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

Chapter 11

Kai watched Wu leave the room. He took a deep breath. I have to get rid of my nerves if we're going to prevent Lloyd from the truth, he told himself. Wu had explained the situation to him, and it was up to him to make Lloyd feel trusted.

I'll talk to him tomorrow, he decided. That way I can have time to prepare myself.

After stretching, Kai looked down at his stomach. The bandage was waring. Pixal had told him to change it once in a while, and he guessed it was time. He walked across the room in front of his mirror and drew out a clean bandage from a box. Wincing, he pulled his shirt off and carefully peeled off the old bandage. He looked in the mirror at the marks across his stomach where he had been hit. Just seeing the scars made him throb with pain.

A green flash suddenly appeared in the mirror.

Kai blinked and turned around to see Lloyd by the door. Kai felt a rush of panic as he realized the green ninja had come when his wound was uncovered and he was vulnerable. With much effort, he managed to push down his anxiety. Lloyd has to believe that I'm comfortable around him.

Lloyd furrowed his eyebrows as he looked down at Kai's uncovered scars, as if studying them.

"Uh... uh..." Kai quickly took the fresh bandage and wrapped it around himself, protecting his wound once again.

He threw his shirt back on as Lloyd shook his head and entered the room.

"H-hey, Lloyd!" Kai breathed through gritted teeth to avoid freaking out. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Lloyd frowned. "That's all?"

Kai's hands began to sweat. "Uh... yeah?"

"Don't pretend you're not uncomfortable right now," Lloyd murmured with a sad expression. "I can see your muscles tensing."

Kai stiffened. "I-I'm not uncomfortable!" he protested, forcing himself to relax, although with every step Lloyd took he wanted to draw out his sword.

Lloyd twiddled his fingers. "Kai, can we talk?" he asked.

So much for being prepared! "If that's what you want," Kai responded.

They sat side by side on the edge of the red ninja's bed. Kai forced himself not to inch away from the green ninja.

"I know how wary you've been around me lately," Lloyd began, "and I wanna know why. Did I do something wrong?"

Kai hesitated. "Uh... well... it's complicated..."

"What can I do to make you feel better?" Lloyd asked, sounding truly concerned.

Kai couldn't meet his gaze. For once, he didn't have to lie. "I-I don't know," he admitted with a sigh.

For a long moment nobody talked.

Then Lloyd shifted his feet with unease. "I've been told you almost died," he murmured. "Because of me."

Alarm shot through Kai and he leaped to his feet, forgetting about staying calm. His breath quickened. "Wh-who... who told you th-that?" He couldn't stop his voice from trembling. Clutching his stomach, he waited tensely for Lloyd to continue.

Lloyd blinked in surprise at his sudden movements. "Nya," he replied.

Nya? Kai found himself staggering away from Lloyd. His heart pounded and his mind whirled.

"Is that why you stay away from me?" Lloyd insisted, clearly noticing Kai's anxiety. "Do you regret risking your life for me?"

Risking my life for you? Kai didn't understand what was happening. He was too shocked and confused and—and frightened. "Wh-what exactly did my sister t-tell y-you?" he stammered uneasily, his wound throbbing once again. His muscles tensed as he got ready to defend himself if Lloyd made any sudden movements.

Lloyd frowned, utterly puzzled. "That when you were searching for me in the fire, you almost ran out of oxygen," he told him.

Kai froze for a moment, then let out a tremendous sigh of relief. His muscles relaxed again and he laughed. "Phew!" he exclaimed. "For a minute there, I thought she told you about—" He slapped his hand over his mouth before the words came out.

Lloyd furrowed his eyebrows. "You thought she told me about what?" he demanded. "What did you think she told me about?"

"Uh..." Sweat rolled down Kai's face. What did I get myself into? "About... about..." He struggled to think of an excuse, but before he came up with something Lloyd jumped to his feet.

The green ninja's eyes blazed with fury. "See?" he shouted. "I knew you were hiding something from me! I knew it!"

Without another word, he whipped around and sped out of the room.

"No!" Kai called at him. "Wait! I didn't mean it like that!"

But Lloyd was long gone.

Kai gave an exasperated sigh and slumped onto his bed. He had intended to provide comfort and trust for Lloyd, but instead, he left more questions than answers.