Featuring Reagan from Forgive Forget.
********

The calm chime of wedding bells wafted through the air. Lloyd watched with a nervous smile as friends and family all exchanged excited looks. They all turned to the doors at the end of the aisle. Kai nudged him gently with a grin, pride glowing in his brother's features as the wooden doors swung open to reveal who was on the other side.

Reagan stood there, the door frame arching over her, giving her the spotlight she deserved. Lloyd almost forgot to breathe as he stared at her. This was the woman he was marrying. Suddenly he couldn't stop smiling.

She was beautiful. Reagan's auburn hair was gently curled over her shoulders. Her dress was strapless, the tulle carefully draped in layers so that it flowed as she walked. The design was simple with only a few decorative jewels at the waist but was coloured a beautiful pale green. Reagan didn't have a veil but on top of her head was a green flower crown that glittered with little tiny gemstones.

Reagan wore the biggest smile of all, walking down the aisle with grace and smiling at her family. She raised her gaze to meet with Lloyd's and nothing else mattered in the world at that moment. It was just her and him.

This was their moment.

Reagan made it to the altar, her father and mother left her side and moved to their spot as Wu gestured for them to come together. Lloyd took her hands, palms sweating like crazy as they stood before his uncle, ready to be married.

There was a beat of silence. Lloyd frowned and glanced at his uncle. He seemed frozen in place. He looked to Reagan, she had stopped too. What the-

A huge scream ripped through the air.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Everything seemed to slow down, Lloyd turned, eyes widening as a dark figure burst through the windows of the monastery. Blood was roaring in his ears, glass shattering everywhere as his brain finally focussed on the weapon in the figure's hand.

Point. Target. Pull the trigger.

The shot fired. It was a horrible noise. Exploding into the beautiful atmosphere like a bomb in a valley. Lloyd wanted to move. But for some reason he couldn't. He was trapped. No. No. No. The bullet was flying. His eyes met with huge, terrified, sad, beautiful eyes.

Reagan.

The bullet hit her straight in the heart. Someone was screaming. A horrible, wretched sound. It was him. But Lloyd couldn't smother the terrible sobs as all he could focus on was the blood.

So. Much. Blood.

Dark red liquid trailing down her chest, creating a bright stain on her beautiful dress. She fell back, body crumpling onto the alter like a rag doll being thrown across the room.

Lloyd could move again, adrenaline, fury, fear... it all consumed him and all he saw was green, radiating from his body and blasting the shadows away. The light consumed the world and the scenery melted away. Kai, Wu, everyone... they all disappeared in the darkness.

It was all black. Except for the motionless body before him.

"Reagan?" Lloyd stumbled over his feet, practically falling to his knees beside her. "Reagan, come on. You're okay. You're okay. You have to be okay." His voice was cracking, dropping into a whisper as he bundled her into his arms.

He brushed back her hair with the back of his palm, heart leaping into his throat when he focused on her eyes.

Her lifeless eyes.

Lloyd let out a strangled noise, tears streaming down his face as he held her right. He squeezed his eyes shut, murmuring under his breath in a steady mantra. He's been through this routine so many times before.

Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.

"This is a dream." Lloyd cried into her hair. "This is a dream."

But he couldn't wake up.

His heart was hurting. It felt like his soul was being ripped apart. Like he felt that beautiful red string of fate being cut. The pain was building up. It was overbearing. He couldn't think, he couldn't hold it all in, he needed to-

He screamed.

****

Lloyd jerked awake in a cold sweat, his head whipped around, and his eyes were wild. His hands fumbled through the bed sheets, reaching for something... someone.

But just like every night all he grasped was empty air.

Lloyd let out a shuddering breath, choking as he fell back into his pillows. He wrapped his arms around himself as he sobbed. His shaky hands reached his bedside and fumbled for his phone. Fingers frantically punched at buttons but the glowing symbol of an empty battery shone back at him.

Lloyd told himself to calm down. He ordered his body to relax. He commanded his mind to separate the dream from reality. But all he could hear was the gunshot. All he could see was the blood. All he could feel was the cold body in his arms.

No. No. No.

"Count up by three's, Lloyd."

Her voice was in his head. Lloyd slammed his hands over his ears, clawing at his head.

"Come on..."

Lloyd fisted his hair, squeezing his eyes shut, and shakily exhaling.

"Three..." he murmured. A sharp pain dug through his chest. He pulled at his clothes, trying to cool down. "Three....uh...six..."

The heat was coming in waves now. His nerves were on fire, the irritation rolling through him, and every emotion was overbearing. Lloyd struggled not to get sucked into the storm but his mind was tired and slow from the lack of sleep.

"Help," Lloyd whispered to himself as his nails dug into the skin of his arms. "Help. Please. Please help."

Fear.

Fear can cloud your mind.

All rational thought is thrown out the window.

Fear can give you the drive to push forward and allow you to fly.

Fear can also pull you down to rock bottom, leaving you barely hanging on.

Lloyd's fear was strangling him. It trapped him like chains, his demons seemed to attacks his spirit and draining every bit of strength he had left. Lloyd wasn't sure how to fight back his fear anymore. The destined green ninja himself was shaking in his bed, mental terrors were tearing apart and it felt like nothing could get him out of it.

"DADDY!"

Lloyd's eyes shot open. Instincts took over, suddenly he had shoved back the blanket and scrambled out of bed. He stumbled blindly through the hall, following the cries until he made it to a room. He twisted the cool metal handle and burst into the room.

It was dim but he could make out the tear-streamed face staring anxiously from the small bed. Lloyd fumbled his way in the dark, tripping over toys and furniture until he had made it to the bedside.

Hands grabbed at his pyjama shirt, little fingers pulling him forwards until a little body was shaking into his chest. Lloyd could hear his heart beating like a hummingbird's wings but he tried to appear calm for the tiny person in his arms.

"Hey, kaida..." Lloyd whispered into the darkness, his hand found her head and gently stroked it. "What's going on?"

"Bad dream." The little girl mumbled into his chest, clinging to him tighter. "Better now."

Lloyd let out a long sigh. Somewhere between relief and tiredness. He shifted so he was lying in the bed, reaching an arm to flick on the small giraffe lamp on her bedside. His eyes focused on the little girl in his arms, her face illuminated by the dim lighting.

Her nose was scrunched from the sudden brightness but she smiled up at him with the sweetest look in her eyes. Lloyd felt his heart swell but there was a small ache as he recognized her mother in that smile.

Hazel had inherited physical traits from both of them, the auburn locks were Reagan's, green eyes from Lloyd himself, and other small traits shone easily just by looking at her. But it was the small things that chipped away at Lloyd's carefully made mask. Hazel's automatic response to her missing parent by taking on responsibilities an eight-year-old shouldn't need to. She had Reagan's will for an organized household which was why Lloyd often came home to a perfectly clean house.

Lloyd had explained to her that she didn't need to do these things since she was just little and it was his responsibility. Judging by the alphabetically ordered spice rack the talk didn't exactly get through.

"A bad dream, huh?" Lloyd murmured into her hair, inhaling the sweet smell of her shampoo. The fresh scent clung from the bath she had earlier. "I get those sometimes too. They can be scary."

Hazel frowned, lips drawn in a pout as she looked up at him. "But Daddy's never scared." Lloyd inwardly winced. Yes, daddies are never scared. Yet the horror of his night terror wouldn't shake away. Hazel cuddled in deeper into his embrace and gave him a look of concern.

"You chase away my bad dreams," Hazel told him as she tilted her head. "But who will chase away yours?"

Lloyd gave her a sad smile, the mysterious one parents gave when they couldn't answer without sounding depressing. "I dunno, darling. I guess I'll just have to chase them away myself."

Hazel shook her head like that was the silliest thing she's ever heard of. She raised her little green dragon so the little, plastic, button eyes stared at him blankly. "Sammy will protect you!" She insisted, hugging the tiny stuffed animal to her chest. "He's great at stomping down monsters."

Lloyd gave a small laugh, it was airy, almost silent, in the hushed mood. He gave the dragon a stroke, kissing it on the nose before kissing Hazel. "Well, thanks, Sammy. What a brave little dragon you are."

Hazel giggled, staring up at her dad like he was the first spinjitzu master himself. "He can't be a little dragon! I'm your little dragon. Kaida!"

Lloyd chuckled again. "How could I forget? Mommy insisted that nickname for you, you know?" Sadness washed through him but he kept his bittersweet facade as Hazel thought for a moment, perplexed.

"Is the first spinjitzu master looking after Mommy?" Hazel mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

Lloyd paused for a moment. He was unsure what to say because he had no idea. His green eyes trailed over Hazel's ceiling, staring up at the mobile that they had stuck on there even though she was way too old for one. Reagan had gotten a kick out of it, watching the ninja spin around as she poked Lloyd's figure in the head.

Lloyd stared at the tiny stuffed object in the middle. A personification of the first spinjitzu master. Just a golden body without much detail. Maybe he was looking after Reagan. Maybe he was making sure that she was alright. Maybe he was watching over Hazel with a smile on his face: Maybe he would make sure Lloyd was alright too.

But Lloyd wasn't so sure about that. This horrible empty hole inside of his heart felt like it would last forever. There was a grey fog hanging over him that he couldn't escape from. No matter how hard he tried.

He overworked himself, distracted himself, dodged any mention of Reagan, and when that didn't work he tried to 'honour her' by telling Hazel stories, organizing her final wishes, making sure her parents were doing alright. But no matter what he did nothing seemed to make this grief stop hurting.

A soft snore pulled his attention back to his daughter. The little girl lay snuggled into him and was contently sleeping in his arms.

Lloyd gave a small smile and rested his head back. He stared up at the ceiling, forcing himself to stay awake. His kaida was already having trouble sleeping. She didn't need the distress of seeing her dad screaming in the night.

*****

"This isn't healthy, Lloyd," Kai said softly through the comm. "You even sound tired. Have you been getting any sleep?"

Lloyd sighed, he carefully adjusted his gi, ensuring that his belt was on properly. "Every time I close my eyes all I see is blood," Lloyd whispered.

"I think you should go to a therapist. Get some sleeping pills, ask for a little more help, and get yourself on a healthier lifestyle." Kai told him responsibly.

Lloyd gave a wry smile. "Look at you, acting like an adult."

"Haha," Kai retorted sarcastically. "You're so funny. I'm serious, Lloyd."

"I just need to get back to my usual schedule. Doing a patrol will help. It'll help clear my mind." Lloyd assured his friend. He walked around where Hazel was playing on the ground with his mother.

"Maybe you should go with someone. It isn't safe for you to be running around rooftops sleep-deprived." Kai suggested. Lloyd rolled his eyes and moved out of his room. He crossed into the living room to say goodbye.

Misako raised an eyebrow at his annoyed expression. She gave him the same motherly look of concern but didn't say anything. Hazel was playing with her stuffed dragon but jumped up when her dad came in.

"Daddy!" She cheered, she barely noticed her ninja suit. She was only just starting to learn what it was but her only concern lately was that Lloyd would play with her when he could. "Where are you going?"

"Just out, sweetie," Lloyd told her, slipping on a smile and bending to kiss her. "Be good for grandma, okay kaida?"

She nodded, giving him a big hug. "Come back quickly so we can read a story!"

Lloyd laughed, kissing Misako on the cheek before slipping out the window. Kai was still on the line, continuing his lecture even when Lloyd left the house.

"Everyone's busy, Kai. I'll be fine." Lloyd scrambled quickly up onto the roof of the apartment.

"That's not true. Pink's free on Fridays." Kai corrected.

Lloyd's brow furrowed. "Who's Pink?"

"The element of surprise? Just saw him last week. Forgot who he was as well. It was freaking awkward." There was rustling on the other line as the sound of yelling sounded.

Lloyd couldn't help an amused snicker when the shrieks of the twins were heard.

"ISLA! Can you get the kids out of here? I'm talking with Lloyd!" Kai shouted.

"Nuh-uh, mister. They're you're children too. You promised Ash you'd watch that stupid show with her." Isla yelled back.

Kai gasped. "It is not stupid!"

"It's people wearing weird costumes running around and doing unnecessary things to fix stuff." Isla shot back. "It's stupid."

Lloyd glanced at the darkened sky and tapped his foot before speaking, "Kai, I have to go. You go watch that show with Ash... or Aidan.... whichever one it was."

"Wait, Lloyd-"

Lloyd switched off the link. The green ninja heaved a deep breath, his gloved hand reaching for his hood and pulling it over his head. It had been a while since he had put on the uniform. It felt weird yet familiar at the same time. His gaze moved to the glowing moon, shining like a beacon in the night sky.

He gauged the distance from the next building and took off. His feet pounded against the concrete, heart speeding up as he approached the gap, green eyes fluttered close and he pushed off.

A gunshot.

So much blood.

Lifeless eyes.

Wake up.

authors note****

Well..... that went a very different way than I thought the wedding story was going to go.

I've been working on my sad moments in stories so I really hope I did well.... even though it was horrible because I killed off a major character.

Though Reagan isn't my best OC because I didn't build much of a personality in Forgive Forget I'm still sad that she's... well dead. But she's going to start to form into a more crucial character now that she is dead... so that's both happy and depressing at the same time.

At last, the next generation progress has started! I'm introducing Lloyd's daughter Hazel though anyone who has seen some of my character drawings would know her nickname "kaida" will become the label she goes by the most.

Anyways, I have to get going. I hope you don't hate me for doing this lol.

LuckyBugBooks 🐞