Darkness from Within #1: Twisted Paths (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 9

Nya watched her brother as he finally began to breathe normally again. She let out a breath of relief as the glaze over his eyes faded and his senses started to come back. She laid her hand on his shoulder. "Kai, are you okay?"

Kai drew in a shaky breath and let out one last cough, rubbing his eyes as he straightened up again. "Y-yeah," he rasped.

"I'm glad." Nya glanced over her shoulder at Cole, who had also come back to his senses. The three of them, Pixal, and Jay were now in the monastery courtyard, waiting there for the stress from the fire to die down.

Kai's still blood-shot gaze traveled around the yard. "Where are the others?" he asked.

Nya winced, turning to the courtyard gates. "I-I don't know," she admitted, worry beginning to unfold inside of her. We left them out there in the fire, she thought guiltily. What if they didn't make it out in time?

Biting her lip, she rose to her feet and padded over to Pixal, drawing the robot away from the boys. "Do you think they're okay?" Nya fretted.

Pixal followed her gaze to the doors. "I'm sure they're fine," she reassured her. Then she sighed. "But they're definitely not getting out without an injury or two. I guess we have a use for that new hospital room now."

Nya half-smiled. Over the past couple of weeks, Pixal and her had been constructing a new room to add onto the monastery—a hospital room, as they liked to call it—for a faster and more convenient way to treat the team's wounds and injuries.

Nya glanced at Jay and found his leg bound and treated. Smiling more broadly, she turned back to Pixal. "I didn't know you were a doctor," she said.

Pixal nodded. "As well as assisting, I have also been programmed in the medical field."

Nya opened her mouth to reply, but a sudden slam interrupted her. The girls whipped around to see the monastery gates flung open, and Wu, Garmadon, Zane, and Lloyd tumbled inside. Each of them coughing violently, they all rolled to the ground and lay there, wheezing to catch their breath.

"Guys!" Kai exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

Nya and Pixal exchanged a glance before rushing over to them. Pixal knelt beside Zane and gazed down at him with a smile. "You're a hero!" she exclaimed.

Still panting, Zane met her gaze and chuckled. "I'm only doing my job."

Wu looked around as Nya helped him to his feet. "How are the others?" he asked, a rasp in his voice.

"We're fine, Sensei," Cole answered as he and Jay walked over to him.

Now that the commotion had died down, Garmadon jerked as he remembered Lloyd and he glanced around wildly, spotting his son lying on the ground near Zane. Eyes rounding, the sensei stumbled to his feet and rushed over to him. "Lloyd!"

The shout alerted the others and they, too, remembered Lloyd and they crowded around the green ninja, desperate to see if he was alright.

"Not too close," Wu told them. "He needs his air."

The ninja nodded and stepped back a pace, leaving only Wu and Garmadon beside the green ninja.

Lloyd's eyes were sealed shut and his body was still. Only the sharp, short rise and fall of his chest told the ninja he was still alive.

Garmadon lifted his son's head, wiping a splotch of smoke off his cheek. "Lloyd, wake up," he murmured, shaking the ninja.

But Lloyd made no reply.

"Come on, you must wake up!" Garmadon's heart pounded. "Answer me, Lloyd!" He turned Lloyd's head toward him, but it fell back again limply. Garmadon drew in a shaky breath. "We're losing him." He bowed his head and everyone went silent.

Then Kai grunted. "There's no reason to give up now," he stated. "While Lloyd still has breath, there's still hope. We need to get him to a hospital."

Pixal glanced at Nya. "Looks like it's time to test out that new equipment," she said.

"And your doctor skills," Nya added, gazing down at Lloyd worriedly.

"Bring him this way," Pixal told the others and began to lead the way, Nya close behind.

Cole and Kai went over to Lloyd and carefully picked the green ninja up between them before following Pixal into the monastery. Garmadon and Wu hurried after them, leaving Jay and Zane at the rear.

The group climbed up the stairs and went to the very end of the hall, stopping in front of a freshly-built door. "In here," Pixal informed, opening the door and leading them inside.

Jay and Zane exchanged a surprised glance, clearly not knowing about the hospital inside their monastery, before following Pixal. Inside, multiple beds were laid out along the wall, all kinds of medical equipment beside them.

"Lay Lloyd here," Pixal instructed, halting beside the first bed.

Kai and Cole carried Lloyd over to the bed and gently placed him on it. Immediately, Pixal began treating the green ninja and hooking him up to things. Lloyd shifted uncomfortably, but still didn't wake up.

Eventually, Pixal stepped back with a sigh. "That's about all I can do," she murmured. "Now we just have to hope it's enough."

She rubbed the blackness off Lloyd's face as the ninja solemnly gathered around their sick friend. Garmadon didn't think he could get any more worried until he did. What would he do if his son died?

"Come on," Wu started, breaking the silence, "there's nothing we can do now. We must leave Lloyd to rest."

"I'll stay here and watch over him," Pixal told them. "If anything happens, I will alert everyone."

Nodding to her, Wu headed toward the door with head low, rubbing his beard in deep thought. With one last glance at Lloyd, Cole and Kai followed him.

"Yeah... Lloyd will be fine," Nya said optimistically.

Jay turned his gaze from Lloyd and switched it to her instead. "B-but will he be?" he fretted. "We don't know what happened to him with the Overlord, but the fire only would've hurt him more. And—and Kai nearly died in there, but Lloyd was in there longer than Kai and he—"

"Jay!" Nya interrupted him, staring at him sternly. She flicked her head toward Garmadon, who was still in the room. Jay winced and glanced at the sensei. Garmadon was still looking down at Lloyd, but Jay could tell that he had heard what he said.

"Sorry," the blue ninja whispered. "I'm just worried, I guess."

"We all are," Nya murmured, laying a hand on his shoulder. Then she turned around and began leading Jay out of the room.

Zane was about to follow them but Pixal stopped him. "You don't look too good yourself," she commented. "Allow me to fix you up."

Zane looked down at himself and noticed for the first time parts of his fake skin were ripped off and some of his parts were melted. "I guess the fire wanted its fair share," he muttered.

As Pixal led him across the room, Garmadon gazed at his son one last time. "Come back to us, Lloyd," he whispered, drawing his hand around the green ninja's face. "Come back to us."