Querencia
Snakebit
The four ninja spent most of the night chatting and discussing their new home, until [M/n]'s patience finally snapped and he snarled at them to shut up or they'd lose a very valuable part.
A gong woke them all up the next morning from their very short night of sleep.
Cole rolled over to face the wall, cursing in Italian. Jay just whined out loud as Kai buried his face into his pillow. Zane sat up, looking around in confusion as the sound reverberated. [M/n] sat up, popping his spine as he glared at Wu.
"Evil doesn’t sleep and neither should you!” Wu stated, entirely too awake. "In order to reach your full potential, we must greet every day as a new opportunity.”
"Okay okay, we’re up,” Kai groaned, removing his face from his pillow. "But if you want us to reach full potential shouldn’t we at least get a full night of rest?”
"You call that a rest? I think my back has more lumps than the mattress,” Cole grumbled, stretching.
"We were up so late, talking about how cool it is to have a new headquarters, I guess we lost track of time. Since the Serpentine burned down our monastery, I’m just glad we have a roof over our heads” Jay stated. As he talked, he prepared his toothbrush not even noticing the sand that poured from the faucet. Squeezing out a dollop of toothpaste, he stuck it in his mouth yelping at the sand that was suddenly coating his mouth.
"Without [M/n]’s interference we likely would’ve stayed up longer,” Zane admitted, swinging his legs over the side. [M/n] eyed the weak and rotting boards apprehensively. "What is our lesson today, Sensei? Mastering the Strike of the Scorpion? Or perhaps the Grace of-”
The boards collapsed and he dropped to the ground with a yelp.
"Chores,” [M/n] answered dryly, carefully lowering himself to the ground. "Today's lesson should be chores.”
"What, no way?!” Jay cried.
"Yes, I believe it should be,” Wu agreed.
"Chores?!”
"Ninja fight, Sensei, they do not clean,” Cole insisted.
"In order to respect ourselves, we must respect our new home and where we are from. And this place is a long way from becoming a Ninja headquarters. I expect things to be spotless when Nya and I return. And put your backs into it,” Wu ordered, before leaving to go get Nya.
"This place is gonna take forever to clean up,” Kai complained.
"Unless we put more than our back into it, huh?” Jay wiggled his brows at them.
Splitting up, they used their elements to begin cleaning the ship.
[M/n] slowly walked through the ship, using his Tessens as a conduit to control his Nether and eat away at the mold and cobwebs that had grown.
Within about two hours they'd managed to fix up the floorboards in their room, turned on all of the lights of the Bounty and rewired the electricity to the control room.
Finished, the four sat down in the living room, hooked up the old TV, and began playing a video. [M/n] sat in the corner on a pillow, crossing legs and resting his arms on his knees, relaxing and sinking into meditation.
Within Chóropsych
[M/n] opened his eyes to a shadowed forest, with tall trees that grew close together, keeping the light away. Hidden within the bushes were foxes of different sizes and species, watching him closely as he walked through the forest, unafraid of the protectors of his soulspace.
Within the heart of the forest was a moonlit clearing filled with flowers crawling up the Red Oaks and herbs of all kinds along the ground. Closing his eyes, he took in the sweet smell of all of the flowers floating across the light breeze. After a moment he approached the large Wisteria in the center of the clearing, the representation of his soul, lovingly brushing its bright hanging flowers and observing the blooming Moon Flowers before noting a new flower blooming.
The regulars along the ground swayed as he approached the new flower. Golden snapdragons reached upwards, tucked against the roots surrounded by fiery poppies, soft bluebells, gladiolus, and hydrangeas as [M/n] stepped over them, moving with the breeze.
He delicately lifted the petals, observing the flower perched on one of the lower hanging branches. Red along the tips faded to orange and yellow closer to the center with long pistols.
A Daylily.
It was only a few flowers, nothing compared to the hundred around them. But they had been buds for so long that [M/n] felt a sense of relief. Pulling away, he reached for the Moon Flowers, sighing softly at the memory of trust and a loyalty so deep. It was calming.
Khélai, who had approached when he was distracted, wrapped around him as a Caracal before hopping up and shifting into a Red Hawk to balance on [M/m]'s shoulder. Nipping affectionately at his ear, the shifter pointed him to one of the large Oak trees towering over the Wisteria only a couple hundred feet away.
It had ivy crawling up the trunk with sweet-smelling magnolias dotting the branches. Pressing a hand to the trunk, he was nearly overwhelmed by the sense of love, protection, and strength that radiated from it, a sharp reminder that he'd had family at one point.
Turning away, his mind wandered to the prophecy of the Silver Ninja.
It had said 'What was lost would return at the toll.' What was lost was his memories, obviously, and the toll was likely a bell of some kind, but what bell was the question.
A part of him longed to go searching for the bell himself, to get his memories back but it would likely start the Final Battle, or, at the very least, speed up the timetable. The Green Ninja would need time to train and prepare, to grow and mature as the Savior of Ninjago. [M/n] was patient. He could wait as long as the Green Ninja needed.
Out of Chóropsych
[M/n] woke up just as Nya and Wu entered, looking genuinely surprised by the cleanliness of the Bounty. Though it was far from done.
"What took you so long?” Kai asked smugly.
"Wow. This place looks amazing! You guys did all this?” Nya questioned, genuinely surprised.
"Ninja don’t just fight, Nya. We clean,” Cole stated.
"Oh, you have exceeded my expectations . . .” Wu said, glancing out the window as a car honked. ". . . but can you keep it up?”
[M/n] stood up to look out the window himself, smiling slightly when he saw the Jalopy pulling up.
The memory of fetching Jay from the Junkyard to bring him back to the Monastery was one of [M/n]'s fondest memories. Ed and Edna had been delighted to host him as Jay packed, bombarding him with stories from his (Jay's) childhood.
"Looks like we’re about to have some visitors, and loud ones at that,” Nya said, peering out the window herself.
"Ugh . . . It’s my parents. Please, if they start yappin’, just don’t let them get going, okay? They don’t know when to quit. And if you start talking then they’ll start talking, and suddenly half the day is done before you know it's ended-”
"We get it! They talk a lot!” Kai cut in, rolling his eyes. "The cherry doesn’t fall far from its blossom.”
Jay led them all outside to greet his parents, plastering on a fake smile to try to hide the frustration. "Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?”
"Oh, look it’s my baby boy! It’s been so long since we heard from you! And [M/n]! Oh, it’s wonderful to see you, dear!” Edna chirped, delighted. [M/n]'s smile was soft as he stepped forward to press a kiss against her cheek and hug Ed.
"It’s good to see the both of you as well. Looking radiant as ever, Edna.” She and Ed both laughed, happily taking his affection.
"Ma, I called you two days ago,” Jay reminded her through gritted teeth.
"Oh well . . . It’s not enough son. When are ya’ comin’ out to the junkyard? You say you are comin’ an-an . . . and ya don’t,” Ed said, shrugging helplessly.
"Dad . . . Do we have to talk about the junkyard in front of my friends?”
"He hates it when we tell people he was raised in the junkyard,” Edna explained, before noticing Nya. "Oh. And who are you? You are so cute! Just my son's type!”
Jay looked mortified. "Mom!"
"It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sure if you want, Jay can give you a tour. He worked very hard on it,” Nya stated, smiling.
"We’d love a tour!"
They all followed behind, taking long pauses as Edna shared stories from when Jay was a kid. Lunch was a fun affair for everyone except Jay, who had his head down, trying to hide how red his face had gone.
It was late in the afternoon that they began finishing up the tour. "And this is the bridge. This extends into a periscope. This tells what’s going on in Ninjago. And this . . . If a Serpentine’s not giving us the answer we want, and we’re up late at night . . .”
"A neuro apparatus to read their minds?”
"An audio appliance to make them talk?"
"No, a cappuccino machine,” Jay deadpanned, making himself a cup. He needed the caffeine.
"Haha. Amazing, son! We’re so proud of you,” Ed said.
"Why don’t you tell them about the button,” Cole encouraged.
"Heh heh, it's not ready yet,” Jay hissed through gritted teeth.
"Oh, what’s the button?” Edna asked eagerly.
"He’s working on a special defense system."
"Something every ninja headquarters needs."
"It’s quite unique."
"Oh, really? What does it do? Can I help?” Ed asked.
"No, it’s okay. I don’t need your help, dad. Let’s just leave it alone. Hey, look at the time. Don’t you need to get back before it gets dark? I told you, there’s dangerous Serpentine out there,” Jay reminded them as he ushered them outside.
"Uh, I suppose we could get back,” Ed agreed, frowning slightly.
"Jay is right,” [M/n] agreed, finally taking pity on the ninja. "The Hypnobrai are dangerous, and it would be safer if you didn't travel at night.”
"Oh, alright. Thank you, dear,” Edna said. [M/n] pressed a goodbye kiss to her cheek as he walked her and Ed over to the Jalopy.
"Edna, it was a pleasure hearing about Jay’s first potty time,” Cole stated, grinning.
"Oh, if you thought that was good, wait until you hear the story about the time I caught him kissing his pillow!” Edna chirped, mortifying Jay who turned bright red.
"Snakes, Ma! Snakes!” Jay cried, voice edging into hysteria.
"Okay, we’re going. We’re going,” Edna said. “So you promise to come to the junkyard to visit your mother and father?”
"Yes, I promise! But only if you leave. I don’t want you to get hurt. It’s getting dark." Once they got in the car, he stepped back and glanced down at their headlights. "Uh, your headlights are working, right?”
[M/n] looked to the side, eyes closing as their lights turned on and blinded everyone else.
"Heh, like ‘em? I used a little extra juice,” Ed asked, happily flipping off the lights with a whistle. "Yep. Bye, son. I couldn’t be more proud.”
"Oh, and [M/n], join him will you? And bring Nya along, dear, I can see why you like her,” Edna added.
"Mom!”
The Jalopy pulled away, leaving Jay completely mortified.
"Now that they have left, perhaps Jay can teach us the Art of-” Wu cut off, giggling. "-kissing pillows.”
"Argh!” Jay shrieked, stomping back inside.
[M/n] slipped away as the group all laughed at Jay's misfortune, choosing to visit the stables one last time before Ara and the others left.
He spent two hours with the wyvern, delicately preening the dead feathers from Ara's mane and helping remove the dead patches of scales from his legs and back. The stables were quiet as the other dragons settled in for a nice rest before their journey the next morning.
Leaving his own dragon to get some rest, he ducked into his shared room with the ninja. Luckily it was empty since the ninja had decided to play more video games after being interrupted by Jay's parents.
Still too early to fall asleep, he chose to meditate normally.
---------------The Next Morning---------------------
Their cleaning the previous day had left them with piles of junk to sort through, so it was yet another day of chores. Jay worked on his button while the others sorted through the junk and took everything outside to either sell or scrap. Whichever came first.
"Sure got a lot of junk piling up. If only there was a place we could get rid of it . . .” Kai trailed off, passing by Jay's workstation with a box of junk.
"If you don’t mind, I’m trying to focus,” Jay said, scowling.
Cole passed by next.
"Hi, dad. Of course, I’d love to visit. What kind of son would I be if I didn’t want to?” Jay turned around to glare at the ninja who was holding up an old phone to his ear like it actually worked.
"Hehehehe. I know what you’re trying to do. Okay, look, I might have promised to visit my parents, but there’s a lot of my stuff on my plate,” Jay snapped, standing up.
Nya came in with the toolbox for the Control Room repairs she planned on making. Noticing her, Jay tried to scrub the grease off his face as he turned pink. "Hehe. Hi, Nya.”
"You gonna visit your parents today?”
"Uh, sure am. Just about to leave,” Jay lied, smiling.
"Tell them I say hi." Nya ducked back out the door to work on her 'special' project as she had been for the past few weeks.
Everyone gave Jay varying looks of doubt, completely unimpressed, Kai especially. "What? So my plate’s not that full.”
"Θα μπορούσατε να προσπαθήσετε να είστε διακριτικοί,” [M/n] murmured, brushing past the blue ninja. (You could try to be subtle.)
Jay grumpily led them out to the makeshift stables where the dragons all seemed to be napping.
He tried leading Wisp out of his stall with the halter but the blue-scaled dragon dug his claws in and refused to budge. "Come on, Wisp! It’ll be a quick visit. Just in and out, nothing more.”
"Hm, it is as I suspected. The dragons are molting. They’re shedding scales,” Wu informed them, appearing from behind Wisp.
"What does that even mean?" Jay asked, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
"Every adolescent dragon goes through a transformation before it becomes an adult. We must allow them to migrate east to the Spirit Coves for their transformation.”
The mood instantly turned somber. The dragons had been with them for nearly a year, and were an important part of their lives.
"Will we ever see them again?" Jay cradled Wisp's large head in his hands, worried for his dragon.
"Yes," [M/n] stated, guiding Ara from his own stall. He carefully undid the dragon's saddle, setting it off to the side. "They will return to us once they finish growing."
"We need to allow them to follow their path."
"Rocky’s going East?” Cole asked, despondent. He pressed his forehead to Rocky's large nose, trying not to cry. "Say it isn’t so, Rocky.”
Zane ran a hand over Shard's icy scales, quietly mourning the loss of his friend. Jay pulled away from Wisp and wandered over towards where Kai and Nya were lathering Flame in attention.
"Well, I guess I gotta go on this long walk all by myself. Sure be nice to have company . . .” Jay trailed off hopefully, as Nya began to nod.
"Of course we’ll go, buddy,” Kai said, smiling.
"I could use a break,” Cole agreed.
"All you had to do was ask."
[M/n] nodded, amused as the three shared sneaky grins behind Jay's back.
Wu tagged along as well, playing the sacred flute as they walked, the dragons flying in the opposite direction.
It was a beautiful tune, vaguely familiar in a way that made [M/n] want to claw out his own ears in frustration.
"Of all days to lose our ride,” Jay sighed, running a hand through his frizzy auburn hair.
"That flute. You’ve never told us why it’s so special,” Zane pointed out. It had been prominently displayed in a glass case for as long as any of them could remember.
"Long ago there were many flutes, created to combat the powers of the Serpentine and drive them underground. But over time, Ninjago's forgotten its ancestors' wisdom, and now this is the only one,” Wu explained, blue eyes flicking back to [M/n], who was lazily scanning their surroundings.
"I get the lesson; respect your elders or else suffer the consequences. Boy, you guys are laying it on thick,” Jay complained.
"Perhaps you are only hearing what you need to hear," Wu chuckled, playing the same beautiful tune. Jay paused, staring at the giant metal walls that surrounded the Junkyard.
"What is it?" Nya asked, seeing him pause. [M/n] put himself on alert, scanning the tops of the walls as his hands rested on the handles of his Tessens.
"It's quiet. My family's never quiet," Jay stated, breaking into a flat sprint as he led them to the gate. Flinging it open he called for his parents, but no one answered.
[M/n] heard muffled shouting and clanging from a rusted fridge held shut with a chain. "Jay!" He sliced through the chains with his Tessens, dragging them open so Jay could help his parents climb out.
"What happened? Who did this?"
Jay and [M/n] undid the ducktape from their faces and the rope from their torso and arms, revealing green scales along their cheeks and pointy fangs with slightly forked tongues poking out nervously.
"Sweetheart, dearie, you came!" Edna cried, elongating her 'ssss's unnaturally.
"Oh, you gotta get out of here. You shouldn't have come, it's the sssssnakes!"
"The Bite of the Fangpyre! Once they sink their teeth in, their venom can turn anything into a serpent. It's only a matter of time before the full transformation is complete," Wu recognized the beginnings of the transformation.
"We need the General's staff to create the antidote," [M/n] reminded them, tensing up as he realized he was being watched.
Cole turned to [M/n], freezing as he made eye contact with something behind the purple ninja. "Uh, is that, uh, chain ball thing staring at me?"
"What?" Kai asked, turning as well. "Oh, shit!"
"Duck!" Jay shouted, knocking his parents to the ground as the others dropped just in time for the ball to swing overhead. [M/n] dropped on top of Nya almost automatically, protecting her as it passed by once more.
"Thankssss, sssson," Ed said, standing.
"Lloyd!" Wu shouted, spotting Lloyd atop a pile of trash with a speaker beside him.
"Hello, uncle. Looks like we're not the only family reunion. I'm glad you brought the ninja. I could use some help taking out the trash. MUAHAHA!"
"[M/n]'s right. We need the General's Staff," Nya hissed, keeping her voice down.
"Second dose, to the dirt!" Everyone dropped again, pressing themselves flat to the ground.
The Fangpyre that had gathered on the trash piles laughed as they were forced to roll out of the way or be crushed by the hissing wrecking ball.
"Easier said than done, sis," Kai said, gesturing to the Fangpyre around them. "We're a bit outnumbered."
Lightning gathered along the Golden Nunchucks traveling up Jay's arms and flickering in the air around him. "Nobody messes with my family! Ninja Go!"
Nya and Wu rushed Ed and Edna out of the way as their son threw himself at the closest Fangpyre with a war cry.
[M/n] led a small group of Fangpyre away from the center of the action, waiting until he found a dead end to strike. The Fangpyre laughed, believing they had him backed into a corner, but he only smirked. Their laughter quickly stopped as the first fell to his Tessens, head hanging by the spine alone.
It's blood sprayed, coating the ground in blood as [M/n] swiftly stepped back. The path was soon drenched in blood and the air was blissfully silent, as their screams were silenced.
Only one walked the path back.
[M/n] scowled behind his mask as he approached the center of the junkyard where loud music had begun playing. Likely drowning out the Sacred Flute.
His pace was almost unhurried, trusting the others to deal with the Fangpyre still there but when he heard, felt, loud mechanical footsteps he picked up the pace. Racing through the maze of junk, he found the others just as the massive robot rounded the corner across from them.
Jay shrieked, "Ah! What is that thing?!"
"It was supposed to be in your honor," Ed said, wringing his hands nervously. His tongue flicked out, longer than before and thinner. "Do you like it?"
"Thanks. But no thanks."
They fled from the robot but were stopped when they crossed the path of the wrecking ball.
"Why'd you have to be born in a junkyard?!" Cole shouted, diving to the side.
"I know. Tell me about it." The wrecking ball swung back their way and five hit the dirt, the others having gotten out of the way In time.
Kai glanced over them all as they stood and paused, "Uh, wasn't there five of us?"
None of them noticed Jay climbing up the wrecking balls chain, preoccupied with a new enemy.
A massive fist swung at them, the robot having finally caught up. Cole caught the fist on his Golden Scythe, wheezing at the force behind it. "Don't worry, I got this." He began losing ground as it pushed forward, other arm lifting to hit Cole while he was distracted.
Cole nearly slumped in relief as the pressure was taken off him when the wrecking ball slammed into the robot's chest, knocking it back. "I told you I had it."
"Retreat!" Lloyd ordered, echoed by the General. Both retreated onto a platform hanging from a Rattlecopter that swiftly lifted them away.
Jay groaned as he jumped down from the wrecking ball's control area, realizing they had escaped. With the staff no less.
"He's getting away with the staff!" Nya shouted as everyone ran to the front of the junkyard as the Rattlecopter flew away.
"Right now would be a good time to have those Dragons," Jay said, fists curling in frustration.
"It'ssss okay, ssson," Ed comforted, patting his shoulder.
"There is still a way," Wu began.
"How?"
"Part of reaching your own full potential is understanding your weapon's potential. Once it is in tune with a focused heart, its secrets and powers can be unlocked," Wu stated, earning blank and frustrated looks.
"Oh, this is not the time to be cryptic," Jay snapped. [M/n] went to answer but was cut off with a finger poking his chest. "We don't need any more cryptic talk."
"He's saying our weapons are vehicles themselves," Zane translated as [M/n] pointedly smacked Jay's hand away.
"Don't tell me I have to ride this thin like a broomstick," Kai mumbled, giving his sword a distinctly uncomfortable look.
"Jay, concentrate on unlocking your Golden Weapon. Let your heart guide you. Imagine you're taking flight."
Jay closed his eyes, taking a steadying breath. Swinging his nunchucks, they began glowing before, in a flash of lightning, they surrounded him and formed the Storm Glider. He whooped, shooting off into the sky. "Whoa! Haha! Did I just do that?"
Grinning, the others followed suit.
Kai summoned the Blade Cycle.
Cole summoned the Tread Assault.
Zane summoned the Snowmobile.
[M/n] summoned the NetherCopter, a black armored coaxial helicopter with purple detailing and silver-tipped blades. The whirring of the blades was oddly soothing and [M/n]'s grin widened as he checked out the inside.
"Ha! I hate to hurt Rocky's feelings, but I think he's just been replaced," Cole cheered, driving off.
Pulling up on the collective lever that sat on his left side, he smoothly rose up into the air. Once high enough, he pushed on the throttle and the copter jumped into motion, easily following the others.
In the distance Jay overshot the Rattlecopter, mumbling into the comms. "Oops, haha. Overshot that a little."
The Jet flipped back around. "Let's see what this baby can do." He shot back past the Rattlecopter, opening the cockpit to snatch the staff from the General's hand. "Whoa! I got it? I got it!"
His celebration was cut off when the Storm Jet disappeared from beneath him, dropping him midair.
"Jay, you have to concentrate," Kai shouted over the comms.
The Rattlecopter turned back around to go back for the staff but [M/n]'s NetherCopter cut them off. Forced to stop the two were caught in a standoff, but [M/n] easily won, his copter was made for a fight with armored sides and coaxial blades for quicker movements.
"I CAN'T!"
The three argued about catching him, a pointless argument that led them all to losing their focus and crashing.
The RattleCopter retreated back towards the marching group of Fangpyre, as [M/n] lowered the NetherCopter to the ground, landing with a jolt.
Jay, luckily, fell onto the seats of the Jalopy, which skidded to a stop beside the other ninja.
"Huh? Why isn't this thing working?" Kai asked, shaking the sword.
"Your weapons are merely an extension of your mind. If your mind is immobile, so is your weapon."
"Oh, boy. Oh, gosh. Oh, golly, oh, duh. Get in, boys!" Ed shouted, opening the doors.
"We have to get back to headquarters!" Jay shouted frantically, righting himself in the backseat of the Jalopy.
They all feared for the state of their new home, worried it would face the same fate as their beloved Monastery.
Cole and Zane both joined [M/n] in his NetherCopter while Kai climbed into the Jalopy. Both took off in near unison – passengers secured – but [M/n] made it first.
Dropping onto the deck, Zane and Cole rushed downstairs to turn the Bounty on and prepare her. Hopefully, Jay's button would work. If not, they were screwed.
The Jalopy skidded to a stop barely a few feet from the Bounty and all six rushed out, passing [M/n] without a glance to get to the Bridge. As the army of Fangpyre marched towards the ship, [M/n] prepared himself for a fight.
He also ignored the small feeling - voice - that insisted he make sure Lloyd was alright.
Rumbling filled the air as the sails snapped into position and the boosters shifted into place, firing. It was a slow process but they began to rise before Nya stepped on the gas, metaphorically, and they flew away, using the clouds to hide.
[M/n] huffed, amazed as the ship slowly flew through the air, relaxing now that they didn't have to worry about being chased. Joining the others, he found Ed and Edna back to normal and was quickly embraced by the couple who had been worried for him.
Once everyone was suitably distracted Jay led Ed and Edna outside to apologize for his behavior. Unknown to the three, they were observed by [M/n] and Wu who had stepped outside for a break earlier, the bridge far too loud to handle.
The young ninja ached for that familial warmth as he watched the family embrace, skin itching for contact.
Wu rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing, "You will get your memories back one day, [M/n]. And then we will find your family. I promise."
"Thank you, Sensei."