Lloyd still felt heavy with weariness when he woke up the next morning. Still too tired to get out of bed and still too hot under all his blankets. But fatigue was never an excuse for a ninja; he had responsibilities, so staying in bed was not an option.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Lloyd sat up and took a look at the clock. His heart skipped a beat – he was late! Lloyd ripped off his sheets and sprang to his feet. By now, the others would have already eaten breakfast and would be waiting for him in the training room. Using Spinjitzu, he hurriedly changed into his uniform, then dashed into the hall. Moments later, he burst through the training room door, already apologizing.

"I'm so sorry! I overslept – I'm just exhausted after last night, I wasn't able to get any sleep, but it won't happen again, I swear."

But the guys were all giving him strange looks.

Kai shook his head. "Lloyd, you were supposed to stay in bed."

Nya stepped forward. "You really are sick, Lloyd. You need to rest, not train."

"But –" Lloyd still wasn't convinced. He couldn't be sick, not now. Not when he still had so much to learn and the Serpentine were still out there and his dad was still making threats to conquer Ninjago.

"It's okay, man, just take a day off," Cole said, trying to sound encouraging. "You'll probably be better by tomorrow and we can just continue your training then."

"Personally, I'd kill to be in your shoes," Jay grumbled.

Lloyd opened his mouth to argue, but then he felt it, a razor in his lungs that turned his words into coughing. He turned halfway, coughing into the crook of his elbow. Okay, so maybe he was a little sick. But that wasn't an excuse not to train.

He cleared his throat when he'd finished, and Zane came and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You have already made significant progress since your transformation. You don't need to feel bad about taking some time for yourself."

Well now they really weren't going to listen to him. He shrugged off Zane's hand. "Fine. I'll go." Trying not to pout, he turned and exited the room.

"Lloyd – wait!" He heard footsteps following him down the hall, and Kai caught up beside him. "Look, I know how you feel, man. I've always hated getting sick, too. But it'll be over before you know it!" When Lloyd didn't reply, he continued, "It's like the others were saying, just enjoy it. Read your comic books, or something. We could even hang out, if you wanted, all of us."

Lloyd sighed. "No. I think I will try to get some more sleep. Maybe then I'll feel better."

"Alright, well, holler if you need anything."

. . .

When he woke up again, Lloyd was feeling less tired, but he was coughing more and he could feel chills crawling up his arms. No way they would let him train in this state. Not if they knew.

So Lloyd kept the door shut and, as quietly as he could, practiced by himself. He fought against imaginary foes, just like he had as a kid – just as he had a few weeks ago – but with more finesse and precision . . . and real moves that he didn't just make up on the spot.

In his mind's eye, he was fighting off Serpentine left and right, saving the world as the Green Ninja. He was too quick for them, untouchable. Although, in reality, that wouldn't be the case. He couldn't seem to keep his balance, which made every move sloppy.

Part of the reason that Lloyd knew he needed to keep practicing was the fact that every punch and every kick, every block and every spin was so much different, now. His limbs were longer and his hands and feet were bigger and everything seemed to get in the way. He had more muscle, too, which made everything heavier. It was a lot to get used to. But it was important that he get used to it as soon as possible.

Lloyd jumped when the door opened a crack, and briefly wondered how to appear nonchalant.

Kai poke his head in. "You're up!" The red ninja gently kicked the door open, a steaming bowl in his hands.

Doing his best to look like it was perfectly normal to be standing, sweaty and out of breath whilst supposedly bedridden, Lloyd asked in as innocent a tone as he could manage, "What's that?"

"Lunch," Kai answered. Was it that late already? "Nya made it. I think she's been worrying about you all day. I could tell there's something on her mind. She wanted to check in on you earlier, but I said she shouldn't wake you." As he said this, Kai was moving across the room very carefully, so as not to spill the bowl's contents. He set it down near Lloyd's bed, then sat himself on the green sheets. He patted the space next to him, inviting Lloyd to take a seat as well.

Knowing that he was probably about to get a good scolding, Lloyd begrudgingly sat. Kai wasn't usually one to take the time to properly scold the youngest ninja, but when he did, he made every word count. For a ninja who was supposed to be so impulsive and hot-tempered, Kai sometimes had an odd amount of patience in these situations.

For a moment Kai just looked at him, and Lloyd wondered if he was really that disappointed. "You've changed a lot, and that's been tough on all of us, but I know it's been worse on you."

Lloyd just shrugged and looked away. He was over it. Mostly.

Kai leaned forward, trying to meet his eyes. "We're really proud of you, though. You've been working hard to be the Green Ninja, and that's awesome. But Lloyd, that's not all you are."

Now Lloyd frowned, his brow furrowed, not sure what Kai meant by that.

"Look, you have this whole destiny and everything, a responsibility to the people of Ninjago, I get that. I mean, we all do. And of course we all take our role as guardians of this world very seriously – but there's still more to living our lives than waiting for the next fight. What I'm trying to say is, you may have had to leave your childhood behind, but you don't have to leave your whole life behind. You can still have fun and relax – take up a hobby, or something, y'know? Just don't let war become who you are."

Lloyd shook his head in complete disagreement with the older ninja. What was he thinking? This was a war. A war that was ripping his family apart and turning them against each other, a war that would force them to fight until only one side remained. Lloyd was older now; he understood these things better, maybe even better than Kai. He was the Green Ninja, that's what was important. Until they won, his role as the Green Ninja came first. "Maybe after this is all over," he said aloud.

"You can't wait that long."

"My dad –"

"Lloyd, your dad doesn't want to fight you any more than you want to fight him. He's not going to show up any minute, demanding a final showdown. It's okay if you take one day off."

Lloyd crossed his arms defensively. "I just don't find it very relaxing to lie in my bed all day."

"Oh, no, I'm not asking you to do that," Kai said, shaking his head. "I'd hate that, too. I just don't want you over-exerting yourself. Hold on, I think I have an idea. I'll be right back." Kai got up and darted out of the room.

With a sigh, Lloyd fell backward on his bed. Maybe no one understood him.

. . . 

A/N: So, this story ended up getting a bit deeper than I originally intended, but I actually like where it went. Anyway, check back tomorrow for the final part, and see what Kai has in store for his kid brother! ;)