Onyx and Rebooted

Codename: Arcturus

Reuniting with Lloyd again was one of the most relieving things Onyx had ever experienced. She hadn't realized just how afraid she'd been of losing him until she'd yanked him into a hug, burying her face in his gi, ignoring Jay's little "aww!"

And now all of the ninja were standing in the Temple of Light, waiting for Lloyd to return their powers. Onyx hadn't actually needed to be there, having already possessed her element beforehand, but First Spinjitzu Master help the man who tried to separate the two after they'd just reunited.

Lloyd looked around at the ninja. "I can't do this alone anymore. As long as I have all this power, they'll never stop coming for me," he said. "From here on out, we can't let anything separate us again," Zane said. "He's right," Jay murmured. "Absolutely," Cole agreed. "Let's do this," Kai said. Onyx nodded. "We will not let them hurt you again," she swore. Lloyd gave her a light smile before gathering energy around his hands and blasting it up at the bell, causing its deep tone to echo across the island again.

The energy surrounding the bell grew before breaking apart into four pieces and flying to each of the boys, striking them gently in the chest. As the light dissipated, their elements began to fill the air around them. "The Elemental Power, it's inside us," Zane breathed, trailing his hands through the air, forming an arch of ice above him. "Fiya!" Kai cried, sending a blast of flame into the air. "Haha, anyone shocked to see me do this, huh?" Jay exclaimed, tracing shapes in the air with his lighting. "No dirt off my shoulder!" Cole laughed, bringing up a small boulder beneath him.

Onyx began to smile as she watched them experiment with their rediscovered power. "It's been a long time since I've seen them this happy," she remarked, stepping up to Lloyd, who glanced over at her with a reflection of the same expression. "Are you happy?" He asked. Onyx paused, caught off guard by the question. "Well, yeah. You're alive and back with us, and the Overlord is gone. Now all we have to do is take care of Pythor and the nindroids, and we'll be in the clear. Then we can get dinner. If you still want to, at least," she said. Lloyd's eyes lit up. "Y-yeah! Once we've stopped them," he said, crooked smile taking on a warmer aspect.

(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)

Lloyd and Onyx drove through the Toxic Bogs on Lloyd's cycle, eyes peeled for any sign of nindroids. After about an hour of searching, the radio cracked and Garmadon's voice came through. "Any update on the search?" He asked. "No sign of Nindroids in the Toxic Bogs," Lloyd responded. "I don't think there's much here at all," Onyx remarked, releasing her hold on Lloyd and reaching over his shoulders to guide the cycle away from a particularly nasty-looking puddle. Lloyd's face was covered, but the tiniest hint of a flush warmed his cheeks when her hands brushed his.

"Lloyd, Onyx, while you're out there, do you have time to search the Glacier Barrens?" Wu's voice asked. "H-huh? Oh, yeah! I may not be able to move mountains anymore, but I can still cover ground. Over and out," Lloyd said, signing off. Onyx leaned over his shoulder curiously. "You could move mountains?" She asked. Lloyd would've rubbed the back of his head if he hadn't been driving. "Um, yeah. Sort of," he said, suddenly feeling unusually shy. "Huh. I didn't know that," she said, falling silent.

After a minute, Lloyd glanced back at Onyx, who was intently watching the trees around them. "Your eyes are pretty," he remarked, then quickly looked ahead. He could've kicked himself. Of all the times to say that, why had he chosen now, when there was no means of escape if he'd messed up? Was he allowed to compliment her appearance, or was he supposed to wait until he actually took her out? Oh, he should've asked Jay how to handle himself.

Onyx's grip on his torso tightened. "I-um... thanks," she said awkwardly. Lloyd released a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Then the corner of his mouth curved up as he glanced back at her and caught her gaze. He'd never seen her flustered like this.