The Imperial Battle II: The Emperor of Ninjago

Chapter 35. A Lovely Little Word Called "Yes"

I think today is the best day of my life,
Last night all I wanted to do was die,
Right now I'm happy to be alive

🌫-🌫-🌫

Red lanterns being hung as far as the eye could see, stalls selling food and sweets being set up, fireworks being transported to the famous hotel garden in the very center of the city, and little children running around in traditional, red kimonos.

Cinder stared out the palace window with a dull gaze in his eyes, just watching Ninjago City prepare for the New Year festivities. In a way, it felt bizarre that in the midst of a war that starved and tortured people elsewhere, the people in Ninjago City were fed well and got to celebrate, as long as they didn't leave the city and followed the curfew set by the Emperor. They would have another fantastic New Year, like the people in major, unattacked cities like Kyoto, Nagoya and Sapporo, and unlike the people in the rest of Ninjago.

Cinder felt someone approach him from behind, but didn't bother to look. He knew the only person who would come to him was Harumi. And he was right; the young woman walked up to him and gave him a little smile.

"Would you like to go out tonight? I heard there's lots of food and fireworks," she asked, bouncing on her heels.

Cinder shook his head. "No."

Harumi sighed. "You've been withdrawing ever since Ash and Skylor... passed. You haven't eaten, you haven't trained. Wouldn't you like to do something fun, just to take your mind off of things?"

No. It felt criminal to celebrate the New Year without his brother. All he could think about was the way he had spent the New Year with Ash in the past. Every year, as long as Cinder could remember, he and Ash had gone to the streets of their hometown Salerno to stuff their faces with spring rolls and dumplings, sat on the old fence around their apartment building watching the fireworks, and given each other red envelopes with coins they had found inside. It had always been the two of them, with Ash pretty much always carrying Cinder around on his back and covering his ears when the loud fireworks had tried to bother his sensitive hearing.

"Come on, Cinder. At least think about it... for me," Harumi pleaded.

Cinder sighed and nodded.

Harumi smiled gently and somewhat shyly brushed Cinder's arm. "Thank you."

Cinder heard the girl leave the apartment, and once she had, he looked over his shoulder. The apartment was quite dull and silent- terribly much so.

He just felt so empty.

🔥-🔥-🔥

New Year. Kai's favorite holiday.

Kai awoke in the otherwise empty cabin on the Bounty, daylight seeping in through the useless blinds to the point where he felt like his eyes were being assaulted. Grunting, Kai fully opened his eyes and let his drowsy gaze land on the other side of his bed, the right side, which was empty and ice cold. It was like that, because no prince had been sleeping on it. Even though Kai was reluctant to admit it, sleeping alone in any bed felt wrong on so many levels. It just made him feel a little empty; he was not used to sleeping without Lloyd. Only the fact that Kai was sleeping strictly on the right side, facing the left side, even when there was no Lloyd occupying the left side, spoke volumes.

With a sigh, the red ninja sat up stiffly, every muscle in his body screaming in pain, and let his eyes travel around the room. For reasons Kai knew perfectly well, his eyes landed on Lloyd's bed in the far corner. It had been neatly made-— or so it looked at first. It turned out, someone was still sleeping in it.