Taking Control. (a Ninjago fanfic)

Chapter 90- Now get ready

Z A N E

The hut was crowded. Too crowded.

Heat and voices pressed against the walls like they were alive, trying to squeeze us all into a space that wasn't meant for this many people. Kai lay propped up on blankets, pale and stubborn even in unconsciousness. Nya sat close by, chin resting on her hand, her other hand still wrapped protectively around his wrist. Lloyd was pacing, because of course he was, and Cole sat cross-legged near the door, arms folded tight like he was trying to hug himself.

Rue sat straight-backed at the center of it all, like she was carved out of stone. Her face was drawn, pale under the firelight, her veins still faintly pulsing with that strange, painful feeling I knew she hadn't recovered from. I could hear her pulse stuttering beneath the surface of her skin every time her fingers brushed the ground. She should have been resting. We should all be resting.

But we weren't.

We were listening to Lloyd explain what the bounty hunters had said before they'd been taken away.

"'If we can't take the animals, no one can,'" Lloyd repeated, his voice low, careful. He shook his head, fists clenching. "They set the fire on purpose. Just because they couldn't capture the creatures."

Rue's eyes closed for a beat. When she opened them again, they were sharp, steady, even though I could see her swaying slightly in place. "That wasn't just an attack on the forest. That was an attack on my people."

"We know what they're like." Nya murmured softly. "Humans like them only want to destroy something they can't control."

Pan, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, let out a humorless laugh. "They wanted to hurt us. That's all it ever was." He rubbed at his face, sandy hair falling into his eyes. "I swear, Rue, if I ever see them again—"

"Pan," she cut in softly, "we already stopped them. And now..." She exhaled, glancing at Kai's unconscious form. "...now we have to heal the damage they left behind."

I spoke carefully. "The damage has been stopped. The jungle needs to heal, but you can't do this all alone, Rue. It's going to take time, and it's going to take help."

"I know," she said quickly. Too quickly. She shifted, her eyes darting to Lloyd, to Nya, anywhere but me. "But we don't have time. The jungle is... it's grieving. I can feel it. Every second it stays scorched, it hurts. I can't ignore that."

Her voice cracked at the edges, just slightly.

Silence followed. Cole rubbed the back of his neck, muttering, "She's not wrong."

Nya lifted her head, her voice hoarse. "But you're not invincible, Rue. Don't act like you are."

Rue's jaw tightened. For a moment, she looked ready to snap back—but then she just closed her eyes again, and I saw it. The exhaustion. The pain. The way she was fighting her own limits harder than she was fighting anything else.

I leaned forward, choosing my words carefully. "When the forest heals, so will you. But only if you let us help. Don't take this burden entirely on yourself."

Her gaze met mine, golden scars catching the dim light. For once, she didn't argue.

The hut fell quiet again, the only sound Kai's uneven breathing and the occasional hiss of wind slipping through the walls. Pan shifted, looking between all of us, then muttered, "Guess that makes the next steps pretty clear. We rebuild. We protect. And we make damn sure nobody ever tries something like this again."

Cole grunted agreement. Kai shifted slightly in his sleep, attracting a few hopeful looks.

But Rue—she only nodded once, her shoulders trembling, her eyes fixed on the blackened forest outside.

Lloyd's pacing slowed, his boots scuffing against the packed dirt floor. He looked up, and for a moment I saw something pass through his eyes—a mixture of frustration and understanding. He turned toward Rue.

"Can I help?" he asked.

Rue blinked at him, her expression unreadable. Her eyes— green and drooping with exhaustion— lifted toward him, questioning. "Help?"

He nodded. "You said the forest's still in pain. That it's... grieving." He hesitated, rubbing at the back of his neck. "You're connected to it. Maybe I can give you something to— I don't know—help you mend that connection. Just enough to get you through this without burning yourself out."

Her head tilted, curious despite the fatigue pulling her shoulders down. "And what is it you would give me, Greenie?"

Lloyd's lips quirked in a small smile. "Energy," he said simply. "That is my element, after all."

He crouched beside her, his voice soft but steady. "It's... kind of complicated. I can share life force kinda? Just small amounts—like a bridge between elements. Basically, I would be lending my energy to you."

Rue raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Are you sure it'll work?"

"I mean— I don't see why not," he said. "It's worth as shot." The green ninja gestured vaguely toward the trees outside, where faint shafts of sunlight cut through the lingering smoke. "I can't heal the jungle myself, but I can give you enough strength to do it—just a spark."

For a long moment, Rue just stared at him. Her expression softened—barely—and then she gave a slow, tired smile. "A spark," she murmured. "That seems fitting."

Pan frowned from the wall, arms crossed tight. "Are you sure this is smart? If it goes wrong..."

I inclined my head slightly. "It is a risk. But a calculated one." My internal readings showed both of their energy levels fluctuating in ways I did not like. But I also knew there was a considerable chance it could work.

Rue rose to her feet, nodding slowly. "Let's do this then."

The rest of us followed.

Outside, the world felt raw. The jungle was quiet, stripped of its usual chorus of sounds. No birds, no insects—only the low hum of wind passing through damp leaves and the faint splash of the lake nearby. The sun was climbing higher now, but the light was dull, filtered through the haze of steam still flowing over the treetops.

Rue walked to a small clearing just beyond the huts. The earth there was blackened, the worst of it all— remains of roots curling like charred veins across the ground. She sank cross-legged onto the soil, closing her eyes for a brief moment.

Lloyd followed, his movements careful, reverent almost. He sat opposite her, mirroring her posture.

Rue lifted one hand and offered it to him. Her fingers trembled, but her touch was gentle. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Lloyd took her hand without hesitation. "Yeah," he said softly. "Let's fix this."

The contact was simple and trusting. But the air around them shifted instantly—charged, humming, as if the world itself had drawn in a breath. I could sense the transfer even without my scanners: Lloyd's energy, healthy and radiant, flowing like light through a bridge into Rue's hands.

The faint glow in her eyes brightened, the flowers woven into her braids starting to glow. It wasn't overwhelming—just steady, like dawn light creeping over a rocky hill.

Her other hand touched the ground beside her, and the soil seemed to stir beneath her fingers. Tiny threads of green began to curl out of the ashes—roots seeking the surface, tender and new.

Lloyd's shoulders tensed, a low breath catching in his throat, but he didn't let go. The light between them pulsed in rhythm, his energy helping hers in waves.

Nya and Jay stood behind me, silent. Cole's hands were clenched at his sides. Even Pan's usual restlessness had gone still.

For once, everything felt... suspended.

Alive.

I watched Rue open her eyes again, the glow in hers now calmer, steadier. I watched a genuine smile start to creep across her face, Lloyd's light flickering faintly in her eyes, two sources of strength working together to heal what had been destroyed.

The light between them deepened once, twice—then steadied.

"Thank you for this Lloyd." She whispered.

"Now get ready."