Ninjago Oneshots

It takes time. (Misako/Garmadon)

This takes place between season 3 and 4.
Garmadon is human and living with Wu and Misako.
In this story, they separated. Because that is what you do when your husband is out to kill your son. But Garmadon changed. It just takes some getting used to...

Misako looked at the letter in her hand once more as she was pacing to and fro. She read it again to see if she had missed something. Something that would explain the sudden loss of communication. But just as the last few times, she found nothing.

The researcher finally placed the letter on the table. It had been a month ago she got it. And that had been the last time she heard of her former student and friend.

She had written two letters before she finally called, multiple times. But the line was dead. With a sigh she sat down at her desk, hiding her face in her hands for a moment.

"Is something wrong?" The familiar voice of her former husband came from the door. Misako looked up. Garmadon was standing in the doorway of her office, two cups of sake in his hands. Misako sighed, wondering if she should share her troubles. They were in enough trouble as it was. The ninjas were spread out, each going their way after defeating the overlord. After losing Zane.

But there had been a huge silver lining. Both her son and Garmadon were happy, living together in their small tea shop. Healing their heavily strained relationship. They would share their problems and then they worked together to fix them.

Misako looked at the letter again. The heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach made her get up. "No." She replied as she started pacing again, hoping the man would just walk on for his little get-together with Wu.

But instead, he stepped into her study. He looked around a bit uncomfortable. Their relationship was still fragile and he had not yet come into her domain. "Misako, I know you. You can't keep still and you are biting your nails." He smiled gently as Misako quickly pulled her finger from her mouth. He placed down his sake cups on her desk. "Perhaps I can help." He stated as he looked for a place to sit. When he did not find it, he kept standing by her desk a bit uncomfortable.

Misako sighed. He knew her too well. "It is probably nothing." She stated, her hand moving towards her mouth again.

Garmadon stepped closer, placing the cups of sake on the desk before he gently grabbed her hand from her lips and lowered it. "Then it would not be a problem to tell me." He said softly.

Misako looked at her ex-husband. He was so close to her now. His grey eyes looked softly at her. He had aged. But then again so had she.

"I..." She pulled her hand away to move towards the desk. She grabbed the letter and handed it over to Garmadon.

"When I was looking for information to stop Lloyd from having to fight you, I had help from a former student. She stayed at the dig site and still updated me regularly about the things she found. That was... until she wrote this letter. I wrote her back twice and called her about five times. But the line is dead. I think..." She swallowed. If she said it out loud, would it be real? She wondered. "I think something happened."

She said it softly, but Garmadon looked up from the letter at the tone of her voice.

"There doesn't seem to be a problem in the letter. She mostly talks about small nothings and everyday life." Garmadon returned the letter to her, looking a bit worried at her. "Perhaps she found something?"

Misako sighed, relieved Garmadon took her seriously, instead of waving it away as she had done in the last few weeks.

"I thought about that too. I want to go to the dig site, just to make sure she is fine. It could just be a broken phone line. She is on the outskirts of Ninjago after all. But I want to be sure."

Garmadon nodded. "I will tell Lloyd we will be leaving tomorrow." Misako raised her hands in the air. "No, no, no.... no. You and Lloyd should stay here. He needs to train. I can go by myself." She started pacing again.

"Misako..." He snapped. The tone of his voice said everything. Most of the time he was the calm, calculated Sensei. But every now and again his fiery side stepped up.

"Don't you Misako, me! I can take care of myself." She snapped back as she pointed her finger at her ex-husband. Garmadon raised his hands in defense, knowing very well he crossed a line.

"Mom, have you seen my..." Lloyd appeared in the doorway and Misako quickly lowered her finger and smiled at her son.

"Oh hey, dad. What is going on?" Lloyd looked from one of his parents to the other. "Were you fighting?" The look on his face almost broke Misako's heart all over again. Just like the time she told him his father would not come back. Or the time she had to send him away to Darklies.

"No dearest." She smiled as she walked over to Lloyd, rubbing his unruly hair out of his face. He grew up too fast, it still hurt to think how much she had missed out on her little boy's life.

"Your mother and I were just talking about her plans on visiting her old dig site. She thinks.." Garmadon started to explain.

"I think I should go and have a look. To see if they found anything interesting. You know. Since it is calm at the moment." Misako interrupted him. She was sure if Lloyd would know the truth he would join her.

"You're leaving?" Lloyd looked a bit shocked.

"Only for a few days, love. I will be back before Sunday." She smiled and elbowed Garmadon who was still staring at her. "Yes. That gives us time to do some of the man stuff you wanted to do." Garmadon smiled at his son, who blushed slightly. Misako knew he had been bothering his father to go to a ball game with him.

Lloyd nodded, satisfied with the answer. He looked from one to the other once more, before nodding again. "Alright. I will tell Sensei Wu you will be downstairs soon. Will you join us, mom?"

Misako nodded. "Yes, dear. I will be there in a minute."

With that Lloyd left, closing the door behind him.

"You should not lie to him," Garmadon stated coldly.

Misako threw her hands in the air. "Fancy coming from you, dear." She tried not to raise her voice. "Besides, I am not lying. I am just not telling the whole truth." She stated as she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, challenging him to defy her.

"I just don't understand why you want to go alone." She could hear by the tone of his voice he was losing his temper. His eyebrows knit together and a slow ember was burning in his usually calm eyes.

"It is a dig site about the fight between the green ninja and the master of darkness. I don't want you there. I don't want it to... trigger.. something, alright?" Misako stated, trying to control her feelings.

The silence that filled the room was deafening. Misako looked away, trying to fight the tears as she thought about that doom that had hung above the head of her loved ones from the moment Lloyd was born. It had not been that long ago when that doom was relieved and she could still feel its weight on her shoulders.

It was Garmadon that talked first. "Ah.." He said, closing his eyes for a moment. She looked up at him. He looked away, not able to look at her just yet.

"I understand, Misako. And I agree. I know you are a strong woman and you are more than capable of taking care of yourself. Just... be careful. And keep in touch alright?" He gently grabbed her hand, shaking her from falling too deep into her emotion. "I care about you Misako. I care about you a lot." He spoke softly.

Misako exhaled and let go of the tension that was building up inside her. "I care about you too, Garmadon." She moved closer and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Now, let's get down before Wu drinks all the sake." She walked over to the door, not looking back. Garmadon smiled and followed his ex-wife out of the room.