Flames of the Past #2: Beginning of Chaos (Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 11

"Are you okay?" Lloyd asked.

Kai sat up on the doctor's bed a couple hours after his fight. Lloyd, Wu, and Garmadon were inside the room with him.

The red ninja glanced up at the green, smiling weakly. "I'm fine, little buddy," he assured him. "Just tired."

Lloyd stared at him, his eyes falling on his brother's wounded shoulder. He didn't seem entirely convinced and he sat close beside the red ninja.

As Wu paced the floor, Garmadon gazed at the two ninja. So maybe he was a bit jealous of Kai's relationship with his son. It was just so obvious how close the two were. He saw the concern mixed with admiration in Lloyd's eyes as he stared at Kai; he probably didn't even notice he was staring. Kai didn't seem to notice either as he watched Wu walk back and forth.

"You said you recognized the intruder?" the sensei asked.

Kai nodded. "It was Matteo. The guy Alfonso was talking about."

"And he wasn't after the Fire Crystal?" Garmadon inquired.

"It didn't seem like that was his target."

Wu blinked at him. "He was targeting you," he guessed.

Kai nodded.

"That idiot," Lloyd muttered, kicking his feet over the ground. "I'll rip him to pieces the next time I see him."

"Lloyd," Garmadon spoke sternly. "Please, we're trying to have a discussion."

Lloyd went silent and stared at the ground. Frowning, Kai rested a hand on his shoulder as Wu spoke again. "Do you know why he could've been after you?"

Kai hesitated a moment. "I might... have an idea," he mumbled.

"What's that?" Garmadon prompted.

"I took... some book from the library," Kai explained. "He mentioned it while he was attacking me."

"A book?" Wu echoed, glancing at his brother. "What's in it?"

Kai shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "I haven't really gotten a chance to read through it now that everyone suddenly wants it."

"Where is it?"

"Hidden."

Wu rubbed his beard. "I don't know what it is," he said, "but if our enemies want it, we shouldn't let them get it until we figure out what's so important about it."

Garmadon met his brother's eye. "Sara used to talk about a book," he murmured.

Kai tipped his head. "Who's Sara?" he wondered.

The senseis exchanged a look before Wu nodded. "An old friend," Garmadon answered, turning back to the ninja. "But we lost touch after the Elemental War."

"Oh." Kai looked at Lloyd. The green ninja was staying quiet, but Kai could tell he was soaking in every word of the conversation. "You think she's in Shillvaron somewhere?"

"I'm not sure of anything right now," Garmadon sighed, running a hand through his hair. Kai could see the stress in his eyes.

"I sent Zane, Jay, and Nya after Matteo," Wu said. "Hopefully, they'll have something to report when they come back."

"That's another thing," Kai frowned. "Matteo didn't seem like he was going to back down, but then something happened. It was like he heard something that made him run. But I didn't hear anything."

Garmadon rubbed his chin. "It could've been a message," he suggested.

"A message?"

Garmadon nodded. "When I was a part of the gang, we had ear devices. Chen would send us messages through different sounds. Each sound meant something. Whoever took over the Sons of Darkness is probably using the same strategy."