In Another Reality: A Ninjago Parody

Chapter Four

He'd always known it could happen, maybe that's why it hurt so much. He'd always known that he and his sister could be separated; that she could be taken from him, just like his parents. That knowledge did nothing to soothe the pain as he, in his dreams, was forced to watch the skeletons take her again and again. They stole her away many times, till his voice had gone hoarse from crying out her name until his cheeks were stained with his own tears.

"We'll meet again on the other side. Try not to die until then."

It was just supposed to be him. They were supposed to drag him off to Garmadon's fortress, until that green-eyed bastard–

Kai couldn't even think straight anymore. Every horrid thing he imagined they could do to her came to life in the dream around him. He couldn't escape her screams. He'd covered his head. Covered his ears. He himself screamed just to drown out the sound; closing his eyes to escape from her fearful expressions. As soon as he closed his eyes, the hell around him faded into oblivion.

*****

Kai was first aware of the pair of hands on his torso. The second was the extreme amount of pain he was in. His surroundings were unfamiliar. As soon as he'd gained some awareness of his surroundings, he lunged forward.

A girl screeched as he seized the pair of hands, forcing her to her back on the ground. He had no idea what he'd intended to do, but he did know he was in an unfamiliar place and didn't know who this was. His first assumption was that Garmadon's army had changed their minds, and taken him. He was sorely wrong.

The girl he held under him was young, maybe two years younger than him. Her brown curls were spread around the wood floor around her head. He held both of her arms pinned to the ground. For a second, he considered that someone may have left this girl in his room to lower his guard, but the fear in her pale gray eyes was like a knife to the heart. She had to be around his sister's age–his sister–

He let go of the girl, who stayed frozen on the ground, and shot to his feet.

"What–where–"

His eyes were wild as his head shot around the room. He was barefoot on a wood paneled floor. There was a mat in the middle, where he'd been laying. The room was lazily adorned, with only a set of cubbies and a dresser. There weren't even shutters on the window.

Standing up so fast had been a mistake. Kai's head swam, and he fell back against the wall. As he tried to gather his bearings, the girl on the ground, slowly, stood up.

Her coppery-brown skin was vivid in the early morning sunlight. She seemed to glow like some sort of underaged goddess. Carefully, she raised both palms into the air.

"No one is going to hurt you here," she told him, her voice shaky, and afraid. She was afraid of him. "You're safe."

"M-my sister," Kai choked out, his voice tight. "Where is my sister?"

The girl stood to her feet. Kai looked guiltily at the red patches where he'd gripped her arms.

"You were the only one we found," she told him. "You were pretty banged up, so we brought you here."

"Who's 'we', and where's 'here'?"

Before she could answer, another voice did.

"The only place Garmadon can't find you."

Kai whipped around. In the corner, teacup in hand, was the old man he'd met in the shop several days ago. Beside him stood an imposing figure. She was barely shorter than Kai, and her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight (as in tight ) ponytail. The tips of it were dyed a light, very faint green color, contrasting her deep gray eyes; eyes that were identical to the younger girl. She said nothing, but did seem to look at him with disdain. He scurried a few steps back. He was sure they hadn't been in the room before.