Ninjago - Heart of Stone

Chapter Twenty Four: Bittersweet

Things were different now.

The people of Ninjago were shaken to say the least, and though the city hadn't been demolished as it had been during the Devouror's rampage, there was still a certain amount of cleaning up that needed to be done. The task fell into the hands of Cyrus Borg, a genius confined to a wheelchair, who began a new era in Ninjago— an era of technology. The ninja melted into the background, glad for an excuse to disappear from the spotlight— Lexi's death and Garmadon change had given them lots to discuss, and there was a recovery period for all of them.

Kai's leg wound was healing nicely, and the ninja (especially Nya) were getting over the mental torment of having being possessed by Overlord. The Bounty was a wreck, but it had been salvaged from the island and Nya, Jay and Zane had already begun working on it, eager to revamp their beloved ship to make it blast-proof. They were using Lexi's powers as a test— if she could blow a hole through it, it wasn't strong enough and it was back to the drawing board.

Despite all this activity, there seemed to be a certain something that was lacking, and a source of tension somewhere. No one wanted to be the one to address it, and nobody really knew where it came from, but it was like a bad smell that followed them around. For weeks, they went about their days half-asleep, willfully blind to the rising tension among them, until the day finally came when someone decided enough was enough.

"I think it would be best if I left," Garmadon said one night at dinner. He'd spoken so suddenly that everyone seemed confused as to if he'd even spoken at all, or if they'd just imagined it. Then they saw the solemn look on his face, and he was met with a roar of disapproval.

"You can't leave, you just got here!" Lloyd cried, which wasn't exactly accurate, but it got his point across. Misako was glaring at him, waving her spoon and she scolded him, like a grandmother. Lexi was shaking her head fiercely, and the ninja were speaking with varying degrees of enthusiasm and disapproval.

"Enough," Wu said suddenly, holding up a hand. "Let him speak."

"Uncle!" Lloyd whined, but Wu silenced him with a single harsh look. "Listen," he ordered.

"I'm sorry to spring this on you," Garmadon said, launching right into his speech, "but I've been thinking about this a while, and if I'm honest with myself... I'm happy here, with all of you— but it isn't right that I stay."

"Why on earth wouldn't it be right?" Misako demanded, narrowing her eyes. "Have people been talking? If they have, I swear to the Oni themselves—"

"Misako," Garmadon said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder, "this isn't about what people have been saying. This is about what I think is best."

"Why would you think it's best that you go, then?" Misako asked. "Why would you think we'd be happier with you gone— after we just got you back, we're finally a family again and now you want to leave?"

Garmadon bowed his head. "I know it's horrible," he said, "but... I've spent the past twelve years a demon, hurting people, hurting you... I left you once, and now that I'm back I'm just causing more pain and more anger for everyone. It's better for us all that I'm not around."

"No it isn't." Lexi's voice was surprisingly strong, in stark contrast to her usual soft tone. "Father, I gave my life for this— for us to be together— and you're honestly willing to just throw it all away because you think you make us uncomfortable?" She shook her head. "People can learn to love someone, and you can grow into a family. Time will wear on and draw us closer, and eventually we'll be as happy as we always should have been— but you can never outgrow heartbreak. Losing someone... it's like losing an organ, or a limb. You will always feel it's gone, and you will never stop missing your life before it was taken."