"I don't feel very much like a family. Not when I don't know who to trust."
After Lloyd wakes up back in his right mind, the green ninja is puzzled when no one seems to care. No relief, no joy--nothing. Instead, the others seem to have a new warines...
Jay opened the fridge and pulled out a snack. He licked his lips. I'm starving!
"Hey... um... Jay?"
The blue ninja turned to see Lloyd walking into the kitchen. Jay loosened up his muscles, remembering what Wu had told them. "Hey, Lloyd, what's up?"
"Can I trust you to tell me the truth?" Lloyd began intensely.
Jay was speechless for a minute. Lloyd needs to know that we trust him, Wu's voice rang in his head. After much hesitation, he replied, "of course."
"I wanted to talk to you," Lloyd murmured. "About Kai."
Jay tensed. Oh great, Jay! he scolded himself. What did you get yourself into now? "Wh-what about him?" he chuckled nervously.
"His burn has been bothering him," Lloyd began.
Jay blinked. "His arm?"
"No, his stomach," Lloyd corrected.
Jay turned around for a minute to hide his expression. His stomach wound is a burn now?
"Uh... Jay?" Lloyd tapped his shoulder.
Jay whirled back around, looking as calm as ever. "Yeah?"
Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "Can I continue?"
"Yeah, sure," Jay responded with another nervous chuckle.
"Okay..." Lloyd cleared his throat. Then he went serious again. "It's just that... whenever I go near Kai, he grasps his stomach, as if it was a fresh wound."
Jay gulped. Oh, it's fresher than you think.
"I know there's something you're hiding from me," Lloyd continued. "Why does Kai always look like he's in pain when he's around me?"
Because you give him flashbacks of the attack, Jay wanted to say, but he knew he couldn't. As he hesitated, Lloyd's eyes flashed.
"Is it because whenever he sees me, it reminds him of the fire?" the green ninja challenged. "Do I make his pain return?"
Jay looked at his feet, unable to respond. He didn't know what to say.
Lloyd gave a short sigh. "I knew it," he stated. He slammed his fist on the counter. "I'm such a burden!" Then he whirled around and raced out of the room.
Jay wanted to call him back, but no words came to his mouth. Sighing, he leaned over the counter and ran his fingers through his hair, stressed.
Is it better to let Lloyd think he's a burden, he thought, or to let him know he attempted murder?
* * *
The five ninja walked down the hall, Lloyd in the lead. They were heading toward the training courtyard. Kai held back a pace or two from the others, and Cole noticed he had his sword on him. We don't usually carry our weapons around like that, he thought, but I guess if it makes Kai feel safe, it's fine.
As they headed along the path, they skidded to a halt as Lloyd suddenly stopped. Cole followed his gaze upward and found a sword hanging on the wall. Cole thought it looked familiar, and with a jolt he realized it was the same sword Lloyd used to wound Kai in the trance.
Lloyd stepped closer to it, his eyes deep with wonder.
On instinct, Jay leaped in front of Kai to defend him, but the green ninja didn't notice. "Cool sword!" he gasped. "I've never seen this here before!"
He reached his hand forward to touch the weapon, but Cole sprang forward and slapped his hand away. He stood in front of it, blocking Lloyd's view. "No, that is not a cool sword!" he scolded.
"What?" Lloyd exclaimed, confused at the seriousness of Cole's tone. "Why not?"
Jay herded Lloyd forward. "Uh... confidential reasons," he chuckled nervously. "You know, Sensei's gotta have his secrets!"
"Yes, stay away from it!" Zane added.
As Lloyd protested and they moved onward, Cole noticed that Kai was still standing behind. He went back over to him and found the red ninja completely frozen as he stared at the sword, eyes wide.
"Kai?" Cole said. He gave him a nudge. "Kai!"
Kai suddenly jerked, and he bent over, panting. He rubbed his head.
"Are you okay?" Cole inquired with concern.
The red ninja clutched his stomach before straightening up again. "I-I guess," he choked out.
Cole led him forward. "Come on, the senseis will be waiting."
* * *
Garmadon and Wu watched as the ninja train. They had told Lloyd to take it easy, but he was holding up better than they had thought. They also noticed that Kai was specifically avoiding training with Lloyd, and Wu knew why. Skirmishing with Lloyd would only bring back horrid memories, even if they were just training. The other three ninja seemed to know the deal as well, since whenever Lloyd sprang forward to lunge at Kai, Jay, Zane, or Cole would barrel into him first before the red ninja noticed. Wu's heart swelled with pride to see how much they cared for their pained brother.
Garmadon shifted on his feet uneasily. "When will Kai trust Lloyd again?" he murmured to his brother.
"In time," Wu replied. "Remember how hard it was for even you to trust him in the beginning?"
Garmadon hesitated, then nodded.
"Consider it ten times worse for Kai," Wu sighed. "Lloyd almost killed him, and it must be a pretty hard and confusing time for him."
"I still wish he would stop carrying around his sword!" Garmadon exclaimed. "It freaks me out!"
Wu rubbed his beard. "We have to let Kai do what he has to do to feel safe again," he responded. "There's no doubt he even feels a bit wary around Cole, Zane, and Jay as well."
Garmadon sighed. "I just hope he can trust Lloyd again sooner than later," he said. "Because I know my son, and if he knows there's something we're keeping from him, he will find a way to figure it out himself."
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