Featuring characters from my Ninjago x OC books.

To anyone who doesn't know ferberizing is when you let your baby cry until they calm down in the night instead of immediately running to them.

Editing might be rough or okay I don't know I was really tired when I edited it-
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#1. Kai and Ferberizing

Isla never thought she'd be up all night listening to shrieks and wails until she had children. She also never thought the shrieks and wails would be coming from both her babies and her husband.

"How can you live with this?" Kai said tearfully, throwing an arm towards the door. The muffled sounds of Ash sobbing could be heard through the wood. When another round of crying started Isla had to lunge to stop Kai from bolting for the nursery.

"Dammit Kai!" Isla grunted as she wrestled him from the door. "You promised we'd wait it out!"

"That was before I heard the horribly distressing noises of my baby!" Kai snapped, trying to wrench his arms free from Isla's iron grip. "Ow! Have you been going to the gym?"

Isla gave him a look. "I've been pregnant with twins for nine months. When would I have time to work out?"

The brunette scowled, the grumpy expression turning pained as Aidan joined the serenade of sobs as well. He looked desperately to Isla who stood firm. "Are you made of stone?" Kai muttered under his breath. Isla was barely able to keep him down as the bawling continued. "Let me go! What if a kidnapper broke in? These are my survival instincts! My little cubs need me!"

"No! Kai!" Isla hissed at him as Kai finally overpowered her and practically flew out the door. Isla chased after him, barely managing to tackle him to the ground before he got to the next bedroom. "Stop it Kai! This is important for them! They need learn how to self-soothe!"

"By crying themselves to sleep? That doesn't sound very humane? What kind of parents are we?" Kai tried to grasp a slipper on the ground to hit Isla with.

"Almost all parents do this!" Isla cursed when something hard thudded against her head. There was a dangerous pause. "Did you just hit me with a shoe?"

"I need to get to my children!" Kai said defensively.

Isla opened her mouth to snap at him but she stopped when she noticed a distinct lack of sound. "Kai! Listen!" She whispered. "They stopped crying!"

Kai paused. His eyes widened. "Oh no! What if they died?"

Isla sputtered, sitting up so Kai could scramble off the ground. "Why would they die?"

"The sound cut off so abruptly! An axe murderer could've come into their room! That's why they were crying and now they're dead!" Kai exclaimed in a stage whisper. He started to put his hand on the handle but Isla fumbled to slap it away.

"That's ridiculous!" Isla pushed him away from the door. "Why would an axe murderer come into our house?"

"Clearly they saw how amazing and valuable our children were and wanted to make sure we didn't benefit from our future millionaires!" Kai hissed, looking at her like it was obvious.

"Oh my god." Isla said tiredly. "I can't do this anymore!" She brushed her dark braids from her face with exhaustion.

Kai lifted his chin. "I'm glad we're in agreement." Then he pushed open the door.

"No, Kai-"

High pitched wails filled the air as the twins awoke once more.

#2. Zane and the Baby Education System

"What are you doing?" Gwen asked in an exasperated tone as she looked down on her husband and child. They were both sitting on the floor. Little Noelle was playing with her toys while Zane was trying to explain complex mathematical terms to her.

"I am teaching our daughter the ideas behind String Theory." Zane informed her.

"She's barely over one!" Gwen exclaimed.

"That does not mean this information is invaluable to her." Zane argued.

"She's trying to eat her stuffed giraffe, do you really think she understands anything you're telling her?" Gwen pointed out. Noelle's eyes flicked between the two as she gnawed at the soft horn on her toy. "Are there even signs for all this stuff!"

Zane shrugged. "I have had to improvise."

Gwen shook her head with a half annoyed, half exasperated smile. She gently picked up Noelle and took her husband's hand. "Come, let me show you what's appropriate for a child her age."

Zane followed obediently to the living room as Gwen set Noelle down. Noelle fussed a little when Gwen moved away and Gwen quickly signed wait to her. Zane then explained that she was signing fly and not wait so Gwen had to quickly catch Noelle when she launched herself off the couch. Zane signed the proper sign for wait and Noelle sat patiently as Gwen dug out the old VCR and a VHS tape. There was a click as it went inside and Gwen turned on the television. Simple music danced from the speaker as bubbles and cartoon animals danced across the screen.

"I do not understand. What are we watching?" Zane questioned after a minute of running water and ocean noises.

"Baby Einstein." Gwen said. "I used to watch it when I was a baby."

"Nothing is happening. Why is there a baby when previously we were watching tap water? Now there is a turtle! There is no structure to this!" Zane grumbled.

Gwen laughed. "But Noelle likes it!" Sure enough, the little redhead was absolutely fascinated by the show. She giggled as the little cartoon animals drifted across the screen before moving to a child playing with bells. Noelle saw them looking at her and pointed at herself. Then she brought her hand to her belly, pinching her middle finger and thumb together before pulling it away. I like.

"See." Gwen said pointedly.

"I do not know why she finds this entertaining. There is no intellectual value to it." Zane huffed.

"I'm sure you know that learning comes in stages." Gwen raised an eyebrow. Zane reluctantly nodded. "Babies' brains are only just developing. They're figuring out how to move and talk."

"I do know this." Zane admitted. "But she is very intelligent! I can tell. I want Noelle to get started on her education early."

"This is education!" Gwen told him. "Well... kind of. It keeps her entertained and shows her colours and stuff."

Zane still didn't look completely convinced but they plopped Noelle into her baby seat. Little plastic toys were attached to the ring around her so she could fiddle with the baubles and blocks as she watched. They left her to her own devices, moving to the kitchen so she was still in view but they could do some clean up at the same time. Well, Gwen cleaned up. Zane just stood watching Baby Einstein through narrowed eyes.

"Honey," Gwen called teasingly. "Are you going to help me do the dishes or are you still salty about a video for babies?"

Zane scowled a little and moved to help her put the plates into the dishwasher. His gaze kept straying towards the screen. After awhile of quietly loading the dishwasher Zane spoke.

"What if I showed her a fascinating documentary instead?"

"Zane-"

"It will have turtles in it too!"

#3. Cole and the Baby Formula

"It's fairly simple," Siena took out the bottle and poured some water into it. "After boiling the water put about this much water into the bottle and then put in level scoops of the powder. Shake and then put it in the fridge for later or let it cool a little bit before giving it to Lilly."

Cole looked up from where he was dutifully taking notes. "Letting it cool is very important. It should be warm but not hot. We don't want her burning her mouth." Siena instructed.

Cole quickly put that down in all caps. If anyone could mess that up it would be Cole and he didn't want Lilly to suffer because of his subpar cooking skill.

"Are you sure you'll be okay watching her on your own?" Siena asked worriedly. Her fingers yanked nervously at her hair, twisting it and then letting it go, the blonde lock releasing from the spiral. It was a nervous habit of hers.

"It'll be fine!" Cole said unconvincingly. At Siena's dubious look he retried. "If I'm going to be a stay-at-home dad for Lilly I'll need to learn how to take care of her by myself. I can't be dependent on you for everything."

"Well, alright." Siena sighed reluctantly. She picked up her daughter and placed a kiss on her forehead. Lilly giggled, the red lipstick stain left behind made a stark contrast on her dark skin. "I love you both."

"And we love you too Mommy!" Cole did a terrible impression of Lilly as he bounced her on his hip. The tone was high pitched and scratchy, an unflattering sound that made Siena wince.

Siena gave him a squint-eyed glare. "Please stop doing that."

"Sorry." Cole apologized, not sounding sorry at all.

Siena left after one last goodbye, her blue eyes locking in on Lilly until the door shut. Immediately Lilly began to cry.

"Oh no, baby girl. It's okay! Mommy will be back!" Cole tried to soothe her, gently tucking her in close. Lilly continued to complain, hiccuping and wiping her snotty nose on Cole's shirt.

Cole smiled gently at her. "I bet you want some milk, huh? Well, good thing Mama made some right before she left!"

Cole moved to the kitchen to where Siena had left the bottle. He went to test the temperature on his wrist, just like he had seen Siena expertly do many, many times before. Unfortunately, he hadn't checked if the lid had been screwed on properly and it came off, causing all the formula to spill out. Cole grimaced as the smelly milk covered him and Lilly from head to toe. Lilly had stopped crying, the wet sensation shocking her into silence.

Cole groaned miserably. "Guess I'm going to have to make some new formula."

Lilly sniffed, wiping her face and smearing the sticky substance all over her face.

"Maybe we should have a bath first."

#4. Jay and Nya Lose Their Baby

The trip to the zoo was supposed to be something fun and memorable. Nya had pictured it as a nice relaxed day full of animals and adorable selfies of Charlie with various creatures. For most of the day it had went that way. (Minus Jay screaming when a giraffe stole his hat) But as they say, no good deed goes unpunished and for Nya and Jay their punishment meant losing their child. One moment they had been looking at the little meerkats in their pen, the next moment Charlie had disappeared from their side.

"CHARLIEEE!" Bystanders startled as a high shriek erupted through the air, cutting through the buzz of  conversation. An employee pushed through the crowd to the frantic couple, hands raised placatingly.

"Excuse me miss, I'm going to need you to stay calm." He said.

"Oh that wasn't me," Nya said. "My voice can't go that high. That was my husband." She pointed to the auburn-haired man to her left. Jay didn't pay them any mine. He was busy shaking the other visitors aggressively, demanding that they tell him where his child is.

"Really?" The employee blinked a couple of times. "Huh. Well, uh, I'm Jung. I'll try my best to help find your kid. Can you describe them to me?"

"His name is Charlie. He only just started walking. He has curly hair, a lot like my husband Jay, and blue eyes. He's very small for his age." Nya told him as calmly as she could. Her eyes was twitching and she kept opening and closing her fists.

Jay joined the two, his eyes wild and scared. "What if an elephant took him? They're huge! Charlie has my blood in him! He doesn't have the mental capacity to befriend a wild animal!"

"I assure you that the elephants would not kidnap Charlie." Jung was visibly restraining from laughing.

Nya scowled at him and jabbed the young man in the chest. "Do you find this funny?"

"No, of course not." Jung shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Alright, were you in this area when you lost track of him?"

They both nodded. "We'll look around and if he doesn't turn up right away I'll make an announcement." Jung explained his plan to them carefully. He was respectful but professional. While the way he handled the situation was good it didn't do much to reassure two panicked ninjas.

"CHARLIEEEE!" Jay took off through the crowd like a bullet and Nya proceeded to interrogate anyone who walked by, even the peacock strutting down the hall.

Jay looked back and forth as much as he could. The constant swivelling of his head causing his eyes to blur while he sped around. A flash of brown made his stop and lunge, grabbing the body and lifting it proudly.

"I FOUND HIM- oh." Jay blinked owlishly when a face that definitely was not his son glared back.

"How dare you!" The little old lady whacked him hard with her purse, causing the man to drop her. People around them gasped when she crumpled to the floor.

Jay cursed. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He apologized, only to get hit again with the bag.

Nya wasn't having much luck either. The peacock was giving her sass and she didn't have time for it. "Look, just tell me where you put him and there won't be any bloodshed." Nya growled. The peacock only stared at her, tilting it's obnoxious little head. "That's it!" Nya was ready to wrap her hands around the rude bird's neck when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"WHAT?" Nya snapped. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"

"I think I found your child." Jung tried not to shrink in fear at the fierce glare.

Nya glanced down to see Charlie looking innocently up at her, a thumb shoved way back into his mouth. She gasped, pulling him aggressively into her arms so she could hold him a little too tight. The little boy whined in complaint, a scowl on his face when Nya pulled away to scold him.

"You don't get to complain mister!" Nya said fiercely. "Not after the stress you put your father and I under!"

"CHARLIEEEEE!"

"He's here Jay, the zoo guy found him!" Nya called tiredly.

Jung raised an eyebrow. "You're welcome by the way." His sarcastic words were interrupted when Jay pushed him out of the way so he could get to his family.

"Charlie! I was so worried!" Jay attacked his face with kisses. "Don't you ever do that again!"

Charlie just looked dumbly up at his parents, his tongue hanging from his mouth. "Fun!" He cheered.

"No! Not fun!" Jay abolished. "That was scary!"

"Funnnnnn."

"Oh my fsm." Nya groaned.

"I'm fine. I can just lay here. No apologies needed." Jung sulked from the floor.

#5. Lloyd and the Sugar Rush

In hindsight giving your baby full access to the candy stash was probably a bad idea. But Hazel had looked at him with those big beautiful eyes and he hadn't been able to resist. Before he knew it the little girl had her chubby hands elbow deep into the candy bowl. Hook, line, and sinker. She had roped him in so easily.

Now Lloyd will have to pay the price for his decisions.

Reagan gave Lloyd an exasperated look as Hazel ran rampant around the room, screaming at the top of her little lungs and crashing into furniture. Lloyd gave a helpless shrug and tried to catch the falling decor before anything expensive could crash. (He didn't put much effort into saving the ugly mug with Kai's face on it though. Not that Lloyd would ever admit that.)

"Why Lloyd?" Reagan cried. "Why would you do that?"

"I didn't know she'd get a sugar high! She has my genes, I expected a better tolerance from it." Lloyd scrambled to block a corner of a table before Hazel could charge face-first into it.

"You're going to have to deal with this." Reagan stated him down. "This is your mess!"

"Wait- what about marriage? We're supposed to be in this through sickness and in health! Through grumpy in-laws and crazy children!" Lloyd said desperately as she began to leave.

An amused smile twitched at her lips. Her pale green eyes sparkling. "I don't recall the last part being in my marriage vows." She hummed, tapping her chin before shutting the door.

Lloyd groaned and Hazel burst through, latching onto the edges of his shirt as she spun around him like a tornado.

"Traitor." Lloyd muttered, picking up the flailing child so she could go let out her energy in the park.

+ 1. The Next Chapter

"I can't." Lloyd stressed, his body taught like a bow string as he held his head in his hands. "I want to. But I can't."

"Lloyd," Nya said gently. "You can't shelter her forever. The world needs them more than ever."

Lloyd looked up. His green eyes dark and furious. "I spent my whole life trying to live up to a prophecy. We have sacrificed everything for this world and all it's done is chew us up and spit us out. I know what I got into. I'm not backing down. I will die again and again for Ninjago, I will offer my soul for it. But not my daughter. That's the one thing I'm not willing to lose."

"We don't have a choice, Lloyd." Cole said softly. "This is their decision. We're parents too. I don't want to throw my kids out into snakes and fire. But they've reached an age where they need to decide what they want to do. If that means taking on these mantles then..."

Lloyd shook his head wordlessly. "Why?" He asked desperately. "Why do they have to do this? They're just kids! They're just people!"

"Because the world always needs a hero." Kai wrapped his arms around his friend. "I'm sorry that you always had to be one."

Lloyd chewed on his lip and leaned back into the embrace. "We all did." He whispered.

"You cannot live life afraid." Zane said gently. "You cannot live life trying to hide from every danger. Hazel will only end up resenting you for it."

Lloyd rubbed his eyes tiredly, his blonde hair falling out of place. "I didn't mean to pull away from all of you." His voice could barely be heard.

"We know." Jay smiled weakly.

Nya took Lloyd's hand and held it tightly. "Times running out." She pressed her forehead to his. "I think you know what you need to do."

Lloyd sighed before sitting up. His hands shook as they reached for the bamboo paper in front of him. Intricate figures danced down the page, detailed drawings accompanying them. It was rolled and bound up tight. An almost golden glow surrounding it. I don't like this." Lloyd grumbled. "Even after he's gone Wu still leaves us things to clean up."

"Gwendolyn has given me some designs." Zane unfolded a piece of paper and placed it beside the scroll. "She's... scared but I think this was her way of showing her support."

Lloyd chuckled as he looked at the outlandish gi's. Many taking on various inspirations from Japanese paintings and mythology, others representing modern fashion he's seen on television. Then, at the very bottom of the crazy designs his breath caught.

"Tell her..." Lloyd tapped on the drawing. "Tell her that this is the one."

Nya smiled. "I think the kids will like it."

"They'll have to earn them." Lloyd warned. "I'm not putting them out there until I'm confident they have what it takes."

"We trust you." Cole squeezed his shoulder.

"Well then," Lloyd let out a deep breath. "Let's turn the page and see what will happen in the next chapter." With a flourish he pushed the scroll apart and their vision erupted in golden light.

NOTE*****
The first one about Kai and Isla was inspired by my Mom and Dad. 🤣 They tried ferberizing with my older sister and it had been really hard for my mom not to run to her. Whenever my sister finally stopped crying she thought she was dead lol. I on the other hand was an amazing sleeper and they didn't have to ferberize with me.

I also used to watch Baby Einstein as a child. 😄

And another fun fact is that I did get lost in a zoo once but I was way older than one. I don't recommend the experience it is very traumatizing. Anytime I think about a zoo I think about when I got lost 🤣

I hope you enjoyed! I've been wanting to do a 5 + 1 one-shot for awhile.

LuckyBugBooks🐞