistake fixed her voice and left the room to meet up with Skylar and continue their plan.
Notes:
Lloyd has been broken. It takes more than a few wishful words to convince him to gain what hope he's lost.
edit to add: In case you didn't notice, the scene in canon where they find half of the Bounty doesn't happen in this au, so the ones in Ninjago still have no idea that the ones stuck in the realm of Oni and Dragon are actually alive.
Chapter 6: Hope in the Oni Lands
Summary:
Wu and the others arrive at the Oni lands.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“That way!” Wu pointed north. Most of the others cheered. Faith smirked and drove them that way. Cole’s eyes squinted suspiciously.
“What?” The white haired teen asked his fellow teen.
“Over here now,” Cole had a stern tone even though he whispered. Wu climbed over to the back of the truck, confused.
“What is it?”
“You don’t know where we’re going, do you?” Cole asked, crossing his arms like the dad he’s been acting like towards Wu for months now.
“No,” Wu admitted.
“You’ll have to tell her that you don’t know where it is,” Cole said, sitting next to Wu on the back end of the truck.
“My father told me to have Faith,” Wu said, watching Cole sit down next to him. “Then we found out we met someone who was NAMED Faith, the very next day! Not a coincidence.”
“But that was a dream,” Cole stressed quietly. “Maybe it WAS just a coincidence. What if this armor isn’t even real? What if you’re getting her hopes up for nothing?”
“The dragon blade is real, so the armor must be too. If my father came from this realm, he had to have gotten to Ninjago somehow? What if first born or some other dragon was how he did it. And if oni are the enemies of dragons, then first born probably wouldn’t have allied with a half oni so easily.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Cole muttered. “But even if it IS real, then you still don’t know where in this realm it could be.”
“I have Faith, I will follow it.”
“Fine,” Cole huffed. Suddenly they stopped. Kai stood up-
“Why did we stop? The armor isn’t here, is it?”
“No, but this is Oni land. When Iron Baron crossed over with a team of hunters to gain the dragon blade, he said the horrors of the Oni were unthinkable. Iron Baron was the only survivor.”
There was a line of giant poles with dragon skulls mounted on the tops. The poles seemed to go on for miles, too far for the eye to see. The group got off the truck and looked around. Stepping close, but not crossing the invisible line.
“Have you ever seen an Oni?” Kai asked, nervously.
“No, Iron Baron said he made a deal. We stay on our land, they stay on theirs. The dragon blade was exchanged for the leader of the Oni’s freedom. Horrible creatures that only wish to destroy. But Iron Baron survived and saved us with his deal and the Dragon Blade.”
“Ooookkk,” Kai muttered, glancing at his team nervously.
“Which way, son of the first spinjitzu master?” Wu looked around nervously, before closing his eyes and taking a breath. He pointed towards the Oni land-
“That way,” Cole gave Wu a disappointed look, but didn’t say anything.
“I was afraid you would say that…” Faith muttered. “But if the armor is there, it’s our only way to Ninjago. Let’s go.” The group hopped on the truck. Cole walked up to Wu and quietly spoke-
“I know it’s hard to admit you're wrong, and even harder to do the right thing. But that doesn’t make doing the wrong thing right.”
“I have Faith,” Cole facepalmed but remembered Wu let them come to the truth on their own, so he would do the same for Wu now.
“That won’t be enough for long,” Cole said, before hopping onto the truck and helping Wu up to his seat. Cole sighed- ‘But I’ll let you figure that out on your own, like you once did for me.’
The group traveled through the Oni land, shocked at the lack of Oni- or anyone for that matter. The lands were completely abandoned. Faith grew more restless with each mile, as if she was hiding her frustration at something- or someone… They arrived at an Oni temple. They walked in, ready to fight whatever creatures would appear. They blasted open the temple jumping in, powers and sword at the ready, but no one was home.
“Hello?!” Jay called out. “Oni? Dragons? Humans?”
“No one’s here?” Cole muttered. Then, they heard an angry voice-
“Where’s the armor! Son of the first spinjitzu master! Where is it!” Wu backed up bumping into Cole’s chest-
“I- uh-” He looked to Cole for help, but Cole just gave him a pointed look. Wu sighed. “I don’t know.”
“AGH!!!” Faith looked ready to punch Wu, but turned around and took her anger out on the heavy stone door of the temple. “THERE IS NO ARMOR! LIKE THERE ARE NO ONI! IRON BARON LIED!!! NO ONE HAS SEEN AN ONI BECAUSE THEY. ARE! NOT!! HERE!!! They’ve been gone for who knows HOW long!? ARG!!!”
“I know she took it hard,” Cole put a hand on Wu’s shoulder in a comforting manner. “But you did the right thing.”
“I-” Wu looked up and saw something on the door. “-have Faith…”
“Not this again…”
“No look!” Wu got the attention of the rest of the group. The white haired teen ran over to the door and closed it. There was a map with a marking that resembled a chestplate on it.
“First Born’s nest…” Kai muttered.
“And the armor!” Zane added.
“We have Faith,” Wu said, as he turned to face his team. “Now, we have a map. Let us go to First Born’s nest and get the armor. Then, let’s get home to Ninjago!”
“YEAH!” The team cheered, as they all ran to the truck. Wu took out a piece of paper and drew the map from the door on it. That way they wouldn’t get lost.
“Looks like it wasn’t just a coincidence,” Wu smirked at Cole who just laughed-
“Guess not.”
“What are you referring to?”
“Nothing, Zane, nothing.”
The group rode the truck to the edge of the far side of the Oni land. It would lead to the dragon lands. But suddenly, Faith was grabbed off the truck by a chain. Zane grabbing the steering wheel, being the only reason they didn’t crash.
“FAITH!” Wu called out.
“You’re coming with me!” The dragon hunter woman with the wingsuit flew off. Wu watched helplessly as Faith was carried away.
Notes:
Wow, been a while since a chapter with just one of the two groups' POV. (the one group in Ninjago and the one in The realm of Oni and Dragon being the groups I'm referring to). But yeah, this was a fun chapter to write! Hope you guys liked it.
Jdizzle789 on Chapter 3 Thu 28 Mar 2024 12:00PM UTC
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Nightingale1407 on Chapter 6 Sun 06 Oct 2024 02:42AM UTC
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