The Titanium Ninja

Return to the Team: Part One

Lloyd bit his lip in excitement at the thought of seeing one of his brothers again, his hands shaking slightly in anticipation. He glanced over to Nya, who was in the driver's seat of the van, seeing a small smile on her lips. They sped through the streets of Shihon, relaxing to the tunes floating out of the radio. At a stoplight, Lloyd had rolled down his window to enjoy a summer breeze when a man, his hands full of fliers, ran past and shoved several fliers inside the van. Lloyd cried out in surprise as the man continued to run down the line of cars, yelling something about a new restaurant opening.

"You okay, Lloyd?" Nya asked.

"Yeah, just a...a little startled." He looked at the fliers in his lap, reading Opening Friday! Mister Chen's Noodle House on Bradley Boulevard!

Lloyd tucked the fliers into his pocket as they continued to drive through the busy streets, eventually finding the recording studio on the north side of the capital, the samurai and ninja were shocked to see crowds of screaming fans and security guards posted outside of the building.

"Oh, great," Nya sighed as she parked the van. "How are we going to get in now?"

"Couldn't we just say that we know Jay?" Lloyd asked.

"I guess we can give it a try," she said. They hurried across the street, the fans waiting outside screamed even louder when they spotted them.

"It's the Green Ninja and Samurai X!" one girl wailed.

"Can we get your autographs?" another cried.

"Uh, maybe later," Lloyd said as they rushed past them to the guarded front doors.

The security guard looked at them, surprise clear on his face, "Woah, I didn't know we would have some real celebrities visiting the show!"

"Oh, uh, we're not competing," Lloyd said. "We came to see our friend, Jay. He's the host."

"Sorry. No invitation, no entry."

"Not even for the saviors of Ninjago?" Nya asked. The guard shook his head and crossed his arms.

"No invitation, no entry."

Nya and Lloyd started walking away, disappointed, until she got an idea. She pulled him close and whispered, "I'm going to distract him while you sneak inside."

"Wait, Nya!" Lloyd cried as Nya sprinted back to the guard. She kicked him in his shin, then grabbed his hat. The guard cried out and chased after, leaving the door wide open. Lloyd glanced around and snuck inside. 

His eyes widened as he looked at the bustling crews, props, and wires scattered everywhere. He hid behind clothes racks and props as he made his way down the crowded hallway, the thick scent of perfume drifted through the air. It's a good thing Nya wasn't here, Lloyd thought. Halfway down the hallway, he saw a blue door with a gold plaque, the name Jay Walker: Host was written in large bolded letters. Lloyd glanced around before knocking on the door, no one answered but he could hear movement coming from inside. He opened the door and slipped inside, a grin growing when he spotted the blue ninja sitting at a vanity. He could see several different types of makeup cluttering the vanity; blushes of varying shades, concealer, eyeliner, lip balm, and at least five brushes. The one thing that surprised Lloyd was a group portrait of him, when he was younger, and the other four, when Zane was still here. Everyone in the picture was smiling; Cole had his arm around Zane's shoulder, Zane had his wrapped around Lloyd's while Jay had the other shoulder, Kai was on the end, cocky smile as usual. Those were simpler times, Lloyd thought, nostalgia and grief hitting him hard.

Jay looked even worse in person; under the layers of concealer he could see dark circles, most likely from sleepless nights, tired glassy eyes, and extremely pale skin, almost as if he barely went outside. His clothes had been sewn several times, trying to make it look like he wasn't losing weight, and his hands were shaking. The makeup brush he was holding trembled as he applied a light coat of blush.

He sighed softly, setting the brush down as he looked at the group portrait, tears threatened to ruin his concealer. "Ninja never quit, huh Zane?"

Lloyd decided to show himself, "Hey Jay."

Jay yelped, jumping up from his chair. "Lloyd?! Wha-?! How did you get in here?"

He chuckled, "I'm a ninja, remember?"

Jay gave a short chuckle, "Oh, yeah, heheh. What are you doing here?"

"Well, Nya and I came to see you-"

"Nya's here?" he asked, his eyes brightening.

"Well, not here here," Lloyd said, rubbing the nape of his neck. "She created a distraction to let me in."

"Oh." Jay's smile faltered, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Well, I came to see how the hosting job is going, and to see if you'd want to rejoin the team."

His head snapped up, "Rejoin the team? Rejoin the team? After what Cole said to me? After Nya shut me out?! Hell no! I refuse to fight beside that mud-slinging bast-!"

"Jay! Nya still talks about you, and I haven't seen Cole since he left," Lloyd said.

"He...left?" Jay asked. "When?"

"A few days after you did."

Jay fell silent, thoughts swarming through his head. "I can't believe that he left."

"Look, I know losing Zane was hard on you, hard on all of us, but I think we need to get the team back together," Lloyd said.

He sighed, "I'm sorry, Lloyd, but I can't come back. This is my job now."

"But Jay, you're the Master of Lightning, not the Master of Lighting! You're a ninja! This isn't what you're meant to do!"

"Sorry, but I'm not returning to the team."

Lloyd slumped his shoulders in defeat, as he turned to go he felt the fliers in his pocket crumple. He pulled out one and glanced back at Jay, who had returned to his chair. "If you change your mind," he said, placing the flier on the vanity, "You'll know where I'll be."

He slipped out of the dressing room, sneaking back through the claustrophobic hallway to the unguarded exit. Jay glanced at the door before retuning to the blush he had been previously applying, after a few strokes he grew frustrated and threw the brush at his reflection. He held his head in his hands, struggling to calm his breathing as his shoulders trembled. I can't be a ninja, he thought. Not after Zane... I can't lose anyone else, not Kai, not Lloyd, not Nya, not...not even Cole. He glanced up and gently picked up the flier Lloyd left behind, I can't...right?