Darkness from Within #2: Tension Rising (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

Kai was sitting at the edge of his bed the next morning, watching the sun rise through the window. He had barely gotten any sleep. All night he thought about what he would say to Cole, but he didn't come up with anything golden. I just gotta say 'sorry' I guess, he thought. Now all he had to do is build enough courage to talk to him.

His bedroom door suddenly creaked open. "Kai?"

Kai stiffened as he recognized Cole's voice. It's now or never, Kai, he told himself. Warily, he turned toward the black ninja, but he couldn't meet his gaze. Instead, he looked at his feet, afraid of what he might find in Cole's eyes.

Taking a breath, he opened his mouth to start but Cole spoke first.

"I came here to apologize," the black ninja murmured.

Kai's head shot up in surprise. "Shouldn't I be the one apologizing?" he stammered. "Because I really didn't mean to hurt you—"

"No, no," Cole sighed. "I was too hard on you. I know what you've been through, and I should've respected that."

Guilt weighed on Kai's chest like a stone. "Even so, I shouldn't have reacted the way I did," he murmured. "I'm really sorry I caused you pain."

With a moment's hesitation, Cole sat beside the red ninja. "Well, I guess we're both in the wrong then," he began. "Still, I can see how you'd feel after the attack. If my closest friend attacked me, I'd be pretty out of sorts, too."

Kai let out a soft chuckle. "So... you're not mad at me?" he dared to ask.

Cole bit his lip. "I was," he admitted. "But I thought about it, and I realized it wasn't worth the trouble." He placed his damaged wrist beside Kai's. "Besides, now we can suffer together."

Kai had to smile at that. He held out his hand. "Brothers?"

Cole grabbed it with his hand. "Brothers."

Then they shook hands in agreement of peace.

Footsteps suddenly pounded in the hallway, and the two ninja turned as Nya burst into the room. "Come on, you guys!" she panted. "Hurry!"

"What?" Cole exclaimed. "Where? Why?"

"Lloyd's waking up!" Then she was gone.

Cole and Kai exchanged a glance before jumping to their feet. Kai reached out to grab his sword, but hesitated. He didn't want another incident to happen.

"Take it," Cole told him darkly. "You might need it."

* * *

Cole and Kai raced into the hospital room.

Wu stopped pacing. "Good, we're all here." He turned to Nya. "Close the door." She nodded and did as she was told.

The ninja gathered around Lloyd's bed.

"He'll be waking soon," Pixal informed.

Twiddling his fingers, Garmadon seemed more nervous now than he ever did in his life. "What if he doesn't recognize us again?"

Misako rested her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure he will," she soothed, although her tone was heavy with doubt.

"Windows are shut, Sensei," Zane reported as he joined the group.

"Why do we have to lock everything down?" Cole asked.

Wu turned his head toward him. "Because, Cole, it's better to be safe than sorry. If Lloyd wakes up in another trance, I don't know what he'll do."

As Lloyd shifted, Wu turned back to the whole group. "Listen closely," he began. "If Lloyd wakes up and he's back to his normal self, he mustn't know what happened when he was in the trance."

"Why?" Cole questioned again.

Wu stared at him intensely. "The trance will all be behind us if he's in his right mind," he explained. "We don't want him to know what he did and have burdens he doesn't need to have." Then his gaze darkened. "Besides, we all know how short-tempered and emotional Lloyd is. We don't know how he'll react to it all."

Lloyd shifted again and let out a soft moan.

Everyone turned their attention toward him. Garmadon struggled to steady his nerves. He knew the others were, too. Kai had his sword drawn out, and the other three ninja had their hands on their weapons, ready to strike if necessary. Everyone was tense; everyone was wary. The same thought crossed everyone's mind. What will Lloyd be like when he wakes up?

Everyone let out a soft gasp as Lloyd blinked open his eyes. No one said anything as he fully awoke. No one dared to breathe as he gazed around at them. He looked at the ninja, then to Wu, then to his parents, then back again.

"Why's everyone looking at me weird?" Lloyd rasped.

Garmadon could barely make out the words he needed. "Lloyd, is it really you?"

Lloyd sat up. "Who else would I be?"

The green ninja jumped as everyone let out a loud sigh of relief. "Lloyd!" they all exclaimed in unison.

Garmadon smiled warmly and leaned closer to his son, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

Lloyd rubbed his head. "Oh... my head..."

"We're so glad you're alright," Wu sighed, relieved.

"How... how long have I been out for?" Lloyd murmured.

Everyone went silent. Wu and Garmadon exchanged a glance. Including when you tried to kill us? Wu turned back to Lloyd. "That doesn't matter now," he said, skirting the question. "The important thing is that you're safe."

The tension was at last broken.

Everyone gathered closer to the green ninja and shouted out their joyful comments and questions. Lloyd laughed and replied best as he could.

But then Cole noticed that Kai held back a pace, glancing at Lloyd uneasily. The black ninja inched backward until they were side by side.

"Are you sure he's back to normal?" Kai whispered to Cole.

Cole was surprised to find a hint of fear in the red ninja's voice. "Look at him!" he exclaimed. They gazed at Lloyd, whose face was bright as he reunited with his friends. Cole gave Kai a nudge. "Loosen up, Lloyd's fine!"

Kai chuckled. "I guess you're right." He smiled. "Come on!"

The two ninja went back in the excited circle. Lloyd looked up as he spotted Kai for the first time, and the red ninja was relieved to see nothing but joy in his gaze. He nodded warmly to him. "It's good to have you back, buddy."