The Hand of Time (Ninjago AU)

Chapter 4

Acronix and Krux wore their masks to keep the fumes of tea from knocking them out. They wouldn't be any good with the concentrated mix in their system.

Krux waited for the syrup to cool before he pulled some of the mix into a small pipette and dripped a few drops into Megan's mouth.

"It that better?"

"I guess so." Acronix pulled his mask down.

Krux pulled a blanket over Megan and made sure she was in a position that at least looked comfortable.

"Are there any others I need to watch for?" Acronix asked.

Krux hesitated. If he'd had to do this to Megan, he really wanted to keep Brendan a secret. "If you mean people I work with, then sure. Keep a level head and try to blend in. We don't need more problems than we have right now."

Acronix sighed. He could tell Krux was keeping something from him, but he decided pressing it wouldn't give him anything anyway, so why try?

"We're can I sleep? I'm exhausted Krux."

"Well. You fought, I assume Wu, then the ninja, after we had just fought Wu and Garmadon and lost our power."

Acronix growled. "Wu will be delt with shortly. No one his age could live after that time punch."

Krux turned to his brother. "What do you mean?"

Acronix flashed his blade and through a yawn explained himself. "It's weaker, yeah, but it'll still kill him. Remember that guy? Dead in seconds?"

"You use the punch?"

"I did. He gave me no choice." Acronix lied. A smile crossed his lips. "If need be, I can use it on anyone who gives us a problem."

Krux shook his head. "That'd draw far too much attention."

"I said, 'if need be'. I didn't say I was just going to go around all willy nilly and punch people. The blade weakens the power. It has to recharge." Acronix looked at the blade in hands.

"How weak does it feel?"

Acronix growled. "Like it's barely there."

"Maybe it just needs time. My bedroom is at the end of the hall, you can sleep in there. Get some rest."

Acronix sat the blade down. "Fine." He walked with heavy feet to Krux's room.

Krux sighed and looked down. "Was I like that? Maybe I've gone soft." He looked down at the girl on his couch.

He hadn't gone soft, he just had spots that were softer than before. Right? He shook his head. He walked to the kitchen and bottled the tea syrup into several small vials. Each filled with a small amount, enough to knock someone out for several hours though.

He found the bag he'd crafted in his free time and some clothes he'd gotten for Acronix. He placed the vials into the  holsters inside the bag as well as some notebooks that were needed. They were covered with fake labels to avoid conflict with anyone.

Finally, Krux allowed himself to go to his room and take off his disguise.

Acronix lay in the bed, looking like a man who'd been hit in the head with a pan and now laid in the position he fell in. Soft snores emitted from between Acronix's smushed lips.

Krux packed away Acronix's armor in a different bag.

He fell into the bed beside his brother and fell asleep. It was quicker than most nights, maybe it was the feeling of his brother beside him again, but he felt a warmness wash over him.