Flames of the Past #5: Lost Souls (Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 17

"Who is this?" Wu questioned as Kai came over to him and Phil. The red ninja was dragging a young boy, dressed as if he was part of the Sons of Darkness.

"Brutus," Kai answered. "I caught him before he could get away with the Sons of Darkness. And don't worry," he added when Phil opened his mouth. "I stripped him of any weapons, communicators, and trackers. I've been doing this a lot longer than you have."

Phil raised his eyebrows as if saying, fair point.

"I don't think he's much of a threat, anyway," Kai continued, glancing down at the boy. "He's just a kid."

"Yeah, and one of those kids stole the book from us," Phil pointed out.

"Phil's right," Wu agreed. "We shouldn't take chances. There should be rope near the Bounty to tie him up."

Brutus looked emotionless as he stared up at Kai, though the red ninja could tell he was a bit concerned. Still he didn't speak, and Kai led him toward the Bounty. He sat the boy on a crate and pulled out a rope, kneeling in front of the kid. Forcing Brutus' hands together, he wrapped the rope around his wrists.

The boy blinked down at him as he did. "How do you know my name?" he asked quietly.

Kai looked up at him. "You told me," he said. "When Lloyd and I broke into your camp. Remember?"

Puzzlement crossed the boy's face. He made no reply.

"You... don't remember?" Kai guessed.

"I don't remember meeting you before," Brutus confessed.

Kai straightened, frowning. "That's weird," he murmured. Their last encounter hadn't been too long ago; maybe Kai just had a better memory than the kid.

The red ninja raised his head as Lloyd staggered out from the Bounty's lower deck. "Hey," Kai called to Jay, who was sitting nearby. "Watch him."

Jay glanced at Brutus, blinking in surprise. "Er... okay?"

Rising to his feet, Kai left the boy and hopped onto the Bounty. He met Lloyd on the upper deck and stopped him in his tracks. The green ninja was limping and looked pretty scratched up, but his face seemed frustrated beyond all else. "You alright?" Kai asked.

"My—stupid shoulder wound opened up again," Lloyd snarled, gesturing to the injury.

Kai looked at his shoulder, spotting the blood run down his sleeve. "That's okay," he said. "We can patch it up again."

Lloyd wasn't satisfied with his answer and he groaned, flicking his arm and sprinkling blood on the floor. "It's just—so frustrating," he spat out, breathing heavily. "I'm just—I—" He broke off with a shaky breath and pinched his upper nose.

Kai's eyes widened in alarm as he saw tears fill the green ninja's eyes. "Hey, it's alright," he soothed, placing his hand on Lloyd's uninjured shoulder. "We're all a little beat up right now."

Lloyd looked like he was stifling a sob. "T-that—idiot Matteo hurt my mother," he rasped out. "He wanted to kill her—I saw it in him. Then I wanted to kill him and—Laurie was there and—" He coughed, wheezing for breath as a tear streamed down his cheek.

Kai still couldn't figure out why the green ninja was crying. "That's no reason to cry, buddy," he said with a smile, wiping a tear from Lloyd's face. "You, and your mom, and Laurie are all okay now. Everything's okay now, right?"

Lloyd nodded, sniffling.

"Then why are you crying?"

"I don't know, Kai!" Lloyd shouted, shoving the red ninja's hand away. He let out a quiet sob, rubbing water from his eyes. "Just leave me alone."