tournament | ninjago {featuring your ocs!}

05 | truth

- Adorable art of Kira done by our very own puffpal7! -

Cole, Jay, Lloyd, and Kira travel by rooftop that night, stealing toward Kai's suite. Garmadon opted to stay behind and watch for any suspicious activity, meaning it's just them on their mission tonight. The fire ninja waits for his friends on his balcony. They all arrive around the same time, ducking quickly into the room before anyone can detect them.

"Wow, nice digs!" Jay exclaims, looking around the place in awe.

"I know! His room is so much nicer than mine!" Cole complains as he munches on a bowl of candy. "Look, chocolate-covered shell peas! I love these!" He shovels another handful into his mouth, then races across the room and flops onto the bed. "Oh, and look how soft your pillows are! Man, mine are made of rock. What a crock."

"You got a rock bed too?!" Kira cries. "What's with these people?"

"Well, I guess you could say that rocks," Jay quips with a wink.

"Very funny." Kira rolls her eyes, but she's grinning slightly.

"Okay, seriously, it was almost impossible to get here," the blue ninja continues. "This place is swarming with guards. Any ideas on how we search the island?"

"We travel by shadow. Cover every square inch of this place until we find him," Kai replies.

There's a swishing sound, followed by a shriek from Cole. The others turn to see him laying on Kai's bed, looking entirely disoriented. "Uh, guys? This bed is..."

"Cole, I get it! You like my bed," Kai huffs. "Would you stop playing around?"

Jay and Kira exchange glances, aware of how odd that particular statement sounded. Cole's eyes gleam. "I think I know how we can search the island. Everyone, on the bed now!"

"This is getting weirder and weirder," Jay mutters. Nevertheless, he and the others obey, piling onto Kai's bed and laying down side-by-side.

"Okay, I feel ridiculous," Lloyd says after a moment. "Is this a joke?"

"Wow, Cole was right. The pillows are soft..." Jay sighs. He closes his eyes, a look of bliss softening his features.

"I must've done something to trigger it," Cole mutters. "I was laying here, then I stretched—" He shifts, and the moment he does, the bed flips over. The five ninja yelp as they're plunged into darkness, clinging to the ceiling for dear life.

"Whoa, a secret passageway!" Jay breathes. "Cool!" Beside him, Kira shudders, more creeped out than amazed. They drop to the ground. Kai raises his hand, and his palm bursts into flames, effectively lighting up the area.

"Nice work, Cole. Maybe Zane's not on the island," Kira observes, "but in it."

"Well then," says the earth ninja, "let's go exploring."

The group sets off through the tunnels. Aside from the dim light of Kai's fire and the occasional torch, the tunnels are pitch-dark, and the air is dank and almost suffocating. Long shadows seem to crawl after them as they walk through the maze. Kira stares around anxiously, body tense and eyes wide. Lloyd, noticing her discomfort, moves closer and twines his fingers gently through hers. The gesture calms her nerves a bit and she grins at him.

"Dang, it's like a maze down here," Kai remarks. "Good thing Cole's leaving a trail back to my room."

"I'm what?" Cole blinks. He looks over his shoulder, noticing a trail of chocolate shell peas littering the ground. "Oh, yeah, heh. I meant to do that."