Promises (Ninjago's Kai x Reader)

Episode 2 - Ghost of Thee

I have a concussion that kept me in the infirmary for three days. After that, nurse Melissa assigned me bedrest for the next two weeks. I'm also not supposed to do any strenuous activities for about a month, and on top of that I'm not allowed to drink until my headaches subside. As if her instruction was gonna prevent me from doing any of those things.

The same night I was released, I finished my open bottles of vodka and tequila before opening a fresh bottle of gin. The Oni have been screaming relentlessly in my ear to stop, but the beauty of alcohol is that after I drink enough, their voices go quiet and the ghosts decide to show themselves. They show me fantasies of my family, still alive, trying to survive in a barren wasteland. I can never speak to them, only watch them from afar, sipping on my demons until a peaceful, dreamless sleep washes over me.

When I wake up, the Oni are back. Honestly, their constant presence is almost worse than the symptoms of my concussion, which is really saying something since it's constantly being amplified by my hangovers. It's a ruthless cycle, really, but what else am I supposed to do when I've been assigned bedrest?

You can participate in diplomacy, like your sister.

"She's not my sister," I growl, shoving the covers aside and stomping to the bathroom.

In due time. They keep saying that like it's a fact. I don't know if they do it to piss me off, or if there really is a future where Harumi somehow becomes my sister. The mere thought increases the pounding in my head ten-fold.

My morning routine consists of showering, brushing my teeth, combing and styling my hair, smudging black shit on my eyelids and lashes, and taking copious amounts of drugs that are supposed to help with headaches, chest pains, and mood swings. After that, I'm usually seated on the thrown beside my father for a couple hours, listening idly as he commands his kingdom. It's all very mundane: mostly workers and soldiers giving their daily reports and seeking new tasks so as not to fall on his bad side. After that, I'm free to do as I please for a few hours, which I usually spend in the gym, training for the sake of my sanity. Sometimes, I'll spend up to five hours weightlifting, running on the treadmill, completing obstacle courses, sparring with dummies, target practice with unsuspecting bikers that piss me off, or beating a punching bag until my knuckles bleed. If my workout isn't interrupted by Harumi's incompetence, I'll then head back to my room and shower again, quickly, before chugging a bottle of wine and meeting my father and the wannabe princess for dinner.

These "family meals," as my father likes to call them, are mostly for show. He doesn't actually care about either of us, despite what Harumi seems to think. He mostly keeps us around because our presence increases his power. People fear him more with me by his side, and Harumi has a way with the people that also works in his favor. And in order to keep us both in line, he hosts these dinners that we're expected to attend nightly as a sort of bonding party.

But since I'm on bedrest I don't have to do any of those things. When I'm done in the shower, I quickly brush my teeth and comb my hair, not bothering to put on any makeup, and crawl back into bed. Sleeping is about the only thing I've been wanting to do these past few days, other than drinking my woes away. As soon as my head hits the pillow, my headache dissipates and my eyes fall closed as another dreamless sleep becomes me.

~

That evening I found my self obliterated by a bottle of everclear. Somehow, in my drunken state, I had wandered to the rooftops where I had a clear view of what was once Ninjago city.

My father had done an appalling amount of damage to the once marvelous place, and his giant rock monster was still causing chaos on the streets. People were starving, injured and dying, but he could care less. He was most focused on finding my brother and destroying the resistance. "Crush their hope and the war will be over," he told me and Harumi. But if we're being honest, the war was won the day he killed my friends.