Kai's been gone for 4 days. He left the monastery after an argument with his friends, and when he didn't return that day, the ninja looked for him all over Ninjago. Finally, they had a trace.
⚠️WARNING⚠️
BL (greenflame), non-canon stuff, kidnapping...
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"Hello everyone!" Kai stepped out onto the stage and waved to the cheering audience while walking up to the pedestal in the centre of the stage. Usually, it was the mayor of Ninjago who stood there, making political announcements and such, but today it was Kai's announcement. His reveal.
The others all stepped out onto the stage as well, but they made sure Kai was the centre of the audience's attention-- although the cheering grew louder when Lloyd came into view, but there was nothing they could do about that. They soaked in the attention for a little bit before Kai adjusted the microphone and people quieted down, keenly awaiting Kai's explanation they all knew they were about to get.
Since the day Kai was saved, he had only made one post, and that was only a week ago on Chirp, announcing that he'd be giving the city an explanation of what people had seen on the news from that fateful day. The citizens had been speculating for weeks and were all eager to hear what had happened, if not also concerned for all of the rumours that had been spread from fake news.
"A few weeks ago, some footage was shared on the news; clips of me looking quite distressed, and photos of many police cars and ambulances surrounding a warehouse," Kai paused, gulping down his nerves. "Rumors spread like wildfire and there was an overwhelming amount of speculation in the air, and today, I'm going to be clarifying a few things." Kai talked with formality, afraid that if he spoke like he usually did in public, people wouldn't take him seriously.
He knew that the city didn't need any details of what happened specifically, and so he kept it short; he explained that he was kidnapped off of the streets, and taken hostage by a large gang. Kai simply said:
"In the four days I was held captive, I was..." He took a breath. "...tortured, in-- in many ways. The clips on the news were from the day my friends found me and were able to safely get me and themselves out of the warehouse," Kai sighed, relieved he'd finally gotten out the most important stuff. The audience was dead silent from the moment the word 'kidnapped' was spoken, the citizens all seemed to hold their breath, not believing their ears. Kai looked around the audience before giving everyone a small smile. "Of course, now it has been a few weeks and I am doing far better than what I look like in the footage online. My friends have been the most vital part of me getting better," Kai turned to look at his friends with a grateful smile who each returned it, although Lloyd's was more tearful than the others. "I would not have had the strength to come up here today and say this without their unconditional love and support,"
Kai had to gulp down his own tears, he hated to be so emotional on stage, but he couldn't have gone without saying those words. He gave them one final nod with a smile and turned back to the audience with a breath.
"The point of me coming out here today to talk wasn't only to clear up the conspiracies, but also for me to tell you all to stay safe. Us ninja, though we may keep the city safe from supernatural foes and evil villains, we don't meddle with more real-world dangers." Kai had practised a lot to make sure his message came across in only the way he wanted it to, but he felt this part always tripped him up with the tone. He hesitated before continuing, the nerves starting to seep through his confidence. "I urge all of you to practice street safety whenever you go out. Don't become paranoid, but make sure you're aware of your surroundings and know at least a few simple ways to defend yourself," Kai crossed his fingers hoping he said that right, his eyes darted around the audience. "And with that," Kai gulped, glad to be finishing. "My time is up. Thank you all for your concern and care over these last couple of weeks; I hope this message from me today is enough to stop any new misinformation from being spread and to stop any current gossip about the incident. We'll see you all around, thank you and goodbye!" Kai gave a salute to the audience with two fingers and his friends waved, all of them making their way backstage. Lloyd hung back slightly just so he could walk off of the stage with Kai to quickly hug him as soon as they were definitely out of sight. The audience cheered once more and a chatter buzzed up, although the mood hung low.
