I know it's pretty much a cliche at this point that I always come around every once in a while and pop in some s5 angst request (sorry if it's getting repetitive, but these are the tropes coming to mind... I also hope I've never sent a request for this trope to you... I don't think I did, but my memory is bad at this), but if the opportunity is open then I'd like to ask for something with this prompt:
Lloyd somehow manages to escape mid S5, but due to possession caused damage/illness, he's in horrible shape as he stumbles into the tea shop while everyone else is there holding a meeting about what to do next
So I tried. I really did try to write Lloyd whump. It became Nya angst instead. Your prompt is still in here, but not in the way you may have expected. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this.
“But Sensei-”
“No buts, Nya,” Wu interrupted her bargaining, his gaze flicking to the inside of the tea shop for a very brief second before looking back into her eyes, “I need you to stay here with Lloyd while we go after the realm crystal. If Morro comes for him, you are the best line of defense.”
“But I haven’t even unlocked my true potential yet!”
“You are staying here. I need you here, to watch over him.” Wu insisted and Nya had to admit to herself, no matter how annoyed it made her, that he was right this time, even if it meant that she would have to throw a bucket of water at Morro’s face if he showed up.
“Yes, Sensei.” She groaned, waiting until the Bounty left to go back inside, locking the doors behind her, only if it was to prove that she was needed on the ship, or at least would be more useful within the action.
Just a few hours ago, she was fully prepared to go with the boys into the tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master despite her lack of control over her elemental abilities, and now, just like so many times before, she was left behind to babysit. It was infuriating.
Even if she had grown to look at Lloyd like a little brother, and was glad that he was home without Morro looming over him, she was still angry when she knew that adding a large hose to her Samurai X mech would stop this problem in its tracks.
‘ “So when you arrive at the tomb, it is imperative to take the realm crystal and get back out. The less time you spend there, the better.’ Wu explained as the five of them listened intently, all adorning their gi’s and masks, ready to board The Bounty.
Well, even though there were five of them in the room, it did not include Jay, who had left once they had gotten the gist of the plan decided, citing the need to use the bathroom while Misako brought the Bounty around so they could go as soon as they were ready.
“You ready for your first ninja mission?” Kai asked, his hand on Nya’s shoulder bringing her back to reality.
“I’ve been on ninja missions before, Kai.”
“Yeah, but that was Samurai X. This is different.”
“It can’t be that diffe-”
“Guys?!” Jay’s attention-grabbing yell echoed into the main room from outside, but before Nya could question why he was outside, she followed the others to where the call had come from, only to gasp when she saw the sight of a sickly, pale Lloyd lying unconscious in Jay’s arms as he added, “I don’t think he’s breathing.” ‘
He had been breathing, although it had been hardly noticeable to the naked eye, but those five words had sent the others into chaos while Zane, Kai and Wu had jumped into action to assess the situation.
Nya herself had been unable to move aside from the near automatic motion of helping Jay off of the ground; they hadn’t been together in awhile, but she would have been lying if she said that making sure he was okay wasn’t a reflex after all this time.
Even when Zane reported the scary words like “high fever” and “possible coma”, all Nya could focus on was the fact that he had started by telling them that he was alive. He was breathing, his heart was beating and there was zero indication of Morro inside of his body.
While she was relieved that Lloyd was safe with them, she was still annoyed that his arrival meant that she had been forced to the sidelines yet again when she had to stand her ground with Sensei in the first place to go with the boys to retrieve the realm crystal.
Knowing that Wu planned to shut down the tea shop indefinitely in order to pay Cyrus Borg to work on weapons against the ghosts, she didn’t worry about manning the desk for the closeout sale.
‘For all I know, Morro is on his way to fight me and finish Lloyd off.’
She knew that her thought process was morbid, but she couldn’t care enough to consider just how cynical she was; everyone else was allowed to go fight ghosts with very little elemental power to their name while she was a layer of security.
And if she kicked over one of the small displays in the front of the store out of pure frustration, Lloyd wasn’t anywhere close to awake so no one had to know.
Uhhhh idk when i wrote this tbh I don’t remmber but I can bet it was before March, probably early february?
Words: 742
Mentions of blood, implied torture both mentally and physically. Has a happy-ish ending.
Nya kicked a guard back, glancing at Kai. “Go! We’ll be right behind you!” She swiped her blade at another as they charged at her. In the old apartment building, he could see the others fending off the number of cronies that had taken residence here.
No one had to tell Kai twice to run. His feet pounded against the cement of the tunnels under the building, his head pivoting to try and take in everything, to catch sight of the signs they had been told to search for.
The signs that would lead them to Lloyd.
Kai still hadn’t forgiven himself for letting the green machine run off on a mission this big on his own. Even after all of this, every mission, every villainous faction that came up against them, they should have never agreed to solo missions again. Lloyd was powerful, but he was still just one person.
If anything had happened to him, Kai was never going to forgive himself. He pressed the thought to the back of his mind, turning down the hall. Right now, he had a little brother to save.
There it was, the blue burning lantern beside the door. Kai couldn’t hear a thing over the blood roaring in his ears. The thick lock on the door was fastened. Someone was inside, surely. His hand shook as he forced himself to summon fire, melting the lock away, pulling at the door handle, opening to a dark room.
Kai pressed his hand to his mouth, the smell of the room was too much. The smell of long lost hope and blood hung heavy in the air. Summoning his fire again, he looked around the dingy cell for Lloyd, unable to say anything. His heart pounded in his chest.
When he saw the beaten up form in the corner, he could have sworn he was too late. Limbs sprawled across the floor connecting to a shirtless torso painted with bruises and wounds that had long stopped bleeding, half-formed scabs starting to cross his skin. The way his arm was twisted as he laid on it made Kai want to gag more, it wasn’t a natural pose. It was the pose of a puppet with cut strings, collapsed and awkward.
Kai dropped down beside Lloyd, extinguishing the fire in his hand. His eyes darted in the darkness, looking for an inch of skin that wasn’t painted in injuries. He reached up with a shaky hand to his communicator, his voice wavering as he spoke. “G-guys. Exactly like they said. Zane—I could really use some help, it’s bad.”
The communicator crackled back at him, and he reached to lift Lloyd up. He knew he shouldn’t, that he should wait for Zane, but he couldn’t leave Lloyd laying like a rag doll. He carefully moved Lloyd’s limbs, and the blond’s eyes stayed shut. His body was too warm—and Kai knew he should be over the moon that Lloyd was warm—that he was alive—but the moment was bittersweet. He sat himself against the wall, holding Lloyd close. The blond’s head pressed against his chest, and Kai could feel his fast breathing, He ran a hand through Lloyd’s slightly matted hair, whispering. “Just hang in there, we’re gonna get you out of here.”
It was silent in the darkness for too long before Kai felt Lloyd move slightly, a hand gripping the fabric of Kai’s gi tightly. A weak cough, and a raspy voice. “You came?” Lloyd didn’t lift his head from Kai’s chest.
Kai doesn’t even know what to say about the dead tone in Lloyd’s voice. The fact it almost sounded like a question instead of a fact. He holds Lloyd closer, careful to not press on his wounds too much. “Always will.”
Lloyd shudders in Kai’s arms and for a moment, Kai thinks Lloyd has started bleeding again as he feels his own gi starting to dampen. Weak arms hold tight, and when Lloyd sucks in a breath, it clicks. He’s crying. Kai feels so useless in the moment, knowing how scared and in pain Lloyd had to be, scared and relieved at the same time. He rubs Lloyd’s shoulder carefully. “We’re all here for you, we haven’t stopped looking for you since the day you stopped contacting us, and we were never going to give up.”
He knows that filling the silence is the best he can do in the moment.
