Ninjago: Amplified - [A Ninjago Fanfiction]

[55] - A Restless Slumber

It was nearly midnight by the time Aurora awoke.

The vigilante urged her sore body to move, ignoring its pained protest. She haphazardly tossed her blankets aside, stretched her aching muscles, and slid off the edge of her bed, planting her feet on the creaking floorboards.

She stifled a yawn as she made her way to her bedroom door. After pressing her ear to the entryway to verify that she was alone, Aurora cautiously opened it. She slowly stepped into the Bounty's dim corridor and walked towards the upper deck as quietly as she could manage, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

It wasn't the first instance that Aurora had snuck out of her room so late into the night-- but the others on the Bounty certainly didn't need to know that.

It had been a week since the others had returned from the recon mission. Much to Aurora's dread, they weren't able to find a single clue as to where their allies had gone, even after going through so much trouble.

Aurora could still recall Wu, Garmadon, and Lloyd attempting to lift the group's spirits, assuring that their people were still relying on them and saying something about "ninja never quit." The others had nodded their heads and agreed, but Aurora could tell that many of them had doubts.

Aurora noticed that this only worsened as time went on.

The ninja and vigilantes continued their patrols, venturing to areas Aurora herself had never seen before. The others, in the meantime, stuck to recon and meal preparation.

Every patrol always ended the same: no findings and downcast expressions. Every time, Misako would mention something about their next location, and how it would be the most ideal for hiding a large quantity of people. Although Aurora knew she was trying her best, the elder was beginning to sound like a broken record.

And that certainly didn't help the rest of the conjoined team's morale.

Aurora could see it in the way they acted: subtle differences, yet noticeable nonetheless.

She was fairly sure that Lloyd had permanent bags under his eyes simply from trying to keep his team from giving up. Kai had become more easily agitated, and Aurora even caught him pacing the upper deck once in an attempt to calm himself down. Nya had stepped up to the task of checking over everyone on the Bounty, being sure that they got enough to eat and sleep, as well as making sure they were okay (as okay as one could be in such a situation, that was). Jay hadn't made an attempt to lift the team's mood with a witty remark since they returned from their previous mission-- instead, the "Master of Blabber" had become much more reserved and anxious. Zane and Pixal were quick to offer help whenever needed, constantly preoccupying themselves with busy work to likely try to forget how lost they all felt. Cole, like Lloyd and Nya, did his best to support all the members of their conjoined team, but Aurora could see that even the earth ninja's patience was waning.

Akiri refused to leave the Bounty since Aurora's awakening, almost as if she expected Hikaru to appear at any moment and kidnap her again. Onyx had taken over as their team's leader, doing her best to fit the role, but it was obvious that the merlopian was hoping that Aurora and Akiri would rejoin them soon. Yuri's tail almost never stopped twitching, as though she was stuck in a loop of dark thoughts. Gold didn't request to stay behind on patrols any longer, though they still appeared nervous anytime they went out. Eris' personality had shifted completely, as the ghost had become much more solemn. She'd occasionally crack a joke here or there, trying to lift the mood, but nothing seemed to work anymore.

The remainder of the Bounty's residents weren't any different, constantly stressing over their next destination and debating whether they had enough resources.