"every new friend is a new adventure...the start of more memories."
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- For an idea of what Kira's voice sounds like, watch the video from around 0:12 to 0:53! -

The next few days drag on. A routine is established quickly: Kira wakes up early, gets dressed, eats, and reports to the courtyard for training with Master Wu. From sunup till sundown they sit, going through exercise through exercise as Kira attempts to summon her powers. She learns the basics of meditation, spirituality, and soul searching, but no powers reveal themselves. When they finish each day, she eats dinner in her room and then goes to bed. She doesn't interact with the others much, but when she does, she does her best to remain polite and ladylike.

Then, at long last, her first week of training draws to a close.

The Ninja had invited her to join them for their Friday movie night the day prior, but she'd kindly declined and retreated to her room, staring up at the moon until she dozed off. Now, it's finally the weekend, meaning two free days until the cycle begins anew. She'll continue to have sessions with Wu every Friday, which will consist of more mental and spiritual exercises as they work to unlock her powers. From what she's heard, the Ninja are supposed to start training her next week, which means it's time to get physical. The thought sends a wave of jitters through her—even so, she can't help but wonder what they'll teach her.

Late that Saturday morning, Kira yawns as she trudges toward the kitchen, her mouth feeling dry as a desert. Her hand drifts to her skirt pocket. Inside is a bag of Desarin family green tea, one of the many she'd brought from home, and what she plans to make for breakfast. No one's in the kitchen when she walks in; they must've eaten earlier, since she slept in, but of course that's no problem for Kira. She makes quick work of preparing a tea tray for herself, mouth watering as she carries it back to her room. She succeeds in not interacting with anyone until she passes by the living room.

"Kira?"

The girl jumps, almost dropping her tray, and spins toward the sudden voice. From inside the living room, a pair of bright green eyes peer at her from over the couch.

"Lloyd!" she gasps, still slightly mind-blown that she's housemates with the Green Ninja now. "G-good morning."

"Morning." Lloyd flashes an apologetic smile. "Sorry, didn't mean to spook you. Did you sleep okay?"

Kira's eye twitches. Does she tell him she's running off four hours of sleep because she stayed up past midnight talking to the moon? No, of course not, he'd think she was crazy. It then occurs to her that he's still staring expectantly at her, awaiting an answer, causing her face to flush bright red. She takes a breath and tries to stay collected.

"Yep!" she says, like a liar. "I slept fine, thank you. Oh hey, um, look at the time! Sorry I reallyshouldgetgoingsoseeyoulaterokayBYE!"

So much for staying collected. She starts to walk away, face flaring with heat, but Lloyd stops her. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"I was just gonna head back to my room..."

"Your room?" he echoes, scrunching up his face a bit. "Don't you get tired of staying in there all day?"

Is that a rhetorical question? Bedrooms are comfortable, personal, and best of all, private. Who wouldn't want to stay in one all day? "No, no, I'm alright," Kira insists, hoping he doesn't detect the waver in her voice. "I'm just gonna—"

"Hey, come on." Lloyd raises his hands, his expression soft. "You've been holing yourself up in there since you got here. I can't make you do anything, but I think a change of scenery might do you some good. Uncle Wu always said it can help clear your mind." When Kira hesitates, he adds, "Come on, why don't you play some video games with me?

Kira bites her lip. The ninja's eyes shimmer with a hopeful look, one that sends guilt stabbing through her like a sword. He looks like a puppy begging her to throw him a bone, and he also doesn't look like he's going to let up.

If he really wants a bone, maybe it won't hurt to throw one to him, just this once...right?

The girl exhales, casting a shy glance up at him. "Well...okay. Maybe for a little while."

"Alright! Come on, I'll show you how to play."

Lloyd pats the spot on the couch next to him, his smile bright and surprisingly welcoming. It makes Kira feel a little lighter as she sits down beside him.

---------------

"Wait, I think I understand now. Is this the power-up button?"

"No, that's the jump button...aaaaaand you just jumped off a cliff."

Kira sighs as she watches her avatar plummet to its doom. She sets the controller down and slumps against the living room couch, tossing her head back in defeat. "I think I'll leave this to you."

"You sure?" Lloyd looks to her. When she nods, he shrugs and they exchange belongings; Kira hands him the controller, and he returns her cup of tea, which he'd been sampling rather graciously. "You make awesome tea, by the way."

Kira giggles, cheeks flushing slightly pink. "Thank you. It runs in the family."

They're sitting side-by-side on the couch, playing the Ninjas' favorite video game: Prime Empire, according to Lloyd. Kira watches curiously as the blonde's avatar—a tiny, pixelated green ninja—makes its way across the screen, jumping over enemies and dodging obstacles in its quest for victory. All sorts of whimsical sound effects erupt from the TV, strange and loud but weirdly kind of enjoyable.

"Wow...you're really good at this," Kira remarks as her gaze follows his avatar. Then again, he's the Green Ninja. He must good at a lot of things.

"Well, thank you." Lloyd puffs out his chest a bit, a small smirk on his lips. "You know, I still can't believe you don't have TV or video games back in Jamanakai."

"Hey, at least we have radio!" Kira snorts. "We're just old fashioned. You get used to it after sixteen years."

"Sixteen years?" Lloyd's face brightens and he sits up a little. "So we're the same age?"

"You're sixteen?" Her voice rises with shock. Physically, he looks older; she'd assumed he was the same age as the other Ninja, who are pretty visibly grown up.

"Yup. Or am I seventeen?" He shrugs. "One of the two. I've honestly lost track at this point."

"You don't know how old you are?"

"Getting aged up with magical tea as a kid will do that to you." The blonde lets out a dry laugh. "It messes with your perception of age after a while. All I know is, I've been alive for at least sixteen years, even if I look a bit older. Kind of freaky, I know."

"Oh my. Birthdays must be a nightmare for you."

"The others stick a random number of candles on my cake every year, just to mess with me. They gave me twenty-one last time." He chuckles. "I guess they consider me the baby around here since I'm the youngest, but it looks like I'm not the only one anymore. You and I can be babies together."

That makes Kira giggle before her gaze flits back to the TV. Her eyes widen, a sudden jet of alarm striking her, as she realizes Lloyd is mere seconds away from a game over. "Lloyd, look out!"

The blonde's head whips around, and he gasps when he notices his avatar about to run straight off a cliff. He mashes the "jump" control just in time to avoid falling to his doom. With the crisis successfully averted, he turns back to grin at her. "Hey, you've got a sharp eye. Thanks."

"Mhm." The girl hesitates as her gaze rests on him, more specifically on his forehead. "You know, I still feel bad for almost giving you a concussion when we first met." Her face heats up and she lets out a dry laugh. "That probably wasn't the best first impression, was it?"

"Well, it was definitely memorable." He smirks. "But like I said before, it's fine. Besides, it's not like I'm a plastic toy or something. I don't break easily." He pauses for a moment before he perks up, as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh! I forgot to ask, how's your training going?"

"It isn't." Kira huffs. Her lips press into a thin line and she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, averting her gaze. "I've made no progress. Like, at all."

Lloyd's emerald eyes glitter with a knowing look. "The training process is frustrating, I know. But you've only been here a week, Kira. You can't be so hard on yourself."

"Maybe. I dunno, I just...don't know how I'm gonna do this, I suppose. Master Wu trained my father, too, and I don't want to let either of them down."

"Your dad was his student?"

"Mm. Master Wu said he had another pupil before him that he...lost, somehow, but my dad inspired him to become a Sensei again. Don't really know what he meant by lost, though."

Lloyd pauses the game.

"I think I know," he says quietly.

Kira fixes him with a curious look, noticing the way his eyes suddenly seem...haunted. The Green Ninja hesitates, swallowing a little. "A long time ago, my uncle had another student, the former master of wind. His name...was Morro." He says the name carefully, like it's poison on his tongue.

"Mor-row?"

"Yeah. He, uh, died a long time ago, but he kind of came back. Remember the whole ghost thing at Styx a few years ago?"

"Eugh. I kept a glass of water around me for two months after that, in case any ghosts showed up."

"Yeah, that was his doing. He caused a lot of problems before my friends and I stopped him."

"You seem pretty familiar with him."

"That's 'cause he was inside my body for a while." Lloyd shudders, shrinking into the couch a little. "I was younger when it happened, and by myself for most of it, and, well...it wasn't fun." He coughs. "Um...can we change the subject, please?"

"Oh! Of course." Kira winces, guilt bubbling in her chest. Possessed by a ghost? Leave it to her to clumsily awaken such a memory for him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's not your fault," the blonde says quickly. He offers a small smile, eyes shimmering a little. "And, like I was saying before, you've got this. I'm sure you'll make both Master Wu and your dad proud, in time."

His words bring a warm feeling to the pit of Kira's stomach.

No one's ever been this nice to her before.

"Thank you, really." She manages. "You and the others have been so nice to me since I got here." Even if I have been hiding from you the whole time, she thinks with a stab of guilt.

"Hey, no problem. That's what friends are for, right?"

At that, Kira blinks. Why would he call them that? Even if they did just share a moment, they've only known each other for a week, most of which they'd hardly interacted. It doesn't make sense, and besides, she's never had friends before. It can't be that easy, can it? He's just being polite, she decides.

Or, says a small voice in her head, maybe he really meant it?

Her brow furrows, but she swiftly hides the look of confusion with a polite smile. "Right."

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The streets of Ninjago City are crowded as always. Civilians hustle to and fro, faces buried in their phones or drawn to the bright screens, and cars weave their way along the roads, eager to avoid the inevitable traffic of rush hour. In the midst of all the voices, lights, and general chaos, no one notices the caped silhouette watching from the shadow of an alleyway.

The figure's eyes drag over his surroundings. Confirming that no one nearby will see him, he slips from his hiding spot and becomes another face in the crowd, heading for the one place he can truly call a home. It's not a long or difficult journey―he knows this city like the back of his hand, remembers every street name and hiding spot by heart. He keeps walking, passing by a variety of street vendors selling food, until one in particular catches his eye: a woman selling apples.

He likes apples.

The young man strides past, deftly swiping an apple from the cart as he goes―a green one, his favorite color. No one around him even blinks. It doesn't surprise him; thievery is one of the two arts he's become very much familiar with. As for the other, well...he won't use it unless he has to. Any thoughts beside apples quickly disappear as his teeth sink into his snack, the sweet taste serving as the one good thing that's happened to him this week. 

Just thinking about it makes him grind his teeth. His latest job could've brought in some serious earnings, but of course those fruit-colored nuisances had to barge in like usual and ruin things. 

Curse those ninja, he thinks. It's hard enough being in his position without a bunch of color-coded jerks attempting to thwart every move he makes. They could never catch him, of course―for all their merit, they really are a bunch of idiots―but still, it does get pretty irritating. Sure, he's a thief and therefore a criminal and so the Ninja are bound to come after him, but still...can't a guy catch a break?

No, he reminds himself, of course not. Not a guy like him.

He sighs and tugs his cape closer to his body, taking another bite out of his apple. He did this to himself, really. It's his own fault he's living the way he is now, and it's not like things could be different. All he can do is hope another opportunity will present itself soon.

That's right, he reminds himself, tomorrow is a new day.