Chapter eight

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"After the war, the realm of Ninjago was a peace again." Lloyd read, looking at (Y/n) to see if he was doing good. "You're doing very well for someone who has never read before." She says, closing the book. "Really, I didn't say anything wrong?" He asked excitedly. "You read fluently."

Lloyd picked up his Starfarer comic, and shoving it to (Y/n)'s face. "Does that mean I can read my comic now?" "You are able to read on your own, so yes." She said, pushing the comic away from her.

Nya opened the door, smiling at the two. "Food is ready if you want to eat." Lloyd jumped out of bed, running to the kitchen, leaving the two girls. "Are you going to eat?" Nya asked again, watching (Y/n) walk towards her. "You have grown." She stated, Nya tilting her head in confusion.

"You are stronger now, in such a short time too, that is admirable." Nya blushed, playing with her hair. "Oh well, you know, can't have myself be such a burden to the team, a girl has to protect herself."

Nya finally felt like she was able to break the ice with her, and wanted to take advantage of that. "You know, I've never really had a girl to hang out with, it's always just guy talk, and it gets weird sometimes." She stated, walking beside her on the way to the dining room. "Ah, well the same would go for me, being that the entirety of the Skulkin are male." (Y/n) smiled.

"Though, they would sometimes invite me to things, it was fun for the most part, until Samukai came, he disliked me." Nya frowned, patting (Y/n)'s back. "I don't hate you, my brother might still hold a grudge, but I forgive you for kidnapping me." (Y/n) tilted her head, confused. "That is.. an idiotic move on your part, unless you have something to gain from me?" She glared down at Nya.

"Wha- no, I mean the only thing I would gain is having you as a friend, or atleast someone to listen to my problems." Nya sheepishly replied. "Oh, so you are lonely." She stated, causing Nya to groan. "Okay look, you're making this really difficult, do you want to be friends or not?"

(Y/n) thought about it, from what she knows, friends are sort of like allies, she could use an ally. "Protect Lloyd as well and we can be friends." Nya smiled. "Yeah, sure thing."

They entered the dining room, to see Lloyd arguing with Kai. "Well then I'll kick them wear it hurts!" He yelled. "I guess that could work but the Constrictai have stronger scales." Cole tells him. "And don't forget about the Generals, they don't even have legs to kick between." Jay added.

Lloyd looked over to the door where Nya and (Y/n) stood. "(Y/n), what's the best way to defeat a Serpentine?" He asked, scooting over to let her sit by him. "In what way, peaceful or graphic?" There were multiple ways of defeating a serpent. Yes, they were strong but not invincible. "Graphic?" Lloyd asked, not sure what that meant.

Wu came in, and (Y/n) smiled mischievously. "I suppose if you wanted to be cruel, you could lock them up and have them starve to the point of cannibalism." She said, her eyes glowing as she watched Wu flinch. "That's... really mean." Having been on the streets for a while, starvation wasn't somthing he would wish upon anyone.

The Sensei cleared is throat, getting everyone's attention. "Your new uniforms have arrived." When Wu opened the box, the ninja all gasped in excitement. "Oh y/n, wanna go to the Mega Monster Amusement Park with me!" Lloyd chirped, not letting her answer and already running to get ready.

"Don't you get a little tired having to deal with him?" Nya asked, getting a shrug from (Y/n). "His needs come before mine, my feelings do not matter." Before anyone could say anything about that last part, Lloyd came rushing in. "Okay let's go."

(Y/n) went to pull her hood over but was stopped by Lloyd. "No, your face is really pretty, don't hide it." Nya awed at the little boy's request. "I can tell you're going to be a real ladies man." Lloyd blushed shaking his head. "No, that's gross." He crossed his arms, before looking at (Y/n).

"But y-you are really pretty." She paused for a moment before taking her cape fully off. "Alright, is this good enough?" Lloyd nodded, grabbing her hand and leading her to the upper deck.

___

(Y/n) groaned, holding onto the rails as her legs violently shook. "Come on (Y/n), it wasn't that bad." Lloyd puffed. "Why is this the thing that gets you all wobbly but having to jump of a ship that's millions and millions feet off the ground is normal?" (Y/n) let out a whine, Lloyd pulling on her. "How about you go on the next ride, and I will take the one after." Lloyd crossed his arms but went on another ride anyway.

Just then, (Y/n) heard screaming, but not from enjoyment. People began running away in fear from the Serpentine. One of the serpents hissed at her, getting a punch in the face by her fist. "Get away from me." Vemon spilled from her voice, causing the serpent to shiver and run away.

A large machine showed out of nowhere, rounding up the serpents terrorizing the people. From that large machine a person jumped out, tying up the snakes. (Y/n) slightly cringed, watching as the girls cooed. "This must be the Samuria the ninja were speaking of." The Samuria walked over to her, placing a rose in her hand, jumping back in the suit and flying away.

She felt multiple glares at her, but she only paid attention to the rose. "Hmm." "Hey what's going on, what happened to the Serpentine?" Jay question, walking up to the group of girls. "It was the Samuria, he came by and defeated these snakes." "He was so dreamy."

"You saw how he looked?" Kai asked. "No, but we could just tell." Nya walked to the ninja, handing (Y/n) an ice cream cone. "You should've seen him, he just flew in, took care of business, and flew off."

Lloyd ran up to the group, with a big grin on his face. "Did you see that big robot, he was fighting the Serpentine, it was so cool." "You too, Lloyd?" Kai groaned. "That's it, I'm gonna say it, I hate Samuria!"

"Is that a hint of jealous I hear?" Sensei Wu asked, talking a bite out of the cotton candy. "Here's a lesson for you, iron sharpens iron." "I do not understand, Sensei." Before Wu could answer more clearly, he noticed the ferris wheel and excitedly ran towards it.

"Iron sharpens iron, what do you think that means, (Y/n)?" Nya asked, laughing a bit as she watched her hide from Lloyd. "(Y/n), you promised to go on rides." He whined, pulling her away from Nya. "I made no such promise." "What? Is the great (Y/n) afriad of roller coasters?" Kai teased.

"Hey (Y/n), what's with the rose?" Lloyd stopped pulling on her arm, looking at the rose. "Ah, I think I have been proposed to." She answered, not completely sure. Nya laughed, patting her back. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Lloyd frowned, snatching the rose from her. "No, you're not allowed to marry anyone." He threw the rose to the ground, stomping on it. "That was a bit harsh." Cole responed, looking at the crushed flower. "Well, it's a little cute when you think about it, little Garmadon's jealous." Nya cooed, causing Lloyd to blush.

"I'm gonna go to the restroom, I'll be back." He hissed, causing the group to laugh but (Y/n) tilted her head in confusion. "Is he angry with me?" She asked. Maybe her refusal to get on rides annoyed him. "Nah, just mad at whoever gave you that rose." Jay answered.

"Oh you know men, they get jealous over the smallest things." Nya clung onto her arm, trying to reassure her. "Iron sharpens iron." (Y/n) repeated, going back to the previous conversation. "Is to learn from one another to help you grow with your skills."

"Hey while we're here, want to play some of the amusement park games?" Nya asked, pulling on her arm. "We should wait until Lloyd gets back." "Don't worry about him, the boys can have their own fun, right?" She didn't let them answer before stealing an incooraportive (Y/n).

"Okay, I'm back, sorry about... where's (Y/n)?" Lloyd asked worriedly. "Nya took her for some girl time." Jay answered. "(Y/n) came here with me!" Lloyd whined, annoyed with Nya. "Woah shorty, calm down." Kai said, chuckling at his jealousy. "Shut up, Kai, I bet this was your idea!" Lloyd accused.

"Why would it be my idea, I could care less about her." Kai shot back. "That's not what you were saying yesterday, you couldn't stop hugging (Y/n), and started crying everytime she rejected you." Kai's face turned red while the other three laughed. "Wha- did you know about this, why didn't anyone say anything." "No one wanted to deflate that big ego of yours." Cole laughed, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"You and Nya are trying to steal her from me, (Y/n) came here with me." He sighed, feeling a bit down. "On the contrary, (Y/n) didn't want to go with Nya to begin with, she wanted to wait for you." Zane added, causing Lloyd to lighten up. "Oh okay." It made him feel better that she still thought of him. "So, do you guys want to go on any rides with me?"

___

(Y/n) read over the manga that she got from Mother Doomsday. Looking through it made her feel a bit uncomfortable. She had asked Nya about it but all she did was laugh. "For someone that threatened to kill someone you sure are innocent." Nya was referring to the two guys that wouldn't leave them alone back at the amusement park.

"Well this is a differnet situation, who would want to read these type of books anyway?" She asked, throwing the manga on her bed. "This is the longest I have been in Ninjago, so I am a bit lost to these new things." Nya sat next to her, smiling. "I'll help you along the way, if anything confuses you, just ask me."

(Y/n) nodded, noticing Nya's bracelet glowing. "It appears you have another snake problem to attend to." Nya hid the bracelet, awkwardly laugh. "What are you talking about, what snake problem?" "I know you are the Samuria, you can leave to fill your duties."

Nya fidgeted around before standing. "I'm only leaving because I have something to do, not because I'm the Samuria." "Of course." (Y/n) cooed, watching her ally leave.

It's been a while since she's heard from Lloyd. He hasn't done anything to bother her, which was out of character.

She got out of bed, wondering around the ship. Stumbling into the kitchen, Cole was preparing something to eat. "Oh hey, come to try out Cole's famous recipes?" He joked, pour the soup-like substance into a bowl and handing it to her. (Y/n) took the bowl, slurping it down.

"Its nice to have someone finally appreciate my food." He said with glee. "Well, it is satisfying to eat, but I did not come for a meal." She said, placing the bowl in the sink. "Have you heard from Lloyd, the ship has been awfully quiet." Cole thought for a moment before answering. "Last I saw, Kai took him somewhere, not sure where though." He responded, stirring the soup.

"Did you miss the little guy?" (Y/n) shook her head. "Not necessarily miss, just wondering of his saftey." "Are you trusting us more, you don't usually hold long conversations." Not that he was complaining, she liked his food so she was good in his book. "Trust does not come in only a few weeks, so no, there is still a bit of a trust issue." "Ouch." He chuckled, pouring a meal for himself.

"So then, why are you letting Kai go with Lloyd?" He questioned, taking a bit out of the soup. "The master of fire is not that idiotic." (Y/n) stated, in a matter of fact tone. Cole snickered but continued to listen. "If he were to harm the boy, his master would punish him." She closed her eyes, letting herself relax. "That makes sense."

Silence filled the room, but this time it didn't feel as awkward like every other time she was alone with him. It felt peaceful, almost as if they weren't enemies at all. Testing his luck, Cole decided to add to the conversation. "So, how did you end up with Lord Garmadon?" "Tell your story first." She answered without hesitation.

"How I met Sensei Wu?" She didn't say anything, her eyes closed in relaxation. "Well, I just lost someone very close to me, my father wasn't really there either, he busied himself in dancing, and I went climbing mountains." He chuckled. "I guess we both wanted to try and forget the pain."

When (Y/n) opened her eyes again she could see the sadness in him. "When I reached the top of the mountain, I found Wu, sitting there drinking tea." He stopped talking, which meant that was all to his story. "How did she die?" (Y/n) was only guessing but by the way Cole flinched she knew she guessed correctly. "I-It's your turn."

"I was around five years of age, I had accidentally burned down my village, along with everyone in it-" "Wait, how do you accidentally burn down a whole village?" Cole asked, raising a brow. "I had no one to tell me how to use my powers-" "From what Kai told us, you shapeshift, and you can change vehicles too, how does burning a village go with your power?"

She glared at Cole. "My power is not shapeshifting, stop interrupting." Cole shut his mouth, allowing her to continue her story, but also noting that there was more to her powers. "Let's see... Samukai was ordered by my Lord to find me, it was weeks before they actually found me, Nuckal and Kruncha were the one's who did by the way, yet Samukai got the credit." She hissed, but sighed to calm herself down. "They brought me to the underworld where I met my Lord."

Cole took in all the information she said. Being five would mean Garmadon was able to manipulate her easily, which means she views him as some sort of savior. "Garmadon never hurt you, right?" His voice was hesitant. They are enemies, but she's still a human, and thinking that Garmadon hurt her in any way made him angry. "Whether he hurt me or not should not matter to you." "Tell me anyway." He was worried, Sensei Wu gave them punishments, sure, but he didn't know how harsh Garmadon was. "That would depend if you mean mentally or physically." He felt his skin grow cold at the answer.

"Yo Cole, kinda forgot I left Lloyd at the arcade, mind getting him for me?" Kai asked, but didn't stay to hear his reply. "Guess I'm picking up the kid, want to come along?" She shrugged, getting up and following him.

"Have both arms and legs inside the weapon and have a nice trip in the Cole express." Cole joked, holding onto (Y/n)'s waist. "Wait, I can get there on my own-" It was to late, Cole had jumped off the bounty, causing (Y/n) to cling onto his gi.

The golden weapon transformed into a vehicle, still (Y/n) continued to hold tightly onto him. "Idiot! Give me a warning!" She hissed, glaring up at his smug face. "Sorry sorry, your reaction was funny though." He teased, causing her to roll her eyes.

Once they got to the arcade, they saw no sign of Lloyd. "Pretty sure this is the arcade Kai meant." Cole looked up to see a camera. "We could probably ask to look through security, see where he might have run off to." Cole dragged (Y/n) into the arcade, asking the manger to see their cameras. "I am not a doll, quit dragging me like one." She complained, looking through the screens.

"Looks like Lloyd found himself in some serious trouble." He stated, as the pre-recorded video showed Lloyd walking in a bus full of snakes. Cole glanced at (Y/n), but she seemed rather calm, it freaked him out a bit. "It's okay to show that you're worried." He stated.

"The one driving the bus looked like Skales, if he knows what is good for his tribe then Lloyd should come out of this unharmed." She sounded confident in her statement, it made Cole grin. "Yeah okay, so should we go after them tomorrow, it might be a little late now."

"It is not that late to save him." She said, placing a hand on her hip. "You are either afraid or lazy." "I'm not afraid, it's just that we shouldn't go in blind." The left the arcade, going behind the building to see tire marks. "You enjoy the fight, going in blind makes it more thrilling." She replied, creating a motorbike out of thin air. "Now, are you coming or not." Cole rolled his eyes, but got on the bike anyway.

___

They made it to the snake's den, watching the Samuria fight off the snake. "Oh great, he's here." Cole complained. "A skilled warrior, you should learn from the Samuria instead of sulking." "I'm not sulking." (Y/n) looked back down, seeing Lloyd in a cage.

"Then quit talking and join the fight." (Y/n) shoves Cole down, making him yelp as he manages to land on his feet. The snakes turn there attention to the earth ninja, going to fight him. (Y/n) casually made her way towards Lloyd. Skales and Pythor were there, but she paid no mind to them. One, Skales doesn't bother her anymore, and two, Pythor didn't seem to notice her presence.

"(Y/n)!" Lloyd yelled in surprise. "So much trouble for someone so small." She shook her head. She's going to need to keep him under twenty four hours of surveillance. "But I did good, right, I found the Serpentine's base." "I suppose it was impressive, but still, do not attempt it again." She sent a dark look towards Lloyd, causing him to gulp down hard.

She held the lock of the cage, pulling on it a bit. "Know where the key is?" "(Y/n)! Behind you!" As soon as she turned around, she was temporarily blinded by the Venomari vemon. "Hrk!" Putting her hands to her eyes, she fell back. "Hey! Leave her alone!" Lloyd hissed, trying to reach out from the bars. The Venomari serpent only hissed back, picking up the panicked girl.

The Samuria then jumped in, kicking the serpent away, carrying (Y/n) bridal style. Pythor just noticed the two, slightly growling. "After them!" The Samuria jumped away from the snakes, and landed next to Cole. "Woah, what happened?" Cole asked, taking (Y/n) from the Samuria's grasp. "You need to leave, take care of your friend, I'll handle things here." The Samuria said in a robotic voice

Cole didn't hesitate, as he transformed his weapon and began to ride out of there.