The First Breath [Ninjago Fanfic]

2 - The Art of Spinjitzu

* * *

Garmadon was a strange teacher. Some might have considered him one of the best for his practical teachings, where Y/N's muscles were trained for hours upon hours to spar with any weapon Garmadon chose to throw at her. But others might have considered him one of the worst teachers to ever exist as he had thrown Y/N into the deep end, leaving her to her own devices as mud monsters rose out of the murky depths attempting to suffocate her with their rolling masses. Only after Y/N had nearly been killed a handful of times did Garmadon start properly training her, sparring with her on the banks of the muddy swamps as he instructed her.

He also insisted on waking her whenever he found it most convenient, often with a jab in the side with the blunt end of a katana, or letting out a battle cry as he swung his weapon down at her skull. Y/N had been bruised and beaten by the end of the first day and after weeks of training, she was now starting to turn as purple as the landscape.

It was another day of training underneath the constant cloud cover and Y/N's muscles screamed as she lifted her katana to block Garmadon's spear. She grunted, her footing failing her as she slid back in the mud. While Garmadon's weapon was blunt, his strength was four times her own. Y/N could usually hold her own for the first hour or so, but as the day wore on and the training failed to cease, Y/N's strength and stamina started to wane.

"Come on," Garmadon growled, swinging his spear again, this time aiming at Y/N's heart with the head. "You're better than this!"

Y/N spun out of the way, using the katana as a cane as she forced herself back to her feet. She could taste blood in her mouth, both from the exhaustion consuming her bones and from the cut on her lip that she had earned when she had failed to dodge one of Garmadon's attacks. She groaned and gripped the katana tightly, her fingers burning as she pulled the sword into her hands.

"Good." Garmadon swung at her again, forcing her to block. "Good. Again." He swung at the other side. She blocked again, her eyes narrowing as they met Garmadon's. He was pushing her harder these days. They were nearing three months since Garmadon had started training Y/N and with each day she was growing stronger. And faster.

One of Garmadon's arms grabbed a dagger from his belt, swiping at Y/N with the sharp tip. She jumped back, holding the katana in front of her.

"Cheating again, Sensei," she asked, a daring smirk curling her lips. The social interaction had done her well, despite the fact that it was the infamous Lord Garmadon she was interacting with. Months with no need to speak to anyone had dried her vocal cords and frayed her muscles. Now at least she was working out, fighting and training every waking moment, under constant supervision from her new sensei, who didn't tolerate any sort of slack. But she didn't expect anything less from the famed Dark Lord.

"You expect evil incarnate to fight fair? I taught you better than that."

"Yes, you did!" Y/N whipped out one of her daggers and threw it at Garmadon's head, forcing him to dodge. Right into her blade. She quickly pulled out her second dagger and held its tip against the back of Garmadon's neck while her blade pressed against his throat. She panted, eyeing Garmadon for any sign of movement. The first time she had thought herself the victor, Garmadon had surprised her by flipping her over using a spare arm, pinning her to the muck with daggers crossed over her wrists. She had laid there for what felt like eternity as punishment for being so gullible, at the mercy of the elements while Garmadon went to go get them some food.

This time, when Garmadon tried the same trick, Y/N leapt out of the way, kicking her sensei in the chest and forcing him onto his back.

"Do you yield?"