The rest of the week was as agonising as Wednesday. Particularly in art class, when Lloyd was sitting so close that I could hear him breathing.

I think our thighs touched on Thursday.

I think I may have stopped existing.

It was as if I simply wasn't allowed to be apart from him. Which was totally whack and I call absolute BS on, by the way. The tugging was too insistent, it controlled me like a puppet on a string.
I had sleepwalked to the monastery.
Regaining consciousness in the middle of the night, stranded on the dark, empty streets of Ninjago City while wearing my adventure time pyjamas wasn't exactly welcome, but at least I knew the way like the back of my hand.
Too bad it was late autumn and late autumn was fucking cold. And raining.
If I wasn't sick before, I definitely was now.
And my bare feet ached.

I didn't tell anyone when I stumbled into school on Friday morning, afraid that the information would somehow find its way to Lloyd and he would, subsequently, freak the hell out. As is, he didn't like me walking by myself at night (and to be fair, neither did my parents). He knew best about the bad sort that could be lurking in the shadows, and if somebody attacked me while I was unconsciously shuffling through the desolate streets...
I've heard stories.
It had been a swift jog home.

So, I kept quiet while I suffered through the cold I had accumulated after my stroll through the city in the middle of a storm. The tugging had only gotten worse. I wondered if Lloyd had noticed its rise in activity, too.
At least it calmed down when I took my seat beside him in class, sniffling away while the storm continued to batter against the glass of the windows.

Lloyd gave me tissues wordlessly, a gesture so simple. I tried my hardest not to cry despite the domesticity of it as I quietly thanked him.

It didn't really work out all that well.

Basically, I was a hot mess.
And not the good kind. The emotionally unstable kind. The kind that really wanted to talk to Lloyd but also the kind that was convinced the world would end if I decided to look at him again.
And just the thought of talking to him?
That would be something I couldn't handle without losing what was left of my slowly dwindling sanity.
The tugging begged me to talk to him but the pain was still fresh from the revelation on Saturday. The revelation that 'hm, maybe Lloyd isn't such a great boyfriend.' The 'mm. He lied to me.' The 'oh. He really doesn't trust me, does he?'

And damn, that stings. It was like a slap to the face right after being punched in the same spot. It was like being tossed through a wood chipper right into a pool of lemon juice. The pain was sharp, it soaked right through. It stabbed me through the chest and hoisted my limp body up like a trophy.
I was so head over heels for him that I was blinded by my own infatuation. I should've seen the signs, I should've noticed them sooner. I should've pressed harder into making him communicate rather than giving him more and more space. It was a building bomb just waiting to explode, and now that it had and-

And I still really miss him.
That pain was worse.

I miss his stupid smile and his dumb laugh. I miss his Christmas-coloured eyes and his blond hair. I miss his voice. I miss his touch. I miss his words and his warmth and-
It was agonising. It was torture.
But our trust had been shattered, so what could I do? Blindly forgive him? Forget it ever happened? That would only enable a toxicity that I could never get rid of.
I didn't want to destroy us simply because I was weak.

So I kept my distance while I sorted through my emotions. I ignored the way we silently walked from class to the cafeteria for lunch together, ignored the way his arm brushed my shoulder as we walked through the surging crowd. Ignored it even though my heart was in full crisis mode.
I ignored his sad stare when I reluctantly hurried to Claire and Aaliyah's table and quietly sat on the outside of the group. Recently, it felt as if I'd been growing apart from them but it could be just my mopey attitude making me imagine things.
I was content to pretend to listen, but then the conversation turned to me.

"Lloyd's staring at you again," Claire noted as she blatantly, obviously stared back at him from across the room with narrowed eyes. I stiffened.
"Just ignore him," Aaliyah suggested, misjudging my frozen expression. Naomi approached, taking a seat beside me. Her face fell at the look on my face. "He can't be hung up about you forever."
Her words felt like a kick to the gut. My stare turned to her, doing little to hide the mortification in my gaze.
"... we haven't broken up," I corrected in a small voice. But then I began to second guess myself - wait, were we? Was this it? Were we over?
My hand instinctively curled into the material of my shirt above the promise ring.

"Oh," Aaliyah said, genuinely surprised. Her brown eyes jumped to Claire. "That's what Claire told me."
Claire shot her an irritated glare.
"As if Claire would know," Naomi muttered from beside me. The black-haired girl's gaze darkened.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm just saying that it's none of your business," Naomi stressed and I felt a wave of gratitude flood through me towards her. "It's nobody's business aside from Lloyd and Y/n."
"That's not what the rest of the student body says," inputted Jane as she chewed on an apple with a pointed look. "I've never seen everybody so invested in a relationship before."
"That's what you get for dating Garmaboy," one of the others snorted. "I honestly didn't know what you expected. Why do we let you still sit with us-?"

"Fuck off!" Naomi snapped, standing abruptly with eyes like fire. The group sent her stares. I stared at the table, scathing words repeating in my head. "Y/n's been our friend for years and you want to dump her just because she's dating Lloyd? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"With all due respect," chimed Jacob. "It's Lloyd Garmadon. I don't care how long I've known Y/n for. Even just by letting her sit with us, it's ruining our cred."
"Cred-" Naomi scoffed but stopped herself short when I grabbed my bag and stood. My face was apathetic.
"I'm not feeling well," I murmured, stepping out from the bench and turning away. Half of the students in the cafeteria were staring.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lloyd muttering something frantically to the group but I just pushed on. The headache that had appeared out of nowhere was throbbing too much for me to care about anything aside from getting home.

"Y/n, hold up!" Jay called as he raced after me. His hair was as frazzled as his eyes. I wondered if it was a result of his elemental ability. Kai wasn't far behind, sending glares to the group. "Hey, you okay?"
I sent Jay a tense smile. He slung an arm around my shoulder and steered me out of the cafeteria while Kai muttered unsavoury things under his breath.
"Lloyd told us what happened," Kai said as he spoke up. "Don't worry about them. They're just assholes."
I exhaled through my nose, gaze catching Lloyd's worried expression just as the door shut behind us. My eyes slid shut in time with the clench of my heart.
I guess he had heard them.
Of course he had.
Naomi was still chewing them out.

"I just really want to go home," I said quietly.
"We can walk you!" Jay eagerly chirped, taking my hand and swinging it playfully as we walked.
"You don't have to."
"Of course we do!" Kai grinned, ruffling my hair. "We're the dumbass trinity, right?"
My snort escaped me without permission. I fell in a giggle.
"Mission success," Jay smugly grinned. Kai rolled his eyes, smirking. I shook my head, regaining sanity.
"You'll miss your next class," I pointed out.
"Who cares about class," Kai snorted.
"Attendance?"
"We're out half the time on missions that pop up during the day," Jay pointed out with raised eyebrows. "This'll do nothing to our already shocking records."
My smile was dry.
"Was that pun necessary?"
"They're always necessary, Y/n."

Kai and Jay distracted me throughout the long walk home. I forgot about Lloyd and I forgot about the biting words. I forgot about everything except for the joking banter between us.
It was a nice change of pace.
As I fumbled with the keys to get inside my house, Kai caught them from my hand. He smirked, eyes flickering between me and the green ninja keychain Naomi had gotten me all those months ago. And then suddenly I was thinking about Lloyd again.
"Shut up," I snapped, cheeks burning furiously in embarrassment as I snatched it back and shoved the key into the lock. Kai snickered while Jay's shit-eating grin grew. My cheeks darkened. "Shut."
"We haven't said anything," Jay raised his palms in defence, though his blue eyes were amused at my flustered reaction.
"I can hear it through your silence," I said with narrowed eyes as I opened the door and let the boys in.
"Does Lloyd know?"
"No. And you're not going to tell him, either," I ordered warningly. "Or I'll knee you in the balls like what I did with Morro."

Jay zipped his lips shut and threw away the key.

I didn't believe him for a second.

Before I could threaten them more or bribe them with food in exchange for silence, their watches beeped. They both instinctively looked down at their wrists, tapping on the devices.
"Mission time," Kai said with an excited grin. "Let's go, Jay. We'll rendezvous with the others at the site."
"See ya, Y/n!" Jay chimed, patting the top of my head. I bid my farewells and goodbyes before watching them conjure up their dragons and fly off towards the scene of the crime.
I shut the door with a sigh, immediately enveloped in silence. It was a late night shift for my mother so the loneliness that had began to creep up on me would linger for a long while.

I tossed my bag onto the floor of my room and slipped on Lloyd's hoody, having had given into the urge of wearing it since it had been sitting on my floor for the past week. Once I was snuggled up and warm, I turned on the computer on my desk and curled into the seat, dipping my chin into the hem of the hood with a bowl of two-minute noodles in hand.
The storm had eased off while I continued with my research into Lloyd and prophecies. Into the tugging. I kept coming up with the same results.
Sitting back with a sigh, I run a hand through my hair.

If this was what I suspected, things just got a lot more complicated.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

The tantalising smell of petrichor wafted from the streets as I strolled down the empty road.

The storm had passed, bringing with it a cloudy but calm sky. The air was chilly so I snuggled deeper into Lloyd's hoody while I meandered, the hood pulled tight.
Walking was good.
Walking gave me a chance to clear my head and shift through everything that had me frazzled. The tugging sensation, the ache, the yearning, the betrayal. The recent development in what I had found.
God, everything was so complicated.
I just wanted to take a nap.
Forget everything for a sweet, sweet second and pretend to feel okay for the first time in what felt like forever.

Dragging a hand down my face, I heaved a loaded sigh. It carried my stress and exhaustion. If only it could take it away for good.
Heh. That'd be nice-
A scuffed to the side made me freeze. My footsteps stilled, my heart faltered, my breathing hitched. I glanced around warily, lip between my teeth.
"... Lloyd?" I called nervously, praying that it was just him like how he had pranked me before. But also hoping it wasn't, because I don't think I could emotionally handle being with him by myself.

Only silence answered me.

The park was closer than home, so I picked up a speedy pace towards it. I slipped my hand into my pocket and grabbed my phone, holding onto it tightly just in case I needed to smash the side of it into some joker's head to stun.
My heart sat behind my teeth and the beat rang in my ears, in time with my hurried footsteps that echoed loudly along the empty road. I could feel my hackles rise with apprehension - the fight or flight response kicking in, the instinctual incentive that had been trained into me from youth. Protect the head. Go for their eyes. Blind them, stun them, take out their legs-

"Hi!"

I screamed in surprise, whipping around with the edge of my phone in grasp - but the stalker was shorter than I assumed and I swung right around from the momentum. My foot caught my ankle and I fell to the concrete with a yelp and a smack to my hip.
The stalker - correction, the little snake person - tilted their head as my jaw dropped. I scrambled backwards, not letting today be the day I become snake food.
"Wh- who-!"
"You're the peach perssson, right?" the serpentine asked, and I just noticed how remarkably small they were. Was it just a child? Wait, it's still a snake though, and I'd heard enough-
Wait-
"Y- you know about the prophecy?" I asked breathlessly, disbelief colouring my voice. The snake child took a step forward with a proud smile. I flinched back.

"Yep!" the green snake chirped with an abrupt nod, totally oblivious to my fear. "I ssspent all of my childhood learning about them! The sstoriesss with you are my favourite!"
"Oh," I said lamely, eyes darting around the still empty street. "... thanks?"
"I jussst really wanted to meet you!" the serpentine chimed before holding out a scaly hand. I eyed it warily. "I'm Raptra!"
I slowly put my hand in theirs. She shook it hard.
"Y/n," I replied nervously as my whole body seemed to shake with the power of her grasp. The snake beamed and I tried not to look too closely at her large, sharp protruding fangs. They reminded me too much of when Lloyd attacked Axon.
How did Raptra know it was me? Why the hell does everybody get to know the prophecies but me and Lloyd?
WHY IS THERE SO MANY QUESTIONS AND SO LITTLE ANSWERS-

My eyes jumped up to the snake's yellow eyes. She knew the prophecies. She don't know about Wu trying to keep them secret from us.
"Can you tell me them?"
"Huh?" Raptra asked as I scrambled to my feet and dusted off Lloyd's hoody. My jeans had gotten damp from the wet ground and it did not feel comfortable, but I had bigger priorities. "You want me to tell you your own propheciesss?"
"Yeah!" I nodded, smiling. "Can you tell me? Please?"
Raptra blinked her large yellow eyes in surprise before nodding.
"Okay!" Raptra readily agreed, growing excited as she grabbed my hands and began to tug me towards her. My heart leapt in excitement - finally, answers! My life won't feel as so unstable!
Before Raptra could begin, a glass bottle was thrown at her head. She cried out in pain as it shattered against her scales and I jumped into action, pulling her behind me as my head whipped around to face our attacker.

A middle-aged woman was scowling from her car with whom I assumed to be her husband.
"Serpentine scum," she sneered. "Go back underground! Your kind isn't wanted here."
"C'mon," I murmured, turning back to Raptra. She was whimpering and cradling her bleeding forehead. "Let's get out of here. I'll patch you up back at my place, okay? It's not far, I promise."
She nodded, letting me lift her back up to her feet. Her tail drooped against the ground as she leant her weight against me.
"Hey!" the man yelled as he got out of the car. I pushed on, urging the young serpentine to hurry just a little bit more. "Aren't you Lloyd Garmadon's girlfriend?"
I tensed my jaw, eye twitching.
"Makes sense that you're helping a fucking degenerate snake."
"It's okay, Raptra," I coed, rubbing her scaly shoulder and ignoring the man's biting words. My steps quickened when I heard them begin to approach. "I'll get us out of here."

The woman yanked Raptra's arm back and I yelled a warning, pulling the serpentine child behind me. I could feel her shaking as she clutched at the back of my hoody.
"I- I'm sssorry," she gasped, breaths short in panic. "I sssho- ssshould've ssstayed underground!"
"It's okay, you're okay," I soothed, backing up slowly as I eyed the scowling couple. My entire body was tense and ready to spring into action. "It's not your fault."
"You should be living with them in the tombs underground," the man spat at me. "Where trash belongs!"
Ah, great. I love being degraded twice in one day.
"What?" snarled the woman. "Got nothing to say for yourselves?"
"What should I say?" I asked, glowering protectively. "I have nothing to prove. I shouldn't have to prove anything. Let's just be on our ways."

"It doesn't work like that," the man shook his head.
"Then how does it work?" I snapped, chewing the inside of my cheek.
"How it works is that we're going to call the ninja force," the woman grinned smugly. "The green ninja will put you in your place."
Lloyd. My stomach dropped. God, please no. Not now. Not yet.
Her grin curled wider at the look on my face, misjudging the reason for the pale expression that had been kicked on by her words.
"Until then!" the man yelled, shoving me aside as he grabbed at Raptra. "Just to make sure it doesn't get away!"
Raptra cried out as she reached for me. I rightened before scowling, pushing forward to remove his hands from her. And maybe from his body, too.

"Let go of her!" I ordered as the woman stepped forward after shoving her phone back into her pocket. I struggled against her hold.
"Why do you care so much about a fucking snake?" the woman shouted as her nails dug through Lloyd's hoody and into my shoulders.
The man kicked the back of Raptra's legs before kneeing her in the back. With a pained gasp, a spray of venom shot from her mouth and landed on the sleeve of my hoody. I elbowed the lady in the gut before wrenching the man away from Raptra, breathing heavily. I could feel my hair shifting slightly, to the wide eyes of the couple.

"Oh, no," Raptra whispered from behind me as I felt something wet drip onto the back of my hand. I glanced down, noticing the venom soaking into my skin. "I'm s- ssso sssorry!"
I went to question her but when I looked up, I could only see nothing, an expansion of darkness, a black that leaked through the world. It was as if I'd been transported.
"R- Raptra?" I called, turning on the spot and trying to look for the young serpentine. "Wh- where did you-?"
My gaze caught something. I stilled, heart beating fast.
Across from me stood Lloyd.
Red eyes trained on me, angry. Furious. Predatory. Sharp fangs piercing from his mouth. Curled up like a lion, ready to pounce, attack.
My blood pouring down his chin.

And then I let out the first of many screams.

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

Naomi's heart felt full as Cole lead her through the barrier that protected the monastery.

She was overtly aware of the way their intertwined fingers still swung between them as they made their way up the driveway, long after they had passed through it. Her hand fit snugly in his palm.
"S- so, uh," Naomi began nervously, eyes darting around the scene and avoiding the ghostly boy beside her, less her entirety of her bodily functions fail. "How's home schooling?"
"Wu is a terrible maths teacher," Cole chuckled dryly and Naomi giggled. It was pitched with elation. She cleared her throat and ignored the way Cole sent her an amused smile.
Definitely ignoring the way his eyes looked soft.
Definitely.

"How's school?" Cole asked, glancing down at his shoes, ghostly green and transparent.
"It's making Wu seem like a much more preferable option," Naomi grumbled and he smiled, huffing through his nose. "You think Wu's got room for another student?"
"I wouldn't mind sharing my classroom," Cole murmured and Naomi felt her heart jump into her mouth when his hand gently squeezed hers.
She bit her lip and turned away, hiding her blush. Cole's grin grew.
But then Naomi's hand fell through Cole's and they stared at it with soft frowns.

"Sorry," Cole sighed, reaching to grab Naomi's hand again, only for it to slide right through her palm again and again. He grew flustered, a frustrated look on his face. Naomi reached for him and found contact.
"There we go," she said with a sad smile at the look in Cole's eyes. Her fingers linked through his again. "It's okay."
He sent her a fleeting smile, gaze turning away in disappointment.
"A- anyway," Naomi spoke up, eager to adjust the tense atmosphere to something more comfortable. "You said that you were training Kashu? How's that going?"

Cole brightened, a beaming smile returning to his face and Naomi felt her chest flutter at the welcome sight.
"Really good!" he gushed, sending her an excited smile. "I got him sitting and rolling over but he finds it difficult to get back up."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Jay and Zane have been designing him a prosthetic but I don't think they'll actually build it until he's fully grown," Cole continued. "It's really exciting! Recently, though, he's kind of been sticking to Lloyd. Y'know. Ever since..."
Naomi's face fell. They had arrived at the entrance.
"Yeah..."
"It's been a long week," Cole sighed as he lead her through the hallway. Speak of the devil, Lloyd had appeared.

"Hi, Lloyd," Naomi greeted the sullen blond with a sympathetic smile.
"Hey, Nomes," Lloyd replied quietly, dragging his feet as he made his way towards the kitchen. Kashu padded beside him, whining at green boy's depressed attitude.
"How is she?" Cole asked as they watched Lloyd disappear into the other room. Naomi shook her head.
"Not much better," she sighed. "Y/n says that she needs time, but god, they're both so depressing. Just make up already, please."
"I hear that," Cole grumbled. "Lloyd's distracted and keeps slipping up. It would be okay if he wasn't the green ninja and being totally useless."
Lloyd stuck his head out of the room with a disgruntled glare.
"I heard that."
"You were meant to."

"What do you expect me to do?" Lloyd shot, growing irritated. "I can't do anything until she's ready!"
Kashu yelped at Lloyd's tone.
"You can start by stop moping around," Cole said dryly, making the green ninja grit his teeth. "Wash your hair, for God's sake."
"Fine," Lloyd snapped, brushing past the pair with a thunderous scowl. "But not because you told me to."
"Teenagers," Naomi hummed, as if they weren't teenagers themselves. Cole shook his head in disbelief as they watched Lloyd storm off, Kashu racing after him.
"I know, right?" he muttered before turning to Naomi. "Anyway, we should meet up with the others."

She nodded in agreement, letting him lead her to the dojo where the rest of the team had decided to gather. There was a chorus of greetings when they entered.
"Alright, we may begin," Zane said as they sat in a large circle. He dropped a large pile of paper in the middle of them all. "Kai and I have compiled through every possible scenario in which Lloyd and Y/n will interact and (finally) fix things between them. Kai?"
The fire ninja nodded, leaping up to the a-frame which held a board with more white paper on it.
"Alright, there's one thing worse than being sad," Kai began, before ripping off the paper above the words 'being sad.' It revealed Lloyd's name.
"Lloyd!" Jay gasped.
"No."
"Wow, you guys went all out," Nya said, impressed, before her expression dropped. "Actually, with the way Lloyd's been acting, I shouldn't be surprised. Continue."

"Thanks," Kai said dryly before jumping back into his proposal. "It seems to be the harder they love, the harder they fall."
"And the harder they get totally depressed," Cole snorted. "Seriously, I get that they're going through a... time, but it's just sad at this point."
"If you would stop interrupting-"
Lloyd suddenly burst into the room, ignoring the bunch of plans and data sheets on the floor. His face was pulled into a serious grim frown. Kai groaned.
"There's been a serpentine attack on the outskirts of the city," Lloyd declared as he finished buckling up his gi. "Let's go."
"We will continue this when we get back," Zane informed as the team stood to get ready.
"I was just getting to the good part!" Kai whined as the team began to file out of the dojo.
Naomi grabbed Cole's wrist before he could follow.
It was only them.

"H- hey, I know this isn't a good time or anything," Naomi began nervously, face burning as she looked Cole in the eyes. "B- but I've been meaning to ask you this for, uh, ages and if I don't do it now then-"
Cole tilted his head when Naomi cut herself off to breathe. She clenched her eyes shut and steeled her nerves.
"Do you wanna go on a date?" Naomi blurted. Her blue eyes shot open. "With me."
Cole stared at her in shock. It took a few painful seconds for her words to sink in but then he was nodding. Vigorously nodding.
"Yes! Yes," Cole replied, smile growing brighter than the sun itself. "I'd love to!"
Naomi wanted to melt into the ground in relief. Her shoulders slumped, losing tension.
"Really?" she squeaked. "You mean it?"
"Of course!" Cole laughed giddily, eyes squinted in excitement. "I'll love to go on a-"

"Cole!"
The ghost's eyes widened at Jay's shout and he remembered what he was supposed to be doing.
"Oh, shoot!" he grimaced, turning his gaze back to Naomi and breaking into a soft smile. "We'll talk about it when I get back, okay?"
"Okay!" Naomi eagerly nodded, beaming in relief as Cole raced out of the room. She bit her lip to crudely hide her squeal as she jumped with adrenaline, holding her hands to her chest.
A throat cleared from the side of the room and Naomi stumbled, cheeks redder than before - if that were possible.
"Congratulations?" Dimitri tilted his head while Naomi teetered, embarrassed. In his hands was a sword that he was cleaning.
"H- how long-?"
"Literally the entire time."

Cole was quick to catch up to the others as the team flew to where Lloyd's tracker was leading them.
"So, uh..." Jay began, voice crackling over the comms. "How you holding up?"
"Hey, can we not talk about my relationship while on a mission?" Lloyd bit, voice harsher than he intended it to be. Nya and Zane shared a look.
"We're just worried about you, bro," Kai reasoned. "We just-"
"Again," Lloyd snapped, cutting him off as the team flew over the city. "Can we not?"
A short silence fell over them. Guilt poked at Lloyd's gut but he was too prideful to apologise. His green eyes squinted in annoyance.
"... you're going to have to learn to open up sometime," Nya pointed out in a soft voice. "How else are you supposed to make things up with Y/n? Wasn't that your whole problem?"

"Jesus CHRIST," Lloyd laughed bitterly, blandly. In a voice he hadn't used before. Angry and desperate. "Can we just focus on the mission? Fuck, I get it, I screwed up! Can we drop it, now?"
The team didn't get a chance to reply, as they'd arrived at the scene. A small serpentine was crouching beside a shaking girl. The couple from before had disappeared.
"Oh, no," Jay whispered, first to identify the victim from his dragon having landed closer. "Uh, Lloyd-"
Lloyd and the others began approaching. The green ninja froze.
"I... did not account for this," Zane admitted, stunned, as he stared at Y/n's sweating, shaking figure.
"I- I'm ssssssorry!" the young Venomari cried, tears flooding down her scaled cheeks as she stood abruptly. "It wassss an accident!"

"What were you doing in the city?" Zane asked, brushing past Lloyd, who was still bolted to his spot.
"I jussst wanted to sssee the green ninja'sss protector!" Raptra cried, glancing between the team and Y/n. "Like in the ssstoriesss!"
"Protector?" Kai asked while Nya crouched before Y/n. She whimpered when the water ninja placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Kai glanced back at Lloyd, who looked like he'd seen a ghost. And not in reference to Cole.
"The serpentine tombs," Jay noted, clicking his fingers in memory. "They have their own versions of the prophecies!"
"Wh... what happened?" Lloyd asked, voice hollow as he finally began slowly walking towards Y/n. She was whimpering his name and the sound of her broken voice was like an axe hacking through his heart.
"Thesssse mean people threw a glasssss at me!" Raptra replied, lips trembling. "Y/n helped me but my venom accidentally got on her!"

"What does the venom do again?" Cole asked, glancing at Kai. The fire ninja shuddered at the memory of his own encounter with the venom.
"It makes you see your worst fear," Kai muttered. "Then after the hallucinations fade, you get sick while the venom passes through your body."
Lloyd felt a heavy weight settle on his shoulders. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to be their first interaction outside of class.
"W- we have to get her back to the monastery," Lloyd declared, kneeling before Y/n. Her eyes were clenched closed, softly crying at the nightmares playing on the backs of her eyelids. He placed a gentle hand on her arm and her eyes shot up to his. They were sickly green in colour, a result of the venom.
Y/n cried a panicked shout, all but throwing herself away from Lloyd. He was still, eyes trained thoroughly on Y/n's shaking figure. A suffocating swelling sensation filled his chest. It began to grow hard to breathe.

"Y/n's greatest fear..." Zane began, watching the scene unfold with confused eyes. "... is Lloyd?"