Lloyd A Different Beginning [ON HOLD]

6. Before loss

First published: 8th October, 2015
Updated: 30th September, 2020

"You would choose the ninja wouldn't you?"
"I- I don't know"
"You would choose the ninja over your own father"
"I-I I don't know, I'm not safe when I'm with you dad"
"So you would choose them"
"No! I don't know!"
"You disappoint me so much"
"Please father stop it"
"No you are a weakness and I would never want a son like you"
"Please dad... I'll choose you, I'll leave the ninja please"
"...You changed, good, but you didn't change sides quick enough"
"What? no"
"You must be punished for your actions"
"No dad please don't"

•

"NO!" yelled Lloyd as he shot up in bed and already felt tears in his cheeks, he was crying.

"Kid, you okay?" said a voice as the person entered the room and came to sit next to Lloyd and gave him a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Cole.
"It's just a nightmare Lloyd, it's not real" Cole said, comforting Lloyd as he sat by the boy's side.
"No, he was there, he was in the dream" cried Lloyd. Cole waited for a couple of breaths before he spoke again.
"Hey kid, how about I teach you some more fighting techniques" said Cole making his way off the bed and waiting for Lloyd to do the same. Lloyd clearly wanted nothing more than to curl under his blankets and hide, but knew that his mind would quickly run away with his nightmare. It would be better to find a distraction.
"Okay" said Lloyd climbing off the bed and moving to the door with the older.

•

"Okay, now relax the Constrictai are strong, and stronger than you." He said as he used a net around Lloyd to teach him to fight against the constrictai.
"Good work kid" Cole encouraged, patting Lloyd on the shoulder, Lloyd only smiled back at Cole. He really enjoyed learning how to fight, with the ninja, even if at first the thought of learning to fight felt like something that would make him into his dad more than for self-defence.
"Thanks Cole" said Lloyd before he heard the noise of the other ninja walking towards the deck.
"Hey Lloyd, hey Cole, what are you guys doing up?" asked Jay as Kai and Zane followed behind him, they were all used to sleeping in at least a little whenever they could. Seeing the two up and training this early, already told them something had happened last night.
"Oh just a bit of training" said Cole smiling down at Lloyd.
"If I ever get attacked by a snake I can kick their butt" said Lloyd smiling confidently at the other ninja while Jay burst into laughter.

"Lloyd you're up, I need to have a word with you" said sensei Wu walking to stand in the doorway of the bounty. Lloyd looked from Cole and the ninja to his uncle and walked forwards to follow him for their talk.
"Good luck Lloyd" whispered Kai as Lloyd walked past him.
"I heard that Kai, and for your information Lloyd is not in trouble" said sensei continuing to walk towards his room.

•

"Hey guys, can we listen in?" asked Jay
"Don't be an idiot of course not, we shouldn't" said Kai
"Yes, but it would be nice to know that whatever sensei is telling Lloyd, we also know- just in case it's important." Reasoned Zane
"It couldn't hurt" shrugged Cole as they all agreed and silently ran to catch up to sensei Wu and Lloyd.

•

"Lloyd I want to know why you ran away from your boarding school" Said uncle Wu as Lloyd sat down on the ground and sensei sat next to him.
"I ran away because I wanted to find my father and I wanted him to take me back and care about me." said Lloyd looking anywhere but at his uncle, he ultimately just wanted his family back, he'd even take his uncle and a bunch of misfit ninja over the school.
"And do you still want to be with your father?" Asked Wu looking down at his nephew.
"I-I don't know" said Lloyd going into a flashback from the nightmare the night before, causing him to shake a little bit.
"Lloyd are you okay?" said sensei Wu. the question itself was stupid 'are you okay?' was Lloyd's second worst question on his list but the worst was 'would you choose the ninja or your own father?' The question had been haunting Lloyd since last night and it was already his least favourite question.
"Lloyd" said sensei again finally gaining Lloyd's emerald green eyes to look at him.
"Was that all you wanted to talk about?" Said Lloyd hoping that the conversation was over.
"No, one more thing" said sensei
"Did anything that I need to know about happen when your father tried to take you?" continued sensei Wu. As the question crashed into Lloyd's ear he instantly moved his eyes away and back to the floor.
"My father just wanted to keep me away from the ninja" said Lloyd, he was telling the truth, just not fully explained.
"Very well, Lloyd you can return to join the ninja, please just be careful." said sensei helping Lloyd up and moving towards the door.